Rutledge Wood & Country Singer Cassadee Pope Host Championship Awards Ceremony from Music City Center in Nashville

NASCAR America Burnouts on Broadway – Tonight at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN Following Wednesday Night Hockey

NBC Sports Celebrates NASCAR Champion’s Week with Driver Integrations on WWE Raw and NHL on NBCSN

STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 4, 2019 – NBC Sports surrounds NASCAR Champion’s Week in Nashville, Tenn., this week, highlighted by coverage of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards this Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

NASCAR on NBC’s Rutledge Wood and country singer Cassadee Pope will host Thursday evening’s program on NBCSN from the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn., honoring 2019 Monster Energy Cup Series champion Kyle Busch. NBC Sports NASCAR pit reporters Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast will conduct interviews with NASCAR legends and celebrities in attendance, along with all 16 NASCAR Cup Series playoff drivers.

NASCAR takes over downtown Nashville tonight with a special NASCAR America Burnouts on Broadway telecast tonight at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, following Wednesday Night Hockey coverage. Dovetailing off of NASCAR’s show-stopping Burnout Boulevard event to kick off the Playoffs in Las Vegas, Burnouts on Broadway will feature all 16 of this year’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers as they show off their moves under the neon lights of Music City.

Kelli Stavast and Parker Kligerman will host Wednesday night’s NASCAR America Burnouts on Broadway. Country music singer Tim Dugger will serve as the Grand Marshall for the event and provide commentary alongside Stavast and Kligerman. The program will also re-air on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET leading into the Awards program at 8 p.m. ET.

NBC Sports is celebrating NASCAR Champion’s Week with driver integrations in Nashville on WWE Raw and NHL coverage on NBCSN.

• WWE Raw – Kyle Busch won the WWE “24/7” Championship on WWE Raw on USA Network as he took down R-Truth, with a helping hand from NASCAR legend Michael Waltrip.
• NHL on NBCSN – Kyle Busch and Joey Logano joined NBC Sports’ NHL coverage on Tuesday night, featuring the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators in Nashville. Busch joined ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire during pre-game coverage. Logano went ‘Inside-the-Glass’ with McGuire during second period coverage and shared the story of meeting his wife while working at a local hockey rink.

–NBC SPORTS–

“There’s no reason he can’t go win three, four, or five championships.” – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“There’s always your doubters and there’s always your haters – but this one is for Rowdy Nation because you guys are the best.” – Kyle Busch

“In a playoff season where everyone wondered when Kyle Busch was going to show up, he picked a great day to have a great day.” – Marty Snider

“Joe Gibbs is a winner. He knows how to get the right people, he knows how to motivate them, and he’s smart enough to let them do their job.” – Jeff Burton

“Kyle Busch made that look incredibly simple. That’s what great drivers and great teams do.” – Kyle Petty

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – November 17, 2019 – Kyle Busch won the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship on Sunday evening on NBC, his second career Cup Series title, as he outdueled fellow Championship Four contenders Martin Truex Jr. (2^nd), Kevin Harvick (4^th), and Denny Hamlin (10^th) at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla.

NBC Sports’ Rick Allen called the action alongside Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte. 21-time Cup Series race winner Jeff Burton and racing legend and two-time Daytona 500-winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. provided commentary from a second booth. Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman and Rutledge Wood reported from pit road and the grandstands.

NBC Sports’ 90 minutes of pre-race coverage on NBC began at 1:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR America and Countdown to Green, hosted by Krista Voda from NBC Sports’ “Peacock Pit Box” on pit road alongside analysts Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett.

In addition to race coverage on NBC, NBC Sports presented its NASCAR Hot Pass telecast simultaneously on NBCSN for the fifth consecutive season, as Leigh Diffey and Dale Jarrett had the call for live, hyper-focused coverage of today’s race on each of the Championship Four drivers.

This marked NBC Sports’ 100^th NASCAR Cup Series race telecast since the start of the current rights agreement in 2015.

Pre-race coverage on NBC included:

• Interviews by the studio team at the Peacock Pit Box and Dale Earnhardt Jr. atop Victory Lane with each of the Championship Four drivers;
• ‘Behind the Driver’ features on each of the Championship Four drivers;
• Dale Jarrett’s poignant interview with team owner Joe Gibbs, discussing the impact of his son, J.D. Gibbs, who co-owned Joe Gibbs Racing and passed away earlier this year after his battle with a neurological disease;
• A feature narrated by NBC Sports’ Tim Layden on the legacy of Homestead-Miami Speedway, which will now host NASCAR races in March after anchoring the end of the season for more than two decades;
• Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s interview with Michael Jordan, discussing his friendship with Denny Hamlin and the origins of his NASCAR fandom.

