In a stunning upset on Thursday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, rookie Chandler Smith stole a victory from reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed. Smith clinched a spot in the Round of 8 of the Playoffs and eliminated Todd Gilliland from the post season.
nascar
NASCAR Cup Series News & Notes – Bristol Motor Speedway
The stage is set, and the anticipation is high for this Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Round of 16 cutoff race, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Three Playoff drivers have locked themselves into the Round of 12 by either wins or points in the first two races of the Round of 16 – Denny Hamlin (won at Darlington), Martin Truex Jr. (won at Richmond) and Kyle Larson (clinched on points) – leaving nine spots still up for grabs this weekend.
NASCAR Xfinity Series News & Notes – Bristol Motor Speedway
Noah Gragson, who wasn’t even a lock in the Playoffs until two weeks ago when he won at Darlington Raceway, went back-to-back with another win over the weekend at Richmond Raceway. (more…)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News & Notes – Bristol Motor Speedway
GMS Racing’s Sheldon Creed has been unstoppable in this season’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs taking the first two (Gateway and Darlington) of three races in the Round of 10, and now the Californian is looking to become the first driver in the series history to sweep a Playoff round this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway in the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics on Thursday, Sept. 16 at 9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
Four Drivers Will Be Eliminated From NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs At Bristol Motor Speedway This Saturday On NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 15, 2021 – Crucial races with championship consequences in both NASCAR and INDYCAR highlight this week’s motorsports coverage across NBC Sports. Four drivers will be eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs when NASCAR returns to Bristol Motor Speedway in primetime this Saturday, Sept. 18, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. An hour-long edition of Countdown to Green pre-race coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
With only two races remaining in the 2021 season, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend with the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. Pre-race coverage begins Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, with race coverage getting underway at 3:30 p.m. ET. NBC Sports INDYCAR analyst Townsend Bell will ride-along with former INDYCAR driver and current INDYCAR team owner Sam Schmidt in Schmidt’s specialized car on the track during race and pre-race coverage.
Coverage of the final race of the Xfinity Series regular season will begin in primetime Friday at 7 p.m. ET from Bristol with Countdown to Green on NBCSN, leading into race coverage at 7:30 p.m. ET.
NBC Sports’ lead NASCAR race announcer Rick Allen will call both the Cup and Xfinity Series races this weekend from Bristol alongside Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte, 21-time Cup Series race winner and “The Mayor” of NASCAR Jeff Burton, and two-time Daytona 500 Champion and NASCAR Hall of Fame selection Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Marty Snider, Dave Burns and Dillon Welch will contribute coverage from pit road during Friday and Saturday’s races from Bristol.
Pre- and post-race coverage this weekend will be anchored by Marty Snider alongside Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett from victory lane.
In last weekend’s Cup Series playoff race at Richmond, Martin Truex Jr. secured a berth in the Round of 12 of the Cup Series Playoffs with his victory. In addition to Truex Jr., Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin have earned berths in the Round of 12. Also on Saturday, Noah Gragson won his second consecutive race in the Xfinity Series.
2021 NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF STANDINGS ROUND OF 16
| Drivers | Points |
| Kyle Larson | Advanced to Round of 12 |
| Denny Hamlin | Advanced to Round of 12 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | Advanced to Round of 12 |
| Joey Logano | 2093 (+40) |
| Ryan Blaney | 2081 (+28) |
| Kevin Harvick | 2078 (+25) |
| Chase Elliott | 2072 (+19) |
| Christopher Bell | 2070 (+17) |
| Brad Keselowski | 2066 (+13) |
| Kyle Busch | 2061 (+8) |
| Aric Almirola | 2056 (+3) |
| Kurt Busch | 2053 |
| Alex Bowman | 2053 |
| Tyler Reddick | 2048 (-5) |
| William Byron | 2035 (-18) |
| Michael McDowell | 2015 (-38) |
The official home of the NASCAR Championship and Playoffs, NBC Sports will once again present the final 20 NASCAR Cup Series races and 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2021, culminating with the Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 6-7. Click here for more information on NBC Sports’ 2021 NASCAR coverage.
NASCAR Pick ‘Em: NBC Sports’ free-to-play game, NASCAR Pick ‘Em, features a weekly contest for each NASCAR Cup Series race. NASCAR Pick ‘Em is available for download now on the NBC Sports Predictor app powered by PointsBet (available in the App Store and Google Play Store) and at nbcsports.com/predictor.
BROADCAST TEAM
- Play by Play: Rick Allen
- Analysts: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte
- Pit Reporters: Marty Snider, Dave Burns, Dillon Welch
- Specialty Reporter: Rutledge Wood
STUDIO COVERAGE TEAM
- Host: Marty Snider
- Analysts: Kyle Petty, Dale Jarrett
HOW TO WATCH
- TV – NBCSN
- Streaming – NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Fri., Sept. 17 | Countdown to Green – NASCAR Xfinity Series | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Post Race | NBCSN | 9:30 p.m. | |
| Sat., Sept. 18 | Countdown to Green – NASCAR Cup Series | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| NASCAR Cup Series Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Post Race | NBCSN | 11 p.m. |
NASCAR Pinty’s Series Adds Two Delaware Races to Schedule
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR today announced the addition of two races at Delaware Speedway to replace three races that have recently been rained out – the twin features that were set to run at Autodrome Chaudière on Aug. 29 and the second race at Flamboro Speedway scheduled for Sept. 12. As a result, the Pinty’s Series schedule will be reduced to 10 races.
64th Annual DAYTONA 500 to Open 2022 NASCAR Cup Season While Coke Zero Sugar 400 Will Again Serve as Pivotal Cutoff Race for the Playoffs
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 15, 2021) – The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule was announced today, and like 2021, the DAYTONA 500, NASCAR’s biggest and most prestigious event, will kick off the season while the Coke Zero Sugar 400 will again be final race of the regular season.
NASCAR Announces 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 15, 2021) – NASCAR today announced the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, a slate that spans 39 total events. The 2022 schedule builds on the steps taken in 2021 by adding more new and dynamic venues which will host NASCAR’s premier series for the first time.
NASCAR Taking 2022 Clash to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 14, 2021) – The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, one of the most storied venues in all of sports and entertainment, will add a new event to its long and decorated list: The Clash at the Coliseum.
Ty Dillon Returning to Our Motorsports at Bristol
Fresh off of back-to-back races filling in for Brett Moffitt in the Our Motorsports No. 02 Chevrolet, Ty Dillon returns to the seat of the team’s No. 23 for the
upcoming Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Joining Dillon for the much-anticipated night race will be national mortgage lender, Hometown Lenders. (more…)