FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 20th, 2016
NBCSN PRESENTS NASCAR SPRINT CUP ELIMINATION RACE FROM TALLADEGA SUNDAY AT 1:30 PM ET
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Joins NASCAR on NBC’s Broadcast Booth In Talladega And Martinsville
NBC Sports’ Sprint Cup Race Coverage in Kansas Up 7% Among Average Viewers, Compared to Charlotte
F1’s Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez Join NASCAR America This Week
NBC Sports’ Snapchat Account Going Big For Talladega
Clint Bowyer and Greg Biffle Join Nate Ryan on This Week’s NASCAR on NBC Podcast
STAMFORD, Conn. – October 20, 2016 – NBC Sports heads to Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR’s biggest and baddest track, for the Round of 12 elimination race. NBCSN presents the final opportunity for Chase drivers to avoid elimination and advance into the next round Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. With Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick safely into the Round of 8 by virtue of a win, Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott stand below the cut line and must be in top form at the track famous for mammoth, multi-car crashes.
NBCSN PRESENTS THE SECOND ELIMINATION RACE OF THE NASCAR SPRINT CHASE SUNDAY AT 1:30 P.M. ET
NBC Sports kicks off its standalone Sprint Cup coverage from Talladega Superspeedway Friday with Sprint Cup practice at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN, followed by final practice at 4:30 p.m. ET. An on-site edition of NASCAR America wraps up the day at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Saturday’s coverage includes qualifying at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Race day coverage begins Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN with NASCAR America. Countdown to Green kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN followed by race coverage at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN. An on-site post-race show immediately follows the checkered flag, and Victory Lap concludes coverage at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Race announcer Rick Allen calls this weekend’s action alongside analysts Steve Letarte and Jeff Burton. Pre- and post-race coverage is handled by host Krista Voda, and analysts Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett. Marty Snider, Mike Massaro, Dave Burns and Kelli Stavast report from pit road. Rutledge Wood contributes to NBCSN’s coverage Friday and Sunday.
DALE EARNHARDT JR. JOINS NASCAR ON NBC’S BROADCAST BOOTH IN TALLADEGA AND MARTINSVILLE
NBC Sports announced yesterday on NASCAR America that Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet, will join the NBC Sports broadcast booth for portions of two upcoming Sprint Cup broadcasts. Earnhardt, who has not raced since July as he recovers from a concussion, will lend his expertise as an analyst during NBCSN’s coverage this Sunday from Talladega Superspeedway, as well as the following Sunday from Martinsville Speedway.
A full release detailing Earnhardt’s appearance is available here.
NBC SPORTS’ KANSAS SPRINT CUP RACE VIEWERSHIP UP 7% AMONG AVERAGE VIEWERS, COMPARED TO CHARLOTTE
NBC’s Sunday presentation of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Kansas Speedway averaged 3.4 million viewers and a 2.1 HH rating. In comparison to last week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Charlotte, which was simulcast on NBC and NBCSN, Sunday’s race in Kansas was up 7% among average viewers. Viewership peaked between 5:15 and 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday as 4.4 million viewers tuned in to see Kevin Harvick capture the checkered flag, and secure a position in the Chase Round of 8. Live streaming of Sunday’s race generated 2.2 million live minutes, and 39,000 unique devices, up 53% and 30% respectively compared to the same event last year. Saturday’s XFINITY race also saw year-over-year growth, averaging 1.4 million viewers on NBC, an increase of 48% compared to the 2015 presentation on NBCSN.
F1’S ROMAIN GROSJEAN AND ESTEBAN GUTIERREZ JOIN NASCAR AMERICA TONGHT
Haas F1 Team drivers Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez join Kyle Petty at the NASCAR Hall of Fame during tonight’s edition of NASCAR America for an education on the evolution of stock car racing. From the creation of the first window net, to historic race cars, Petty brings Grosjean and Gutierrez through the history of NASCAR, and even guides them through a tire-changing exercise.
NBC SPORTS’ SNAPCHAT ACCOUNT GOING BIG FOR TALLADEGA
Throughout the weekend, NBC Sports’ Snapchat account will introduce new custom content for this key Chase elimination race. The special event approach will center around art and facts surrounding Talladega Speedway, and the drivers competing for a spot in the Round of 8. Snaps will include stop motion video, custom art games and a special seven snap series dedicated to Jimmie Johnson as he seeks his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. In addition to the custom content, fans will be able to go inside the garages, around the track and chat with NASCAR on NBC talent all race weekend long.
CLINT BOWYER AND GREG BIFFLE JOIN NATE RYAN ON THIS WEEK’S NASCAR ON NBC PODCAST
Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle along with Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez join Nate Ryan on a podcast doubleheader this week. In the episode released yesterday, Bowyer and Biffle candidly discussed their frustrating seasons thus far and their hopes for performance improvement in years to come. In the bonus episode available today, F1 drivers Grosjean and Gutierrez discuss this weekend’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, which will mark Grosjean’s 100th career Grand Prix start. Available on NASCAR Talk, iTunes, AudioBoom, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher and podcasting apps, the NASCAR on NBC podcast discusses the latest NASCAR news each week with major stars and personalities.
UPCOMING NASCAR PROGRAMMING
| Date | Coverage | Time (ET) | Network |
| Thurs., Oct. 20 | NASCAR America | 5:30 PM | NBCSN |
| NASCAR K&N Pro Series West – All American | 7:00 PM | NBCSN | |
| Fri., Oct. 21 | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series First Practice – Talladega | 2:00 PM | NBCSN |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – Talladega | 4:30 PM | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America | 5:30 PM | NBCSN | |
| Sat., Oct. 22 | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying – Talladega | 4:00 PM | NBCSN |
| NASCAR Whelen Modified – Thompson | 6:00 PM | NBCSN | |
| Sun., Oct. 23 | NASCAR America | 1:00 PM | NBCSN |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Countdown to Green | 1:30 PM | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing – Talladega | 2:00 PM | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race Show | 5:30 PM | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Victory Lap | 6:00 PM | NBCSN |
All of NBC Sports Group’s NASCAR coverage is available to stream on NBCSports.com and via the NBC Sports app. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, and Roku.
NASCARTalk on NBCSports.com brings racing fans up-to-the-minute news, video and information on NASCAR drivers, teams and industry news. For all the latest NASCAR content socially, fans can follow @NASCARonNBC and @NASCARTalkNBC on twitter and like the NASCAR on NBC Facebook page.
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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