Photo credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography

NASCAR weekend schedule, forecast for Bristol Motor Speedway


The top three series in NASCAR return to Bristol Motor Speedway as the playoffs take center stage.

The Craftsman Truck Series teams will continue the opening round of the playoffs. The Xfinity Series teams will close out the regular season and finalize the 12-driver playoff field.

The Cup Series teams will close out the first round of the playoffs. Four drivers will be eliminated from championship contention.

The ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East teams will be in action for a joint race on Thursday at Bristol. This event will decide the ARCA East championship battle featuring Connor Zilisch and William Sawalich.

Bristol Motor Speedway forecast and schedule

Thursday forecast: Showers early and then scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. A high of 70 degrees and a 10% chance of rain at the start of the Truck Series race.

Friday forecast: Partly cloudy skies with a slight chance of rain showers. A high of 76 degrees and a 7% chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity Series race.

Saturday forecast: Mostly sunny skies. A high of 77 degrees and a 3% chance of rain at the start of the Cup Series race.

Thursday, Sept. 19 (Eastern Time)

  • 9 a.m. -- ARCA Menards Series garage hours
  • 9:30 a.m. -- Truck Series garage hours
  • 1 - 1:45 p.m. -- ARCA Menards Series practice (No TV)
  • 2 - 2:20 p.m. -- ARCA Menards Series qualifying (No TV)
  • 3 - 3:35 p.m. -- Truck Series practice (FS2)
  • 3:35 - 4:30 p.m. -- Truck Series qualifying (FS2)
  • 5 p.m. -- ARCA Menards Series race (200 laps, 106.6 miles. FS1, Radio coverage on Motor Racing Network)
  • 8 p.m. -- Truck Series race (200 laps, 106.6 miles. FS1, Radio coverage on Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Friday, Sept. 20 (Eastern Time)

  • 9 a.m. -- Xfinity Series garage hours
  • 10:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. -- Cup Series garage hours
  • 2 - 2:35 p.m. -- Xfinity Series practice (USA Network, streaming on NBC Sports app)
  • 2:40 - 3:30 p.m. -- Xfinity Series qualifying (USA Network, streaming on NBC Sports app)
  • 4 - 4:45 p.m. -- Cup Series practice (USA Network, streaming on NBC Sports app, radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
  • 5:05 - 6 p.m. -- Cup qualifying (USA Network, streaming on NBC Sports app, radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
  • 7:30 p.m. -- Xfinity Series race (300 laps, 159.9 miles. CW, Radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Saturday, Sept. 21 (Eastern Time)

  • 3:30 p.m. -- Cup Series garage opens
  • 7:30 p.m. -- Cup Series race (500 laps, 266.5 miles. USA Network, streaming on NBC Sports app, Radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)