Race Weekend: NASCAR at Daytona and Indycar in Portland as things get interesting.

0
597
Christoper Bell (21), Joey Lagano (22), William Byron (24), Kyle Busch (18) and Tyler Reddick (8) compete in the NASCAR Southern 500 auto race, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)

 NBC Sports’ motorsports coverage this weekend is headlined by the penultimate NASCAR Cup Series regular season race at iconic Daytona International Speedway on NBC and Peacock on Saturday, INDYCAR at Portland International Raceway on USA Network and Peacock on Sunday, and Pro Motocross from Ironman Raceway exclusively on Peacock on Saturday.

NASCAR: CUP SERIES COKE ZERO SUGAR 400 & XFINITY SERIES WAWA 250 POWERED BY COCA-COLA

Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., hosts the NASCAR Cup Series’ Coke Zero Sugar 400 this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. A 30-minute Countdown to Green Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on NBC leads into live race coverage.

With only two races left in the regular season and 16 playoff spots on the line, Tyler Reddick (814 pts) jumped to first in the Cup Series points standings after his win in Michigan last week. Chase Elliott (-10), Denny Hamlin (-28), Kyle Larson (-32), and Ryan Blaney (-82) round out the top five. 2023 top-10 finisher Bubba Wallace and two-time Series champion Kyle Busch find themselves on the bubble of playoff contention.

2024 NASCAR CUP SERIES STANDINGS

NBC Sports coverage from Daytona will feature members of its broadcast team embedded with the race teams of Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., highlighting the teamwork and contributions at every level that are required to create a successful day at the racetrack.

U.S. Olympic swimmers Caeleb Dressel and Bobby Finke, who won a combined five Olympic medals in Paris this summer, will serve as Honorary Event Official and Honorary Starter, respectively. Both Dressel and Finke are Florida natives and University of Florida alum who still train in the state.

NBC Sports announced on Tuesday that veteran motorsports commentator Leigh Diffey will make his 2024 NASCAR Cup Series debut and serve as the lead play-by-play voice this weekend and continuing through the playoffs and season championship at Phoenix.

In his second NBC Sports assignment this year following the Indianapolis 500, seven-time NASAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will join pre- and post-race coverage for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 and will offer commentary during the race from the Peacock Pit Box alongside NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett. Johnson won this race in 2013 and is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 (2006, 2013), while Jarrett won this race in 1999 and is a three-time winner of the Daytona 500 (1993, 1996, 2000).

21-time Cup Series race winner and “The Mayor” of NASCAR Jeff Burton, who won this race in 2000, and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte will serve as analysts for both the Cup and Xfinity Series races this weekend from Daytona International Speedway. Rick Allen will serve as the play-by-play commentator for Xfinity Series qualifying and the Xfinity Series race on Friday. Marty SniderKim Coon, Dave Burns will serve as pit reporters for both races, while Parker Kligerman will join as pit reporter on Saturday.

Snider will host pre- and post-race coverage alongside Johnson and Jarrett.

Additionally, NBC Sports is going “NASCAR Nonstop” for this Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 coverage on NBC, utilizing only side-by-side breaks during green flag action so that viewers never miss a moment of the action.

BROADCAST TEAM

  • Play by PlayLeigh Diffey
  • AnalystsJeff BurtonSteve Letarte
  • Peacock Pit BoxJimmie JohnsonDale Jarrett
  • Pit ReportersMarty Snider, Kim CoonDave BurnsParker Kligerman

STUDIO COVERAGE TEAM

  • Host: Snider
  • Analysts: Johnson, Jarrett

HOW TO WATCH

  • TV – NBC, USA Network
  • Streaming – NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app 

INDYCAR: BITNILE.COM GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES heads to Portland, Ore., for the BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland from Portland International Raceway this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock. Pre-race coverage will begin at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock.

Live coverage of qualifying and practice sessions from the course tomorrow and Saturday will stream exclusively on Peacock. For more information about Peacock’s comprehensive streaming coverage of the 2024 INDYCAR season and how to sign up, click here.

With only four races left, defending INDYCAR champion Alex Palou (443 pts) continues to lead the 2024 points standings, followed by Colton Herta (-59), Scott Dixon (-65), Will Power (-66), and Scott McLaughlin (-73). Palou has won this race two out of the last three years (2023, 2021).

NBC Sports’ INDYCAR commentary team of Kevin Lee (play-by-play), Townsend Bell (analyst) and James Hinchcliffe (analyst) will call this weekend’s races. Dillon Welch and Georgia Henneberry will provide reports from pit road on Saturday and Sunday.

BROADCAST TEAM

  • Play by Play: Kevin Lee
  • Analysts: Townsend Bell, James Hinchcliffe
  • Pit Reporters: Dillon Welch, Georgia Henneberry

HOW TO WATCH

  • TV – USA Network
  • Streaming – Peacock

PRO MOTOCROSS: IRONMAN NATIONAL FINALS

The final race of the 2024 Pro Motocross Championship regular season culminates with the Ironman National Finals this Saturday from Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Ind., at 1 p.m. ET exclusively on Peacock.

Chase Sexton (454 pts), winner of five consecutive races, leads the 450 Class points standings and is on the cusp of his first Motocross 450 Class regular season championship, with Hunter Lawrence (-28) his only competition for the crown. In the 250 Class, Haiden Deegan (445 pts) already clinched his first career Motorcross 250 Class regular season championship.

NBC Sports’ Motocross analyst Ricky Carmichael, a 15-time AMA champion, spoke with former racer and AMA Motocross champion Adam Cianciarulo on the latest episode of the Title 24 podcast here.

Race Day Live qualifying coverage this Saturday from Ironman Raceway gets underway at 10 a.m. ET on Peacock. All live Pro Motocross coverage, including races and qualifying, plus on-demand replays, will be available on Peacock this season. Click here for more details.

A 31-race SuperMotocross World Championship schedule, inclusive of Supercross and Pro Motocross, will be presented across Peacock, NBC, CNBC, USA Network, and NBC Sports digital platforms in 2024, culminating with two SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff events and the SuperMotocross World Championship Final. The complete schedule can be found here.

BROADCAST TEAM

  • Play by PlayJason Weigandt
  • AnalystJames Stewart
  • ReportersJason ThomasKatie Osborne

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

  • Streaming – Peacock (LIVE), NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
  • TV – CNBC
  • Audio – SiriusXM, NBC Sports Audio Channel 85