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 

Sunday, August 19
Midnight: NASCAR The Decades: The 1970’s, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
1 a.m.: Glory Road: Modified Mastery (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
1:30 a.m.: Glory Road: Blacker (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
10 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 (re-air), FS1
6 p.m.: NASCAR 120: Bristol, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Monday, August 20
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 21
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m.: Glory Road, “Battle of the Big 3,” NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6:30 p.m.: Glory Road, “Modified Mystery,” NBCSN/NBC Sports App
9 p.m.: Glory Road, “Battle of the Big 3,” (re-air) NBCSN/NBC Sports App
9:30 p.m.: Glory Road, “Modified Mystery,” (re-air) NBCSN/NBC Sports App

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

Wednesday, August 22
12 a.m.: Glory Road, “Battle of the Big 3,” (re-air) NBCSN/NBC Sports App
12:30 p.m.: Glory Road, “Modified Mystery,” (re-air) NBCSN/NBC Sports App
3:30 a.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1 (re-air)
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: Whelen Series: Busch’s Beans 150, 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 23
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN
1 p.m.: Throwback Thursday: 1980 LA Times 500

Friday, August 24
1:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO)
3:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO)

On MRN
Noon: The Inside Line (with host Tyler Burnett)

Saturday, August 25
12:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO)
2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
3 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Johnsonville 180, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN 2)
6 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying, FS2

Sunday, August 26
2 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Silverado 250, FS1

Posted on by Staff Report

Joey Logano captured just his third stage win of 2018 when he led the final 50 laps of Stage 2 in the Bristol Night Race on Saturday.

Logano took the lead in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford after he won the race off pit road following stops on a caution on Lap 197 for a David Ragan a spin in traffic.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

Chase Elliott crossed the start/finish line in his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet just behind Logano, and ahead of three others he had battled for the lead throughout the stage: Kyle Larson, Aric Almirola and Ryan Blaney.

Meanwhile, Kyle Busch earned the free pass on the Stage 2 caution, edging Kevin Harvick as the first car one lap down at the end of the stage on Lap 250.

Harvick dropped from the leaders on Lap 184 when he had to come in for a green-flag pit stop because of a loose wheel. Harvick fell from running second to one lap down.

The Bristol Night Race is scheduled to conclude on Lap 500.

Finish Driver Team Race Points
1  Joey Logano  Team Penske 10
2  Chase Elliott  Hendrick Motorsports 9
3  Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing 8
4  Aric Almirola  Stewart-Haas Racing 7
5  Ryan Blaney  Team Penske 6
6  Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing 5
7  Erik Jones  Joe Gibbs Racing 4
8  Jimmie Johnson  Hendrick Motorsports 3
9  Kurt Busch  Stewart-Haas Racing 2
10  Alex Bowman  Hendrick Motorsports 1

 

STAGE 1

Ryan Blaney took the lead after a competition caution midway through Stage 1, and held off a hard-charging Kevin Harvick at the stage’s end to capture his fifth stage win of the season Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

In all, Blaney led 108 of the first 125 laps of the Bristol Night Race in his No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

Harvick crossed the start/finish line just behind Blaney in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

Clint Bowyer, Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola rounded out the top five in the stage.

The eventful Stage 1 saw race favorite Kyle Busch find trouble just after the green flag dropped.

A 15-car pileup came on Lap 2 when Busch’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota drifted up the track and made contact with the No. 12 Team Penske Ford of Ryan Blaney.

Busch spun in traffic, doing enough damage to Bubba Wallace’s No. 43 Chevrolet that he was forced from the race. AJ Allmendinger’s No. 47 Chevrolet also sustained damage, as did Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota.

