NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 Gets Underway Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock; Pre-Race Coverage at 1:30 p.m. ET
Two Episodes of the Dale Jr. Download Presented Tonight at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 14, 2021 – The 2021 NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series Playoffs Round of 8 will begin at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend on NBC, featuring the first chance for a driver to secure a spot in the Championship 4. Cup Series race coverage begins this Sunday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. A 30-minute Countdown to Green pre-race program will be presented at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, and a half-hour NASCAR America will air immediately following the conclusion of the race on NBCSN.
For the first time ever, Peacock will live stream three remaining NASCAR Cup Series races that all will be airing on NBC, beginning this Sunday from Texas. Additional races include the 2021 Playoffs Round of 8 cutoff at Martinsville Speedway (Sun., Oct. 31) and the Championship at Phoenix Raceway (Sun., Nov. 7). For more information about NASCAR on Peacock, click here.
The Playoffs Round of 8 will also get underway in the Xfinity Series this Saturday, Oct. 16, at 2:30 p.m. ET from Texas with Countdown to Green on NBC, leading into the green flag waving shortly after 3 p.m. ET.
With a social media following of nearly four million, James Henry stars in the latest iteration of the NBC Sports content series Up to Speed, promoting to this weekend’s Playoff Cup Series race in Texas across his platforms.
NBC Sports’ lead NASCAR race announcer Rick Allen will call the Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 race this weekend from Texas 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., with NBC Sports’ Brad Daugherty providing reports from around the track. Allen will call the Xfinity Series Playoff race on Saturday with Letarte and Daugherty, while Burton will share behind-the-scenes stories of Playoff teams’ race day operations on pit road.
Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast and Parker Kligerman will contribute coverage from pit road during this weekend’s Playoff races.
Marty Snider will anchor pre-race coverage this weekend alongside Dale Earnhardt Jr., with Brad Daugherty joining pre- and post-race coverage on Sunday.
Michael Jordan, basketball legend and 23XI Racing co-owner, and Denny Hamlin, NASCAR Cup Series driver and 23XI Racing co-owner, discuss the historic first victory for 23XI Racing by Bubba Wallace at Talladega, which also marked the second win for a Black driver in NASCAR Cup Series history, and reflect on the first year for the race team, in a sit-down interview with NBC News’ Craig Melvin. The entire interview can be viewed here.
Kyle Larson advanced to the Cup Series Round of 8 with his victory Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL. On Saturday, AJ Allmendinger won his third straight Xfinity Series race at the ROVAL and now sits atop the Playoff standings.
2021 NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF STANDINGS ROUND OF 8
| Drivers | Points |
| Kyle Larson | 4065 |
| Denny Hamlin | 4030 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 4029 |
| Ryan Blaney | 4024 |
| Kyle Busch | 4023 |
| Chase Elliott | 4022 |
| Joey Logano | 4013 |
| Brad Keselowski | 4008 |
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: Steve Letarte, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Sunday), Brad Daugherty (Saturday)
- Pit Reporters: Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Parker Kligerman
STUDIO COVERAGE TEAM
- Host: Marty Snider
- Analysts: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Daugherty
HOW TO WATCH
- TV – NBC, NBCSN
- Streaming – NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, Peacock
| Date | Coverage | Network/Platform | Time (ET) |
| Sat., Oct. 16 | Countdown to Green – NASCAR Xfinity Series | NBC | 2:30 p.m. |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Racing at Texas Motor Speedway | NBC | 3 p.m. | |
| Sun., Oct. 17 | Countdown to Green – NASCAR Cup Series | NBC, Peacock | 1:30 p.m. |
| NASCAR Cup Series Racing at Texas Motor Speedway | NBC, Peacock | 2 p.m. | |
| NASCAR America Post Race – NASCAR Cup Series | NBCSN | 6 p.m. |
DALE JR. DOWNLOAD
A pair of Dale Jr. Download episodes will be presented tonight beginning with former NASCAR driver and current National Guard member, Lyndon Amick, as the guest at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN. 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou will join the second original Dale Jr. Download tonight at 7 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--