The following are highlights from this afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship race coverage on NBC:

POST-RACE COVERAGE

Busch to Snider during burnout interview: “There’s always your doubters and there’s always your haters – but this one is for Rowdy Nation because you guys are the best.”

Earnhardt Jr. on Busch: “He’s a guy who feels like he should already have multiple championships. This is something he needed badly. He’s only 34 years old. There’s no reason he can’t go win three, four, or five championships.”

Snider on Busch: “In a playoff season where everyone wondered when Kyle Busch was going to show up, he picked a great day to have a great day.”

Letarte on Busch: “It’s a team championship and we saw that. There were some miscues by the other teams. The No. 18 was smooth.”

Burton on Busch: “A lot of us doubted his ability to come in here and make this happen. He stepped up and made this happen. He’s not a good racecar driver, he’s a great racecar driver.”

Petty on Busch: “Kyle Busch made that look incredibly simple. That’s what great drivers and great teams do.”

RACE COVERAGE

Allen on Busch: “What a performance he has put on this evening. 119 laps have been led. He’s the winningest driver of the decade – and now he is joining elite company. Kyle Busch is going to win his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship!”

Burton on Busch: “The only people that can question his championship caliber are the people that don’t want him to do well.”

Burton on team owner Joe Gibbs: “Three Super Bowl wins, in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame – Joe Gibbs is a winner, quite simply. He knows how to get the right people, he knows how to motivate them, and he’s smart enough to let them do their job.”

Burton on Busch: “There’s been a lot of talk about his frustration this year – how frustrated he has been with this package, and he’s expressed it, he’s shown it at the races. A lot of people questioned if he was focused, could he be focused enough to win this championship?”

Letarte on Hamlin with 46 laps to go: “A huge blow for Denny Hamlin. A miscalculation with the grill tape.”

Letarte on Truex Jr. pitting with 52 laps to go: “I’m not a fan of this. They either need to be on the front side or the back side of this. Martin Truex Jr. seems to be stuck in the middle.”

Burton on split pit strategy in with 55 laps to go: “Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick clearly felt like they couldn’t win this race doing the same thing that Kyle Busch was doing.”

Stavast on Martin Truex Jr.’s pit crew switching left and front tires and being forced to pit: “Cole Pearn said, ‘We have the tires switched.’ They messed it up on pit road…this is a costly mistake. One of the things that Cole Pearn had been so proud of about his pit crew, he said, ‘When they make mistakes, they’re little, they haven’t made any disastrous mistakes.’”

Letarte on Truex Jr.’s pit crew tire switch: “A mental error. Inexcusable. You cannot switch the tires 36 races into the season…these are the mistakes that can cost you a championship.”

Earnhardt Jr. on when he had his left and front tires switched: “I actually tested here at Homestead back in 1999. On the second day, we got the tires mixed up, left and right – we were 1.5 seconds off all day long, and we couldn’t figure it out.”

Michael Jordan to Earnhardt Jr. during pre-race coverage about his NASCAR fandom and supporting Hamlin: “I’m a big racing fan. Started off when I was a kid. Grew up watching your dad, Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough…now I’m good friends with Denny Hamlin. We go way back….so I came out to support him…my interest in the sport has been there for a long period of time. I love watching. I set my clock every Sunday to watch NASCAR.”

–NBC SPORTS–

Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr. vie for 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Championship; Pre-Race Coverage Begins Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC

NBC Sports’ NASCAR Hot Pass Presents Hyper-Focused Simulcast Coverage of 2019 Championship Four Contenders Sunday on NBCSN

NBC Sports 2019 NASCAR Championship Media Conference Call with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett, Steve Letarte, Jeff Burton, Kyle Petty, and Sam Flood – Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET

Xfinity Series Championship – Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Dale Jarrett – 1999 NASCAR Cup Series Champion – Joins NASCAR America MotorMouths Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Championship Media Day Airs Thursday at 5 p.m. with Coverage of the Championship Drivers on NBCSN

STAMFORD, Conn. – Nov. 11, 2019 – The 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Championship will be decided at the Ford EcoBoost 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. Pre-race coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC. In addition, for the fifth consecutive year NBC Sports will present NASCAR Hot Pass – a simulcast of Sunday’s race on NBCSN that will offer hyper-focused coverage of the Championship Four drivers as they compete for the title.

Denny Hamlin secured the final spot Championship Four in Homestead with his victory at ISM Raceway just outside Phoenix on Sunday. Hamlin joins Martin Truex Jr., who clinched his spot with his win Martinsville, Kevin Harvick who clinched his spot in Texas, and Kyle Busch, who secured his spot in the Championship Four based on points. The highest finisher among the four drivers will win the 2019 Championship. Hamlin is the only driver of the four who has yet to win a Cup Series title.

