What channel is NASCAR programming on this week? We answer that and provide all the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.
All Monster Energy Series and XFINITY Series events are also live streamed online on the NBC Sports App, which can be accessed here. Events that are only available on NBC Sports App are noted below.
Friday, Sept. 22
11:30 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at New Hampshire, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 2)
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice at New Hampshire, FS1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice at New Hampshire, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice at Kentucky, NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO)
5 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying at New Hampshire, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 2)
6:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice at Kentucky, NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO)
Saturday, Sept. 23
9 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at New Hampshire, CNBC (Canada: TSN GO)
10 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying at New Hampshire, FS1
11:30 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice at New Hampshire, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO)
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series SetUp at New Hampshire, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 175 at New Hampshire, FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying at Kentucky, NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO)
6:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice at New Hampshire (tape delayed), NBCSN
7:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green at Kentucky, NBCSN
8 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 2)
Sunday, Sept. 24
12 a.m.: NASCAR The Decades: 1970s, NBCSN
1 a.m.: NWMT: Riverhead Raceway, NBCSN
11:30 a.m.: NASCAR RaceDay at New Hampshire, FS1
1 p.m.: NASCAR America Sunday, NBCSN
1:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green at New Hampshire, NBCSN
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ISM Connect 300, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 5)
5:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race Show at New Hampshire, NBCSN
6 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN
Somewhere in the Chicagoland Speedway infield Friday evening, Jimmie Johnson returned from a long, l-o-n-g bike ride, showered and likely settled in with a kale salad and water to watch the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular-season finale from his comfy motorhome couch.
Perhaps the seven-time Cup champion allowed a few chuckles reviewing his Twitter feed and seeing the scrappy, go-time exchanges between this weekend’s fellow Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship contenders, polesitter and Toyota driver Kyle Busch and proud pot-stirrer in Ford driver Brad Keselowski.
Even setting his sights on an unprecedented eighth Cup season championship, Johnson has — again — managed to fly under the radar while his competition officially begins the mind games. The all-time best playoff-race winner (29 victories) enters Sunday’s opening round of the 2017 championship almost unheeded.
No one’s picking fights with him, no one appears overly concerned — yet — that the most-decorated driver in the modern era will indeed be THE man celebrating with a new championship ring.
His three victories on the season all came early — the last at Dover in June — and as his Hendrick Motorsports team has done in the past, it looks again to have gambled summer victories on learning something for the Fall playoffs.
And now we’ll see.
“We won early, had good speed early, and in the back of my mind I was thinking that I hoped we were not peaking too soon,’’ Johnson allowed this week at the playoff press conference. “Then the summer happens and then as you are in the middle of summer the silver lining is that we are going to get through this eventually and come out on top. Maybe it is good to peak early, have the summer kind of challenge you, and then peak again.
“There have been guys that peak prior to the playoffs consistently, but I have put a little more weight in the tracks and the lineup of the tracks than I do anything else. There’s guys that get hot in the summer and guys that are not hot in the spring and fall and get the summer. We are kind of the opposite. So, I really feel like the tracks have something to do with it.”
Even with all the record-setting potential for Johnson — who celebrates his 42nd birthday on race morning — he remains his typical California cool. With 83 wins to his name, he has reason.
“I heard something about that,’’ Johnson joked to reporters this week about making NASCAR history with an eighth title. “You know, I do think about it occasionally but the format really doesn’t allow you to do so.
“Even last year, we had the summer slump, started the playoffs and we do well with winning Charlotte and winning Martinsville. Things start rolling and momentum picks up that we didn’t have six to eight weeks before and we are the champions.
“I am obviously hoping for more of the same but all being said, it is so tough knowing who the person is going to be. I feel that the playoff points might change that, and should change that to where if you have had a good year and you collect those playoff points that you will be one of the four in Homestead. This playoff format to date — nobody knows, and it takes away from over-thinking it, which is really nice.”
Jimmie Johnson, shown here talking with No. 48 crew members, will start 14th in Chicago. Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Told that Las Vegas bettors have him at a 7-1 odds to hoist the big trophy, Johnson smiled.
“I think our chances are really good and we should be in the conversation,” he said. “I know we need to earn that right to go out and be a part of the conversation. So maybe there is a good bet there to be had.”
