Posted on by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: How to find NBCSN | Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App

RELATED: How to follow races on NASCAR.com | NASCAR Live Stream

Monday, October 5
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App

Tuesday, October 6
3 p.m., IMSA Prototype Challenge (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
4 p.m., Glory Road: NASCAR’s Lost Tracks (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On MRN:
7 p.m., NASCAR Live

Wednesday, October 7
Noon, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FS2/FOX Sports App
3 p.m., IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
7 p.m., Classic NASCAR: 1994 Coca-Cola 600 (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App

Friday, October 9
2 p.m., Dale Jr. Download (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
3 p.m., Dale Jr. Download (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
4 p.m., Glory Road: Modified to Cup (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
4:30 p.m., Glory Road: Endurance Racing (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Saturday, October 10
3 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Countdown to Green: Charlotte, NBC/NBC Sports App
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, NBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN4, 5)
5:55 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, CNBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN4, 5)
8 p.m., IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship at Charlotte Motor Speedway, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On PRN:
3 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval

Sunday, October 11
Noon, NASCAR Race Hub: Charlotte, FS1/FOX Sports App
1 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green: Charlotte, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green: Charlotte, NBC/NBC Sports App
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, NBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN1, 4)
6 p.m. NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race Show: Charlotte, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On PRN:
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Cup Series playoff drivers Aric Almirola, Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Austin Dillon were all involved in a crash during the closing laps of Stage 1 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Almirola was leading on Lap 57 of the YellaWood 500 when he was turned by second-place driver Bowman on the backstretch. Both received significant damage after hitting the outside wall. Busch spun while trying to avoid the collision. The No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota came across the backstretch and got hit in the left side by the No. 12 Team Penske Ford of Ryan Blaney.

RELATED: Race Results | Playoff standings updated

Almirola was forced to retire after taking the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford back to pit road to survey the damage. Bowman, Busch and Blaney visited pit road multiple times to make repairs and were able to continue, staying on the lead lap in the process. Bowman ultimately finished 14th while Blaney was 25th and Busch 27th.

Logano and Dillon were able to continue on without any significant damage. Logano finished 26th and Dillon was 12th.

Almirola came into Sunday’s Round of 12 race with a 27-point deficit on eighth-place driver Bowman. Almirola left Talladega in last place among the 12 playoff drivers, 48 points below the cutline.

“I got hit from behind and got turned into the outside fence,” Almirola told NBC after being checked and released from the infield care center. “… Unfortunate. I don’t know if he got in the back of me and hooked me or how that worked out. My car just made a hard right into the fence.”

RELATED: Almirola frustrated after Talladega wreck

The caution came out again for debris on Lap 67 when the left-front tire went down on Busch’s car due to a severe tire rub. Busch’s team were able to make more repairs to stay on the lead lap.

The caution put an end to Stage 1 as Chris Buescher earned the victory, followed by Logano, Dillon, Brad Keselowski and Erik Jones to round out the top five in order.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Executive Vice Chair Lesa Kennedy was honored for her support of children’s causes during the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund’s annual Champions of Children Gala on Oct. 2. The celebrity-driven evening raised close to $1 million and Kennedy was recognized alongside former NFL quarterback Eli Manning and James Dunne III, vice chairman and senior managing principal of Piper Sandler Companies, and George and Barbara Bush posthumously, as part of the virtual event.

Hosted by Legendary NBC 4 New York sports broadcaster Bruce Beck and joined by “the voice” of the NFL’s New York Giants, Bob Papa, the two toasted the foundation’s 2020 honorees with the help of NASCAR Cup Series drivers Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano; Jay Monahan, PGA chairman; Andy Reid, head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs; Joe Judge, head coach of the New York Giants; and Daniel Jones, quarterback for the New York Giants.

The Jay Fund Foundation was founded by Super Bowl champion head football coach Tom Coughlin and for 25 years has been devoted to providing financial and emotional assistance to families tackling childhood cancer. This year, the organization recognized Kennedy for her steadfast commitment to the community and work with Habitat for Humanity and the American Heart Association. Kennedy has also focused her time on children’s charities including The NASCAR Foundation, founded by her mother, Betty Jane France, and the Victory Junction Gang Camp.

