FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2020
NBC SPORTS PRESENTS 2020 NASCAR CUP AND XFINITY SERIES RACES FROM LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY THIS WEEKEND ON NBCSN
Sunday’s Cup Series Coverage Begins at 6 p.m. ET; Saturday’s Xfinity Series Coverage Begins at 7 p.m. ET
NBC Sports Surrounds Michael Jordan’s Entry to NASCAR With Pre-Race Essay by Brad Daugherty, NASCAR America Splash ‘N Go and Jordan Interview on NBCSports.com
Sunday’s Pre-Race Coverage Features Live Interviews With Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 23, 2020 – NBC Sports continues its coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs this weekend from Las Vegas Motor Speedway, headlined by Cup Series racing this Sunday night in primetime at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Pre-race coverage begins with the NASCAR America Pre-Race Show at 6 p.m. ET.
Saturday’s Xfinity Series coverage on NBCSN begins at 7 p.m. ET with the NASCAR America Pre-Race Show, followed by Countdown to Green and the wave of the green flag shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Round of 12 is finalized heading into Las Vegas, with Kevin Harvick continuing to lead the way following his win at Bristol last weekend.
2020 NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF STANDINGS
| Drivers | Points |
| Kevin Harvick | 3067 |
| Denny Hamlin | 3048 |
| Brad Keselowski | 3035 |
| Joey Logano | 3022 |
| Chase Elliott | 3021 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 3016 |
| Alex Bowman | 3009 |
| Austin Dillon | 3005 |
| Aric Almirola | 3005 |
| Kyle Busch | 3004 |
| Clint Bowyer | 3004 |
| Kurt Busch | 3001 |
NBC SPORTS SURROUNDS MICHAEL JORDAN’S ENTRY TO NASCAR WITH PRE-RACE ESSAY BY BRAD DAUGHERTY, NASCAR AMERICA SPLASH ‘N GO AND JORDAN INTERVIEW ON NBCSPORTS.COM
Earlier this week, it was announced that NBA superstar Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500-winner Denny Hamlin will form a NASCAR Cup Series race team in 2021 featuring Bubba Wallace as its driver.
Sunday’s pre-race coverage on NBCSN will feature an essay from NBC Sports NASCAR analyst Brad Daugherty, who is currently NASCAR’s only black team owner, competed against Jordan during his NBA career and was his teammate at the University of North Carolina. Pre-race coverage will also feature live interviews with Hamlin and Wallace.
NBC Sports NASCAR reporter Dustin Long spoke with Jordan on Wednesday to discuss his entry into NASCAR. Click here to read the entire piece. Following is an excerpt:
“It was one of those things, again, it’s always been on my mind,” Jordan said of NASCAR team ownership. “I go with my gut feeling. When the time is right you know it. When this was presented to me, I felt good about it. When Bubba was involved in the whole conversation I felt good about it… I love the sport. I was looking forward to an entry opportunity. This was the entry opportunity that was presented to me just the last 10 days.”
Earlier this week, Daugherty, Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty, and Marty Snider spoke about Jordan, Hamlin and Bubba Wallace on the latest episode of NASCAR America Splash ‘N Go. Following are excerpts:
Daugherty on Jordan: “This is tremendous for our sport. To have someone like Michael Jordan – who’s not only a sports icon and a cultural icon – to come in and be an owner and be a part of NASCAR is a huge shot in the arm. It puts a lot of eyeballs on our sport and brings us back into the center of that bullseye… I look forward to trying to kick his butt on a weekly basis.”
Jarrett on Bubba Wallace: “I’ve had conversations with Bubba. He’s a very confident young man in his abilities and you need to have all of that and be all of that…but this is Michael Jordan that he is going to be under the microscope with all the time. A lot of stories are going to be led with not who won the race, but where did Bubba Wallace finish, and how did he perform…he will put himself in position to win some races.”
Petty on potential of team and Hamlin’s role: “It’s going to be interesting to see the longevity of this team…short-term it’s great, but long-term it can be a pinnacle moment in the sport…the last few years that I drove, I spent more time running Petty Enterprises than I did driving a car, and it took away from what I could do on the race track. It’s going to be hard if he has a leadership role, as long as he is in the seat…we don’t know the extent that Denny will be in there on a day-to-day basis.”
NASCAR CUP SERIES RACING FROM LAS VEGAS – SUNDAY AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBC Sports’ NASCAR pre-race host Krista Voda, auto racing icon Kyle Petty, and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett will host NASCAR AMERICA pre- and post-race shows, as well as Countdown to Green.