2019 MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF DRIVERS & STANDINGS: 

NASCAR CUP SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP FINALE FROM HOMESTEAD – SUNDAY AT 3 P.M. ET ON NBC

NBC Sports kicks off its NASCAR Championship coverage from Homestead, this Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET with coverage of the first practice followed by the final practice at 6:30 p.m. on NBCSN. Cup qualifying will air Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Sunday’s race-day coverage from Homestead-Miami Speedway begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC with the NASCAR America Pre-Race show and an hour-long Countdown to Green at 2 p.m. ET from the Peacock Pit Box on pit road. Live coverage of the Ford EcoBoost 400 follows at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

NBC Sports race announcer Rick Allen will call the action alongside Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte. 21-time Cup Series winner Jeff Burton and two-time Daytona 500 Champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. will provide commentary from a second booth.

NBC Sports’ NASCAR pre-race host Krista Voda, auto racing icon Kyle Petty, and Hall of Fame driver and 1999 NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett will host NASCAR America Pre-Race and Countdown to Green, as well as post-race coverage. Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns, Marty Snider, Parker Kligerman, and Rutledge Wood will provide commentary and interviews from pit-road and grandstands.

Coverage will continue with the post-race show at 6:30 p.m. ET and will shift to NBCSN for extended post-race coverage at 7 p.m. ET.

NBC SPORTS’ NASCAR HOT PASS PRESENTS HYPER-FOCUSED SIMULCAST COVERAGE OF 2019 CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR CONTENDERS ON NBCSN

From the green flag to the checkered, NBCSN’s multi-window telecast will provide viewers with an isolated in-depth look at Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. as they battle for the 2019 Monster Energy Cup Series title.

NBC Sports veteran motorsports announcer Leigh Diffey will call NASCAR Hot Pass coverage on NBCSN alongside Dale Jarrett.

Here are highlights of NBC Sports’ NASCAR Hot Pass simulcast on NBCSN:

• Isolated cameras dedicated to each of the Championship Four drivers
• Continuous team radio communication from each of the Championship Four drivers
• On-air graphics highlighting point differentials and field changes between the drivers, as well an independent pane of race facts and figures to give viewers up to the minute statistics about the race.
• The return of the Dale Jr. Spy Cam, which made its debut at Martinsville, which will provide a behind-the-scenes look into the broadcast booth with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton.

NBC SPORTS 2019 NASCAR CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TODAY AT 2 P.M. ET

NBC Sports NASCAR analysts Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty and Steve Letarte, as well as NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood, will preview the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship on a media conference call this today –  November 12, at 2 p.m. ET.

Media interested in attending should call 334-777-6978; meeting ID 7676519.

• WHAT: 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship Media Conference Call
• WHO: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty, Steve Letarte and Sam Flood
• WHEN: Tuesday, November 12 at 2 p.m. ET
• NUMBER: 334-777-6978
• MEETING ID: 7676519

XFINITY SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP RACING FROM HOMESTEAD – SATURDAY AT 3 P.M. ET ON NBC

NBC Sports’ Xfinity Series Championship racing from Homestead begins Friday with coverage of the first practice at 2:30 p.m. ET followed by final practice at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Race day coverage begins Saturday with qualifying at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN followed by NASCAR America at 1:30 p.m. ET. Coverage continues on NBCSN with Countdown to Green at 3 p.m. ET followed by the race at 3:30 p.m. ET.

The four drivers competing for Xfinity Series Championship are Christopher Bell (8 wins), Justin Allgaier (1 win), Tyler Reddick (5 wins), and Cole Custer (7 wins). Allgaier won his way into the Xfinity Championship 4 at ISM Raceway, marking his first victory since Indianapolis in 2018.

DALE JR. DOWNLOAD AIRS TODAY AT 5 P.M ET WITH KENNY WALLACE  

Tuesday’s episode of The Dale Jr. Download at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN will feature an interview with former NASCAR driver and motorsports commentator Kenny Wallace. Wallace will discuss the upcoming Championship in Miami and the future of motorsports.

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.

NASCAR AMERICA MOTORMOUTHS – WEDNESDAY AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Dale Jarrett will be this week’s special guest on NASCAR America MotorMouths on Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Jarrett will join Rutledge Wood and Kyle Petty to discuss the latest stories in NASCAR and take questions from fans and viewers as they call into the show.

