The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 begins this Sunday from Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. A victory by a playoff driver at Texas will automatically clinch them a spot in the Round of 8.
The Playoffs get underway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this Saturday in Texas at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. Noah Gragson has won three consecutive races and sits atop the points standings heading into the Round of 12.
2022 NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF STANDINGS ROUND OF 12
| Driver | Points |
| Chase Elliott | 3040 |
| Joey Logano | 3025 |
| Ross Chastain | 3020 |
| Kyle Larson | 3019 |
| William Byron | 3015 |
| Denny Hamlin | 3013 |
| Christopher Bell | 3013 |
| Ryan Blaney | 3013 |
| Chase Briscoe | 3009 |
| Alex Bowman | 3007 |
| Daniel Suárez | 3007 |
| Austin Cindric | 3006 |
NASCAR: CUP SERIES AUTOTRADER ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE 500 & XFINITY SERIES ANDY’S FROZEN CUSTARD 300
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 begins with the first of three races this Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Chris Buescher became the 19th different Cup Series winner this season with his victory last weekend in Bristol.
Coverage of the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 in Texas will be presented Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network with an hour-long edition of Countdown to Green beginning pre-race coverage at 2:30 p.m. ET. NASCAR America post-race coverage will immediately follow the checkered flag at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
The Xfinity Series Playoffs begin Saturday with the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300, the first of three races in the Round of 12, at Texas Motor Speedway at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, with Countdown to Greengetting underway at 3 p.m. ET.
Two-time Daytona 500 Champion and NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., 21-time Cup Series race winner and “The Mayor” of NASCAR Jeff Burton, and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte will serve as analysts for the Cup Series race from Texas Motor Speedway with lead NASCAR race announcer Rick Allen. JTG Daugherty Racing team owner Brad Daugherty, Burton and Allen will call the Xfinity Series race on Saturday.
Marty Snider, Parker Kligerman, and Kim Coon will serve as pit reporters this weekend.
Snider will anchor pre- and post-race studio coverage with racing icon Kyle Petty and Daugherty on Sunday from the Peacock Pit Box.
Burton (1997, 2007) and Earnhardt Jr. (2000) own Cup Series victories at Texas.
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 2022 across NBC, Peacock and USA Network, culminating with the Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 5-6. Click here for more information on NBC Sports’ 2022 NASCAR coverage.
NASCAR Pick ‘Em: NBC Sports’ free-to-play game, NASCAR Pick ‘Em, features a weekly contest for each NASCAR Cup Series race throughout the season. 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).
BROADCAST TEAM
- Analysts: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Sunday), Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Brad Daugherty (Saturday)
- Play by Play: Rick Allen
- Pit Reporters: Marty Snider, Parker Kligerman, Kim Coon
STUDIO COVERAGE TEAM
- Host: Marty Snider
- Analysts: Kyle Petty, Brad Daugherty (Sunday), Steve Letarte (Saturday)
HOW TO WATCH
- TV – USA Network
- Streaming – NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
| Date | Coverage | Platform | Time (ET) |
| Sat., Sept. 24 | NASCAR Xfinity Series Practice & Qualifying | USA Network | 10:30 a.m. |
| NASCAR Cup Series Practice & Qualifying | USA Network | 12:30 p.m. | |
| Countdown to Green – NASCAR Xfinity Series | USA Network | 3 p.m. | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 | USA Network | 3:30 p.m. | |
| NASCAR America Post-Race – NASCAR Xfinity Series | USA Network | 6:30 p.m. | |
| Sun., Sept. 25 | Countdown to Green – NASCAR Cup Series | USA Network | 2:30 p.m. |
| NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 | USA Network | 3:30 p.m. | |
| NASCAR America Post-Race – NASCAR Cup Series | USA Network | 7:30 p.m. |
MOTOGP: GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN
MotoGP’s premier class returns to Japan for the first time since 2019 with the Grand Prix of Japan at Mobility Resort Motegi this Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on CNBC. Only 17 points separate the top three riders in the standings with leader Fabio Quartararo (211 pts), Francesco Bagnaia (201 pts), who has won four of the last five races in second place, and Aleix Espargaro in third (194 pts).
THE DALE JR. DOWNLOAD
A special ‘Best Of” episode of The Dale Jr. Download will air this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network following NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying.
NASCAR executive and former crew chief Tony Glover joins this week’s The Dale Jr. Download episode streaming tomorrow at 6 p.m. ET on Peacock. Weekly and on-demand episodes of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast will stream exclusively on the platform, taking viewers table-side for unparalleled perspective, candid commentary, and insight from Dale Jr.
NASCAR AMERICA MOTORMOUTHS
NBC Sports’ fan-favorite NASCAR call-in show, NASCAR America Motormouths, discusses the latest motorsports news and interviews with NBC Sports’ NASCAR analysts and reporters each Monday and Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET exclusively on Peacock.
RACE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP
Episode four of Race for the Championship premieres tomorrow at 10 p.m. ET on USA Network. The one-hour unscripted docuseries will take viewers inside the lives of NASCAR’s top drivers and teams on and off the track. Click here for more details on the series and here for the episode four trailer.
Across ten thrilling episodes, the all-access series will chronicle the sport’s best as they balance their personal lives with the passion, pressure and perils of racing, all for a chance to make history.
–NBC SPORTS–
