NBC Sports to Present NASCAR Spring Cup Playoff Racing from Kansas, 10/16

By: Oct. 13, 2016
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NBC Sports presents a twin bill of NASCAR playoff racing from Kansas Speedway on NBC this weekend. A pivotal race for the 11 Sprint Cup Chase drivers who have yet to punch their ticket to the Round of 8, NBC presents this NASCAR postseason showdown Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET. The XFINITY Series, also embroiled in its playoffs, enters the Round of 8 Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

Before the green flag falls, NBC Sports' coverage includes a special look at Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. In addition to his work behind the wheel, Elliott enjoys a passion for flying his own airplanes. NBC Sports recently joined Elliott for a journey through the sky and an inside look at his piloting skills. This weekend's coverage also includes Carl Edwards taking the wheel of the NBC Sports Toyota Camry on-track and providing viewers with a special preview of Kansas Speedway.

On the heels of Jimmie Johnson's convincing victory in Charlotte, NBC Sports travels to Kansas to present the second race in the playoff Round of 12. Sprint Cup coverage from Kansas Speedway begins Friday at 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN with practice, followed by qualifying at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Saturday's coverage begins with practice at 11 a.m. ET, streaming on the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. NASCAR AMERICA begins at 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN and flows into final practice at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Sunday's race day coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN with a special edition of NASCAR America, followed by Countdown to Green at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Race coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Victory Lap from NBC Sports Group's headquarters in Stamford, Conn., wraps up Sunday's comprehensive coverage at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

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 Kelli Stavast report from pit road. Rutledge Wood contributes to NBCSN's on-site pre-race coverage.

NBC Sports' XFINITY coverage from Kansas Speedway begins Friday with practice at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, followed by final practice at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Saturday's race day coverage begins with qualifying at 12 p.m. ET, streaming on the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. NBCSN picks up coverage of XFINITY qualifying at 12:30 p.m. ET. Countdown to Green kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN before green-flag coverage shifts to NBC at 3 p.m. ET.

NBC Sports' simulcast coverage of Sunday's Sprint Cup race, on NBC and NBCSN, drew 3.2 million viewers, a 17% increase vs. last year's race on NBCSN. Viewership peaked in the final 15 minutes of the race with 4.1 million viewers as Jimmie Johnson SNAPPED his 24-race winless streak, and secured his spot in the playoff Round of 8. Live streaming of the Sprint Cup race from Charlotte, via NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app, generated 2.5 million live minutes, and 35,000 unique devices.

NBCSN's daily show dedicated to stock car racing, NASCAR America, expanded to 90-minutes on Monday in order to super serve fans through the final six weeks of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Viewers can find the latest NASCAR news, highlights and stars each weekday at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

On Thursday, NASCAR AMERICA exclusively announces the finalists for the 2016 Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award. Created in 2015 to recognize individuals within the NASCAR industry for their community service-focused efforts, last year's winner was NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Joey Gase. Gase lost his mother, Mary Jo, to a brain aneurysm when he was just 18-years-old and subsequently helped save and improve the lives of 66 people by donating her organs. Today, Gase uses his position as a NASCAR driver and winner of the inaugural Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award to promote and encourage organ donation.

In the social web video released today on the NASCAR on NBC Facebook page and twitter accounts, Rutledge Wood joins a group of kids for an endearing discussion about the Velocity of race cars. As the best drivers head to Kansas, kids share their thoughts on the importance of speed and horsepower.



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