NBC SPORTS HEADS TO KANSAS SPEEDWAY FOR CUTOFF THRILLER AS NASCAR PLAYOFFS CONTINUE SUNDAY AT 2:30 P.M. ET ON NBC

NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series Racing from Kansas Speedway – Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC

“It was just wild; two-, three-wide action all day long. You couldn’t ask for more action.” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Talladega

Pre-Race Coverage Will Include Jeff Burton Sitting Down with Jimmie Johnson for a Special Driver 2 Driver Interview, Rutledge Wood Highlights Local Kansas Track and Best Moments of #MyTrackMyRoots Grassroots Racing Tour

NASCAR America Motormouths with Special Guest Jimmie Johnson – Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Dale Jr. Download with Jeff Burton – Friday at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Monster Energy Supercross All-Star Race on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on NBCSN

STAMFORD, Conn. – October 16, 2019 – NBC Sports’ travels to Kansas Speedway this weekend with live coverage of the last race of the Round of 12 in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

The Round of 8 will be decided this weekend in Kansas with the second cutoff race of the Playoffs. Ryan Blaney saved his season in Talladega on Monday with a photo-finish win after one of the most dramatic races this season, defeating Ryan Newman by .007 seconds in the sixth-closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history.

Blaney and Kyle Larson have already clinched their spots in the Round of 8. Alex Bowman (-18 pts), Chase Elliott (-22 pts), Clint Bowyer (-24 pts) and William Byron (-27 pts) are the four Playoff drivers currently outside of the Top 8.

2019 MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF DRIVERS & STANDINGS:

NASCAR CUP SERIES RACING FROM KANSAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY – SUNDAY AT 2:30 P.M. ET ON NBC

NBC Sports kicks off its NASCAR coverage from Kansas this Friday at 4 p.m. ET with first practice, followed by the final practice at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Cup Series coverage resumes on NBCSN on Saturday with qualifying at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Sunday’s race-day coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET with NASCAR America pre-race show from Kansas and an hour-long special Countdown to Green at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Live coverage of the Hollywood Casino 400 follows at 2:30 p.m. ET.

NBC Sports’ lead race announcer Rick Allen will call the action alongside 21-time Cup Series winner Jeff Burton. Daytona 500 winning crew chief Steve Letarte and two-time Daytona 500 Champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. will provide commentary from a second booth.

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. Post-race coverage will pick up on NBCSN at 6 p.m. ET, followed by Victory Lap at 6:30 p.m. ET, hosted by Danielle Trotta with AJ Allmendinger and Parker Kligerman, who will be driving the No. 96 Gaunt Bros. Racing Toyota at Kansas.

JEFF BURTON JOINS DALE JR. DOWNLOAD – FRIDAY AT 6 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Racing legend and current NBC Sports NASCAR analyst Jeff Burton is this week’s guest on the Dale Jr. Download this Friday at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Burton will discuss the Playoffs, including Monday’s wild race at Talladega, will share his thoughts on the future of NASCAR, and much more.

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.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, JOINS NASCAR AMERICA MOTORMOUTHS AS GUEST TOMORROW AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson joins NASCAR America Motormouths tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET. Fans will have the chance to call in and talk to Johnson 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.

XFINITY SERIES RACING FROM KANSAS – SATURDAY AT 3 P.M. ET ON NBC

NBC Sports’ Xfinity Series coverage of the Playoffs from Kansas begins Friday with coverage of the first practice at 3 p.m. followed by final practice at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Race day coverage begins with qualifying at 12 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports app. A 30-minute edition of Countdown to Green at 2:30 p.m. ET will lead into live Xfinity Series Playoff racing beginning at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. Wrapping up race-day coverage, NBC will present a half-hour post-race show at 5:30 p.m. ET. Christopher Bell (3,062 points, and 7 wins) leads the pack headed into the first race of the Xfinity Playoffs Round of 8. He is followed by Cole Custer (3,050 points, 7 wins) and Tyler Reddick (3,044 points, 5 wins) in the standings. If one of the eight remaining Playoff drivers win at Kansas, that driver will earn a spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16.

MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS ALL-STAR RACE ON SATURDAY AT 10 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Monster Energy Supercross returns for its annual All-Star race where the sport’s top riders will compete for the chance to win $1 million at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nv. The riders will cross the finish line three times, and in a unique twist, one of the races will be run over the course backward. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac, last year’s Million Dollar Winner, will look to repeat and take home the million-dollar prize.

Ralph Sheheen will call the race action alongside five-time Supercross champion and seven-time Motocross champion and analyst Ricky Carmichael, former Supercross racer and analyst Daniel Blair, and reporter Will Christien.

NBCSN will provide three hours of live coverage on Saturday beginning at 10 p.m. ET. The All-Star race will also be available on “Supercross Pass,” which can be purchased here for only $19.99.

TALLADEGA DELIVERS NBC SPORTS’ MOST-WATCHED MONDAY NASCAR RACE AND MOST-STREAMED NASCAR RACE ON RECORD; SEASON VIEWERSHIP UP 2% VS. 2018

• Monday’s rain-impacted NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega on NBCSN is the network’s most-watched Cup Series Monday race, averaging 1.536 million viewers. Saturday afternoon’s qualifying coverage on NBCSN averaged 446,000 viewers, up 18% vs. qualifying in 2018 (378,000 viewers).
• Monday’s race from Talladega is NBC Sports’ most-streamed NASCAR Cup Series race on record in all key metrics. Compared to the Talladega race in 2018, this year’s race delivered a 114% increase (150,000), a 74% increase in live minutes (8.9 million), and a 64% increase in average minute audience (32,000).
• NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2019 NASCAR season is up 2% vs. 2018, averaging at TAD of 2.484 million viewers over 13 races, excluding this year’s rain-impacted Daytona and Talladega races.

JACKPOT FOR “NASCAR PICK ‘EM” FREE-TO-PLAY GAME ON NBC SPORTS PREDICTOR APP SWELLS TO $20,000 FOR KANSAS

Nearly 70,000 players participated in NBC Sports’ free-to-play NASCAR Pick ’Em game for Monday’s race at Talladega, but none were able to record a perfect score, and the jackpot now swells to $20,000 for this weekend’s race at Kansas.

• 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 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place – in exact order.

Following is this week’s NASCAR programming across NBC Sports:

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--