The pursuit of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship begins in earnest at Chicagoland Speedway, and the other two series are also in action this weekend.
Chicagoland Speedway might not be the most famous track on the NASCAR circuit, but it plays an important role in the 2017 season nonetheless. On Sunday, it will host the first race in the NASCAR Playoffs, with 16 drivers battling it out to claim the Cup Series title.
Among the favorites are Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch, both driving Toyotas that seem to have more speed than the other manufacturers at the moment. Kyle Larson served notice he’ll be a factor with his first short track victory just last week, and Jimmie Johnson only has seven prior championships to fall back on for experience.
While they duke it out with the 12 other playoff drivers in the Tales of the Turtles 400, the other two series have business to attend to as well. Chicagoland is the regular season finale for both the XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series, locking down the playoff fields for both. With Cup Series regulars excluded from here on out, it should be an interesting weekend for fans of the sport’s up and comers.
Next: Is Danica Patrick finished in NASCAR after the 2017 season?
With a full weekend of critical racing action on tap, you’ll want to make sure you tune in for as much of it as possible. Note that with the trucks in the mix, both NBC and Fox are involved in the Chicagoland broadcasts.
Here’s the complete NASCAR TV schedule for this weekend, courtesy of NASCAR.com:
Friday, Sept. 15
- Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, 12:30 p.m., NBCSN
- NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, 2:00 p.m., NBCSN
- Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, 5:05 p.m., FS1
- Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, 6:45 p.m., NBCSN
- Camping World Truck Series TheHouse.com 225, 8:30 p.m., FS1
Saturday, Sept. 16
- Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, 11:30 a.m., CNBC
- NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, 12:35 p.m., NBCSN
- Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, 2:00 p.m., NBCSN
- NASCAR XFINITY Series TheHouse.com 300, 3:30 p.m., NBCSN
Sunday, Sept. 17
- Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tales of the Turtles 400, 3:00 p.m., NBCSN