Posted on by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series will be in action at Darlington Raceway, while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off this weekend. Check out the full schedule below, which is subject to change.

Note: All times are ET

MORE: How to find NBCSN

SUNDAY, Sept. 2
RACE-DAY RUNDOWN
4:00:00 p.m. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Driver & Crew Chief Meeting (MENCS Garage)
5:25:00 p.m.: Drivers Introductions with Busch Pole Award (NASCAR Special Awards read earlier in pre-race)
6:00:00 p.m.: Intro Presentation of Colors by: SC Air National Guard Color Guard
6:00:10 p.m.: Moment of Silence
6:00:30 p.m.: Intro & Invocation by: Dr. Bill Curtis, Cornerstone Baptist Church of Darlington, South Carolina
6:01:25 p.m.: National Anthem by: Pop music icons Hanson
6:03:00 p.m.: Flyover TOT by: Bandit Flight Team (Turn 4 to Turn 1)
6:07:45 p.m.: “Drivers, Start Your Engines” by: Randy Poindexter, Sr. VP of Marketing Bojangles’ with 2019 NASCAR HOF Inductee Jack Roush and other members of the NASCAR HOF
6:15:45 p.m.: Green Flag – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 (367 laps, 501.3 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN4) (Results)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
2 p.m.: STP and Richard Petty Motorsports
10:15 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race

FRIDAY, Aug. 31
1:05-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) (Results)
2:05-2:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada; TSN5) (Results)
3:05-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) (Results)
4:05-4:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) (Results)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
11:10 a.m.: Derrike Cope and Bojangles’ President Randy Poindexter
11:30 a.m.:  NASCAR partnership announcement
11:45 a.m.: Justin Allgaier and Christopher Bell
12:05 p.m.: Denny Hamlin
1:00 p.m.: Kurt Busch
1:15 p.m.: Matt Kenseth

SATURDAY, Sept. 1
12:35 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Pole Qualifying, NBCSN (UPDATE: Coverage will begin on the NBC Sports App until the conclusion of John McCain coverage on NBC, then Xfinity qualifying will pick up on NBCSN in addition to NBC Sports App as soccer moves over to NBC) (Canada: TSN App) (Results)
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) (Results)
3:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 (147 laps, 200.8 miles), NBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN3) (Results)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
2:45 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying
5:15 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Xfinity Series race

Posted on by Staff Report

What channels are NASCAR races on this week? We answer that and give you the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET. 

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

Monday, August 27
6 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN
noon: Motorsports Monday (with hosts Woody Cain & Joey Meier)

Tuesday, August 28
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m.: Glory Road, “David Pearson and the 1968 Rebel 400,” NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6:30 p.m.: Glory Road, “Battle of the Big 3,” (re-air) NBCSN/NBC Sports App
9 p.m.: Glory Road, “David Pearson and the 1968 Rebel 400,” (re-air) NBCSN/NBC Sports App
9:30 p.m.: Glory Road, “Battle of the Big 3,” (re-air) NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On MRN
7 p.m.: NASCAR Live (with host Mike Bagley)

Wednesday, August 29
12 a.m.: Glory Road, “David Pearson and the 1968 Rebel 400,” (re-air) NBCSN/NBC Sports App
12:30 a.m.: Glory Road, “Battle of the Big 3,” (re-air) NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN
noon: Crew Call (with hosts Sammi Jo Francis and Rocko Williams)
1 p.m.: NASCAR Coast to Coast (with hosts Kyle Rickey & Hannah Newhouse)

Thursday, August 30
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5:30 p.m.: Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: K&N Pro Series East Midwest Melee 150, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Friday, August 31
noon: NASCAR Southern Speed: The Legend of Darlington, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
1 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series opening practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series opening practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN5)
3 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
4 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: NASCAR Southern Speed: The Legend of Darlington (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On MRN
Noon: The Inside Line (with host Tyler Burnett)
1 p.m.: Throwback: 1983 Trans South 500

Saturday, September 1
12:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) (UPDATE: Coverage will begin on the NBC Sports App until the conclusion of John McCain coverage on NBC, then Xfinity qualifying will pick up on NBCSN in addition to NBC Sports App as soccer moves over to NBC)
1:30 pm.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
3 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Countdown to Green, NBC/NBC Sports App
3:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200, NBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN3)

Sunday, September 2
3 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
5 p.m.: NASCAR America Sunday, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green: Darlington, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN4)
10:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series postrace, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
11 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Posted on by Staff Report

After a penultimate fan vote, the 2018 Darlington Best in Show paint scheme competition is down to two cars: the No. 24 of William Byron and the No. 99 of Derrike Cope.

