The top two national NASCAR series head to Sin City this weekend to kick off the penultimate round of the playoffs.
The Xfinity Series teams will start the Round of 8 with a Saturday evening race. The Cup Series teams will also kick off the Round of 8 while competing on Sunday afternoon.
The drivers who win these two races will gain a massive advantage. If they are still in the championship hunt, they will automatically lock up a spot in the Championship 4. This means they will have two extra weeks to prepare for Phoenix.
Kyle Larson won last season's playoff race and this weekend's spring race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Riley Herbst is the defending winner of the Xfinity playoff race at the Nevada track.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway forecast and weekend schedule
Friday forecast: The WeatherUnderground forecast calls for cloudy skies with a high of 69 degrees and a 3% chance of rain.
Saturday forecast: The forecast calls for sunny skies throughout the day, a high of 69 degrees, and no chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity Series race.
Sunday forecast: The forecast calls for sunny skies throughout the day, a high of 73 degrees, and no chance of rain at the start of the Cup Series race.
Friday, Oct. 18, schedule (Eastern Time)
- 1:30 - 8:30 p.m. — Xfinity Series garage hours
- 6:35 - 7:05 p.m. — Xfinity Series practice (USA Network, streaming on NBC Sports app)
- 7:10 - 8 p.m. — Xfinity Series qualifying (USA Network, streaming on NBC Sports app)
Saturday, Oct. 19, schedule (Eastern Time)
- 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. — Cup Series garage hours
- 3:30 p.m. — Xfinity Series garage hours
- 4:35 - 5:20 p.m. — Cup Series practice (USA Network, streaming on NBC Sports app, radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
- 5:20 - 6:30 p.m. — Cup Series qualifying (USA Network, streaming on NBC Sports app, radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
- 7:30 p.m. — Xfinity Series race (201 laps, 301.5 miles. CW, Radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday, Oct. 20, schedule (Eastern Time)
- 11:30 a.m. — Cup Series garage hours
- 2:30 p.m. — Cup Series race (267 laps, 400.5 miles. NBC, streaming on NBC Sports app, Radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
