INDYCAR Grand Prix of Monterey – Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock
Final NASCAR Xfinity Series Race of Regular Season – Race Coverage From Bristol Presented in Primetime Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN; Pre-Race Coverage Begins at 7 p.m. ET
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Details His Xfinity Series Race at Richmond on Special Episode of Dale Jr. Download Thursday at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 15, 2021 – Crucial races with championship consequences in both NASCAR and INDYCAR highlight this week’s motorsports coverage across NBC Sports. Four drivers will be eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs when NASCAR returns to Bristol Motor Speedway in primetime this Saturday, Sept. 18, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. An hour-long edition of Countdown to Green pre-race coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
With only two races remaining in the 2021 season, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend with the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. Pre-race coverage begins Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, with race coverage getting underway at 3:30 p.m. ET. NBC Sports INDYCAR analyst Townsend Bell will ride-along with former INDYCAR driver and current INDYCAR team owner Sam Schmidt in Schmidt’s specialized car on the track during race and pre-race coverage.
Coverage of the final race of the Xfinity Series regular season will begin in primetime Friday at 7 p.m. ET from Bristol with Countdown to Green on NBCSN, leading into race coverage at 7:30 p.m. ET.
NBC Sports’ lead NASCAR race announcer Rick Allen will call both the Cup and Xfinity Series races this weekend from Bristol alongside Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte, 21-time Cup Series race winner and “The Mayor” of NASCAR Jeff Burton, and two-time Daytona 500 Champion and NASCAR Hall of Fame selection Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Marty Snider, Dave Burns and Dillon Welch will contribute coverage from pit road during Friday and Saturday’s races from Bristol.
Pre- and post-race coverage this weekend will be anchored by Marty Snider alongside Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett from victory lane.
In last weekend’s Cup Series playoff race at Richmond, Martin Truex Jr. secured a berth in the Round of 12 of the Cup Series Playoffs with his victory. In addition to Truex Jr., Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin have earned berths in the Round of 12. Also on Saturday, Noah Gragson won his second consecutive race in the Xfinity Series.
2021 NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF STANDINGS ROUND OF 16
| Drivers | Points |
| Kyle Larson | Advanced to Round of 12 |
| Denny Hamlin | Advanced to Round of 12 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | Advanced to Round of 12 |
| Joey Logano | 2093 (+40) |
| Ryan Blaney | 2081 (+28) |
| Kevin Harvick | 2078 (+25) |
| Chase Elliott | 2072 (+19) |
| Christopher Bell | 2070 (+17) |
| Brad Keselowski | 2066 (+13) |
| Kyle Busch | 2061 (+8) |
| Aric Almirola | 2056 (+3) |
| Kurt Busch | 2053 |
| Alex Bowman | 2053 |
| Tyler Reddick | 2048 (-5) |
| William Byron | 2035 (-18) |
| Michael McDowell | 2015 (-38) |
The official home of the NASCAR Championship and Playoffs, NBC Sports will once again present the final 20 NASCAR Cup Series races and 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2021, culminating with the Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 6-7. Click here for more information on NBC Sports’ 2021 NASCAR coverage.
NASCAR Pick ‘Em: NBC Sports’ free-to-play game, NASCAR Pick ‘Em, features a weekly contest for each NASCAR Cup Series race. NASCAR Pick ‘Em is available for download now on the NBC Sports Predictor app powered by PointsBet (available in the App Store and Google Play Store) and at nbcsports.com/predictor.
BROADCAST TEAM
- Play by Play: Rick Allen
- Analysts: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte
- Pit Reporters: Marty Snider, Dave Burns, Dillon Welch
- Specialty Reporter: Rutledge Wood
STUDIO COVERAGE TEAM
- Host: Marty Snider
- Analysts: Kyle Petty, Dale Jarrett
HOW TO WATCH
- TV – NBCSN
- Streaming – NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Fri., Sept. 17 | Countdown to Green – NASCAR Xfinity Series | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Post Race | NBCSN | 9:30 p.m. | |
| Sat., Sept. 18 | Countdown to Green – NASCAR Cup Series | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| NASCAR Cup Series Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Post Race | NBCSN | 11 p.m. |
INDYCAR: FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY
With only two races remaining in the 2021 season, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend with the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. Pre-race coverage begins Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, with race coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET. INDYCAR coverage from Laguna Seca begins with practice Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.
Following his victory last week at the Grand Prix of Portland, Alex Palou (477 points) leads the season standings ahead of Pato O’Ward (452 pts), two-time INDYCAR champion Josef Newgarden (443 pts), and reigning INDYCAR champion Scott Dixon (428 pts), who is aiming for a record-tying seventh championship. Colton Herta won the last running of the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey in 2019, after not being contested last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
NBC Sports INDYCAR analyst Townsend Bell will ride-along with former INDYCAR driver and current INDYCAR team owner Sam Schmidt in Schmidt’s specialized car on the track during race and pre-race coverage.
BROADCAST TEAM
- Play by Play: Leigh Diffey
- Analysts: Townsend Bell, Paul Tracy
- Pit Reporters: Kelli Stavast, Kevin Lee
HOW TO WATCH
- TV – NBC, NBCSN
- Streaming – Peacock, NBCSports.com, and NBC Sports app
| Date | Coverage | Network/Streaming | Time (ET) |
| Fri, Sept. 17 | Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey – Practice | Peacock | 5:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Sept. 18 | Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey – Practice 2 | Peacock | 1:45 p.m. |
| Indy Lights 1 | Peacock | 3:45 p.m. | |
| Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey – Qualifying | Peacock | 5:05 p.m. | |
| Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey – Qualifying (Encore) | NBCSN | 11:30 p.m. | |
| Sun., Sept. 19 | Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey – Warmup | Peacock | Noon |
| Indy Lights 2 | Peacock | 1:15 p.m. | |
| Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Pre-Race | NBC, Peacock | 3 p.m. | |
| Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey | NBC, Peacock | 3:30 p.m. | |
| Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Post-Race | NBC, Peacock | 5:30 p.m. |
MOTOGP: SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX
The 2021 MotoGP season continues with the San Marino Grand Prix from Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Italy this Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo, owner of five wins and eight podiums on the season, leads the points standings followed by Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia, who earned his first career victory at the Aragon Grand Prix last week, and Suzuki rider Joan Mir.
DALE JR. DOWNLOAD
Dale Earnhardt Jr. details his experience racing during last Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Richmond, featuring exclusive in-race audio content from the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team, on a special episode of the Dale Jr. Download that airs this Thursday at 6 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.
--NBC SPORTS--