MORE: Busch, Bubba among those involved in Lap 2 wreck

Finish Driver Team Race Points
1 Ryan Blaney  Team Penske 10
2 Kevin Harvick  Stewart-Haas Racing 9
3 Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing 8
4 Chase Elliott  Hendrick Motorsports 7
5 Aric Almirola  Stewart-Haas Racing 6
6 Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing 5
7 Kurt Busch  Stewart-Haas Racing 4
8 Erik Jones  Joe Gibbs Racing 3
9 Joey Logano  Team Penske 2
10 Trevor Bayne  Roush Fenway Racing 1
Posted on by Staff Report

Seven-time Bristol winner Kyle Busch found trouble early in Saturday night’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway when he was in the middle of a 15-car wreck on Lap 2.

After starting third, Busch nudged Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Ford on just the second trip around the .533-mile track. The contact caused Busch’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to spin into traffic, where he sustained further damage when Jesse Little and Michael McDowell ran into his No. 18 after it stopped spinning low on the track.

RELATED: Live leaderboard

Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suarez, Kasey Kahne, JJ Yeley, Matt DiBenedetto, AJ Allmendinger, Landon Cassill, Timmy Hill, Ty Dillon were also involved. Wallace’s No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet sustained too much damage for him to continue.

“I was pissed there for a moment, get out of the car, slammed the roof, then just laughed about it,” Wallace said. “It’s crazy. We can’t even make it two laps? I don’t even know if we made it a lap and then we’re wadded up. It’s just a bummer. I usually sweat pretty easily. Hell, I didn’t even have enough time to sweat.”

Busch brought the No. 18 down pit road multiple times for repairs and ultimately returned to the track two laps down.

It’s been a tough weekend for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, as he also found early trouble in Friday night’s Xfinity Series race at Bristol; his No. 18 smacked the wall after a tire went down, ending his night after 74 laps.

As it turns out, the wreck was the beginning of another trying evening for Busch. He battled his way back onto the lead lap by the end of Stage 2 and was as high as third by Lap 431 when he clipped Truex Jr. from behind, ending the No. 78 team’s day.

Busch spun a final time with 19 laps remaining in the race and finished 20th.

Posted on by Staff Report

BRISTOL, Tenn. — The Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection three times Saturday, pushing Austin Dillon to the rear of the field for Saturday night’s Monster Energy Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

NASCAR officials have ejected Greg Ebert, the No. 3 team’s car chief, for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race (6:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The team was also penalized with a 30-minute deduction of practice time at the series’ next race, Sept. 2 at Darlington Raceway.

RELATED: Bristol schedule | Full starting lineup | Weather updates

Dillon was scheduled to start 18th in the 40-car field for Saturday night’s 500-lapper. The reigning Daytona 500 champ currently ranks 20th in Monster Energy Series points.

Posted on by Staff Report

Ever wonder what goes on in a driver meeting? We’re here to help.

This year, we’ll publish the actual rules video your favorite Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will watch before climbing into their stock cars. Above is the video for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race (6:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Enjoy!

Posted on by Brad Norman

Turning laps at Bristol Motor Speedway is natural for Erik Jones.

The 22-year-old driver has seen great success at the .533-mile track in the beginning stages of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career — and a victory at Thunder Valley is very much within reach.

MORE: Full updated Bristol schedule

Especially at night.

In 2017, Jones gave race winner and now Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch all he could handle around the short track and led 260 laps, to Busch’s 156. However, the checkered flag went to his former boss and put a fire under Jones to make sure he’s the last one standing next time around.

“I’ve been excited to get back to this one since that day,” Jones shared with NASCAR.com. “It’s fun to finally be back here for this one. Get to go after it again. You know Bristol is a place I like a lot, we had a car that was capable of winning last year. We led a lot of laps and had a good shot at it. Excited to hopefully have another chance here to do it again. I’d love to get up there and contend … see if we can finally grab one. ”

MORE: Who will start where on Saturday?

A runner-up finish left a bittersweet taste in Jones’ mouth, but standing in his way on Saturday night is seven-time Bristol winner — and the driver who stole the win last season — Busch, who has already notched six wins already in 2018.