“It was an incredible evening, and we are so grateful to all of our honorees for stepping up during these uncertain times to help us raise money for our families in New York and New Jersey who are tackling childhood cancer,” said Tom Coughlin, co-founder of the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation. “The pandemic has caused a 52 percent increase in requests for emergency financial assistance from our already vulnerable families, and we are so grateful to our donors and supporters who have helped us meet that need.”

In 2019, the Jay Fund provided scholarships on behalf of NASCAR to two courageous cancer survivors, helping both young men realize their dreams of a secondary education. Nazim Cheek became the first member of his family to attend college while the other recipient, Christian Ferrao, is currently enrolled in college and studying civil engineering.

“As a mother, it’s difficult to imagine the unthinkable challenges these families are striving to overcome,” Kennedy said. “The Jay Fund’s work in this critical area is not only inspiring, it sets an example for all of us to follow.”

The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation was developed in honor of one of Coughlin’s former players at Boston College, Jay McGillis, with its mission to BE THERE for families so they can BE THERE for their sick child. Since its inception, the Jay Fund Foundation has served more than 6,000 families and provided more than $14 million in financial assistance to thousands of families in Northeast Florida and the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area.

Posted on by Nick Giffen

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting  insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

Racing at superspeedways is all about finding value in what seems like a mess of randomness. It’s especially difficult to handicap younger drivers who naturally have a smaller sample of races to evaluate. Natural randomness can make certain newcomers look better or worse than they actually are.

The best way to escape this problem is by looking at larger sample sizes. Over a large enough sample size, variance tends to blend out and you get closer to a driver’s natural long-term ability. This is especially true with veteran drivers. Their years of expertise (or lack thereof) lead them to a natural ability. By adjusting for the quality of their equipment, we can get a solid estimate on the distribution of their expected performance

One such veteran on a top-tier team stands out as an exceptional value for today’s YellaWood 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC) at Talladega.

NASCAR at Talladega Betting Picks

Clint Bowyer Top 10 (+175) & Top 3 (+1300)

Bowyer has 59 career Cup Series races at superspeedways, including 29 at Talladega. Despite a number of teams, car bodies, engine and aerodynamic rules changes, Bowyer has consistently been a solid performer at these tracks.

In the 59 races at all superspeedways Bowyer has 26 top-10 and seven top-three finishes.

At Talladega, the numbers are even more eye-popping. Here, he has six top-three and 13 top-10 finishes. Each of these numbers significantly exceed the implied odds given to him for today’s race.

There’s even more to dig into. Bowyer likely had little shot at a top-tier finish during his year at underfunded HScott Motorsports. He was also unlikely to win in his rookie season as he was learning and had built little trust with then-veteran drivers. Removing those eight races, Bowyer’s top-three rate improves to 13.7% at all superspeedways and 24% at Talladega. Also at Talladega, his top-10 rate increases to 48%.

Bowyer has had poor finishes in his three Talladega races under the current rules package, which could be the reason for his steep odds. However, he encountered issues in two of those three races that set him multiple laps down.

He’s a driver who has consistently shown solid results at superspeedways under all sets of circumstances. It’s likely his odds are bogged down by a small sample of recent poor finishes that have more to do with bad luck than anything else.

DraftKings‘ top-10 number (+175) and FanDuel’s top-three price (+1300) seem severely out of whack for Bowyer. I’d snap these up as low as +145 and +900.

[Bet now at DraftKings and get a $1,000 sign-up bonus.]

Posted on by Staff Report

Rev Racing driver Rajah Caruth, 18, earned the first Late Model win of his career Saturday night at historic Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.

Caruth piloted his No. 6 Sunoco Toyota into Victory Lane for the first time in what has become a rapidly ascending racing career. His Rev Racing teammates Gracie Trotter — who last week became the first female winner in ARCA Racing history — and Isabella Robusto finished fourth and sixth, respectively.

Growing up a NASCAR fan, Caruth developed into an excellent sim racer on iRacing. He’s a product of the eNASCAR Ignite Series – a grassroots youth racing platform that identifies drivers without access to traditional race tracks around the world.

Caruth was selected for the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program in 2019, the first driver from a majority iRacing background to be picked for the program. He was impressive enough to be chosen as part of the 2020 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, which led to him competing in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series this year.

