For race fans, this will be a busy weekend with NASCAR in action, along with INDYCAR, Formula 1 and the FIA World Endurance Championship. However, the NASCAR world will be focused on tiny Schuyler County, N.Y., the second-smallest county by population in all of New York.
Where to Watch NASCAR This Week
This week, NASCAR will make their annual visit to Watkins Glen International for the Go Bowling at the Glen. As compared to previous years, things will be different.
First, the stages are back. Last year’s race without them was complete in under two hours. That almost never happens in the NASCAR Cup Series without the race getting shortened. Also, the tires are going to be an issue and will change the complexion of the event.
On-track activity for the Cup Series will start with practice Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET. Coverage will begin exclusively on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App, but will be joined in progress at 12:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. Qualifying will begin at 1 p.m. ET. With the new tire compound in play, each group will get 40 minutes of practice instead of 20.
Coverage of the Go Bowling at the Glen Sunday will begin with Countdown to Green at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. Race coverage is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET with the green flag around 3:10 p.m. ET.
The Radio Style broadcast will be back in play this week. Leigh Diffey will be in the main booth with Steve Letarte. Mike Bagley from MRN Radio will be back in the Esses, while Dillon Welch will be at the end of the backstretch.
Weather-wise, things look excellent for Sunday. The high is forecast to be 85 degrees with sunny skies. It might be cool in the morning, but perfect racing weather.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will serve as primary support to the Cup Series. They’ll be at the track for a full day of inspection and preparation Friday.
Practice is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET and will air exclusively on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App. Qualifying will air shortly afterwards.
Coverage of the Mission 200 at the Glen Saturday will begin with Countdown to Green at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. Race coverage is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET with the green flag around 3:10 p.m. ET. Remember that this will be the final Xfinity Series race on USA Network as the series begins their exclusive deal with The CW next week.
The on-air setup will be similar here with the exception of Rick Allen being in the booth in place of Diffey. It could very well be his final Cup appearance for NBC Sports.
The weather Saturday will be nearly identical to Sunday. The practice session might be chilly, but everything else will be fine.
Finally, the ARCA Menards Series has the tertiary slot for the General Tire 100. That race will air live on FOX Sports 1 at 5 p.m. ET Friday evening. The race will run one hour earlier this year due to a combination of the race being nearly a month later and the fact that the weather last year resulted in the race ending very close to darkness.
TV Ratings Check — Atlanta
This week, the ratings don’t look all that great compared to last year, but there’s a good reason why. This race weekend in 2023 was in early July and both races were run at night with no major competition.
Sunday’s Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart had 2.023 million viewers on USA Network. This was down 541,000 viewers (21.1%) from last year. However, this year’s race was up against NFL football on CBS and FOX. Note that no Nielsen ratings are available for either race from Atlanta.
If you compare Sunday’s ratings to the equivalent weekend from last year at Kansas, you would see an increase. That race drew a 1.0 rating with 1.76 million viewers on USA Network.
Saturday’s Focused Health 250 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series had an audience of 803,000 viewers. This is down 193,000 viewers (19.3%) from last year.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.