It’s not just double duty at NASCAR’s most famous short track, but also a double dose of Dale Jr. as he continues his final season.
When you take 30-plus race cars, put them on a high-banked, half-mile track and drop the green flag, you really don’t need much more motivation for either drivers and fans. Yet there will be some at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend anyway, because time is running out for both Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series competitors to make their respective playoffs.
In fact, with a rare off-weekend for the Cup Series looming, there are just two stops left after Bristol before the regular season is done. That means for drivers like Joey Logano and Clint Bowyer, who really need a win to ensure they’re in the playoff field, there almost literally is no tomorrow.
That urgency is real, and it should give the action from Bristol even more of a can’t-miss quality than it already has. To make sure you don’t miss a minute of it, we’ve gone to NASCAR.com again and dug up the complete TV schedule for this weekend, including night races on both Friday and Saturday.
Making things even better for fans hoping to see the sport’s most popular driver one last time on the most notable tracks, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is entered in both races. Be sure to tune in both nights to see Junior take what could be his final laps at the Last Great Colosseum.
Friday, Aug. 18
- Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, 12:30 p.m., NBCSN
- NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, 3:40 p.m., NBCSN
- Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, 5:45 p.m., NBCSN
- NASCAR XFINITY Series Food City 300, 7:30 p.m., NBCSN
Saturday, Aug. 19
- Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, 7:30 p.m., NBC