A member of this year’s Big 3, Busch is arguably the one to beat under the lights, especially with a third-place starting position. So how can Jones wheel his way to his second victory of the season from a 14th starting position? Simple: He just has to drive, and drive well.

“You have to be on your game,” he said. “Last year we were on it as much as we could be and it still wasn’t quite enough. … You really have to be on it and making the right calls all night. No mistakes. … We’re going to have to stay up front again and just be contending with them all night. Do a better job of moving around and keeping up with the track. That’s probably the thing we just missed out on last year.”

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Kyle Larson nabbed the Busch Pole Award before Saturday’s Bristol Night Race (6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Bristol Motor Speedway. That only further solidified his place in my Fantasy Live lineup. After two practice sessions and qualifying, we’ve dissected the numbers to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration as you make roster decisions for the 24th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of 2018. Remember that the garage locks at the end of Stage 2.

RJ Kraft’s revised Fantasy Live lineup following practices and the lineup being set:
1: Kyle Busch
2: Kyle Larson
3: Chase Elliott
4: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
5: Aric Almirola
Garage: Jimmie Johnson

Cars to the rear: Austin Dillon (failed pre-race inspection three times)

PLAY NOW: Set your Fantasy Live lineup | How the new Fantasy Live works
MORE: Fantasy analysis for Bristol | Driver stats | Full lineup | 10-lap averages

Analysis: Busch, Larson and Stenhouse were part of my original lineup and nothing I’ve seen on Friday has me moving away from them. These are three of the best to have at Bristol and I will be sticking with them. Johnson was also initially in my lineup and I am keeping him in the garage. I realize the overall body of work in 2018 hasn’t been too great, but I am playing a hunch with “Seven-Time.” He qualified 13th and has scored the most points in the past three Bristol races. In fact, in his last four Bristol races, he has had an average starting position of 16.3 and an average finish of 5.5. I’ll roll the dice on those numbers.

Two lineup changes going into this race for me: Out are Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano. I didn’t like where they qualified and I expect track position to be big. Also, Bowyer has been a little off in recent weeks — no top 10s in the past six races. Logano seems to disappoint in some way every time I use or plan to use him, so I moving on from that play this weekend.

Going into my lineup are Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola. Elliott qualified second and when he has started inside the top four this season, he has by and large produced points. Throw in his stretch of four-straight top-nine finishes on the season and an average of 44.5 points over that span and it’s easy to see why he should be in your lineup. Taking Almirola because he tends to get stage points when he starts in the top 10 and he notched a sixth-place finish here in the spring. I considered Erik Jones and Ryan Blaney as well for this spot, but I like taking the less-flashy play, an under-the-radar move that could net me points others might not get. This and the Jimmie move are zagging where others might zig and I am OK with that.

As for the bonus picks, I’m expecting a Kyle and Kyle show with Larson taking Stage 1 and Busch taking Stage 2 and the win.


Posted on by Reid Spencer

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Kyle Larson had to go 10 extra laps on Friday night, but the payoff was worth it.

Holding off a determined Justin Allgaier in overtime, Larson won the Food City 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, collecting his first victory at the .533-mile high-banked concrete short track.

RELATED: Race results | Larson, Allgaier battle on final restart

“It feels really, really cool to win here finally at Bristol,” said Larson, who won for the fourth time in six starts this season and the 12th time in his career. “I’ve been close so many times. It’s my best race track by far, I feel like—this and Homestead.

“It feels real cool to win.”

Cool, perhaps, but certainly not easy. Leading the race for the overtime restart on Lap 309, Larson spun his tires in the top lane, allowing Allgaier, who was second to his inside, to run side-by-side into the first corner.

Allgaier continued to contest the position, but Larson cleared him on the last lap, and series leader Christopher Bell surged past Allgaier to take the second spot. Allgaier got loose after contact in Turn 4 but won a drag race to the stripe against Cole Custer to hold the third position.

Custer scored his 11th top 10 in the last 12 Xfinity races. Joey Logano ran fifth and Elliott Sadler sixth.

In Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, Larson will go far a double in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event (6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Before Friday’s Xfinity race, he won the pole for the Cup race in the sister No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

“Hopefully, we can get another tomorrow night, and that would be really special as well,” said Larson. “It’s just really exciting because I’ve been so close so many times, and I thought Bell was going to steal this one from me a couple times throughout the race. He was really good. He and I have very similar driving styles.

MORE: Larson does Polish Victory Lap | Briscoe’s spin brings out sparks at Bristol

“We had the yellow there with two to go and I was like, ‘Man, again, again. I’m going to lose another one late.’ But we were able to get an average restart and get the win. I can’t wait until tomorrow.”

Larson had a comfortable lead when NASCAR called the eight caution of the night for Daniel Hemric’s spin off turn 4 and crash against the inside wall. That extended the race for 10 laps beyond its scheduled 300 and forced Larson to survive a final restart.

Pole winner Kyle Busch was dominant in the early going, building a lead of more than five seconds and lapping up to the 12th position before disaster struck on Lap 66. Busch drove high through Turns 1 and 2, shot through a layer of rubber at the top of the track and scraped the outside wall.

He was still leading on Lap 70 when his right front tire deflated, sending the No. 18 Toyota into the Turn 2 wall again and finally into the barrier in Turn 3. Busch brought his car to pit road and ultimately retired from the race with a broken front suspension.

“Just rubber on top of rubber,” Busch said succinctly after a visit to the infield care center. “The rubber buildup that was happening… I just got into the corner a little too hot and just got up into the fence a little bit and then, I don’t know, two or three laps later, it blew out.”

Larson took over where Busch left off, leading 202 laps, sweeping the first two stages and taking the checkered flag at the end.

Notes: The No. 22 Team Penske Ford of Joey Logano (fifth-place finish) was found to have two loose lug nuts in post-race inspection. The No. 12 Team Penske Ford of Austin Cindric (14th-place finish) and the No. 76 SS Green Light Racing Chevrolet Spencer Boyd (25th-place finish) was found to have three loose lug nuts in post-race inspection. Any potential penalties will be announced next week.

Posted on by Zack Albert

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Chase Elliott secured a front-row starting spot for Saturday night’s Monster Energy Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, just behind Busch Pole winner Kyle Larson and just ahead of third-fastest Kyle Busch.

Even though he outpaced Busch by a slim margin of .003 seconds Friday, Elliott says the challenge of beating him in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race (6:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM) remains a daunting one. Busch, a six-time winner this season, will be trying for his third straight Bristol victory and the eighth Cup win of his career at the .533-mile track in Saturday night’s main event.

MORE: Updated race schedule, new start time | Full Monster Energy Cup series lineup

Elliott has his own recent momentum with four consecutive top-10 runs, but he says a high level of precision will be necessary to subdue Busch at Bristol.

“To beat him here, you’ve got to be perfect, because he’s perfect here,” Elliott said after clocking a 127.665-mph lap in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet. “You’ve got to be perfect, have some things go your way and at the end of the day, you’ve got to make it happen because that’s what he does to win. He does a great job working lap traffic and changing lanes, moving around. So, be perfect or you’re not going to beat him.”

Friday marked Elliott’s best qualifying effort since he won the pole position at Daytona International Speedway in July. Though he’ll have one of the best views on the starting grid for Saturday’s 500-lapper, Elliott lamented what might have been in terms of the pecking order for pit selection.

“Not near as nice as it would’ve been to be starting first and have that first pit stall,” Elliott said. “That’s nowadays with the close timing lines, this is one of the few places I feel like having that first pit box is a massive advantage like it is here for 500 laps. Wish we could’ve got it, but we didn’t, so we’ll go get it from second.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

Immediately upon taking his seat in front of the microphone Friday for a press conference at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship leader Kyle Busch was posed with a rather philosophical question. And he was ready.

