We’ve reached the final weekend of the NASCAR season. All three of NASCAR’s National-level championships will be decided this weekend, in addition to ARCA Menards Series West. In addition, DIRTcar’s top championships will be settled this weekend in Charlotte as well.
Where to Watch NASCAR This Week
This weekend, the sport will be centered on Avondale, Ariz., where Phoenix Raceway will host four days of on-track activity. Thursday started off with Championship 4 Media Day, a series of interview opportunities with the 12 drivers up for championships and NBC personalities.
The main show of the weekend is the NASCAR Cup Series championship. On-track action will begin with practice Friday afternoon at 6 p.m. ET with live coverage on USA Network. Qualifying is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET Saturday on USA Network.
Coverage of the final Cup race of the year will begin with Countdown to Green at 2 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC. Race coverage will start at 3 p.m. ET with the green flag at 3:15 p.m. ET.
Sunday is forecast to be the warmest day of the weekend. It is supposed to be 80° with sunny skies and no chance of rain.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will also wrap up their season in Phoenix. Practice is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET with live coverage on USA Network. Qualifying will be at 4 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Coverage of the Xfinity Series Championship Race will start with NASCAR Countdown Live at 7 p.m. ET Saturday night on The CW. Race coverage will start at 7:30 p.m. ET with the green flag at 7:40 p.m. ET.
The forecast for Saturday calls for sunny skies with a high of 75°. It will be nice, but with a decent chunk of the race at night, bring a jacket if you’re going.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is present as well. Practice for Truck teams is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET Thursday. The session will not be televised. Qualifying is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET Friday and will air live on FOX Sports 2.
Coverage of the Championship 150 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET Friday night on FOX Sports 1. The green flag will fall around 8:20 p.m. ET.
Finally, ARCA Menards Series West teams will wrap up their season this weekend. Practice is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET Thursday, while qualifying will be at 9:20 p.m. ET. Neither session will be broadcast.
The Desert Diamond West Valley Casino 100 is scheduled to go green at 1:30 p.m. ET Friday afternoon. Coverage will begin at 1:15 p.m. ET on FLORacing.
The weather for Friday is very nice. The forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 70°. The ARCA race will be very nice, but make sure to bring sunglasses since it will be bright. A jacket will be required for the Truck race at night.
TV Ratings Check — Martinsville
We do not currently have a Nielsen rating available for Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, but NBC Sports did post this to social media Wednesday:
While this number appears to be an estimate, 2.5 million viewers is a significant increase from last year’s race, which earned a 1.2 rating with 2.196 million viewers. It is approximately equal to 2022.
Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 200 earned a .24 rating with 462,000 viewers. There is no direct comparison due to the fact that there was no Truck race in the fall last year in Martinsville. The most recent Truck race on that weekend was in 2021. That race earned a .33 rating with 568,000 viewers.
As of right now, there is no rating information available for Saturday’s Xfinity Series National Debt Relief 250.
About the author
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.
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