The NASCAR Cup Series has arrived at the Irish Hills of Michigan for its annual visit to the two-mile Michigan International Speedway. Meanwhile, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge headlines a standalone weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, while the FIA World Endurance Championship has its annual Le Mans Test weekend.
Get a head start on all the action with a complete look at the NASCAR weekend TV schedule.
NASCAR Michigan TV Schedule
- ARCA Menards Series Henry Ford Health 200: 5 p.m. ET Friday on FS2
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying: 8 a.m. ET Saturday on FS2
- NASCAR Cup Series Practice: 9:35 a.m. ET Saturday on Amazon Prime Video
- NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying: 10:40 a.m. ET Saturday on Amazon Prime Video
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series DQS Solutions & Staffing 200: Noon ET Saturday on FOX
- NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400: 2 p.m. ET Sunday on Amazon Prime Video
As noted, the NASCAR Cup Series will make its one and only visit of the year to Michigan International Speedway this weekend. There will be plenty of fast action to be had.
For NASCAR Cup Series teams, practice is scheduled to start early Saturday morning. Coverage will start at 9:30 a.m. ET Saturday morning on Amazon Prime Video with additional coverage on NASCAR’s Facebook page. Qualifying will be exclusive to Prime Video at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Coverage of the FireKeepers Casino 400 will start with NASCAR Live at 1:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video. Race coverage will begin at 2 p.m. ET with the green flag at 2:15 p.m. ET.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will serve as primary support. As it hasn’t raced at Michigan since 2020, there will be a 50-minute practice session Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET. The session will not be televised.
Teams will be at the track bright and early Saturday morning as qualifying is scheduled for 8 a.m. ET. The session will air live on FS2.
Coverage of the DQS Solutions & Staffing 200 will air live on FOX starting at Noon ET. The green flag should fly around 12:20 p.m. ET. It is possible that some FOX affiliates may choose not to air the race. If that happens, you would likely be able to watch the race on FOXSports.com.
The ARCA Menards Series will have a one-day show on Friday. It has a practice session scheduled for 2 p.m. ET with qualifying following shortly afterwards. Neither session will be televised.
Coverage of the Henry Ford Health 200 is scheduled to air live on FS2 starting at 5 p.m. ET.
What’s the Weather Looking Like?
For Friday, things are looking good. The forecast is for partly cloudy skies with a high in the mid-70s. Skies might be smoky due to the Canadian wildfires.
Saturday is looking similar to Friday. High temperatures will be around 75°, but with slightly more clouds than Friday.
Sunday is a bit of a question mark. It will be a little cloudier than Saturday and there is a chance of showers late in the day. The hope is that the rain comes after the race is over.
Prime Video & TV Ratings Update — Nashville
Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 earned a 1.01 rating with 2.062 million viewers. This is down significantly from the portion of last year’s race that aired on NBC. However, that race had a delay due to weather in addition to the extra 31 laps and ended up finishing on USA Network.
Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Tennessee Lottery 250 had 988,000 viewers, which breaks the streak of 13 straight races with a million viewers to start the year. That said, it is an increase of 45,000 viewers over last year on USA Network.
Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rackley Roofing 200 earned a .23 rating with 397,000 viewers. That is up 39% over last year’s race, which earned a .15 rating with 285,000 viewers.
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.