With the championship points lead, six wins and perennial contention for another win each week, Busch was asked about being branded the “driver to beat” as the circuit prepares to wind down the regular season with the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race on Saturday night (6:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The 16-driver playoff field will be set following the Sept. 9 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – only three races away.

RELATED: Busch: No retirement for me

Busch is the two-time defending Bristol race winner and has a remarkable total of 21 wins in the three NASCAR national series.

“It’s been a long time, I guess, in being with different teams and different crew chiefs and different people that I’ve felt this strong,’’ allowed Busch, driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

“I’ve had this sort of thing on the Xfinity side with many a crew chiefs, whether it’s been (Jason) Ratcliff, or Adam (Stevens) or Chris Gayle – a few of them on the Xfinity side. Dave (Rogers) – we felt like we had that going for a couple years on the Cup side with Dave, but there is just something maybe a little bit more about myself and Adam and the team that we have.

“Many of the team guys – couple of them are the same as what they were back with Dave many years ago and a few of them are from the Xfinity team when I felt so good with Adam on the Xfinity side. We brought some of those guys over and we’ve kind of mixed and blended some other guys over the years here and there. It’s certainly been very rewarding to all of them, I’m sure, as well as me to have this group right now and hopefully we can keep it together for a long time.”

The mix of team members and that stability certainly suggests good times remain ahead. Even when Busch doesn’t win, he keeps the winner honest. He and seven-time race winner Kevin Harvick along with four-time race winner, defending series champion Martin Truex Jr. are affectionately referred to as the series “Big 3” and have certainly delivered a title chase for the ages.

In the 17 races that Busch hasn’t won, he’s finished second or third eight times – runner-up in four of those races. In all, he’s finished top-three in 14 of 23 races, a remarkable statistic in this era of high competition. He leads Harvick by a healthy 62-points in the standings with a 15-point playoff bonus awaiting the regular season champ.

Certainly at Bristol, Busch must feel especially confident. He has seven Cup wins, nine Xfinity Series wins and five Camping World Truck Series victories. This weekend last year, Busch won in all three series – something he has achieved twice at Bristol (also in 2010) and something no other driver has ever done.

RELATED: Starting lineup for Bristol | Busch paces final practice

“Certainly, Harvick has been fast there, too,” Busch said. “… But, obviously we’re kind of on a hot streak with Bristol. We love going there. I would like to think that we can go there, be fast and be able to respond, absolutely. So we’ll see what we can do getting there, and hopefully having a fast race car and doing what we normally do there, just try to stay out of trouble. It’s a tough place to stay out of trouble.

“This is the first time we’ve had M&M’S White Chocolate on the car, so hoping it keeps the good-luck streak alive and we can win three Cup races in a row for the first time there.”

He has good reason to feel hopeful well beyond Bristol, too. He has a win and eighth top-10 finishes in 13 starts at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway where the series races after Bristol. He was runner-up in the race last year.

At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the 2018 regular season finale, Busch is a two-time winner (2015-16) joining Jimmie Johnson (2008-09) as the only drivers to win back-to-back races at the historic track. He has an amazing 10 top-10 finishes in 13 starts there including a pair of runner-up finishes in addition to his two victories. And he is the two-time defending pole winner there.

At this point, those two races loom as extra opportunity. A third consecutive win at Bristol Saturday night would tie a mark set by Busch’s older brother Kurt, who drives the No. 41 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing. Other than the Busch brothers only NASCAR Hall of Famers Cale Yarborough (four consecutive wins, 1975-1977) and Darrell Waltrip (seven consecutive wins from 1981-1984) have longer winning streaks.

“Bristol Motor Speedway is one of the best racetracks on the circuit,” Busch said. “All the fans love it because of the excitement, the run-ins and the close-quarter action with all the cars being packed on top of one another at a half-mile racetrack with us 40 lunatics running around in a tight circle.

“With the fans, the atmosphere there always makes for a good time.”

Especially when you’re celebrating in Victory Lane.