Sunoco announced earlier this year it would expand its partnership with Rev Racing and become the full-time backer on Caruth’s car.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace was among those to offer his congratulations.

Posted on by Zack Albert

As the lone Ford drivers in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series field, Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric formed a modest but mighty two-car attack that dominated the first two stages at Talladega Superspeedway.

After playing the opening two stages like a fiddle, the tune changed dramatically for the title contenders over the final portion of Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300. Briscoe’s Stewart-Haas Racing No. 98, bumped twice under serious pressure from challenger Noah Gragson in the closing laps, scraped to a 19th-place finish. Cindric, who kept his No. 22 Team Penske Mustang in close formation behind Briscoe throughout the early going, wound up 34th after a pit entry gone awry midway through the final stage.

RELATED: Official results | Xfinity Series schedule

Briscoe already had safe passage into the Round of 8, the next three-race set for the Xfinity Series playoffs, after winning last weekend’s playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Among his goals for Saturday was to help Cindric, linked to him by bonds of manufacturer and friendship, gain ground in his own postseason quest.

The plan went swimmingly early, with Briscoe and Cindric sticking to the game plan and finishing 1-2 at each of the two stage breaks. That added two playoff points to Briscoe’s tally and gave Cindric a leg up in the standings with 18 stage points added to his cushion.

Cindric inadvertently broke up their 1-2 punch when his No. 22 skittered out of control off Turn 4 in a failed pit-stop approach, nosing into the inside retaining wall and ending his day. He completed just 75 of the 113 laps but still exited Talladega ranked second in the playoff standings thanks to his stage-points bonanza.

“It looked like the whole pack was going to try to stop there and I felt like that was chaos, especially with how far back in the pack we were,” Cindric said of the mid-stage stack-up. “I just got smoked from behind. I had no chance of making it to pit road. It is really unfortunate. Obviously we hit the wall a ton. …

“We ran up front all day. Unfortunately, circumstances kept me and the 98 from being up front with the way the slower cars stayed out. The way it worked out we went straight to the back and didn’t even have a chance. I can’t even say that we put ourselves back there. It really sucks but it is part of this type of racing. We were hoping to get ourselves locked into the next round today but we will have to go fight for it next week.”

Cindric’s sudden exit left Briscoe to go it alone for the Ford camp down the stretch, and he nearly made his solo charge for the checkers work once the race ticked down to an every-man-for-himself scenario. Briscoe started from the pole and led a race-best 73 laps, but his aggressive blocking up front led to a pair of pushes from Gragson’s No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevy that shuffled him out of line at the end, and a scrub of the outside retaining wall on the next-to-last lap ultimately slowed his progress.

“Yeah, at the end you are doing everything you can to protect the runs and he is doing everything he can to make moves,” Briscoe said. “It is just part of racing here. It was exciting, at least on my end. I about wrecked two or three times trying to block. It was cool. … To win two stages, that is huge going into the next round. (The finish) obviously doesn’t tell the whole picture but that is part of racing here and we will go to the Roval next week and have some fun.”

Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet that Michael Annett drove to an apparent runner-up finish in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway has been disqualified after an infraction found in post-race inspection.

RELATED: Official race results | Haley prevails

According to NASCAR officials, the No. 1 Chevy failed to meet the minimum heights requirement, rolling through inspection too low in the left front after Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300.

Annett was moved to last place in the official finishing order for Saturday’s 300-miler. The penalty dropped him from ninth in the playoff standings to last among the 12 title-eligible drivers, pushing his deficit from three points to 38 below the provisional cut-off line for advancement.

The Xfinity Series playoff field will be whittled from 12 drivers to eight after next Saturday’s Round of 12 finale (3:30 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

No other violations were found in inspection after Saturday’s race.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

Justin Haley led two laps in Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300, but one of them was the one that counted.

Grabbing the lead on Lap 112 of 113, Haley earned a spot in the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs with the victory in the second Round of 12 race, his third of the season, the third of his career and his third straight in an Xfinity superspeedway event, a streak matched only by the late Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Haley won the race under caution, thanks to a multicar wreck on the final lap. The victory was the fourth for Kaulig Racing in the last five superspeedway contests.

Haley finished .234 seconds ahead of Michael Annett, with Ryan Sieg trailing by .595 seconds in third. Annett, however, was disqualified after post-race inspection for a ride-height violation. His No. 1 Chevrolet was too low in the left front. The disqualification elevated Sieg to second place.

