Both Weekend Races Air on NBC from The Track “Too Tough to Tame” – Beginning with Saturday’s at 3 p.m. ET XFINITY Series Race, Followed by Sunday’s Sprint Cup Race in Primetime at 7 p.m. ET
NBC Sports Joins Darlington Raceway in Celebrating the Return of NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing’s Date with “The Lady in Black” over Labor Day Weekend with “Throwback” Elements and Features that Evoke the Look, Sound and Style of the 1970s
Legendary NASCAR Broadcasters Ken Squier and Ned Jarrett Join NBC Sports’ Weekend Broadcast Team
Media Conference Call Featuring Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, Kyle Petty, Ken Squier, Steve Letarte and Jeff Behnke Previewing Weekend Coverage and “Throwback” Broadcast Features TODAY at Noon ET – Dial 785-830-7989 to Participate
STAMFORD, Conn. – September 1, 2015 – NBC Sports is gearing up for a holiday weekend celebration for the ages, when the sights, sounds and style of the 1970s will be incorporated to commemorate NASCAR’s rich racing history at Darlington Raceway. The storied, egg-shaped track that has earned two nicknames over the years through tough, white-knuckle racing will be hosting a full slate of Labor Day Weekend action for the first time in 12 years as “The Race for the Chase” heats up. NBC presents its first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event since the memorable July fireworks show from Daytona this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. On Saturday, NBC presents XFINITY Series Racing from Darlington Presented by K&N, at 3 p.m. ET.
Throughout the weekend, NBC Sports’ lead announce team of 21-time Sprint Cup winner Jeff Burton, Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte and announcer Rick Allen call the race action, while pre- and post-race festivities from Darlington are handled by host Krista Voda alongside analysts Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett. Marty Snider, Mike Massaro, Kelli Stavast and Dave Burns contribute reports from pit road. NBCSports.com lead motorsports writer Nate Ryan and features reporter Rutledge Wood contribute to NBC and NBCSN’s coverage Friday through Sunday. In keeping with this weekend’s throwback theme, NBC Sports welcomes legendary NASCAR broadcasters Ken Squier and Ned Jarrett, who will be joining the broadcast team as special guests.
NBCSN’s NASCAR coverage from “The Lady in Black” begins Friday with Sprint Cup Series practice presented by DraftKings at 11 a.m. ET. NBCSN’s XFINIITY Series coverage begins with the first practice at 1 p.m. ET and final practice at 3 p.m. ET. Sprint Cup Series final practice kicks off at 4:30 p.m. ET before NASCAR coverage wraps up with NASCAR America at 6:30 p.m.
XFINITY Series qualifying kicks off Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN. NASCAR America will recap qualifying and look ahead with a special 30-minute edition at 1 p.m. ET. Sprint Cup qualifying gets in motion at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN before throwing to the XFINITY Series Countdown to Green at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. XFINITY Series green flag racing from Darlington begins at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Sunday evening’s race coverage begins on NBCSN at 5 p.m. ET with NASCAR America Sunday presented by Draftkings followed by a special 6 p.m. Countdown to Green. NASCAR coverage shifts over to NBC at 7 p.m. with Sprint Cup Countdown to Green presented by Sonic. Green-flag racing from the track “Too Tough to Tame” begins at 7:20 p.m. ET. The weekend of NASCAR racing wraps up with a special on-site edition of NASCAR Victory Lap from Darlington Raceway at 11:15 p.m.
NBC SPORTS GROUP CELEBRATES DARLINGTON’S RETURN TO LABOR DAY WEEKEND FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2003
A long-time pillar of the NASCAR schedule, the Labor Day Weekend Darlington Sprint Cup race returns to its traditional weekend with a throwback to the 1970’s. Throughout the weekend NBC Sports Group’s broadcast features retro highlights to commemorate the tradition of NASCAR racing. Graphics will include the vintage “living color” NBC peacock, while booth and studio talent appear in authentic 1970s-era appeal.
Pre-race features throughout the weekend include a personal essay on Darlington Raceway written and voiced by Ken Squier. Kyle Petty visits Bill Elliott and his son Chase Elliott at Darlington Raceway to discuss the 30th anniversary of Bill’s Winston Million win. Also, Kyle Petty drives a lap around Darlington in the vintage Wood Brothers’ No. 21 car from 1971 while Jeff Burton takes a simultaneous lap in the 2015 NBC Sports’ Toyota Camry On Track Car.
