The first race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs gets underway this Sunday from Darlington Raceway in South Carolina at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network, while the penultimate race of the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season takes place with the Grand Prix of Portland at Portland International Raceway Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
| Date | Coverage | Platform | Time (ET) |
| Sat., Sept. 3 | NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 | USA Network | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., Sept. 4 | INDYCAR Grand Prix of Portland | NBC, Peacock | 3 p.m. |
| NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 | USA Network | 6 p.m. |
16 drivers make up the NASCAR Cup Series playoff field, led by regular-season champion Chase Elliott and last week’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 winner Austin Dillon. A victory by a playoff driver this Sunday at Darlington will automatically clinch them a spot in the Round of 12.
With only two races remaining in the season, seven drivers are eligible to win the INDYCAR title and the 43-point differential between the top five in the standings is the closest title chase since 2003. Two-time INDYCAR champion Josef Newgarden won the series’ most recent race on Aug. 20, the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, at World Wide Technology Raceway to move into second in the standings and trails standings leader Will Power by only three points. Scott Dixon, currently third in the standings, ranks second all-time with 53 series wins and is aiming to capture a record-tying seventh INDYCAR championship with A.J. Foyt.
TOP FIVE DRIVERS IN 2022 INDYCAR SERIES STANDINGS
| Driver | Points |
| Will Power | 482 |
| Josef Newgarden | 479 |
| Scott Dixon | 468 |
| Marcus Ericsson | 465 |
| Alex Palou | 439 |
NBC Sports’ motorsports coverage this weekend also features MotoGP and Monster Jam.
NASCAR: CUP SERIES COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500 & XFINITY SERIES SPORT CLIPS HAIRCUTS VFW HELP A HERO 200
The opening race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will be presented this Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network with the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Countdown to Green begins pre-race coverage at 5 p.m. ET on USA Network with NASCAR America post-race immediately following the checkered flag at 10 p.m. ET.
Countdown to Green ahead of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 gets underway Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, leading into race coverage at 3 p.m. ET. Only three races remain in the Xfinity Series regular season.
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 stages 1 and 3 of the Cup Series race this Sunday from Darlington Raceway with lead NASCAR race announcer Rick Allen.
Stage 2 of Sunday’s Cup Series race will feature three of the most famous last names in NASCAR with Earnhardt Jr. joined by racing icon Kyle Petty and NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett in the commentary booth.
Dave Burns will call the Xfinity Series race alongside Burton and Letarte on Saturday. Marty Snider, Kim Coon, Parker Kligerman, and Burns will serve as pit reporters throughout the weekend.
Snider will anchor pre- and post-race studio coverage with Petty and Jarrett from the Peacock Pit Box on Saturday and Sunday.
Burton is a six-time winner at Darlington Raceway with two Cup Series and four Xfinity Series victories while Jarrett earned five wins at the track (three Cup, two Xfinity). During pre-race coverage on Sunday, Burton will drive the NBC Toyota car around the Raceway to provide viewers an idea of the circuit nicknamed “The Track Too Tough to Tame.”
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).
Race for the Championship premieres tonight 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. 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.
BROADCAST TEAM
- Analysts: Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Sunday)
- Play by Play: Rick Allen (Sunday), Dave Burns (Saturday)
- Pit Reporters: Marty Snider, Kim Coon, Parker Kligerman, Dave Burns (Sunday)
STUDIO COVERAGE TEAM
- Host: Marty Snider
- Analysts: Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty
HOW TO WATCH
- TV – USA Network
- Streaming – NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
| Date | Coverage | Platform | Time (ET) |
| Sat., Sept. 3 | NASCAR Xfinity Series Practice & Qualifying | NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app | 10 a.m. |
| NASCAR Cup Series Practice | NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app | Noon | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Practice & Qualifying | USA Network | 12:30 p.m. | |
| Countdown to Green – NASCAR Xfinity Series | USA Network | 2:30 p.m. | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 | USA Network | 3 p.m. | |
| NASCAR America Post-Race – NASCAR Xfinity Series | USA Network | 5 p.m. | |
| Sun., Sept. 4 | Countdown to Green – NASCAR Cup Series | USA Network | 5 p.m. |
| NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 | USA Network | 6 p.m. | |
| NASCAR America Post-Race – NASCAR Cup Series | USA Network | 10 p.m. |
INDYCAR: GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND
The penultimate race of the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, the Grand Prix of Portland, will be presented from Portland International Raceway this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. 2021 series champion Alex Palou won last year’s running of the race.
Live coverage of qualifying, practice, and the Indy Lights race from the Portland road course will stream exclusivelyon Peacock Friday-Sunday. For more information about INDYCAR on Peacock and how to sign up, click here.
The lead INDYCAR commentary team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Townsend Bell (analyst) and James Hinchcliffe (analyst) will call the race. Kevin Lee and Dillon Welch will provide reports from pit road.
NBC Sports’ free-to-play game, INDYCAR Pick ‘Em, features a weekly contest for each race throughout the season with a $25,000 jackpot. INDYCAR 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
- Play by Play: Leigh Diffey
- Analysts: Townsend Bell, James Hinchcliffe
- Pit Reporters: Kevin Lee, Dillon Welch
HOW TO WATCH
- TV – NBC
- Streaming – Peacock, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
| Date | Coverage | Platform | Time (ET) |
| Fri., Sept. 2 | Grand Prix of Portland – Practice | Peacock | 5:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Sept. 3 | Grand Prix of Portland – Practice 2 | Peacock | Noon |
| Grand Prix of Portland – Qualifying | Peacock | 3:05 p.m. | |
| Grand Prix of Portland – Practice 3 | Peacock | 7:15 p.m. | |
| Sun., Sept. 4 | Indy Lights | Peacock | 1 p.m. |
| Grand Prix of Portland | NBC, Peacock, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app | 3 p.m. |
MOTOGP: SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX
The 2022 MotoGP season continues with the San Marino Grand Prix from Misano World Circuit in Italy this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Fabio Quartararo (200 pts) currently leads the premier class points standings ahead of Aleix Espargaro (168 pts) and Francesco Bagnaia (156 pts), who owns three consecutive wins.
Live and on-demand coverage of all races will be available to stream on MotoGP VideoPass, in addition to every session of MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3. For more details, click here or visit MotoGP.TV.
MONSTER JAM
NBC Sports presents the 2022 Monster Jam World Finals this Saturday from Orlando, Fla., at noon ET on CNBC. The complete schedule can be found here.
THE DALE JR. DOWNLOAD
INDYCAR driver Conor Daly joins this week’s The Dale Jr. Download episode streaming tonight 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.
–NBC SPORTS–
