The NASCAR Playoffs roll into perhaps the biggest wildcard race weekend of them all as the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Craftsman Truck Series head to Talladega Superspeedway, a wild 2.66-mile superspeedway, where drivers will have to try to draft their way through a furious pack of cars inches away from cars around them.
All three series are in the midst of the Round of 8 of the Playoffs, and this weekend’s events at Talladega will serve as the second of three races in the Round for each series.
While many feel superspeedway racing is NASCAR’s equivalent to roulette, there are several drivers who have wrapped their minds around this style of racing and are usually expected to contend for the win.
Last season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spoiled the day for the Playoff contenders in a wreck-filled event at Talladega as he took his fourth career NASCAR Cup Series superspeedway win. He’ll look to play the role of spoiler again this weekend, but Playoff contenders Joey Logano (3 wins), Ryan Blaney (3 wins), Denny Hamlin (2 wins), and Chase Elliott (2 wins) have all visited victory lane at this track in the past.
Hamlin secured his place in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 field with a win last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With advancement to the Championship 4 secured, Hamlin can go for broke in an attempt to claim a 61st career win on Sunday.
With near-certain championship implications bound to erupt in all three races, fans won’t want to miss a moment of the action. Here’s how to watch the full weekend of NASCAR events across the Xfinity Series and Cup Series, including qualifying sessions, as well as the races. There are no practice sessions at superspeedway events in the NASCAR National Series aside from the Daytona 500.
Friday, October 17 – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (FOX, FS2)
- 12:30 PM ET – Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying – FS2
- 4:00 PM ET – Craftsman Truck Series Love’s RV Stop 225 Race – FOX
Saturday, October 18 – NASCAR Xfinity & Cup Series (CW App, The CW, TruTV)
- 11:30 AM ET – Xfinity Series Qualifying – CW App
- 1:30 PM ET – Cup Series Qualifying – TruTV
- 4:00 PM ET – Xfinity Series United Rentals 250 Race – The CW
Note: If you’re having a hard time finding The CW in your area, utilize the channel finder feature from The CW.
Sunday, October 19 – NASCAR Cup Series (NBC / Streaming)
- 2:00 PM ET – Cup Series YellaWood 500 Race
TV: NBC
Streaming: Peacock, HBO Max
With the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race being aired on FOX, the Xfinity Series race being carried live on The CW, and the Cup Series event being televised on NBC, this will mark just the second time that all three of NASCAR’s National Series will be televised on network television in a single weekend.
The July 2000 NASCAR Cup weekend at Daytona International Speedway, and the NASCAR Xfinity (then Busch Grand National)/Craftsman Truck Series weekend at the Milwaukee Mile were all carried live on CBS.