A RECORD 32 WINNERS IN THE ‘PICK ‘EM’ JACKPOT IN PHOENIX; POT SETS TO $10,000 FOR FINAL RACE

More than 100,000 fans – the most to-date – competed in the NASCAR Pick ‘Em game on the NBC Sports Predictor app for Sunday’s race at Phoenix, and a record 32 fans recorded a perfect score to split the $30,000 jackpot. Fans will have one more chance play the NASCAR Pick ‘Em free-to-play game on the NBC Sports Predictor app this weekend as the jackpot resets to $10,000 at Homestead.

• For each race stage, pick the driver that will have the best finish from a group of four drivers.
• Then, out of the entire field, pick which drivers will finish the race in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place – in exact order.

Following is this week’s NASCAR programming across NBC Sports:

NBC SPORTS’ NASCAR COVERAGE

The official home of the NASCAR Playoffs, NBC Sports will present the final 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, and select NASCAR Regional & Touring Series events in 2019. NBC Sports’ NASCAR programming also includes NBCSN’s daily motorsports show NASCAR America, coverage of NASCAR’s Awards Ceremonies, the annual NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony, as well as original programming specials.

–NBC SPORTS–

“Denny Hamlin has done it! He’s won his way into the Championship Four!” – Rick Allen

“This year is his best chance. He can make this year a career-defining year for himself. Denny Hamlin has shown that he’s ready.” – Jeff Burton

“The turnaround on this team from last year to this year is just amazing.” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the No. 11 team

“Denny Hamlin proved to everyone else that he could do it on the biggest stage…clearly the biggest win of his career.” – Steve Letarte

NBC Sports 2019 NASCAR Championship Media Conference Call – This Tuesday, November 12, at 2 p.m. ET

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Nov. 10, 2019 – NBC Sports presented the semifinal race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs on Sunday afternoon on NBC, as Denny Hamlin won his sixth race of the 2019 season at ISM Raceway to join Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch, who qualified on points, as the Championship Four drivers that will compete for the title next Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday on NBC.

NBC Sports’ Rick Allen called the action alongside Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte. 21-time Cup Series race winner Jeff Burton and racing legend and two-time Daytona 500-winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. provided commentary from a second booth. Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman and Rutledge Wood reported from pit road and the grandstands.

Coverage on NBC began at 1:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR America and Countdown to Green, hosted by Krista Voda from NBC Sports’ “Peacock Pit Box” near pit road at the “Monster Mile,” alongside analysts Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett. Pre-race coverage on NBC included:

• The latest installment in NBC Sports’ “Behind the Driver” series as Kyle Busch discussed the impact his father, Tom Busch, had on his path to becoming a NASCAR driver;
• The latest Joyride with Jeff, as U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant and Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer took a ride around ISM Raceway with Jeff Burton.

The following are highlights from this afternoon’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race coverage on NBC:

POST-RACE COVERAGE

Hamlin to Wood during the burnout interview: “I’ve been through so many Playoffs and so many things that could go wrong – this year I’m always waiting on the next right thing to happen.”

Letarte on Hamlin’s win: “What a car. What a call. I thought four tires were needed and they proved me wrong. The restart was unreal.”

Petty: “There are performances that we as fans are able to watch and stick with you forever…this is one of those days. Remember when Denny Hamlin went into Phoenix 20 points out and had to make something happen.”

Earnhardt Jr. on the No. 11 team: “The turnaround on this team from last year to this year is just amazing. The change in crew chief – the drivers have a lot of talent, but you’ve got to have that guy on the box that can pull all the people around you.”

Letarte: “Denny Hamlin proved to everyone else that he could do it on the biggest stage…clearly the biggest win of his career.”

Earnhardt Jr. on Hamlin’s win: “It was like a walk-off grand slam to end the game…I would say that celebration was akin to a team winning a division title…it tells you how important it is to all of these guys.”

Burton on impact of Hamlin’s win heading into Homestead-Miami: “When you have to go somewhere and you have to win and you haven’t really done that, going against three guys who have, now you feel like you can do it. The way he won is a down payment on a championship in the future.”

RACE COVERAGE

Allen: “Denny Hamlin has done it! He’s won his way into the Championship Four!”

Burton on Hamlin’s restart with four laps to go: “How about Denny Hamlin? Needed that great restart and got it under pressure.”

Burns on Joey Logano’s struggles as he pits with 65 laps to go: “Team Penske is trying to fix a 3,000-pound rolling science project that has gone bad.”

Burton on Hamlin’s dominant performance with 70 laps to go: “He is half a lap ahead of teammate Kyle Busch who is in second place. Think about that. It’s amazing how fast this car is.”

