FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 8th, 2019
NBC SPORTS SHOWCASES TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY – NASCAR’S BIGGEST AND BADDEST TRACK – AS PLAYOFFS CONTINUE SUNDAY AT 2 P.M. ET ON NBC
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series Racing from Talladega – Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC
Pre-Race Coverage Includes Feature on Earnhardt Legacy at Talladega Narrated by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Jr. Download with Bubba Wallace – Tonight at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN
“Right-rearing somebody on an oval track is grounds for getting your (butt) whooped. Am I wrong?” – Bubba Wallace on the Dale Jr. Download
NASCAR America Motormouths with Special Guest Kyle Busch – Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN
NBC Sports Presents 2019 eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Championship Live on NASCAR America This Thursday at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. – October 8, 2019 – NBC Sports’ travels to Talladega Superspeedway – NASCAR’s biggest and baddest track – this weekend to continue the fierce playoff racing of the Round of 12 in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with charged-up live coverage this Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.
Kyle Larson clinched his spot in the Round of 8 with his first win of the season in Dover last weekend, ending a drought of 75 races. As the Round of 12 continues, Martin Truex Jr. leads all Playoff drivers with 3,095 points, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin (3,080) and Kyle Busch (3,080). Reigning Cup Series Champion Joey Logano is currently below the cut line (3,032) behind William Byron (3,032) due to a tiebreaker (best finish in round). Byron finished 13th at Dover, while Logano was 34th.
Below are quotes from Larson’s win at Dover:
Kyle Larson: “Everybody in this Playoff field is going to be stressing next week at Talladega – except for me.”
Steve Letarte: “If this propels him to a championship, circle Dover as the day it all started.”
Dale Jarrett: “Over the last 10 to 12 races, we’ve seen a different Kyle Larson than what we’ve come to know.”
Kyle Larson (on going back to Talladega): “I’m pumped. Last time I was there I ended up on my lid. I still could do the same thing next week but I’ll be flipping through the air with a smile on my face.”
2019 MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF DRIVERS & STANDINGS:
| Position | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 1 WIN |
| 2 | Martin Truex Jr. | +63 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | +48 |
| 4 | Kyle Busch | +48 |
| 5 | Kevin Harvick | +42 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | +20 |
| 7 | Alex Bowman | +17 |
| 8 | William Byron | +0 |
| 9 | Joey Logano | -0 |
| 10 | Clint Bowyer | -4 |
| 11 | Chase Elliott | -7 |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | -22 |
| >> Below Round of 8 Cut Line | ||
NASCAR CUP SERIES RACING FROM TALLADEGA MOTOR SPEEDWAY – SUNDAY AT 2 P.M. ET ON NBC
NBC Sports kicks off its NASCAR coverage from Talladega this Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET with first practice, followed by the final practice at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Cup Series coverage resumes on NBCSN on Saturday with qualifying at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Sunday’s race-day coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET with NASCAR America pre-race show from Talladega and Countdown to Green at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Live coverage of the 1000Bulbs.com 500 follows at 2 p.m. ET.
NBC Sports’ lead race announcer Rick Allen will call the action alongside 21-time Cup Series winner Jeff Burton and two-time Daytona 500 Champion Dale Earnhardt Jr., who holds the record for most consecutive wins at Talladega (four). Daytona 500 winning crew chief Steve Letarte will provide commentary from the Peacock Pit Box.
NBC Sports’ NASCAR pre-race host Krista Voda, auto racing icon Kyle Petty, and NBC analyst and Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett will host Countdown to Green as well as post-race coverage. Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns, Marty Snider, and Rutledge Wood will provide commentary and interviews from pit-road and grandstands. Coverage will continue with the post-race show and extended post-race show from 5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Victory Lap will close out race-day coverage at 6:30 p.m. ET hosted by Danielle Trotta with Nate Ryan and Parker Kligerman. Kligerman will be racing for the No. 96 Gaunt Bros. Racing team at Talladega.
BUBBA WALLACE JOINS TONIGHT’S DALE JR. DOWNLOAD ON NBCSN
Today’s episode of the Dale Jr. Download will air tonight at 5 p.m. ET and current NASCAR driver, Bubba Wallace. Wallace currently drives for No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Petty Motorsports. He will discuss his performance this season, give his thoughts on the playoffs and where he sees his team going next year. Click here to watch a preview of today’s episode.
Produced on-site at Dirty Mo Media Studios in Mooresville, N.C., the Dale Jr. Download on NBCSN takes viewers couch-side for the taping of the motorsports icon’s weekly podcast, featuring unparalleled perspective, candid commentary, and insight that fans have come to expect from Dale Jr.
KYLE BUSCH, JOINS NASCAR AMERICA MOTORMOUTHS AS GUEST TOMORROW AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, joins NASCAR America Motormouths tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET. Fans will have the chance to call in and talk to Busch, who currently sits in fourth place in the playoff standings, along with hosts Marty Snider and Kyle Petty. Motormouths are all about the viewers, providing regular opportunities for fans to call into NASCAR America and speak with hosts, analysts, and a rotation of current drivers live on NBCSN.
NBC SPORTS PRESENTS 2019 eNASCAR PEAK ANTIFREEZE iRACING CHAMPIONSHIP LIVE ON NASCAR AMERICA THIS THURSDAY AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NASCAR, NBC Sports and iRacing officially announced today a special two-hour edition of NASCAR America, which will broadcast the 2019 eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series™ championship from the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway live on October 10 at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The first-ever eNASCAR® championship telecast will showcase the crowning of a first-time series champion and determine who will take home the largest share of the $100,000 prize pool. Krista Voda, Parker Kligerman, Steve Letarte and Evan Posocco anchor coverage of Thursday’s race on NASCAR America.
TWO WINNERS IN THE ‘PICK ‘EM’ JACKPOT IN DOVER SPLITTING THE $20,000 PRIZE – RESETS TO $10,000 FOR TALLADEGA
More than 70,000 fans competed in this weekend’s NASCAR Pick ‘Em game on the NBC Sports Predictor app, and two fans recorded perfect scores for their Dover picks to split the $20,000 jackpot. The jackpot will reset to $10,000 this weekend in Talladega.
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- For each race stage, pick the driver that will have the best finish from a group of four drivers.
- Then, out of the entire field, pick which drivers will finish the race in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place – in exact order.
Following is this week’s NASCAR programming across NBC Sports:
| DATE | COVERAGE | TIME (ET) | NETWORK |
| Tuesday, Oct.8 | Dale Jr. Download w/ Bubba Wallace | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Wednesday, Oct. 9 | NASCAR America Motormouths w/ Kyle Busch | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Thursday, Oct. 10 | eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Championship Race | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Friday, Oct. 11 | NASCAR Cup Series First Practice – Talladega | 1:30 p.m. | NBCSN |
| NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice – Talladega | 4:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Saturday, Oct. 12 | NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – Talladega | 4:30 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Sunday, Oct. 13 | NASCAR America | 1 p.m. | NBC |
| NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green | 1:30 p.m. | NBC | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Race – Talladega | 2 p.m. | NBC | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race Show | 5:45 p.m. | NBC | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Extended Post-Race Show | 6 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Victory Lap | 6:30 p.m. | NBCSN |
NBC SPORTS’ NASCAR COVERAGE
The official home of the NASCAR Playoffs, NBC Sports will present the final 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, and select NASCAR Regional & Touring Series events in 2019. NBC Sports’ NASCAR programming also includes NBCSN’s daily motorsports show NASCAR America, coverage of NASCAR’s Awards Ceremonies, the annual NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony, as well as original programming specials.
–NBC SPORTS–
