Busch Brothers Have Won Last Four Races at Bristol
Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, Daniel Suarez and Jimmie Johnson Battle for Final Playoff Positions with 3 Races Remaining in Regular Season
Sunday’s Michigan 400 on NBCSN is Most-Watched Cable Race in Nearly 2 Years
Clint Bowyer Joins NASCAR America Motormouths as Guest Host Tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Nearly 40,000 Fans Play NASCAR Pick ‘Em Free-To-Play Game for Michigan But None Register Perfect Score; Jackpot Swells to $20,000 for Bristol
STAMFORD, Conn. – August 13, 2019 – NBC Sports heads to “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile” this weekend for a twin bill of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series races under the lights from Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn., on NBCSN. Live race coverage from “The Last Great Colosseum” begins Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN with Xfinity Series racing, and culminates Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing.
With just three races remaining in the regular season, the competition for the final playoff spots is fierce. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson currently finds himself out of the Top 16, but within striking distance. Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer will try to hold onto their positions, with Daniel Suarez and Johnson drafting close behind.
Position | Driver | Points | +/- |
15. | Ryan Newman | 569 | +16 |
16. | Clint Bowyer | 559 | +6 |
17. | Daniel Suarez | 553 | -6 |
18. | Jimmie Johnson | 547 | -12 |
The Busch brothers have combined to win the last four races at Bristol Motor Speedway. Kurt Busch won last year’s August race at Bristol, while younger brother Kyle Busch took the checkered flag at this season’s April race at Bristol, with Kurt coming in second. Kevin Harvick earned his second win of the 2019 season last weekend at Michigan.
Kyle Busch leads the regular season standings with 892 points and 4 wins, followed closely by Joey Logano (872 points, 2 wins) and Kevin Harvick (822 points, 2 wins).
All NASCAR television coverage will stream via authentication on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
NASCAR CUP SERIES RACING FROM BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY – SATURDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBC Sports kicks off its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series coverage from Bristol Motor Speedway with first practice this Friday at 11 a.m. ET on NBCSN, followed by final practice at 1 p.m. ET. NASCAR America airs at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN, followed by qualifying coverage at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Saturday’s race day coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN with NASCAR America, followed by Countdown to Green at 7 p.m. ET. Green flag racing from “Thunder Valley” begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Saturday’s pre-race coverage includes a lookback at the amazing and controversial ending of the 1999 Bristol night race between Hall of Fame drivers Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Plus, the latest installment of Behind the Driver features Kevin Harvick.
Rick Allen will call the action alongside Daytona 500 winning crew chief Steve Letarte. 21-time Cup Series winner Jeff Burton and two-time Daytona 500 Champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. will provide commentary from a second booth. Both Burton and Earnhardt Jr. are past Bristol winners.
Pre-race host Krista Voda, auto racing icon Kyle Petty, NBC analyst and Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett, and reporter Rutledge Wood will host NASCAR America as well as all pre- and post-race coverage. Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns, and Parker Kligerman will report from pit road.
XFINITY SERIES RACING FROM BRISTOL – FRIDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBC Sports’ Xfinity Series coverage from Bristol begins Thursday with first practice at 10 a.m. ET, followed by final practice at 1:30 p.m. ET. Xfinity Series coverage continues Friday with qualifying at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Countdown to Green kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN, followed by race coverage at 7:30 p.m. ET. Team Penske’s Austin Cindric is coming off back-to-back victories at Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio.
SUNDAY’S MICHIGAN 400 ON NBCSN IS MOST-WATCHED CABLE RACE IN NEARLY 2 YEARS
Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 2.919 million viewers on NBCSN (3:24-6:12 p.m. ET), up 14% from last year’s race (2.566 million) and the best for a Cup Series race on cable in nearly two years, since 2017’s Darlington race on NBCSN (3.127 million on 9/3).
Michigan was also the most-watched sporting event of the week and NBCSN was the most-watched network on television during the race.