NBC Sports’ lead NASCAR race announcer Rick Allen, 21-time Cup Series race winner and “The Mayor” of NASCAR Jeff Burton, two-time Daytona 500 Champion and recent NASCAR Hall of Fame selection Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte will call the race from the broadcast booth at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.
Brad Daugherty will serve as an on-site analyst while Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast will report from pit road. Dave Burns will also provide commentary from Charlotte.
XFINITY SERIES RACING FROM LAS VEGAS – SATURDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The Xfinity Series Playoffs begin this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway led by Chase Briscoe, who led the series with seven wins in the regular season, including the finale last weekend at Bristol, followed by Austin Cindric (five wins) and Justin Allgaier (three wins).
Allen, Earnhardt Jr., Burton and Letarte will call Saturday’s Xfinity race on NBCSN. Current Navy Reserve Lt. Commander and NASCAR Truck Series Driver Jesse Iwuji will join NBC Sports as driver analyst and reporter during the race alongside Snider and Stavast on pit road.
LARRY MCREYNOLDS FEATURED GUEST ON DALE JR. DOWNLOAD FRIDAY AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Former NASCAR crew chief and current NASCAR analyst Larry McReynolds is this week’s guest on the Dale Jr. Download Friday at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN. 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.
2020 PIT CREW ALL-STARS TO BE RECOGNIZED DURING NASCAR PLAYOFFS
During the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, NBC Sports will salute this year’s Pit Crew All-Stars. This group of unsung heroes – 16 in all, matching the 16 Playoff drivers – comes from the ranks of over-the-wall crew members, engineers, shop employees, hauler drivers, and/or team officials. Throughout the Playoffs, NBC will showcase the All-Stars’ stories, and what makes them and their abilities so special
MOTOGP CATALUNYA GRAND PRIX – SUNDAY AT 4:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The 2020 MotoGP season continues on Sunday from Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with the Catalunya Grand Prix at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Maverick Vinales ended a seasonlong winless drought in MotoGP, winning the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after Francesco Bagnaia crashed while leading with seven laps to go. Andrea Dovizioso, who finished eighth, leads the championship by a point over Vinales and Fabio Quartararo.
LUCAS OIL PRO MOTOCROSS WW RANCH NATIONAL – SATURDAY NIGHT AT 12 A.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBC Sports continues its coverage of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 2020 campaign with the WW Ranch National this Saturday night at 12 a.m. ET on NBCSN Race announcer Jason Weigandt will call the event alongside analyst and two-time AMA Pro Motocross Champion Grant Langston, with Will Christien reporting from the pits.
In addition to coverage on NBC and NBCSN, NBC Sports Gold’s Pro Motocross Pass will super-serve Motocross fans everywhere with programming that includes live, commercial-free coverage of every Moto 1 and Moto 2 from each round.
IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP AT MID-OHIO – SUNDAY AT 11 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBC Sports presents IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship coverage from Mid-Ohio this Sunday night at 11 p.m. ET on NBCSN following NASCAR coverage from Las Vegas. Live coverage will stream on TrackPass at 2 p.m. ET.
Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), former IMSA GT driver Calvin Fish (analyst), and motorsports veteran A.J. Allmendinger (analyst) will call the action Saturday. Dillon Welch and Parker Kligerman will provide reports from pit road.
Following is this week’s motorsports programming across NBC Sports:
| DATE | COVERAGE | TIME (ET) | NETWORK |
| Fri., September 25 | Dale Jr. Download with Larry McReynolds | 8 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Sat., September 26 | Xfinity Series – Countdown to Green | 7 p.m. | NBCSN |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Racing – Las Vegas | 7:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Xfinity Series Post-Race | 10 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sun., September 27 | Lucas Oil Pro Motocross – WW Ranch | 12 a.m. | NBCSN |
| IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar – Mid-Ohio | 2 p.m. | TrackPass | |
| MotoGP – Catalunya Grand Prix | 4:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America Pre-Race Show | 6 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Cup Series – Countdown to Green | 6:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Racing – Las Vegas | 7 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America Post-Race Show | 10:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar – Mid-Ohio | 11 p.m. | NBCSN |
NBC SPORTS’ NASCAR COVERAGE
NBC Sports is the official home of the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs, covering the race for the NASCAR Cup Series & NASCAR Xfinity Series championships. NBC Sports’ NASCAR programming also includes NBCSN’s daily motorsports show, NASCAR America; races from NASCAR’s regional touring series; annual events such as the NASCAR Cup Series Awards and NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony; and original programming specials.
–NBC SPORTS–