With the change in postseason formats and Johnson’s huge trophy haul already, no one is likely to ever have this historic chance again.
Looking at his statistics for the next 10 playoff stops, you have to appreciate his prime opportunity, however.
Here’s a reminder of his work: this week’s 1.5-miler outside Chicago is the only track left on this year’s schedule where Johnson has yet to win. However, he has three wins at next week’s venue in New Hampshire, including 21 top-10 finishes in 31 starts.
Johnson has a historic 11-win total at Dover, including one this summer. He has eight wins at Charlotte and is the defending winner of the Bank of America 500. He has a pair of wins at Talladega and three wins at Kansas Speedway — including two in the playoffs (2008, 2011) — and an amazing 17 top-10 finishes in 22 starts at the track.
He has nine victories at Martinsville and is the defending winner there, along with a 77.4 percent record of finishing among the top 10. At Texas Motor Speedway, Johnson has seven wins. He’s won four of the last six races there and six of the last 10. At Phoenix, Johnson has won four times.
Which brings us to Homestead, where the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevy was pulled off pit road during pre-race ceremonies last November for a last-minute technical inspection. Johnson returned to win his first race at the track — a record-tying, historic seventh title — after starting LAST in the field.
Johnson will start 14th at Chicagoland, full of the same confidence he has demonstrated and earned through a career of ultimate achievement.
He doesn’t need the spotlight or the headlines yet. Judging by his track record, that most likely comes in a couple months.
“We’re digging deep,’’ Johnson said after qualifying on Friday, while the other title rivals were already snipping and posturing.
“I think we’ve improved some. It’s playoff time and the weather is cooling down and fall is here, so it’s time for the No. 48 to get hot.”
First four out
Kasey Kahne – Outside of win at Indy, team has been non-existent for most of 2017.
Ryan Blaney – The speed is there but the consistency is not.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Unfortunately, playoffs’ lone plate race is in second round.
Austin Dillon – Another driver/team that struggles from time to time with consistency.
Round of 8
Martin Truex Jr. – If bonus points were frequent flyer miles, Truex would be Quadruple Executive Plutonium on any airline.
Kyle Larson – Super fast when it counts most.
Matt Kenseth – Can knock off top-10s with the best of them.
Kyle Busch – Focus on Cup only will be a good thing, right?
Chase Elliott – Team and driver are steady enough to advance this far.
Jimmie Johnson – He gets here, but eight will have to wait.
Denny Hamlin – Don’t look now but FedEx team has been delivering the goods.
Kurt Busch – Wasn’t best SHR team for much of the year, but has been numero uno recently.
Championship 4
Matt Kenseth – Setting up an awkward postseason Christmas party at JGR.
Kyle Busch – Has made finals two of three years under elimination format — make that three of four.
Martin Truex Jr. – Has the speed and the consistency to dominate but those bonus points evaporate after this round.
Kyle Larson – His two top-five finishes in first go-around at this group of tracks bodes well for the Elk Grove speedster.
Champion
Matt Kenseth – Because karma is a beautiful thing.
First four out
Kurt Busch – Could surprise, but streaky this season and been a while since his lone season-opening win.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Restrictor-plate race reassurance comes one round too late for Ricky.
Austin Dillon – Happy to be here. Would need to come up with drastic improvement.
Matt Kenseth – Veteran and champion, but too little, too late.
Round of 8
Martin Truex Jr. – Bonus points, momentum and heart make this inevitable.
Kyle Larson – Will show everyone that “the kid” is ready to play with the big boys.
Kyle Busch – Of course the 2015 champ is here.
Kevin Harvick – The SHR team leader has the drive and focus to “remind” everyone he’s a contender.
Chase Elliott – Steadiness gets him this far; he’s on the verge of hoisting a trophy before season’s done.
Jimmie Johnson – Don’t ever — ever — count “Seven-Time” out. This is when he shines most.
Denny Hamlin – Serious about winning this championship.
Brad Keselowski – Former Cup champion performs best when it’s all on the line.
Championship 4
Jimmie Johnson – Cannot ever underestimate this team or this driver.
Kevin Harvick – Former champion simply knows how to raise his game.
Martin Truex Jr. – An absolute year to remember but must find a way to shine in Homestead.
