Final Two Cup Series Championship Spots to be Decided Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC; Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson Have Clinched Championship Spots
Three NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Spots to Also be Finalized at Martinsville Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network
World Superbike’s Prometeon Spanish Round and MotoGP’s OR Thailand Grand Prix Also Presented This Week on CNBC
STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 26, 2023 – The 2023 Championship 4 will be decided in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series at Martinsville Speedway this weekend on NBC and USA Network, as the likes of Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Blaney look to keep their 2023 championship hopes alive.
The NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at Martinsville will be presented Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC. Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson are the only drivers locked into the Championship 4, leaving two positions up for grabs at the shortest track on the NASCAR circuit.
2023 NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF STANDINGS ROUND OF 8
| Driver | Points |
| Christopher Bell | 4110 (Advanced to Championship 4) |
| Kyle Larson | 4105 (Advanced to Championship 4) |
| William Byron | 4126 |
| Ryan Blaney | 4106 |
| Tyler Reddick | 4096 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 4089 |
| Denny Hamlin | 4089 |
| Chris Buescher | 4063 |
NASCAR: CUP SERIES XFINITY 500 & XFINITY SERIES DEAD ON TOOLS 250
The final two Cup Series Championship 4 drivers will be determined this Sunday at Martinsville, where Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., William Byron and Ryan Blaney have all recorded races wins. Byron and Blaney currently occupy the final two playoff spots, with Tyler Reddick, Truex Jr., Hamlin and Chris Buescher on the outside looking in.
Coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 will be presented this Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. NASCAR America post-race coverage will immediately follow the checkered flag at 6 p.m. ET on Peacock.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Dead On Tools 250 will be presented this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network with Countdown to Green beginning pre-race coverage at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network. Sam Mayer was the first driver to clinch a spot in the Championship 4 with his win last weekend at Homestead-Miami. John Hunter Nemecheck is in a strong position to advance, currently 44 points above the cutoff, while Cole Custer and Austin Hill are just three points ahead of Justin Allgaier, currently in fifth position.
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 the Cup and Xfinity Series races from Martinsville Speedway with lead NASCAR race announcer Rick Allen.
Marty Snider, Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman and Kim Coon will serve as pit reporters this weekend.
Snider will anchor pre- and post-race studio coverage with Earnhardt Jr., Burton, and Letarte on Saturday and Sunday.
Earnhardt Jr. (2014) and Burton (1997) own Cup Series victories at Martinsville.
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 next weekend on Nov. 4-5.
BROADCAST TEAM
- Analysts: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte
- Play by Play: Rick Allen
- Pit Reporters: Marty Snider, Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman, Kim Coon
STUDIO COVERAGE TEAM
- Host: Marty Snider
- Analyst: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte
HOW TO WATCH
- TV – NBC, USA Network
- Streaming – Peacock, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
| Date | Coverage | Platform | Time (ET) |
| Fri., Oct. 27 | NASCAR Xfinity Series Practice & Qualifying | USA Network | 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 28 | NASCAR ARCA Menards Series West – The Bullring at LVMS* | CNBC | 10 a.m. |
| NASCAR ARCA Menards Series West – Madera Speedway* | CNBC | 11 a.m. | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Practice & Qualifying | USA Network | 12:30 p.m. | |
| Dale Jr. Download | USA Network | 2:30 p.m. | |
| Countdown to Green | USA Network | 3 p.m. | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Dead On Tools 250 | USA Network | 3:30 p.m. | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Post-Race | USA Network | 6 p.m. | |
| Sun., Oct. 29 | NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 | NBC | 2 p.m. |
| NASCAR America Post-Race | Peacock | 6 p.m. |
*delayed coverage
WORLD SUPERBIKE: PROMETEON SPANISH ROUND
The final round of the 2023 World Superbike season gets underway this week with the Prometeon Spanish Round from Circuito de Jerez in Jerez de la Frontera in Spain this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on CNBC.
Alvaro Bautista (566 pts) currently sits in first place, followed closely by Toprak Razgatlioglu (506 pts) in second place as the two racers each look for their second world title. Bautista needs to earn two points over the three points-paying races this weekend to clinch his second title.
This weekend also features the final ride for six-time champion Jonathan Rea on a Kawasaki, the team he has earned all of his titles with; he moves to Yamaha next season.
MOTOGP: OR THAILAND GRAND PRIX
MotoGP travels to Chang International Circuit for the OR Thailand Grand Prix this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on CNBC.
Only 27 points separate Franceso Bagnaia (366 pts) and Jorge Martin (339 pts) in the chase for the championship, while Marco Bezzecchi (293 pts) sits in third place. Bagnaia finished second in last week’s race in Australia to extend his lead over Martin, who finished in fifth place.--NBC SPORTS--