First Race of NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Countdown to Green Pre-Race Coverage at Darlington Raceway Begins Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on USA Network
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett to Call Stage 2 of NASCAR Cup Series Race on Sunday
Alex Palou Aims to Clinch 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Championship at Portland International Raceway Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC & Peacock
Currently NBC Sports’ Most-Watched NASCAR Cup Series Season Since 2017; INDYCAR’s Most-Watched Season Since 2008
STAMFORD, Conn. – August 31, 2023 – The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin this Sunday at historic Darlington Raceway in South Carolina this Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network, while Alex Palou looks to clinch the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship at the Grand Prix of Portland at Portland International Raceway on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
| Date | Coverage | Platform | Time (ET) |
| Sat., Sept. 2 | NASCAR Xfinity Series Diamond Hill Plywood 200 | USA Network | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sun., Sept. 3 | INDYCAR BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland | NBC, Peacock | 3 p.m. |
| NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 | USA Network | 6 p.m. |
16 drivers make up the NASCAR Cup Series playoff field, led by regular-season champion Martin Truex Jr. and William Byron, who has a series-leading five wins this season. A victory by a playoff driver this Sunday at Darlington will automatically clinch them a spot in the Round of 12.
With only two races remaining in the season, Alex Palou is looking to close out his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship in the last three years. Palou leads Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and six-time series champ Scott Dixon by 74 points, following Dixon’s back-to-back wins on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and World Wide Technology Raceway. With a variety of points scenarios in play, Palou can clinch the 2023 season title if he leads Dixon by at least 55 points heading into the finale at Laguna Seca on Sept. 10.
Both the NASCAR Cup Series and NTT INDYCAR SERIES are enjoying ratings milestones across NBC Sports properties. This is currently NBC Sports’ most-watched NASCAR Cup Series year since 2017, and with two races remaining in the season, this is INDYCAR’s most-watched season since 2008.
NASCAR: CUP SERIES COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500 & XFINITY SERIES DIAMOND HILL PLYWOOD 200
The opening race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will be presented this Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network with the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Countdown to Green begins pre-race coverage at 5:30 p.m. ET on USA Network with post-race immediately following the checkered flag.
Countdown to Green ahead of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Diamond Hill Plywood 200 gets underway Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, leading into race coverage at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Two-time Daytona 500 Champion and NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., 21-time Cup Series race winner and “The Mayor” of NASCAR Jeff Burton, and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte will serve as analysts for stages 1 and 3 of the Cup Series and Xfinity Series race with lead NASCAR race announcer Rick Allen. Marty Snider, Kim Coon, and Dave Burns will serve as pit reporters throughout the weekend.
Stage 2 of Sunday’s Cup Series race will feature three of the most famous last names in NASCAR with Earnhardt Jr. joined by racing icon Kyle Petty and NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett in the commentary booth.
Snider will anchor pre- and post-race studio coverage with Petty and Jarrett from the Peacock Pit Box on Saturday and Sunday.
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 2023 across NBC, Peacock and USA Network, culminating with the Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 4-5.
BROADCAST TEAM
- Analysts: Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Play by Play: Rick Allen
- Pit Reporters: Marty Snider, Kim Coon, Dave Burns
STUDIO COVERAGE TEAM
- Host: Marty Snider
- Analysts: Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty
HOW TO WATCH
- TV – USA Network
- Streaming – NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
| Date | Coverage | Platform | Time (ET) |
| Sat., Sept. 2 | NASCAR Xfinity Series Practice & Qualifying | NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app | 10:30 a.m. |
| NASCAR Cup Series Practice | NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app | Noon | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Practice & Qualifying | USA Network | 12:30 p.m. | |
| Dale Jr. Download – Ricky Rudd | USA Network | 2:30 p.m. | |
| Countdown to Green – NASCAR Xfinity Series | USA Network | 3 p.m. | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Diamond Hill Plywood 200 | USA Network | 3:30 p.m. | |
| NASCAR America Post-Race | USA Network | 6 p.m. | |
| Sun., Sept. 3 | Countdown to Green – NASCAR Cup Series | USA Network | 5:30 p.m. |
| NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 | USA Network | 6 p.m. | |
| NASCAR America Post-Race – NASCAR Cup Series | USA Network | 10 p.m. |
INDYCAR: GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND
The penultimate race of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, the Grand Prix of Portland, will be presented from Portland International Raceway this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. 2021 series champion Alex Palou can potentially clinch his second career INDYCAR championship this weekend depending on his finish and the finish of his teammate, six-time series champion Scott Dixon.
Live coverage of qualifying, practice, and the INDY NXT race from the Portland road course will stream exclusively on Peacock Friday-Sunday. For more information about INDYCAR on Peacock and how to sign up, click here.
This week, NBC Sports will also release “Hot Seats With Hinch” across its digital platforms, where analyst James Hinchcliffe puts drivers and their team members to the test with tough questions about each other.
The lead INDYCAR commentary team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Townsend Bell (analyst) and James Hinchcliffe (analyst) will call the race. Kevin Lee and Dillon Welch will provide reports from pit road.
BROADCAST TEAM
- Play by Play: Leigh Diffey
- Analysts: Townsend Bell, James Hinchcliffe
- Pit Reporters: Kevin Lee, Dillon Welch
HOW TO WATCH
- TV – NBC
- Streaming – Peacock, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
| Date | Coverage | Platform | Time (ET) |
| Fri., Sept. 1 | Grand Prix of Portland – Practice | Peacock | 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Sept. 2 | Grand Prix of Portland – Practice 2 | Peacock | Noon |
| Grand Prix of Portland – Qualifying | Peacock | 3:30 p.m. | |
| Grand Prix of Portland – Practice 3 | Peacock | 8:15 p.m. | |
| Sun., Sept. 3 | INDY NXT | Peacock | 1:10 p.m. |
| BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland | NBC, Peacock, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app | 3 p.m. |
MOTOGP: CATALAN GRAND PRIX
The 2023 MotoGP season continues with the Catalan Grand Prix from Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Francesco Bagnaia currently leads the championship standings.
In addition to weekend telecasts on NBC and CNBC, live and on-demand coverage of all races will be available to stream on MotoGP VideoPass, in addition to every session of MotoGP, Moto2™ and Moto3™, and races and qualifying for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship. For more details, click here or visit MotoGP.TV.
IMSA: VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
CNBC presents coverage of the IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge, Lamborghini Super Trofeo and Michelin Pilot Challenge series this Sunday beginning at 12 p.m. ET.
--NBC SPORTS--