Snider on Hamlin: “On the subject of the 2010 season for Denny Hamlin, I asked crew chief Chris Gabehart about that and he said, ‘I think this moment, this weekend would be too big for the 2010 Denny Hamlin. The 2019 Denny Hamlin is up for it.’”

Burton on Hamlin with 112 laps to go: “This year is his best chance to make that happen. He made a mistake last week. He can recover, come back from that and he can make this year a career-defining year for himself by overcoming adversity. Denny Hamlin has shown that he’s ready for that and he’s in position.”

Earnhardt Jr. on Logano early in Stage 3: “Joey’s car doesn’t look like it’s getting any better as the race goes on. If anything, it looks like they aren’t able to keep up with the race track…the No. 22 is fighting to keep position.”

Burton on Chase Elliott’s wreck on lap 166 to end his Championships hopes: “Just a horrible Round of 8 for this team. The mechanical failure at Martinsville, the wreck at Texas, and now the incident here.”

Letarte on Elliott: “The Round of 8 has been anything but kind to the No. 9 car.”

Allen on Hamlin winning Stage 1: “He knew it could be a career-changing day…what does he do? He goes out and he wins Stage 1.”

Earnhardt Jr. on Roger Penske’s acquisition of INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway: “I went to the Indy 500 for the first time in my life this year, and the one word I took away from that was ‘tradition.’ Knowing that Roger’s in charge of that, it’s going to stay in good hands.”

NBC SPORTS 2019 NASCAR CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL – THIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, AT 2 P.M. ET

NBC Sports NASCAR analysts Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty and Steve Letarte, as well as NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood, will preview the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship on a media conference call this Tuesday, November 12, at 2 p.m. ET.

Media interested in attending should call 334-777-6978; meeting ID 7676519.

• WHAT: 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship Media Conference Call
• WHO: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty, Steve Letarte and Sam Flood
• WHEN: Tuesday, November 12 at 2 p.m. ET
• NUMBER: 334-777-6978
• MEETING ID: 7676519

–NBC SPORTS–

Dale Jr. Download w/ David Hobbs – Tonight at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Joins NASCAR America Motormouths on Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN

NBC Sports’ NASCAR Viewership Up 3% vs. 2018

NASCAR Pick ‘Em Jackpot Swells to $30,000 for Phoenix – No Winners for Texas Despite Nearly 100,000 Players

Cassadee Pope Announced as Co-Host for NASCAR Awards in Nashville

STAMFORD, Conn. – November 5, 2019 – NBC Sports’ travels to ISM Raceway in Phoenix this weekend for penultimate race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with charged-up live coverage of the Bluegreen Vacations 500 this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Kevin Harvick secured his spot in the Championship 4 in Homestead with his victory at Texas on Sunday. Martin Truex Jr., who clinched his spot at Homestead with his win Martinsville, leads all Playoff drivers with 4,133 points, followed by Harvick (4,113), Kyle Busch (4,113), and reigning Cup Series champion Joey Logano (4,111).  Denny Hamlin leads the group of four drivers currently under the Championship cut line (4,091). Phoenix will again give the remaining Playoff drivers a chance to clinch a spot in the Championship 4 in Homestead with a win.

2019 MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF DRIVERS & STANDINGS: 

NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFFS FROM PHOENIX – SUNDAY AT 2:30 P.M. ET ON NBC

NBC Sports kicks off its NASCAR coverage from Phoenix this Friday at 4 p.m. ET with streaming coverage of the first practice, which will be joined in progress on NBCSN at 4:30 p.m. ET, followed by the final practice at 7 p.m. ET. Cup qualifying will air Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Sunday’s race-day coverage from ISM Raceway on NBC begins at 1:30 p.m. ET with the NASCAR America Pre-Race show and Countdown to Green at 2 p.m. ET from the Peacock Pit Box on pit road. Live coverage of the Bluegreen Vacations 500 follows at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Pre-race coverage will also feature the Toyota NBC Joy Ride with Jeff Burton and Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer, as Burton takes Meyer on a hot lap around ISM Raceway prior to the green flag.

NBC Sports race announcer Rick Allen will call the action alongside Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte. 21-time Cup Series winner Jeff Burton and two-time Daytona 500 Champion Dale Earnhardt Jr will provide commentary from a second booth.

NBC Sports’ NASCAR pre-race host Krista Voda, auto racing icon Kyle Petty, and NBC analyst and Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett will host NASCAR America Pre-Race and Countdown to Green, as well as post-race coverage. Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns, Marty Snider, Parker Kligerman, and Rutledge Wood will provide commentary and interviews from pit-road and grandstands.

