As NBC Sports Group's presentation of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games winds down, the engines of NASCAR rev back into action with back-to-back races UNDER THE LIGHTS of Bristol Motor Speedway. The NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES returns on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The stars of tomorrow take the wheel with XFINITY Series racing Friday at 7 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Saturday's pre-race coverage includes a closer look at the famous speedway that owes its heritage to Olympia. In a feature voiced by Ken Squier,
NBC Sports draws comparisons between the Olympics, the greatest test of a man's physical strength, and NASCAR racing, the greatest test of man and machine. Before the cars roll this weekend,
NBC reporter Parker Kligerman ventures up to Colossus to get a closer look at the world's largest outdoor center-hung four-sided video screen.
NBC Sports continues to surround Jeff Gordon as he suits up for his fourth consecutive race in the No. 88 car as Dale Earnhardt Jr. remains sidelined with a concussion.
NBC Sports kicks off its Sprint Cup coverage from Bristol on Friday with practice at 10 a.m. ET, available via live stream on NBCSports.com and the
NBC Sports app, as well as several
NBC Sports Regional Networks. Final practice follows at 12:30 p.m. ET streaming on NBCSports.com and the
NBC Sports app. Friday's Sprint Cup coverage wraps up with
NASCAR AMERICA at 5:15 p.m. ET on
USA Network, followed by qualifying at 5:30 p.m. ET on
USA Network.
Saturday's race day coverage begins with Countdown to Green at 7:30 p.m. ET, immediately following the conclusion of the Olympic men's soccer gold medal match on NBCSN. Race coverage from The Last Great Colosseum begins Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. An hour-long on-site post-race show wraps up NBCSN's coverage at 11 p.m. ET.
Race announcer Rick Allen calls this weekend's action alongside analysts Steve Letarte and Jeff Burton. Pre- and post-race coverage is handled by host Krista Voda, and analysts Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett. Marty Snider, Mike Massaro, Dave Burns and Kligerman report from pit road.
XFINTIY Series racing from Bristol begins Thursday with practice at 1 p.m. ET and final practice at 3:30 p.m. ET, both available via live stream on NBCSports.com and the
NBC Sports app, as well as several
NBC Sports Regional Networks. Race day coverage begins Friday with qualifying at 3 p.m. ET streaming and available on select regional sports networks. Countdown to Green kicks into high gear at 7 p.m. ET on
USA Network, followed by green flag racing at 7:30 p.m. ET on
USA Network. An on-site post-race show wraps up the evening at 9:30 p.m. ET on
USA Network.
The most recent Sprint Cup race winner Denny Hamlin stars in this week's new NASCAR on
NBC "Phone a Fan" web video, where unsuspecting fans receive calls from their favorite NASCAR drivers. In the video released today on the NASCAR on
NBC Facebook page and twitter accounts, Hamlin gets the inside scoop from multiple fans who describe him as the "boy next door" with a classy demeanor. Check out the full video
here.
NASCAR racing legend and soon to be retired Sprint Cup driver Tony Stewart joins Nate Ryan on this week's NASCAR on
NBC podcast to discuss racing hard, playing hard, and what he will do with his newfound free time. Available on NASCAR Talk, iTunes, AudioBoom, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher and podcasting apps, the NASCAR on
NBC podcast discusses the latest NASCAR news each week with the major players in the sport.
