NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 Drives On Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, Hour-Long Pre-Race Coverage Begins at 1 p.m. ET
Five of Final Six Cup Series Races to Air on NBC
Six Consecutive NASCAR Cup Series Races Have Delivered Viewership Gains vs. 2020
NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs Round of 12 at Talladega – Race Coverage Presented Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN; Pre-Race Coverage Gets Underway at 4 p.m. ET
2021 is Most-Watched NTT INDYCAR SERIES Season in NBC Sports History
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 30, 2021 – The 2021 NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series Playoffs continue this weekend on NBC and NBCSN from Talladega Superspeedway as drivers face the unpredictability that looms on the largest oval track on the NASCAR circuit in critical playoff races.
The second race in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs airs this Sunday, Oct. 3, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC. An hour-long edition of Countdown to Green pre-race coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET on the broadcast network. The race at Talladega marks the first of five of the final six Cup Series races of the season to air on NBC.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs Round of 12 is presented this Saturday, Oct. 2, at 4 p.m. ET from Talladega with Countdown to Green on NBCSN, leading into race coverage at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Two-time Daytona 500 Champion and NASCAR Hall of Fame selection Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte, and 21-time Cup Series race winner and “The Mayor” of NASCAR Jeff Burton in NBC Sports’ “Racing Team” broadcast booth to call the Xfinity Series race Saturday from Talladega. NBC Sports’ lead NASCAR race announcer Rick Allen will call Sunday’s Cup Series race with Earnhardt Jr., Burton and Letarte. Rutledge Wood will also provide reports and engage with fans remotely using #HeyRut throughout Sunday’s race.
Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns and Parker Kligerman will contribute coverage from pit road during the Playoff races from Talladega.
Kyle Petty and Brad Daugherty will anchor pre- and post-race coverage from the Peacock Pit Box this weekend, with Marty Snider hosting pre-race coverage for both races. During Sunday’s Countdown to Green, Earnhardt Jr. will drive a ceremonial lap in Ron Bouchard’s historic No. 47 car to honor the 40th anniversary of Bouchard taking his Buick to victory lane at Talladega in a thrilling race in 1981.
Race coverage on Sunday will include a special feature with Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski discussing what it takes to win at Talladega. Earnhardt Jr. and Keselowski both own six Cup Series victories at the superspeedway track, tied for second most all-time with Jeff Gordon (Dale Earnhardt Sr. is the all-time wins leader with 10).
Denny Hamlin became the first driver to secure a berth in the Round of 8 of the Cup Series Playoffs with his victory Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the Xfinity Series, Josh Berry won his second race of the season.
2021 NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF STANDINGS ROUND OF 12
| Drivers | Points |
| Denny Hamlin | Advanced to Round of 8 |
| Kyle Larson | 3096 (+57) |
| Kyle Busch | 3074 (+35) |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 3070 (+31) |
| Ryan Blaney | 3063 (+24) |
| Chase Elliott | 3061 (+22) |
| Joey Logano | 3045 (+6) |
| Brad Keselowski | 3043 (+4) |
| William Byron | 3039 (-4) |
| Kevin Harvick | 3036 (-7) |
| Alex Bowman | 3030 (-13) |
| Christopher Bell | 3018 (-25) |
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 (Sunday), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Saturday)
- Analysts: Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Sunday)
- Pit Reporters: Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman
- Specialty Reporter: Rutledge Wood
STUDIO COVERAGE TEAM
- Host: Marty Snider
- Analysts: Kyle Petty, Brad Daugherty
HOW TO WATCH
- TV – NBC, NBCSN
- Streaming – NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Sat., Oct. 2 | Countdown to Green – NASCAR Xfinity Series | NBCSN | 4 p.m. |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Racing at Talladega Superspeedway | NBCSN | 4:30 p.m. | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Post Race | NBCSN | 7 p.m. | |
| Sun., Oct. 3 | Countdown to Green – NASCAR Cup Series | NBC | 1 p.m. |
| NASCAR Cup Series Racing at Talladega Superspeedway | NBC | 2 p.m. | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Post Race | NBCSN | 6 p.m. |
NASCAR VIEWERSHIP NOTES
The six most recent NASCAR Cup Series races on NBC and NBCSN have all delivered year-over-year viewership gains vs. 2020, including the regular-season finale at Daytona on NBC, and all four Playoff races to this point. Last Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway produced a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 2.127 million viewers, up 6% vs. 2020’s race.
INDYCAR SEASON-LONG VIEWERSHIP
NBC Sports’ coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ 2021 season delivered its most-watched INDYCAR season on record, NBCSN’s most-watched season on record, and the best combined broadcast/cable viewership for the series in five years.
For the 15 races across NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports digital platforms, the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 1.223 million viewers, the best in NBC Sports history, up 19% vs. last season’s average viewership (1.027 million), up 10% vs. 2019 (1.108 million), and the most-watched season for the INDYCAR SERIES since 2016 (1.310 million, ABC/NBCSN). Click here for more details and to view the top 10 local markets for the 2021 season.
MOTOGP: GRAND PRIX OF THE AMERICAS
Circuit of The Americas will host the lone U.S. race of the 2021 MotoGP season, the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, live this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC Sports’ Leigh Diffey will host pre- and post-race coverage on-site in Austin, Texas, which will feature an interview with 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 250 champion Jett Lawrence.
Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo, owner of five wins and nine podiums on the season, sits atop the points standings with Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia, winner of the past two races, in second. Eight-time world champion Marc Marquez returns to competition seeking his 7th victory at COTA in just 8 races.
NBC Sports will present a special free-to-play contest, Checkered Flag Pick ‘Em, featuring Sunday’s MotoGP race at COTA. Checkered Flag Pick ‘Em is available to play now within the NBC Sports Predictor app powered by PointsBet (available in the App Store and Google Play Store).
NITRO RALLYCROSS
As the exclusive home of Nitro Rallycross, Peacock is offering live coverage of the ERX Motorpark race series in Minneapolis, Minn., on Oct. 2-3. This weekend marks the second stop in the Nitro Rallycross circuit, coming off last weekend’s opener at Utah Motorsports Campus. The thrill-packed and high-impact racing will be available to stream on Peacock from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 2 and Sunday, Oct. 3. Tune in to see how NRX is redefining motorsports racing.
DALE JR. DOWNLOAD
Former NASCAR driver and current County Commissioner in North Carolina, Robert Pressley, is this week’s guest on the Dale Jr. Download episode that airs tonight 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--