Kyle Larson – Loves Homestead track and has won there before. This will be biggest stage yet.
Champion
Jimmie Johnson – Yep, No. 8! No matter what’s thrown at them, this team succeeds
First four out Kasey Kahne – A shaky entrance into the Playoffs with no top-10 finishes since his Indy win.
Ryan Blaney – Consistency has been tough to find for the No. 21 bunch, with no top-five runs since winning Pocono in June.
Austin Dillon – Since Coca-Cola 600 win in May, Dillon has led just two laps in the last 14 races.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Unfortunately for the No. 17 team’s sweet spot, no restrictor-plate tracks in the Round of 16.
Round of 8 Martin Truex Jr. – Playoff points hoarder keeps pouring it on past the first two eliminations.
Kyle Larson – The No. 42 stays in lockstep with the No. 78, moves on.
Kyle Busch – Late-season gains keep the No. 18 bunch going to the postseason’s midpoint.
Jimmie Johnson – The bid for title No. 8 makes it this far, but no further.
Kevin Harvick – The fastest Ford in the garage finds a way through to the Round of 8.
Denny Hamlin – Toyota’s late-season uptick buoys the No. 11 camp.
Chase Elliott – Second-year Cup talent sustains the speed.
Brad Keselowski – Penske driver will lean on his Talladega expertise and knack for clutch performances.
Championship 4 Martin Truex Jr. – It may not be a walk-over, but the playoff-point edge carries the regular-season champ.
Kyle Larson – Ganassi driver has tried to match Truex punch for punch all season; he’ll get a chance to do it on Homestead’s grand stage.
Kyle Busch – Speed and some late-season swagger should be plenty to push the No. 18 to the final.
Denny Hamlin – He’s won at all three Round of 8 tracks (Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix), giving Hamlin a favorable lie.
Champion Kyle Larson – First-time coronation for Larson, who edges out Truex with his flair for Homestead’s well-worn surface.
First four out
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Chicagoland should be fine for the No. 17 team, but NHMS and Dover are too big of a question mark.
Austin Dillon – 19.6 average finish so far in 2017.
Kasey Kahne – Made no splash before or after the Indy win.
Jamie McMurray – Three playoff points won’t be a big of enough cushion to advance.
Round of 8
Martin Truex Jr. – Playoff points and Cole Pearn. Enough said.
Kyle Larson – The master of 2-mile race tracks has finally won at a short track. Watch out.
Kyle Busch – Too stubborn not to advance. Peaking at the right time.
Brad Keselowski – Penske is fast enough to make it to the Round of 8, but not out of it.
Jimmie Johnson – When the leaves turn, he’s pretty Gr8. (Great +8=Gr8 … Get it?)
Kevin Harvick – Done well with the transition to Ford. Playoff run ends in this round.
Denny Hamlin – Needs Martinsville in the next round to advance.
Matt Kenseth – A salty race car driver is a fast race car driver.
Championship 4 Martin Truex Jr. – Fast. Patient. Poised. PEARN.
Kyle Larson – Breakout year. Team eliminates small mistakes and they cruise to Homestead.
Kyle Busch – Motivation is a powerful thing. Knows he should have more wins this year.
Jimmie Johnson – He’s the seven-time champ for a reason. Making it here isn’t easy but he makes it.
Champion
Martin Truex Jr. – Homestead starts during the day and ends at night, 78 team’s bread and butter. Predicted radio chatter “Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champ… MTJ.”
JOLIET, Ill. – Justin Allgaier had the drive of his life. Brendan Gaughan was hanging on for dear life.
But both drivers were winners at Chicagoland Speedway.
Grabbing the lead with a bold move to the inside after a restart on Lap 186 of 200, Allgaier, an Illinois native, captured the big prize at his home track — a victory in Saturday’s TheHouse.com 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series regular-season finale.
Gaughan rallied from an equalized tire that put him three laps down to finish 13th on the lead lap and nail down the final spot in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Playoffs.
With a push from regular-season champion and JR Motorsports teammate Elliott Sadler, Allgaier powered his No. 7 Chevrolet to the bottom entering Turn 1 on Lap 186, passing both pole-sitter Erik Jones and Ryan Blaney.