Byron’s No. 24 beat out Clint Bowyer’s No. 14 in the semifinals, while Cope’s No. 99 edged Chase Elliott’s No. 9 to nab the final spot.

The seeding was originally decided upon by our selection committee based on the top eight in voting for Darlington’s Best in Show fan award through Aug. 15. Another fan vote dwindled the field down to four.

VOTE NOW: Cast a ballot for your favorite scheme

The final round pits these two looks honoring NASCAR’s past against each other as the theme for 2018 is “Seven Decades of NASCAR.”

Byron vs. Cope: Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet will be wrapped by Sam Bass’s “Hot Summer Nights” design honoring Jeff Gordon’s rainbow car. Cope’s No. 99 yellow-and-red Bojangles’ theme matches the current race sponsor and throws it back to the partnership’s start in 1993.

RELATED: See all the throwback schemes | Buy tickets now!

Championship round voting is now open and runs until Aug. 31, with the winner being announced before the start of the Bojangles’ Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET Sept. 2, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Staff Report

Ben Rhodes won the pole in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Saturday at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Rhodes will lead the field to the green in Sunday’s Chevrolet Silverado 250, the first race in the NASCAR Playoffs (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Rhodes circled the 10-turn, 2.459-mile road course in Bowmanville, Ontario, at a speed of 97.854 mph for his fifth career pole in the series. Fellow playoff driver Noah Gragson, who qualified second with a speed of 97.395 mph, will also start on the front row.

RELATED: Starting lineup

The Truck Series drivers experienced wet conditions on the track and were allowed to use Goodyear rain tires during the two-round session.

Posted on by Staff Report

Justin Allgaier pulled away for his fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the year Saturday at Road America.

Allgaier’s JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet led 14 of the 45 laps in the Johnsonville 180. His second straight road-course win this season was the ninth of his Xfinity Series career.

RELATED: Race results

“This team is incredible,” Allgaier said in Victory Lane. “They never give up. … I never would’ve thought we could have a dream season like this one.”

Allgaier cruised away to a 5.403-second margin of victory after his nearest challengers, Justin Marks and James Davison, made contact and spun with three laps remaining. Allgaier’s winning pass came at Davison’s expense as the Australian driver’s miscue with seven laps left opened the door.

Pole-starter Matt Tifft brought the Richard Childress Racing No. 2 Chevrolet home in second place. Tifft later reported through social media that he made a post-race trip to the infield care center for fluids, but was otherwise OK.

Daniel Hemric took third with Cole Custer fourth and Elliott Sadler fifth on the 4.048-mile road course.

Allgaier took over the series points lead from Christopher Bell, who spun out with five laps remaining after a bump from Tifft. Bell was forced to make a late pit stop and finished 23rd.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott finished 20th in his first national series start since 2012. His GMS Racing No. 23 Chevrolet sustained significant front-end damage near the end of Stage 1. A later spin with seven laps to go dropped him further down the leaderboard.

“I feel like I hit everything but the lottery,” Elliott said.

Richard Childress Racing teammates swept the stage victories. Tifft led the first 10 laps from the pole position to capture Stage 1 for his first stage win of the season. Hemric led the final six laps of Stage 2 for his third stage victory in 2018.

Austin Cindric led briefly during Stage 2 until his No. 22 Team Penske Ford lost power after Turn 11 on the long Kettle Bottoms straight. “It just blew up. At least we blew up in the lead,” Cindric told NBC Sports.

Elliott Sadler, Cole Custer and Daniel Hemric all clinched playoff berths based on points, joining this season’s race-winners Allgaier, Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick in the playoffs field. That leaves six spots open with three regular-season races remaining.

The series’ next race is the VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 1 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM) at Darlington Raceway.

Posted on by Staff Report

Fans in Canada can watch Sunday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs opener via a live stream on NASCAR.com.

Bookmark the link here or simply go to  https://www.nascar.com/trucksincanada/

Sunday’s race is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET. Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio have the radio calls. Fans in the U.S. can watch on FS1.

MORE: Full schedule for Canadian Tire, Road America

The always exciting race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park moves to the playoffs opener this year, adding an additional layer of intrigue to an event that typically sees last-lap contact when battling for the win.

Regular-season champion Johnny Sauter leads the eight-driver field in the postseason.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoff drivers are set to do battle in the opening race of the postseason — Sunday’s Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

But before the eight drivers take to the 2.549-mile track north of the border, NASCAR.com asked them to grade their regular-season performances.

Although making the playoffs deserves an A-plus grade in itself, drivers were much harder on themselves as the grades ranged from a solid “A” to a “D-minus” assessment.

See regular-season champion Johnny Sauter and other playoff contenders Brett Moffitt, Noah Gragson, Ben Rhodes, Stewart Friesen, Grant Enfinger, Justin Haley and Matt Crafton fill out their report cards in the video above.

