NASCAR is giving Sunday's Cup Series playoff elimination race today to a channel that more people get as it cuts the field from 12 to eight.
Instead of showing the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on NBCSN, where NASCAR has placed several playoff races, it will broadcast the latest race on NBC. Fans should note the network could still shift the action to NBCSN if the race pushes into Sunday Night Football like it did this past weekend in the YellaWood 500.
The race should be a good one — four drivers will be eliminated, creating an incentive for competitors to take chances on the track.
MORE: Watch today's NASCAR race live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin are guaranteed spots in the next playoff round. This is the final race to determine the other six competitors.
The start time for Sunday's NASCAR race at Charlotte is 2:30 p.m. ET. Below is how to watch Sunday's race, including the TV channel and live stream options.
What channel is NASCAR on today?
- Race: Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
- TV channel : NBC
- Live stream : NBCSports.com | fuboTV (7-day free trial)
- Radio: PRN
NASCAR is back on schedule even after its two-month hiatus amid COVID-19 in the spring, and Sunday's playoff race at Charlotte will get prime TV treatment on NBC rather than NBCSN. Four of the final five races this season, Sunday included, will be on NBC.
The network has a channel finder feature for viewers to find the TV channel options in their areas.
As is the case for all the Cup Series races on NBC and NBCSN this season, Rick Allen will call Sunday night's race at Charlotte with the assistance of analysts Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte.
What time does the NASCAR race start today?
- Date : Sunday, Oct. 11
- Start time : 2:30 p.m. ET
The Round of 12 NASCAR playoff race at Charlotte on Sunday should begin soon after 2:30 p.m. ET. The temperature is supposed to be in the high-70s, and rain and lightning are considered likely. Charlotte Motor Speedway does have lights, but because of concerns about the infield brightness, a night race is not considered feasible.
The elimination race is 109 laps spread over three stages and will become official after Lap 55. The distance of the race is 250 miles.
Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott have won the two competitions at the still-novel ROVAL course, which debuted in 2018. Because of the combination of road and oval elements, as well as the lack of mid-week practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are likely to be many cautions. Last year, there were 10 cautions. In 2018, there were eight.
NASCAR live stream for Charlotte race
Anybody who has a cable or satellite subscription can stream Sunday's NASCAR race at Charlotte live via NBCSports.com or the NBC Sports app. This should be the preferred route for a viewer who has such a subscription but isn't able to get in front of his or her TV.
For those who don't have a cable or satellite subscription, there are five OTT TV streaming options that carry NBC and NBCSN — Sling, Hulu, YouTubeTV, fuboTV and AT&T Now. All five currently offer free trial options.
Below are links to each.
NASCAR schedule 2020
NASCAR remains committed to running 36 races this season, four of which were completed before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the sports world.
Despite so many changes to the regular-season schedule, NASCAR is keeping its 10 playoff races in the fall intact and at their original tracks. Below is that playoff schedule.
| Date | Track | TV channel | Start time |
| Sun., Sept. 6 | Darlington | NBCSN | 6 p.m. ET |
| Sat., Sept. 12 | Richmond | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| Sat., Sept. 19 | Bristol | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| Sun, Sept. 27 | Las Vegas | NBCSN | 7 p.m. ET |
| Sun., Oct. 4 | Talladega | NBC | 2 p.m. ET |
| Sun., Oct. 11 | Charlotte (ROVAL) | NBC | 2:30 p.m. ET |
| Sun., Oct. 18 | Kansas | NBC | 2:30 p.m. ET |
| Sun., Oct. 25 | Texas | NBCSN | 3 p.m. ET |
| Sun. Nov. 1 | Martinsville | NBC | 2 p.m. ET |
| Sun. Nov. 8 | Phoenix Raceway | NBC | 3 p.m. ET |
As for the regular season, a previously unscheduled Darlington race ran on May 17 instead of the the Chicagoland race that was originally scheduled for June 21. Another Darlington race ran on May 20 instead of the postponed Richmond race that was originally scheduled for April 19. The Charlotte race on May 27 ran instead of the Sonoma race that was originally scheduled for June 14.
The Pocono doubleheader remained as previously scheduled for the final weekend of June, with the Cup Series racing on back-to-back days. Those races were presented on Fox (and FS1) rather than on NBC. Fox's closed its coverage this season with the All-Star Race at Bristol on July 15.
Previously postponed races at Dover and Michigan became part of Saturday-Sunday doubleheaders at those respective tracks in August.
Because New York required people to quarantine for 14 days after traveling from one of the states impacted heavily by COVID-19 (including North Carolina), the Watkins Glen race on Aug. 16 was moved to the Daytona road course. According to The Athletic, NASCAR tried to get a quarantine waiver for its Watkins Glen races but was denied by Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.
The Aug. 16 race was the NASCAR Cup Series' first on the road course at Daytona.