For TV only, the race delivered a 1.79 household rating and averaged 2.897 million viewers. Digitally, Michigan posted an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 22,800 viewers, up 13% vs. last year’s race.
CLINT BOWYER JOINS NASCAR AMERICA MOTORMOUTHS AS GUEST HOST TOMORROW AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, joins NASCAR America Motormouths tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET as guest host. Bowyer currently holds the 16th and final NASCAR Cup Series Playoff spot by just six points over teammate Daniel Suarez. The eight-time NASCAR Cup Series race-winner will join Marty Snider and Kyle Petty to answer fan questions and discuss current topics in NASCAR. Motormouths are all about the viewers, providing regular opportunities for fans to call in to NASCAR America and speak with hosts, analysts, and a rotation of current drivers live on NBCSN.
DALE JR. DOWNLOAD FEATURES HARRY GANT TODAY AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Today’s episode of the Dale Jr. Download at 5 p.m. ET features special guest and former NASCAR driver Harry Gant.
JACKPOT FOR “NASCAR PICK ‘EM” FREE-TO-PLAY GAME ON NBC SPORTS PREDICTOR APP SWELLS TO $20,000 FOR BRISTOL
Nearly 40,000 players participated in NBC Sports’ free-to-play NASCAR Pick ’Em game for last weekend’s race at Michigan, but none were able to record a perfect score, and the jackpot now swells to $20,000 for this weekend’s race at Bristol.
- For each race stage, pick the driver that will have the best finish from a group of four drivers.
- Then, out of the entire field, pick which drivers will finish the race in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place – in exact order.
NBC SPORTS AND NASCAR #MYTRACKMYROOTS GRASSROOTS RACING TOUR
NBC Sports and NASCAR have partnered to launch the #MyTrackMyRoots Grassroots Racing Tour – a grassroots initiative which celebrates and promotes local tracks across America that have launched the dreams and careers of NASCAR drivers and continue to cultivate a passion for racing in their local communities.
Current and former drivers from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Gander Outdoor Truck Series will join with NBC Sports and NASCAR to spearhead a nationwide initiative to visit and promote more than 500 local tracks across the country over the next four months. Click here for more details.
Following is this week’s NASCAR programming across NBC Sports:
DATE | COVERAGE | TIME (ET) | NETWORK |
Tues., Aug 13 | NASCAR America Dale Jr. Download | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
Wed., Aug 14 | NASCAR America Motormouths w/ Clint Bowyer | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
Thur., Aug 15 | NASCAR Xfinity Series First Practice – Bristol | 10 a.m. | Streaming |
NASCAR Xfinity Series Final Practice – Bristol | 1:30 p.m. | Streaming | |
NASCAR America | 5 p.m. | NBCSN | |
Fri., Aug 16 | NASCAR Cup Series First Practice – Bristol | 11 a.m. | NBCSN |
NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice – Bristol | 1 p.m. | NBCSN | |
NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying – Bristol | 4 p.m. | NBCSN | |
NASCAR America | 5 p.m. | NBCSN | |
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – Bristol | 5:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
NASCAR Xfinity Series Countdown to Green | 7 p.m. | NBCSN | |
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Bristol | 7:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
Sat., Aug 17 | NASCAR America Pre-Race | 6 p.m. | NBCSN |
NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green | 7 p.m. | NBCSN | |
NASCAR Cup Series Race – Bristol | 7:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race Show | 11 p.m. | NBCSN |
NBC SPORTS’ NASCAR COVERAGE
The official home of the NASCAR Playoffs, NBC Sports will present the final 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, and select NASCAR Regional & Touring Series events in 2019. NBC Sports’ NASCAR programming also includes NBCSN’s daily motorsports show NASCAR America, coverage of NASCAR’s Awards Ceremonies, the annual NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony, as well as original programming specials.
For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.
--NBC SPORTS--