The time has come for the NASCAR Cup Series teams to begin the playoffs. First up is a date with Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Two of the national series will be in action this weekend in Georgia. Xfinity Series teams will continue the regular season with a Saturday afternoon race. Cup teams will start the Round of 16 with a Sunday afternoon race.
Daniel Suarez won the Atlanta race in February. Joey Logano and William Byron split the Atlanta races last season.
Saturday's Xfinity race is one of three remaining events before the start of the Xfinity playoffs. Four spots remain in the 12-driver field. Sheldon Creed, AJ Allmendinger, Sammy Smith, and Parker Kligerman are the four drivers currently above the cutline.
Atlanta Motor Speedway forecast and schedule
Friday forecast: A potential for heavy rainfall. A high of 75 degrees and a 78% chance of rain throughout the day.
Saturday forecast: Rain showers in the morning and then cloudy skies in the afternoon. A high of 80 degrees and a 15% chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity race.
Sunday forecast: Partly cloudy skies. A high of 77 degrees and a 4% chance of rain at the start of the Cup Series playoff opener.
Friday, Sept. 6, schedule (Eastern Time)
- 12 - 5 p.m. -- Xfinity Series garage hours
- 1 - 7 p.m. -- Cup Series garage hours
Saturday, Sept. 7, schedule (Eastern Time)
- 9:30 a.m. -- Xfinity Series garage hours
- 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. -- Cup Series garage hours
- 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. -- Xfinity Series qualifying (USA Network, Streaming on NBC Sports app)
- 12:30 - 2 p.m. -- Cup qualifying (USA Network, streaming on NBC Sports app, radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
- 3 p.m. -- Xfinity Series race (163 laps, 251.02 miles. USA Network, streaming on NBC Sports app, Radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday, Sept. 8, schedule (Eastern Time)
- 12 p.m. -- Cup Series garage hours
- 3 p.m. -- Cup Series race (260 laps, 400.4 miles. USA Network, streaming on NBC Sports app, Radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)