Coverage will continue with the post-race show at 5:45 p.m. ET and will shift to NBCSN for extended post-race coverage at 6 p.m. Victory Lap will close out race-day coverage at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, hosted by Danielle Trotta with AJ Allmendinger.

NBC SPORTS’ NASCAR VIEWERSHIP UP 3% VS. 2018

With just two races remaining, NBC Sports’ 2019 NASCAR viewership on NBC and NBCSN has averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 2.5 million viewers through 16 races, up 3% vs. the comparable races last year (2.426 million viewers). This excludes the rain-impacted races at Daytona and Talladega which were postponed to the following day.

DALE JR. DOWNLOAD AIRS TODAY AT 5 P.M ET WITH DAVID HOBBS

Today’s episode of The Dale Jr. Download at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN will feature an interview with racing legend and former NBC Sports’ motorsports commentator David Hobbs. Hobbs will discuss the ’79 Daytona 500, Big Hoss insults, Cup Racing overseas, and much more.

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.

NASCAR AMERICA MOTORMOUTHS – WEDNESDAY AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will be this week’s special guest on NASCAR America MotorMouths on Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Stenhouse Jr. will join Marty Snider and Kyle Petty to discuss the latest stories in NASCAR and take questions from fans and viewers as they call into the show.

XFINITY SERIES PLAYOFFS FROM PHOENIX – SATURDAY AT 3:30 P.M. ET ON NBC

NBC Sports’ Xfinity Series Playoff racing from Phoenix begins Friday with streaming coverage of the first practice at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app, followed by final practice at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Race day coverage begins with qualifying at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN followed by NASCAR America at 1:30 p.m. ET. Coverage shifts to NBC for Countdown to Green at 3 p.m. ET followed by the race at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Christopher Bell (3,166 points, and 8 wins) advanced to the Xfinity Series Championship 4 with his win last week at Texas. Justin Allgaier (3,101 points, 0 wins) currently holds the final Championship transfer spot by 18 points over Chase Briscoe (3,083 points, 1 win).

NASCAR PICK ‘EM JACKPOT SWELLS TO $30,000 FOR PHOENIX – NO WINNERS FOR TEXAS DESPITE NEARLY 100,000 PLAYERS

Nearly 100,000 fans played the NASCAR Pick ‘Em free-to-play game on the NBC Sports Predictor app for this past weekend’s race at Texas, but no one was able to record a perfect score. The jackpot will surge to $30,000 this weekend in Phoenix.

• For each race stage, pick the driver that will have the best finish from a group of four drivers.
• Then, out of the entire field, pick which drivers will finish the race in 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place – in exact order. 

CASSADEE POPE ANNOUNCED AS CO-HOST FOR NASCAR AWARDS IN NASHVILLE

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Cassadee Pope will serve as co-host for the event on December 5, 2019 – a fitting announcement given her roots in the city and long-time love for the sport of stock car racing. Pope had one of the most exciting Joy Rides this past weekend in Texas. You can view a clip here.

Pope is a Grammy-nominated, Platinum-certified singer-songwriter who has recently released her highly anticipated second solo album STAGES, featuring hit singles “Take You Home,” “One More Red Light,” and “If My Heart Had A Heart.” Pope will share hosting duties for the event with NBC Sports’ Rutledge Wood throughout the show.

Following is this week’s NASCAR programming across NBC Sports:

NBC SPORTS’ NASCAR COVERAGE

The official home of the NASCAR Playoffs, NBC Sports will present the final 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, and select NASCAR Regional & Touring Series events in 2019. NBC Sports’ NASCAR programming also includes NBCSN’s daily motorsports show NASCAR America, coverage of NASCAR’s Awards Ceremonies, the annual NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony, as well as original programming specials.

–NBC SPORTS–

Kevin Harvick Wins AAA Texas 500 and Clinches Trip to Miami

“Texas has been so great to us, and what a racetrack…We knew it was a good racetrack for us.” – Kevin Harvick on his victory

 “The ticket for Kevin Harvick and the four team to Miami is now punched and a shot to win the title!” – Marty Snider on Kevin Harvick’s Win

 “The pressure is very high on these drivers knowing that there’s only a few opportunities to keep their championship hopes alive.” – Rick Allen on today’s race

“We’ve got a lot of guys who are desperate…It’s going to be fun to watch.” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. on next week’s race at Phoenix

FORT WORTH, Tex. – Nov. 3, 2019 – NBC Sports continued its coverage of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Sunday afternoon with an action-packed AAA Texas 500 from Texas Motor Speedway on NBCSN. Kevin Harvick won the second race of the Round of 8, his fourth of the season, and secured a spot in the Championship 4 alongside Martin Truex Jr., who won last weekend in Martinsville. Harvick has now advanced to the Championship 4 for the fifth time in six years.