But Allgaier was far from home free. A caution for Ryan Reed’s spin in Turn 2 — under hard racing against Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. — slowed the field for the fifth and final time and set up a restart with seven laps left.
Once again, Allgaier surged into the lead, with Jones chasing. But Jones had changed lanes and moved to the outside of Sadler before he reached the start-finish line and was slapped with a pass-through penalty that ended his winning chances.
Allgaier took the checkered flag 1.772 seconds ahead of charging Kyle Larson, who fought back from a late pit-road speeding penalty to finish second. Sadler came home third, followed by Daniel Hemric and Austin Dillon.
“Justin had a great restart there,” said team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has four cars in the Playoffs. “He found an opportunity and seized it.”
“This is incredible, man,” said Allgaier, who won for the second time this year, the second time at Chicagoland Speedway and the fifth time in his career. “I’ve been fortunate enough to go to Victory Lane here before, but on fuel mileage.
“Today, my team, the 7 team, did a great job … Coming down to the end, I didn’t think we had a shot. I thought we were going to be top five, maybe. But those late restarts — we got great restarts … We’ve got a lot of good momentum, and, man, we want to go to Homestead and pull home this championship.”
As Allgaier made the most of his opportunity, his most formidable competitors suffered from self-inflicted wounds. Jones, who led 94 laps, and Blaney, who led 28, both drew pit-road speeding penalties under caution during the break between the second and third stages and had to fight to regain track position.
Larson’s speeding penalty on Lap 182 came too late for the driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet to claw his way back to the front.
“I had a shot to win there, and I sped on pit road and had to restart in the back, behind everybody,” Larson said. “I definitely wasn’t expecting to finish second, so I’m happy about that, but a little disappointed that I sped on pit road.”
Battling to preserve a 25-point edge over Dakoda Armstrong for the last of 12 playoff berths, Gaughan slowed dramatically during the second stage as he fought to keep his No. 62 Chevrolet off the wall. But Gaughan finished the stage, eventually got his three laps back — thanks to three cautions in the last 50 laps — and qualified for the Playoffs.
“I think the last time I had an equalized tire was in Winston West racing,” Gaughan said. “Man, we held on for dear life for that session. Three more laps, and I’ve got a top-10 out of it!
“We don’t quit. We never quit. No matter what the circumstances, we do not stop, and today was just another example of that.”
Rookie Cole Custer led a career-best 41 laps and took seventh place.
The XFINITY postseason opens with the series’ next race, scheduled next Saturday at Kentucky Speedway (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN).
Rookie William Byron, a three-time winner this year, was hampered by transmission trouble, necessitating a pair of stays in the garage for repairs. He finished 34 laps down in 33rd place, but enters the final seven races as the Playoffs’ top seed.
Note: The No. 98 Ford driven by Darrell Wallace Jr. was found with one non-secure lug nut in post-race inspection.
The 12-car field is set for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Playoffs, the seven-race stretch that will begin next Saturday at Kentucky Speedway (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and finish on Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Here’s the field of drivers:
1. William Byron, 2025 points
2. Justin Allgaier, 2023 points
3. Elliott Sadler, 2020 points
4. Daniel Hemric, 2009 points
5. Brennan Poole, 2006 points
6. Ryan Reed, 2005 points
7. Jeremy Clements, 2005 points
8. Cole Custer, 2005 points
9. Blake Koch, 2005 points
10. Matt Tifft, 2004 points
11. Brendan Gaughan, 2003 points
12. Michael Annett, 2001 points
Whether you’re a NASCAR fan visiting Chicago for the first round of the Playoffs, or planning a trip there in the future, Kim Coon has a few spots you won’t want to miss in the Windy City.
Join Kim in the latest episode of NASCARnivore, our popular video series that checks out the hottest eats in and around the cities where NASCAR’s biggest races take place.
This time, Kim hits up a popular hot dog spot (can’t go here without eating a Chicago-style dog), a deep-dish pizza joint with crazy caramelized crusts — and yes, an eatery with some Southern comfort food. NASCAR fans making the trip north won’t be disappointed in the biscuits and pies there. What are you waiting for?
Well, here we are — the Playoffs begin this weekend. The 16-driver lineup is all set to battle for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup, and there’s one particularly notable driver missing: Joey Logano. Feeling nervous yet, @nascarcasm?