RELATED: Official results | JRM No. 1 Chevy disqualified

In preserving his streak on the big tracks (Talladega and Daytona International Speedway), Haley had to overcome a penalty for pitting too soon in the wake of a Lap 76 wreck, with pit road closing after he had committed to enter.

“We had that penalty there and we struggled to get back — just bunny-hopping,” Haley said. “Thankfully, Kevin Hamlin, my spotter, was able to guide me through the bunny-hops and be able to go from the bottom (lane). We were so far back with 10 to go. Matt Kaulig (team owner), we love you. Three in a row. I guess I told you earlier I wasn’t saying it’s luck, but three in a row is pretty hard to do on luck. Just super thankful. This is such a blessing.”

Xfinity Series leader Chase Briscoe dominated the race almost to the finish, leading 73 laps and winning the first two stages, but his attempt to block eventual third-place finisher Noah Gragson went awry with two laps left. An eight-time winner this season, Briscoe brushed the outside wall and fell back to an eventual 19th-place finish, as Haley charged into the lead.

“Yeah, at the end, you’re doing everything you can to protect the runs, and he’s doing everything he can to make moves,” Briscoe said. “It’s just part of racing here. It was exciting, at least on my end. I about wrecked two or three times trying to block.

“It was cool. (Gragson) had talked to Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) about how to run this place, and I had talked to Dale about how to run this place, and it was weird, because I knew what he was trying to do every time so I was trying to protect it.”

It didn’t help that Briscoe had lost his drafting partner, fellow Ford driver Austin Cindric, who slammed into the inside wall off Turn 4 as a pack of cars was attempting to enter pit road on Lap 76. That left Briscoe in a difficult position, trying to win the race as the only Ford driver on the track.

“It looked like the whole pack was going to try to stop there, and I felt like that was chaos, especially with how far back in the pack we were,” Cindric said of the wreck that eliminated him in 34th place. “I just got smoked from behind. I had no chance of making it to pit road. It’s really unfortunate. Obviously, we hit the wall a ton.”

MORE: Strong showings sour for Briscoe, Cindric

Neither of the Ford drivers was devastated by the ill fortune. Briscoe already had secured his ticket into the Round of 8 with last weekend’s victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Cindric, a road-course ace, likewise is in a comfortable position heading to next Saturday’s Round of 12 elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (3:30 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Second in the standings, the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford holds a 46-point edge over ninth-place Annett. Gragson also has a nice cushion — 43 points above the cut line. Four drivers will be eliminated from postseason contention after Saturday’s Roval event.

A victim of the last-lap crash, Harrison Burton, fell seven points behind eighth-place Ross Chastain in the battle for one of the final spots in the Round of 8. Chastain recovered to finish sixth after clobbering the outside wall when Burton turned his No. 10 Chevrolet sideways in a chain-reaction wreck as the cars approached the start/finish line for a restart on Lap 47.

Calamity found Joe Gibbs Racing driver Riley Herbst on Lap 42, when contact from the No. 61 of Austin Hill sent him sliding into the inside wall off Turn 4. Now 11th in the standings, two points ahead of Annett, Herbst either must win at the Roval or leap-frog above three other drivers by erasing a 36-point deficit.

“It just sucks when a Truck Series guy comes in here to have fun,” Herbst said. “I’m really good friends with Austin, so I just hate to see that. If I went into the Truck Series and wrecked his playoff hopes, he would be upset with me. I’m a little upset. We’re not out of it yet. It’s going to be tough at the Roval, but we’ll see what we will have with the Monster Energy Supra.”

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

While one Kyle Busch Motorsports driver had reason to celebrate, another saw his NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series championship hopes dashed.

Raphael Lessard edged out Trevor Bayne for his first career victory on the final lap as the caution flag flew in Saturday’s Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway, the Round of 10 elimination race. But it was No. 18 KBM Toyota driver Christian Eckes who was caught up in the last-lap crash, failing to advance into the Round of 8 as a result.

RELATED: Race results

Eckes was in position throughout the 94-lap race to earn a strong finish to advance, especially after fellow playoff driver Zane Smith was taken out early after a big crash on Lap 13. But along with a pit-road penalty, Eckes was shuffled toward the back of the pack in the closing laps after being shoved to the apron of the race track in Turn 1. The rookie driver was working his way back up after the final two-lap sprint to the finish before it all came crashing down.

