NASCAR On NBC Heads To Thunder Valley For Monster Energy Cup Series Racing Under The Lights This Saturday
By: Tori Hartshorn Aug. 15, 2018
NBC Sports Group heads to "Thunder Valley" this week for a twin bill of Monster Energy Cup and Xfinity Series races UNDER THE LIGHTS from Bristol Motor Speedway, in Bristol, Tenn. Live race coverage from "The Last Great Colosseum" begins Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with Xfinity Series racing, and culminates Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing.
With just three races left in the regular season, Kevin Harvick's dominating Cup Series win last weekend in Michigan pushed him to the top of the 2018 Playoff standings, with seven wins and 40 playoff points. Harvick is followed by Kyle Busch (6 wins, 35 playoff points), Martin Truex Jr. (4 wins, 27 playoff points),Clint Bowyer (2 wins, 10 playoff points), and Chase Elliott (1 win, 8 playoff points).
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES RACING FROM BRISTOL - SATURDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBC Sports Group kicks off its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series coverage from Bristol Motor Speedway, this Friday at 10:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN, followed by final practice at 12:30 p.m. ET. A special on-site edition of NASCAR Americaairs at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN and is followed by qualifying at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Saturday's race day coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with NASCAR America, followed by NBC Sports Group's pre-race show, Countdown to Green,at 7 p.m. ET. Green flag racing from "Thunder Valley" begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Saturday's pre-race coverage includes a "Driver to Driver" interview between NASCAR on NBC analyst and auto racing icon Kyle Petty (@Kylepetty), and driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, Clint Bowyer. Coverage also includes a special "It's Bristol Baby" fan feature.
NASCAR on NBC's lead race announcer Rick Allen (@Rickallenracing) will call the action, alongside Daytona 500 winning crew chief Steve Letarte(@steveletarte), from NBC Sports' traditional broadcast booth above the start/finish line. In addition, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) will be teamed with 21-time Cup Series race winner Jeff Burton (@Jeffburton) in NBCSN's "Drivers Booth."
Krista Voda (@KristaVoda) will host pre- and post-race coverage alongside Kyle Petty, and Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett (@DaleJarrett). Marty Snider(@HeyMartysnider), Kelli Stavast (@Kellistavast), Dave Burns (@tvdaveburns) and Parker Kligerman (@Pkligerman) will report from pit road alongside features reporter Rutledge Wood (@Rutledgewood).
XFINITY SERIES COVERAGE FROM BRISTOL - FRIDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NASCAR on NBC's Xfinity Series coverage from Bristol begins Thursday, with first practice at 10 a.m. ET, followed by final practice at 1:30 p.m. ET. Coverage of both practice sessions will be available on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
Xfinity Series coverage continues Friday, with qualifying at 3:30 p.m. ET. NBCSN's Countdown to Green kicks off at 7 p.m. ET and is followed by race coverage at 7:30 p.m. ET.
NASCAR ON NBC'S DUSTIN LONG GOES BEHIND-THE-SCENES WITH RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS' NO. 43 TEAM
NASCAR on NBC motorsports writer Dustin Long (@dustinlong) is set to go behind-the-scenes with Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 43 team this week for a multi-platform series across NBCSN's NASCAR AMERICA and NBCSports.com'sNASCAR Talk. Long joins the No. 43 team, and embeds himself in their preparation process as they ready for this weekend's race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Long's in-depth coverage includes and an exclusive interview with driver of the No. 43, Bubba Wallace, as well as conversations with team officials and crew members.
FOUR-TIME INDYCAR CHAMPION SCOTT DIXON JOINS NASCAR AMERICA TOMORROW AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Scott Dixon, driver of Chip Ganassi Racing's No. 9 Honda, joins NASCAR AMERICA in studio tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET from NBC Sports Group's headquarters in Stamford, Conn. A four-time INDYCAR Champion, Dixon is the current points leader for the series and will join host Carolyn Manno (@Carolynmanno) to preview the upcoming weekend of competition at Pocono Raceway.
UPCOMING NBC SPORTS GROUP NASCAR PROGRAMMING
| DATE | COVERAGE | TIME (ET) | NETWORK |
| Wednesday, Aug. 15 | NASCAR America | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| NASCAR K&N Series - Evergreen | 6 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Whelen Modified Series - Thompson | 7 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Thursday, Aug. 16 | NASCAR Xfinity Series First Practice - Bristol | 10 a.m. | NBC Sports app, NBCSports.com |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Final Practice - Bristol | 1:30 p.m. | NBC Sports app, NBCSports.com | |
| NASCAR America | 5 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Dale Jr. Download | 5:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Friday, Aug. 17 | NASCAR Cup Series First Practice - Bristol | 10:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Dale Jr. Download(Encore) | 12 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice - Bristol | 12:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice - Bristol (Encore) | 2 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying - Bristol | 3:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America | 5 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying - Bristol | 5:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Countdown to Green | 7 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Race - Bristol | 7:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Post-Race Show | 9:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR The Decades | 10 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Saturday, Aug. 18 | NASCAR America | 6 p.m. | NBCSN |
| NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green | 7 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Race - Bristol | 7:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race Show | 11 p.m. | NBCSN |
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