This weekend, NASCAR comes back east after a couple of weeks in the desert. It’s not a home race weekend, but it’s not far from it. Meanwhile, IMSA has its second crown jewel, the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring.
Where, When to Watch the NASCAR Races from Darlington
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Practice: 3:30 p.m. ET Friday on FS2
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying: 4:35 p.m. ET Friday on FS2
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Buckle Up South Carolina 200: 7:30 p.m. ET Friday on FS1
- NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Practice: Noon ET Saturday on The CW App
- NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Qualifying: 1:05 p.m. ET Saturday on The CW App
- NASCAR Cup Series Practice: 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday on Prime Video
- NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying: 3:40 p.m. ET Saturday on Prime Video
- NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200: 5:30 p.m. ET Saturday on The CW
- NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400: 3 p.m. ET Sunday on FS1
This weekend, NASCAR makes its first of two visits to Darlington Raceway. This year, it will be a tripleheader weekend at the egg-shaped oval.
The NASCAR Cup Series will be the headliner for what amounts to a two-day show. Practice is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon on Prime Video. Qualifying will begin at 3:40 p.m. ET.
Coverage of the Goodyear 400 will begin with NASCAR RaceDay at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FS1. Race coverage will start at 3 p.m. ET with the green flag at 3:15 p.m. ET.
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will be the primary support series. Those teams are scheduled to practice at noon ET Saturday with live coverage on The CW app and website. Qualifying will be at 1:05 p.m. ET. Some CW affiliates will air practice and/or qualifying live. Check your local listings to see if your affiliate is airing the session(s).
Coverage of the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 will begin with NASCAR Countdown Live at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday on The CW. Race coverage will start at 5:40 p.m. ET.
Friday will be all about the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Last year, it raced Labor Day weekend in South Carolina. This year, the teams have a slightly more comfortable time.
Truck teams will practice Friday starting at 3:30 p.m. ET with live coverage on FS2. Qualifying will follow at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Coverage of the Buckle Up South Carolina 200 will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday night on FS1. The green flag will fly around 7:50 p.m. ET.
Take a Look Back at the Week’s Biggest NASCAR Stories
- Daniel Dye Suspended Due to Livestream Comments
- Who Else Should Sub for Alex Bowman in the No. 48?
- FOX Repeats 2025’s Las Vegas Issues; The Grid Walk Stinks
- Daniel Suarez Brings Out the Hate Cauldron
- Here’s What Happened So Far in the JGR vs. Chris Gabehart Lawsuit
What’s the Weather Going to Be Like?
Friday’s weather is going to be very nice. The forecast is for partly cloudy skies with a high around 72°. Since the Truck race will be at night, temperatures will drop through the 60s during the race. It might be chilly enough for a sweater by the time the checkered flag flies.
Saturday’s forecast is for partly cloudy skies with a high around 80°. That high temperature will occur shortly before the Sport Clip Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 starts. It will fall during the race, but it’ll likely still be plenty warm by the end.
Sunday’s forecast is for partly cloudy skies, but with a little humidity mixed in. High temperatures will be close to 85°. There is a slight chance of rain, but not much.
All in all, it’s going to be really nice. Bring your sunscreen and a hat, though.
TV Ratings Check — Las Vegas
Ratings and viewership-wise, Las Vegas was definitely mixed. Sunday’s broadcast of the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube on FS1 earned a 1.44 rating with 2.771 million viewers. This is down 3% in ratings and 8% in viewership from last year’s race, which earned a 1.48 rating with 3.011 million viewership.
On the other hand, things were looking up for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Saturday’s broadcast of The LiUNA! had 1.188 million viewers on The CW. This was up 8% from last year’s broadcast, which had 1.1 million viewers.
There is no Nielsen rating available for the full broadcast. The race did finish after 8 p.m. ET Saturday night, allowing for prime-time rating information for the final 10 minutes. At that point, the race had a .84 rating with 1.430 million viewers.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the Frontstretch email 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 Frontstretch 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.
If NA$CAR wants “retro” then call it the Rebel 400!