Posted on by Staff Report

The entire field participated in the second NASCAR Xfinity practice on Friday at Road America after wet weather conditions kept most drivers in the garage during the earlier practice at the Wisconsin track.

Justin Marks paced final practice with a 132.960 mph best lap around the 4.048-mile track. In just his second Xfinity Series appearance in 2018, Marks will look to improve upon his 22nd-place finish at Mid-Ohio earlier this month.

Road racing specialist James Davison laid down a 133.477 mph lap to finish second with Austin Cindric (133.515), Justin Allgaier (133.610) and Matt Tifft (133.838) rounding out the top five in final prep for Saturday’s Johnsonville 180 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM). Allgaier briefly spun out in Turn 5 late in practice, but was able to recover without any reported damage.

RELATED: Practice 2 results

Tyler Reddick and British IMSA racer Katherine Legge collided out of Turn 4. According to JR Motorsports’ Twitter, the No. 9 reported he lost his brakes. There was no flag as both cars were able to drive off from the incident on their own with minor damage.

Legge spoke to NBC Sports while the No. 15 team worked on the damaged vehicle.

“I don’t know what he was thinking, if he was thinking” Legge said with a smile. “… He (Reddick) and I will be having words. Is he one of the good guys? I don’t know this.”

RELATED: Legge’s full interview

Practice was halted briefly just 13 minutes in after reigning Road America winner Jeremy Clements struggled coming out of Turn 5 and forced a red flag. The No. 51 Chevrolet looked to have had a flat tire and was towed off the track. He returned to the track with just minutes left in practice.

Ty Majeski made a big save late in practice after losing control of the No. 60 Ford in the kink. A red flag was thrown as piles of dirt had been thrown onto the track. It was his second spin of the day.

“Definitely feel lucky,” Majeski told NBC Sports.

All eyes were on NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott as he made 15 laps around Road America in the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet. The 62-year-old driver was 26th-fastest after a 137.751 mph best lap.

Reddick shows the way in quiet, damp opening practice

Only two drivers went on track in opening NASCAR Xfinity practice on Friday at Road America thanks to wet weather conditions in Wisconsin. Most drivers decided to stay parked in the garage area in hopes conditions would be drier for final practice.

Tyler Reddick was the first driver to take the 4.048-mile road course during the 50-minute session, and he went off the track in Turn 12 and slid his car in the sand pit. Reddick told NBC Sports that the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet sustained splitter damage.

RELATED: Practice 1 results

IndyCar’s Conor Daly, who is making his Xfinity debut in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, also got out on track for his first experience in practice conditions driving a NASCAR stock car.

Hall of Famer Bill Elliott did not go out on track, but was present as he prepared to return to the Xfinity Series in the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet.

Posted on by Track Release

If the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL™ gets wet during the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400, the action on the track is sure to get wild. Goodyear will make wet weather tires available for the first road course race weekend in the history of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, a move designed to keep cars on track in the event of inclement weather at America’s Home for Racing.

The 17-turn, 2.28-mile ROVAL™ road course oval configuration features high-speed corners around the oval and low-speed, twisting, left and right turns in the course’s infield portion. Drivers will have to adjust braking points to account for differing levels of grip if the track surface is wet.

“Having wet weather tires at teams’ disposal is a great thing for the drivers and the fans as well,” said Charlotte Motor Speedway Executive Vice President Greg Walter. “The ROVAL™ is a challenge unto itself, but giving teams the opportunity to use tires designed for a wet surface adds even more unpredictability to the race. Rain or shine, I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.”

Wet weather tires — which have become a common option at road courses in recent years — were last used in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 4. Unlike the standard dry tires, wet weather tires have tread pattern designed to redirect moisture and provide grip in challenging conditions.

A Goodyear Racing representative said that the wet-weather tires that will be available at Charlotte Motor Speedway are the standard rubber used at all road courses for NASCAR’s three national series. The Xfinity Series’ Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina is scheduled Sept. 29 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM) with the Monster Energy Series’ main event scheduled Sept. 30 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM).

As part of Speedway Motorsports’ new weather policy, if a NASCAR race is postponed to a different day due to weather and the ticket holder is unable to attend on the rescheduled date, a ticket credit can be issued toward a qualifying NASCAR race at any Speedway Motorsports venue. This initiative is valid for Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway.

Fans with an unused, eligible ticket will have 60 days from the original race date to request a ticket credit on a qualifying future event. The credit must be used toward another Speedway Motorsports NASCAR event within one calendar year of the original race date or the same event the following year, even if it takes place beyond the one-year mark.

Contributing: NASCAR.com staff reports