NBC Sports’ Rick Allen called the action alongside 21-time Cup Series race winner Jeff Burton, who won his first career Cup Series race at the inaugural race at Texas in 1997. Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte and racing legend and two-time Daytona 500-winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won his first career Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in 2000, provided commentary from a second booth. Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Rutledge Wood, and Dave Burns reported from pit road and the grandstands.

Krista Voda hosted Sunday’s pre-race coverage alongside analysts Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett.

RACE RESULTS

The following are highlights from this afternoon’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race coverage on NBCSN:

POST-RACE COVERAGE

Harvick on the win: “Texas has been so great to us and what a racetrack…It’s been a lot of work put into this race. We knew it was a good racetrack for us.”

Snider on Harvick: “Third straight time he wins a Texas playoff race, and the ticket for Kevin Harvick and the four team to Miami is now punched and a shot to win the title!”

Burton on Playoff race: “We’ve seen it all year long. We keep thinking this is the best driver, this is the best team, and we get surprised every week.”

Letarte on Playoffs race: “I’m done making predictions because what I’ve learned this week is it is unpredictable.”

Petty on Harvick: “I’ve been waiting on Kevin Harvick to show up in the Playoffs. They showed up in a big way today.”

Earnhardt Jr. on next week’s race: “We’ve got a lot of guys who are desperate…It’s going to be fun to watch.”

Jarrett on next week’s race: “There’s not a driver below that cut line that I don’t think is capable of winning next week.”

Burton on Logano’s chances to advance: “I think he’s got to be really nervous. They have not had a clean Playoffs…Even Kyle Busch sitting there in third. They haven’t had a great Playoff either.”

Hamlin to Stavast on his confidence after today’s crash: “There’s no doubt in my mind we can go (to Phoenix) and win. Especially in these circumstances, I like the challenge.”

RACE COVERAGE

Allen on final lap: “He will now tie Tony Stewart 14th all-time for wins. Kevin Harvick wins at Texas!”

Burton on Harvick: “How about his performance tonight…When they need to, they can step up to the plate and make something happen…I just don’t think you can ever count this team out.”

Burton: “I think the survivor in these Playoffs has been Joey Logano.”

Burton on Harvick overtaking Almirola on lap 254: “It is impressive how good that #4 car is.”

Burton on non-playoff drivers: “This is great racing. It’s fun to see these guys. None of these guys are in the playoff battle, but everyone one of them needs a win.”

Burton on Jimmie Johnson crash: “Think about the guys that have had trouble today. The biggest names in the sport – Bred Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, we just saw Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott. The biggest names in the sport lost cars all by themselves basically.”

Allen on Jimmie Johnson leading in Stage 2: “I was asked the question, ‘Is Jimmie Johnson going to lead another lap in 2019?’ I think a lot of people were thinking, ‘I don’t know. We don’t know if Jimmie Johnson will lead another lap.’ Well sure enough, it’s right here at Texas.”

Allen on cautions in Stage 1: “Six cautions now, that’s a new record for a stage. It’s happened here at Texas. Emotions run high. The pressure is very high on these drivers knowing that there’s only a few opportunities to keep their championship hopes alive.”

–NBC SPORTS–

NBC Sports’ NASCAR Coverage from Martinsville Delivers 5% Viewership Increase; Most-Streamed Martinsville Race Ever 

Kyle Busch Joins NASCAR America Motormouths Today at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Special Feature with Jeff Burton and Paralyzed Driver Chris Morris During Xfinity Pre-Race Coverage

A Behind the Scenes Look Inside the Broadcast Booth in Martinsville With the Debut of the ‘Dale Jr Spy Cam’

STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 30, 2019 – Following last Sunday’s runaway victory for Martin Truex Jr., NBC Sports travels to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for the second race of the Round of 8 in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with live coverage this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

The Round of 8 continues with the AAA Texas 500 after an emotionally charged race at Martinsville Speedway. Truex became the first to clinch a Championship 4 berth for the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Nov. 17 on NBC), while tempers flared between defending Cup Series champion Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin post-race.

With Truex locked in, Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Logano hold the three spots still available for the Championship race. Kevin Harvick, winner of the last two Playoff races at Texas, leads the group of four drivers currently behind the cut line. Texas will again give the Playoff drivers a chance to clinch a Championship 4 berth with a win.

2019 MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF DRIVERS & STANDINGS: 

NASCAR CUP SERIES RACING FROM TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY – SUNDAY AT 3 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

NBC Sports kicks off its NASCAR Cup Series Playoff coverage from Texas this Friday at 3 p.m. ET with first practice on NBCSN and final practice at 5 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports app. Cup Series coverage resumes Saturday at 7 p.m. ET with qualifying on CNBC.