That’s right — Logano never ended up winning another race before the start of the playoffs. This, of course, means it’s time to square up.
On behalf of the Internet and NASCAR Nation as a whole, @nascarcasm, we’re giving you until the start of the Playoffs — this weekend’s Tales of the Turtles 400 at Chicagoland. Before the green flag drops Sunday, you’re hereby required to provide some sort of proof of your new DW tattoo.
And no funny stuff, either, pal. We know you’re quite skilled in Photoshop. We demand the real thing.
JOLIET, Ill. — The addition of Stewart-Haas Racing to Ford’s NASCAR program for 2017 was made to increase the automaker’s championship chances.
Now, on the eve of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ Playoffs, two SHR drivers are among the five total that will carry the blue oval banner into the 10-race postseason.
First up is Sunday’s Tales of the Turtles 400 here at Chicagoland Speedway (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR).
“I think that’s a big reason why Ford is part of Stewart-Haas Racing and (it) shows their commitment to wanting to win a championship,” Kevin Harvick, the 2014 series champion and driver of the No. 4 Ford for SHR, said earlier this week.
“I think for us it’s been a lot to take on, but I think we’re more settled now than we were two months ago.”
Former series champion Kurt Busch also competes for SHR and also earned one of the 16 available spots in this year’s playoffs. Busch won the season-opening Daytona 500 while Harvick scored a victory at Sonoma Raceway. Teammates Danica Patrick and Clint Bowyer failed to make the playoff field.
Other Ford drivers and teams in the Playoffs are 2012 champ Brad Keselowski (Team Penske), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing) and Ryan Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing).
It is only the third time since 2004 when NASCAR went to a 10-race playoff format that Ford has placed five teams in the title battle. It has never placed more than five.
In 2005, all five Ford teams were from the Roush Racing (now Roush Fenway) stable.
In 2014, Ford representation came from Team Penske (two teams), Roush Fenway (two teams) and Richard Petty Motorsports (one team).
A Ford team hasn’t won NASCAR’s top title, however, since Busch managed the feat in ’04, a winless streak of 12 years.
SHR fielded Chevrolet entries from ’09-16, winning 36 races.
Whether SHR can end Ford’s title drought remains to be seen. Harvick earned two of his four wins last year once the playoffs began. This year there’s just the lone victory by the 41-year-old through the 26-race regular season and the speed and consistency haven’t been as evident.
Busch has come on of late, finishing sixth or better in four of his last five starts, due in part he said to rolling out playoff pieces ahead of the postseason.
“I think as you go into the Playoffs, you know that we still have stuff that’s going to come and going to be built,” Harvick explained. “. .. Most of the things that are in the pipeline haven’t been on the race track yet, so you have to just go out and scrimp and scrap and scrape every week to get every point that you can.
Kevin Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers will try to win a title with a Ford this year after Stewart-Haas Racing switched from Chevrolet. Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
“I think we did that all year — there are some weeks that could have been better and some weeks that could have been a lot worse and it all kind of has a way of evening itself out as you go through the whole season.
“The first goal was to perform well and get yourself into the Playoffs and now the second goal is to try to put yourself in position to race for a championship when you get to Homestead.”
To get there, of course, a team will have to advance through three, three-race rounds that begin here this weekend. Since the debut of the elimination-style format in ’14, Ford has put a team in the Championship Round twice — Team Penske and the No. 22 team with driver Joey Logano in ’14 and again in ’16.
Keselowski, though, said he doesn’t feel Ford teams currently have the speed to win the championship. Other matters will need to come into play.
“At this moment, there’s really no reason for Toyota not to have all four spots going to Homestead,” he said, “but all of that’s dynamic. …
“You never know what people are going to show up with at Chicagoland in the first round and Charlotte and so forth in the second round.
“And then of course getting to the third round, which is a tough one in itself with Martinsville and so forth, it’s tough, too. At this point, no; but we’ll see. It’s a dynamic sport.”
After Sunday’s Chicago stop, the series moves to Loudon, New Hampshire, and Dover, Delaware, for the remaining races that make up the opening Round of 16. Twelve title-eligible drivers will advance to the Round of 12, any race winners and the remainder based on points.
See where your favorite Monster Energy Series driver will pit for Sunday’s Tales of the Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