“I just came up short,” Eckes said. “Sucks that we are not going to be able to move on to round two, but in the same aspect my Safelite Toyota team tried hard. We did all we could. I’m sure we made some mistakes on the day like the pit road penalties and some other things, but we will move on to the last four races and give the playoff guys hell.”

RELATED: Todd Gilliland’s engine, playoff hopes expire | Zane Smith crashes early at Talladega

Eckes, who came into Talladega eighth in the standings with a six-point cushion, along with Front Row Motorsports driver Todd Gilliland, were the two drivers left on the outside of the cutline when the race concluded.

Now with four races remaining in the 2020 season, winning his first career race in his rookie season is the lone goal that remains.

“We don’t have any championship hopes on the line, unfortunately, anymore, but in the same aspect, there is still plenty of team goals to achieve,” Eckes said. “We will do the best we can. I wish we did a little bit better in the first two races of this round to separate us, but that’s 2020 and we will move on to the next four.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

In a wild two-lap shootout that ended prematurely with a multicar wreck near the entrance to Turn 3, 19-year-old Canadian Raphael Lessard earned his first NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series victory in Saturday’s Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

RELATED: Race results

Lessard had nosed ahead of runner-up Trevor Bayne while Stewart Friesen’s Chevrolet spun into the outside backstretch wall on the final lap, causing the caution that froze the field. The yellow made a winner of Lessard, but what was euphoria for one Kyle Busch Motorsports driver was heartbreak for another.

With playoff spots in the elimination race still on the line for the final restart on Lap 93 of 94 at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, Christian Eckes was a victim of the final wreck that also left playoff driver Austin Hill hustling out of his No. 16 Toyota, which sat on the apron with flames shooting from underneath the hood.

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With the Round of 10 completed, Eckes was eliminated by eight points, as Tyler Ankrum, another victim of the last-lap wreck, advanced to the Round of 8 in the playoffs by that margin. Hill already had secured a spot in the next round with last weekend’s win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Those two drivers are joined by Sheldon Creed (12th Saturday), Ben Rhodes (fourth), Brett Moffitt (seventh), Matt Crafton (eighth), Grant Enfinger (13th) and Zane Smith (33rd). Crafton took the green flag on the final restart below the playoff cutline but avoided the final wreck to finish the day fifth in the playoff standings.

The big winner was still Lessard, who did not qualify for the playoff but earned a significant consolation prize on Saturday, with a strong push from Rhodes.

“Oh, my gosh, that was awesome,” said Lessard, who moved to Mooresville, N.C., from Quebec this year. “First of all, I just want to thank everyone at home, my team — Kyle Busch Motorsports. I can’t believe it. It’s just my second superspeedway race.

“To get my first Truck Series win here is amazing. I don’t know who was behind me, but he gave me a heck of a push. I can’t thank him enough. He pushed me as hard as he could, and I was just along for the ride. The caution came out at the right time. I’m so happy. I got to do a burnout after the win. I’m hoping I can do some more.”

Smith avoided elimination despite being swept up in an 11-car wreck on Lap 13. He spent the rest of the race waiting anxiously to learn whether he would advance to the Round of 8.

“It sucks, for sure,” Smith said after the accident. “They just kept getting bunched up. My teammate (Chase Purdy) got all out of shape, and I was just kind of an innocent bystander.”

Also exiting the playoffs was Todd Gilliland, whose No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford retired from the race after 47 laps because of engine issues. Gilliland had finished second in Stage 1 (won by Hill) and seventh in Stage 2 (won by Derek Kraus) before the mechanical failure.

Chandler Smith ran third, giving non-playoff drivers the top three positions. Rhodes was fourth, followed by Codie Rohrbaugh, Jordan Anderson, Moffitt, Crafton, Kaz Grala and Kraus.

RELATED: Two Gander Trucks teams issued L1 penalties

The Round of 8 for the Gander Trucks kicks off in two weeks with the Clean Harbors 200 at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 17 (4 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NOTE: The No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota of race winner Raphael Lessard passed NASCAR’s post-race inspection. There were no other issues.

Contributing: Staff reports