Race Day coverage begins Sunday on NBCSN at 1:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR America, followed by Countdown to Green at 2:30 p.m. ET from the Peacock Pit Box on NBCSN. Live coverage of the AAA Texas 500 follows at 3 p.m. ET.

NBC Sports race announcer Rick Allen will call the action alongside 21-time Cup Series winner Jeff Burton, who won his first career Cup Series race at the inaugural race at Texas in 1997. Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte and two-time Daytona 500 Champion Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won his first career Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in 2000, will provide commentary from a second booth.

NBC Sports’ NASCAR pre-race host Krista Voda, auto racing icon Kyle Petty, and NBC analyst and Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett will host NASCAR America and Countdown to Green, as well as post-race coverage. Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns, Marty Snider, and Rutledge Wood will provide commentary and interviews from pit road and the grandstands. Post-race coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. ET, with Victory Lap, hosted by Danielle Trotta and AJ Allmendinger, closing out Race Day coverage at 7:30 p.m. ET.

DALE JR. SPY CAM DEBUTS THIS WEEK

The Dale Jr. Spy Cam debuted this week, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at Dale Jr. in the broadcast booth with his partner each week.  This exclusive video shares the entertainment, camaraderie and genuine excitement that takes place each week in the NBC Sports broadcast booth. This week’s video is from Martinsville and showcases Dale Jr. with Jeff Burton.

NASCAR AMERICA MOTORMOUTHS — WEDNESDAY AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

NBC Sports will present NASCAR America Motormouths today at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN, allowing fans to call in to the show and share their questions and thoughts on the latest stories in NASCAR.

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, joins Motormouths hosts Rutledge Wood and Kyle Petty as tomorrow’s special guest. Busch will discuss the #18 team’s Playoff troubles and the adjustments they’re making going into Texas.

XFINITY SERIES RACING FROM TEXAS – SATURDAY AT 8:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

NBC Sports’ Xfinity Series Playoff coverage from Texas begins Friday with first practice at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN and final practice at 4 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports App. ET. Race Day coverage begins Saturday with qualifying at 5:30 p.m. ET on CNBC. NASCAR America will air at 6:30 p.m. ET on CNBC, followed by Countdown to Green at 8 p.m. ET and live coverage of Xfinity Series Playoff racing at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. A half-hour post-race show wraps up Race Day coverage on NBCSN at 11 p.m. ET.

With one race complete in the Xfinity Series Round of 8, Christopher Bell (+49 above the Championship cut line) leads the way over Cole Custer (+38), Tyler Reddick (+37), and Justin Allgaier (+2 over 5th-place Chase Briscoe). Bell, Custer and Reddick have combined for 19 wins this season – 7 each for Bell and Custer, and 5 for Reddick, the defending series champion.

MARTINSVILLE VIEWERSHIP UP 5% ON NBCSN

NBC Sports’ coverage of the First Data 500 from Martinsville Speedway averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 2.275 million viewers across NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app, up 5% vs. the 2018 race (2.176 million).

The race is also the most-streamed Martinsville race ever, with 70,000 unique viewers, 5.4 million minutes, and an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 23,000 viewers, up 21%, 20%, and 44%, respectively, from last year.

Martinsville (3:22-6:55 p.m. ET) delivered a 1.37 household rating and averaged 2.252 million TV-only viewers. The TV-only audience peaked with 2.715 million viewers from 6:30-6:45 p.m. ET.

NO WINNERS IN THE ‘PICK ‘EM’ JACKPOT IN MARTINSVILLE; POT WILL SURGE TO $20,000 FOR TEXAS

Nearly 85,000 fans played the NASCAR Pick ‘Em free-to-play game on the NBC Sports Predictor app for this past weekend’s race at Martinsville, but no one was able to record a perfect score. The jackpot will surge to $20,000 this weekend in Texas.

• For each race stage, pick the driver that will have the best finish from a group of four drivers.
• Then, out of the entire field, pick which drivers will finish the race in 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place – in exact order. 

Following is this week’s NASCAR programming across NBC Sports:

 
NBC SPORTS’ NASCAR COVERAGE

The official home of the NASCAR Playoffs, NBC Sports will present the final 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, and select NASCAR Regional & Touring Series events in 2019. NBC Sports’ NASCAR programming also includes NBCSN’s daily motorsports show NASCAR America, coverage of NASCAR’s Awards Ceremonies, the annual NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony, as well as original programming specials.

–NBC SPORTS–