NASCAR IN HIGH HEELS: WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEKEND
STAMFORD, Conn. – October 12, 2016 – NBC Sports presents a twin bill of NASCAR playoff racing from Kansas Speedway on NBC this weekend. A pivotal race for the 11 Sprint Cup Chase drivers who have yet to punch their ticket to the Round of 8, NBC presents this NASCAR postseason showdown Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET. The XFINITY Series, also embroiled in its playoffs, enters the Round of 8 Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
Before the green flag falls, NBC Sports’ coverage includes a special look at Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. In addition to his work behind the wheel, Elliott enjoys a passion for flying his own airplanes. NBC Sportsrecently joined Elliott for a journey through the sky and an inside look at his piloting skills. This weekend’s coverage also includes Carl Edwards taking the wheel of the NBC Sports Toyota Camry on-track and providing viewers with a special preview of Kansas Speedway.
NBC PRESENTS THE SECOND SPRINT CUP RACE IN THE ROUND OF 12 SUNDAY AT 1:30 PM ET
On the heels of Jimmie Johnson’s convincing victory in Charlotte, NBC Sports travels to Kansas to present the second race in the playoff Round of 12. Sprint Cup coverage from Kansas Speedway begins Friday at 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN with practice, followed by qualifying at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Saturday’s coverage begins with practice at 11 a.m. ET, streaming on the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. NASCAR America begins at 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN and flows into final practice at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Sunday’s race day coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN with a special edition of NASCAR America, followed by Countdown to Green at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Race coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Victory Lap from NBC Sports Group’s headquarters in Stamford, Conn., wraps up Sunday’s comprehensive coverage at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Race announcer Rick Allen calls this weekend’s action alongside analysts Steve Letarte and Jeff Burton. Pre- and post-race coverage is handled by host Krista Voda, and analysts Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett. Marty Snider, Mike Massaro, Dave Burns and Kelli Stavast report from pit road. Rutledge Wood contributes to NBCSN’s on-site pre-race coverage.
NBC PRESENTS THE XFINITY SERIES’ PLAYOFF ROUND OF 8 SATURDAY AT 3 P.M. ET
NBC Sports’ XFINITY coverage from Kansas Speedway begins Friday with practice at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, followed by final practice at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Saturday’s race day coverage begins with qualifying at 12 p.m. ET, streaming on the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. NBCSN picks up coverage of XFINITY qualifying at 12:30 p.m. ET. Countdown to Greenkicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN before green-flag coverage shifts to NBC at 3 p.m. ET.
NBC SPORTS DRAWS 3.2 MILLION VIEWERS FOR SUNDAY’S SPRINT CUP RACE FROM CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
NBC Sports’ simulcast coverage of Sunday’s Sprint Cup race, on NBC and NBCSN, drew 3.2 million viewers, a 17% increase vs. last year’s race on NBCSN. Viewership peaked in the final 15 minutes of the race with 4.1 million viewers as Jimmie Johnson snapped his 24-race winless streak, and secured his spot in the playoff Round of 8. Live streaming of the Sprint Cup race from Charlotte, via NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app, generated 2.5 million live minutes, and 35,000 unique devices.
NBCSN PRESENTS 90-MINUTE EDITIONS OF NASCAR AMERICA EACH WEEKDAY AT 5:30 P.M. ET THROUGH THE DURATION OF THE CHASE
NBCSN’s daily show dedicated to stock car racing, NASCAR America, expanded to 90-minutes on Monday in order to super serve fans through the final six weeks of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Viewers can find the latest NASCAR news, highlights and stars each weekday at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
On Thursday, NASCAR America exclusively announces the finalists for the 2016 Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award. Created in 2015 to recognize individuals within the NASCAR industry for their community service-focused efforts, last year’s winner was NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Joey Gase. Gase lost his mother, Mary Jo, to a brain aneurysm when he was just 18-years-old and subsequently helped save and improve the lives of 66 people by donating her organs. Today, Gase uses his position as a NASCAR driver and winner of the inaugural Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award to promote and encourage organ donation.
KIDS TALK NASCAR IN PART TWO OF NASCAR ON NBC’S WEB VIDEO
In the social web video released today on the NASCAR on NBC Facebook page and twitter accounts, Rutledge Wood joins a group of kids for an endearing discussion about the velocity of race cars. As the best drivers head to Kansas, kids share their thoughts on the importance of speed and horsepower. Check out the full video here.
PRESIDENT OF ROUSH FENWAY RACING, STEVE NEWMARK, JOINS NATE RYAN ON THIS WEEK’S NASCAR ON NBC PODCAST
President of Roush Fenway Racing, Steve Newmark, joins Nate Ryan on this week’s NASCAR on NBC podcast for a discussion about the infrastructures of racing teams, the genesis of the Race Team Alliance and NASCAR’s landmark charter deal. Available on NASCAR Talk, iTunes, AudioBoom, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher and podcasting apps, the NASCAR on NBC podcast discusses the latest NASCAR news each week with major stars and personalities.
UPCOMING NASCAR PROGRAMMING
| Date | Coverage | Time (ET) | Network |
| Wed., Oct. 12 | NASCAR America | 5:30 PM | NBCSN |
| Thurs., Oct. 13 | NASCAR America | 5:30 PM | NBCSN |
| Fri., Oct. 14 | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice – Kansas | 1:00 PM | NBCSN |
| NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice – Kansas | 2:30 PM | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Series – Charlotte | 3:30 PM | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR XFINITY Series Final Practice – Kansas | 4:30 PM | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying – Kansas | 6:00 PM | NBCSN | |
| Sat., Oct. 15 | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice – Kansas | 11:00 AM | NBC Sports App, NBCSports.com |
| NASCAR XFINITY Series Qualifying – Kansas | 12:00 PM | NBC Sports App, NBCSports.com | |
| NASCAR XFINITY Series Qualifying – Kansas | 12:30 PM | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America | 1:00 PM | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – Kansas | 1:30 PM | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green | 2:30 PM | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR XFINITY Series Racing – Kansas | 3:00 PM | NBC | |
| Sun., Oct. 16 | NASCAR America | 1:00 PM | NBCSN |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Countdown to Green | 1:30 PM | NBC | |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing – Kansas | 2:30 PM | NBC | |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race Show | 6:00 PM | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Victory Lap | 6:30 PM | NBCSN |
All of NBC Sports Group’s NASCAR coverage is available to stream on NBCSports.com and via the NBC Sports app. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, and Roku.
NASCARTalk on NBCSports.com brings racing fans up-to-the-minute news, video and information on NASCAR drivers, teams and industry news. For all the latest NASCAR content socially, fans can follow @NASCARonNBC and @NASCARTalkNBC on twitter and like the NASCAR on NBC Facebook page.
