NBC Sports to Present Twin Bill of NASCAR Events This Weekend

On the heels of last week's Kyle Busch sweep at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, NBCSN presents another weekend slate of NASCAR action with Sprint Cup racing from Pocono Raceway's "Tricky Triangle" and XFINITY Series racing from Iowa Speedway. Saturday's green flag drops in Iowa with the XFINITY Series US Cellular 250 at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The competition continues Sunday with Sprint Cup Racing from Pocono at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

NBCSN's weekend NASCAR coverage begins with a full day of programming on Friday with Sprint Cup Series practice presented by DraftKings from Pocono at 11a.m. ET. At 4:30 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup qualifying presented by DraftKings airs on NBCSN while XFINITY Series practice from Iowa appears on NBC Sports Live Extra. NASCAR AMERICA broadcasts live from Pocono Raceway at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the final XFINITY Series practice in Iowa at 7 p.m. ET.

Saturday's coverage kicks off bright and early with back-to-back Sprint Cup practice sessions presented by DraftKings at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. ET from Pocono Raceway on NBCSN. Coverage then heads west to "The Fastest Short Track on the Planet" with XFINITY Series qualifying at 4:30 p.m. ET at Iowa Speedway, followed by Countdown to Green at 7:30 p.m. ET and the XFINITY Series US Cellular 250 at 8p.m. ET on NBCSN. Ralph Sheheen will handle play-by-play duties and Dale Jarrett will join him as the lead analyst. Reporters Jim Noble, Alex Hayden and Marty Snider add to Countdown to Green and race coverage.

Sunday's racing coverage returns to the "Keystone State" at noon ET with a 60-minute edition of NASCAR AMERICA Sunday presented by presented by DraftKings followed by Countdown to Green, Served by Sonic pre-race show at 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Krista Voda will anchor Sunday's pre-race coverage alongside analyst Kyle Petty. Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns and Mike Massaro will patrol pit road. NBCSN analyst Jeff Burton and specialty reporter Rutledge Wood will also join in on the pre-race festivities.

The "Tricky Triangle's" main event begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN with Sprint Cup Racing from Pocono. Rick Allen calls the action alongside Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte and 21-time Sprint Cup winning driver Burton. Post-race, NBCSN's coverage of NASCAR continues with Vota, Petty, Burton, Letarte and the post-race show from Pocono at 5:30 p.m. ET. The weekend of race coverage concludes Sunday at 11 p.m. ET with NASCAR Victory Lap hosted by Carolyn Manno alongside analysts Parker Kligerman and Brian Vickers.

MARTIN TRUEX JR DISCUSSES HIS JUNE VICTORY AT POCONO AND REFLECTS ON AN IMPACTFUL YEAR

Sunday's pre-race coverage will include a segment featuring Martin Truex Jr. and his longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex. Together they will look back at Truex's most recent Sprint Cup win at Pocono Raceway in June. Sunday's race also comes almost a year since Pollex' diagnosis with cancer. The couple looks back on the extreme highs and lows of this past year, and discusses some of the inspiring work they have done for children's hospitals around the country.

JEFF BURTON AND RUTLEDGE WOOD EXPLORE POCONO RACEWAY'S UNIQUE FEATURES AND SURROUNDINGS

Sunday's Countdown to Green will also feature NBCSN NASCAR analyst Burton delivering a look at the "Tricky Triangle" from behind the wheel of NBC Sports' Toyota Camry On Track Car. In addition, features reporter Wood will report on the defining characteristics of Pocono's three turns. Designed by driver and architect Rodger Ward, each turn is modeled after another storied raceway. Turn one was drawn from the now defunct Trenton Speedway "kidney bean" in New Jersey; turn two is banked nine degrees in an homage to Indianapolis Motor Speedway; and turn three takes its influence from the famed Milwaukee Mile.

NASCAR DRIVES NBCSN TO MOST-WATCHED JULY IN THE NETWORK'S HISTORY

NASCAR and NBC Sports Group kicked off their 10-year partnership in July with more than 100 hours of trackside coverage, which fueled the best July Total Day and Primetime viewership in NBCSN history. In addition, NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the network's most-watched telecast ever, averaging 4.7 million viewers.

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