Rutledge Wood showcases the unique events Darlington Raceway has in store for Labor Day Weekend. “The Lady in Black” hosts a Grand Funk Railroad pre-race concert, throwback paint schemes and legendary Hall of Famer appearances.
MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL PREVIEWING WEEKEND COVERAGE AND “THROWBACK” BROADCAST FEATURES TODAY AT NOON ET
Join NBC Sports NASCAR analysts Steve Letarte, Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty, VP of NASCAR production Jeff Behnke, and legendary NASCAR broadcaster Ken Squier as they preview the upcoming coverage from Darlington.
To participate dial 785-830-7989, Conference Call ID 6785959
Following is NBC Sports Group’s NASCAR coverage this weekend:
| Date | Program | Time (ET) | Network |
| Fri., September 4 | Sprint Cup Series First Practice - Darlington | 11 a.m. | NBCSN |
| XFINITY Series First Practice - Darlington | 1 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| XFINITY Series Final Practice - Darlington | 3 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sprint Cup Series Final Practice - Darlington | 4:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America | 6:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sprint Cup Series Final Practice - Darlington (Encore) | 9:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sat., September 5 | Sprint Cup Series Final Practice - Darlington (Encore) | 10 a.m. | NBCSN |
| XFINITY Series Qualifying – Darlington | 11:30 a.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America | 1 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sprint Cup Series Qualifying – Darlington | 1:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| XFINITY Series Countdown to Green Pre-Race Show | 3 p.m. | NBC | |
| XFINITY Series Race – Darlington | 3:30 p.m. | NBC | |
| The States of NASCAR | 6 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sprint Cup Series Qualifying – Darlington (Encore) | 11:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sun., September 6 | NASCAR America Sunday | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Sprint Cup Countdown to GreenPre-Race Show | 6 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sprint Cup Countdown to Green Pre-Race Show | 7 p.m. | NBC | |
| Sprint Cup Series Race – Darlington | 7:20 p.m. | NBC | |
| NASCAR Victory Lap | 11:15 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Mon., September 7 | NASCAR America | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
NBC SPORTS GROUP CELEBRATES THE CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP WITH THE QUICKEN LOANS $16M PERFECT GRID CHALLENGE
NBC Sports Group has teamed up with Quicken Loans, the nation’s third largest mortgage lender, to provide fans with the Quicken Loans $16M Perfect Grid Challenge.
Fans can register at NBCSports.com/GridChallenge to fill out a NASCAR Grid from the round of 16 drivers who qualified for Chase and predicting how they will advance through each round of The Chase through the final race. The lucky fan with a perfect bracket at the end of the season will win a 16 million dollar prize, one million to represent each of the 16 drivers in the Chase. Fans will be able to make their picks following the Federated Auto Parts 400 Sprint Cup Series race on September 12 on NBCSN from Richmond International Raceway, and will have until the 15 minutes prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup September Chicagoland Race the following Sunday, September 20, to submit their grids and get ready to cheer on their picks.
In addition to the $16 Million Perfect Grid Challenge, fans will also have the opportunity to compete in the Weekly Playoff Grid Challenge. Each week participating fans are entered to win great prizes including a Roku streaming player and NBC Sports prize packs. At the end of the 10 weeks the fan with the most points will receive a free mortgage for a year from Quicken Loans.
MOTORSPORTS ON NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA
NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs – will stream this week’s NASCAR and IndyCar coverage via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play and Windows Store, Roku Channel Store and Apple TV.
NASCAR COVERAGE ON NBCSPORTS.com and NASCARTALK
NBCSports.com brings racing fans up-to-the-minute news, video and information. The site also serves as the destination for all news, analysis and video from NBC and NBCSN productions of NASCAR, including contributions from on-air commentators.
To explore the site, please visit NBCSports.com/NASCAR and NASCARTalk.NBCSports.com/
@NBCSportsPR: @NBCSportsPR Publicity group Twitter account for NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, 11 NBC Sports Regionals, NBC Sports Radio & all NBC Sports digital properties.
@NASCARonNBC: @NASCARonNBC The official Twitter account of NASCAR coverage on NBC and NBCSN provides exclusive access to drivers, NBC Sports NASCAR experts and behind-the-scenes content, as well up-to-the-minute news and highlights, including video and articles from MotorSportsTalk on NBCSports.com.
For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.
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