The NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 finishes at Martinsville on Sunday in the Xfinity 500.
With three open spots for a place in the Championship 4 at Phoenix — Joey Logano already clinched the fourth — action should be intense in the final laps. Fiery contenders Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch are in must-win situations and are likely to take more chances on the track than they usually do.
NBC will broadcast the Xfinity 500 race through its conclusion barring a weather delay that bleeds into Sunday night's NFL game. NBCSN is the backup network should a conflict with football arise.
MORE: Watch today's NASCAR race live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Below are the Cup Series drivers still championship eligible, ranked by points:
| Pos. | Driver | Distance from cutoff |
| 1 | Joey Logano | ADV |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | +42 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | +27 |
| 4 | Brad Keselowski | +25 |
| CUTOFF | CUTOFF | CUTOFF |
| 5 | Alex Bowman | -25 |
| 6 | Chase Elliott | -25 |
| 7 | Martin Truex Jr. | -36 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | -81 |
The start time for Sunday's NASCAR race at Martinsville is 2 p.m. ET. Below is how to watch the Xfinity 500 competition, including the TV channel and live stream options.
What channel is NASCAR on today?
- Race: Xfinity 500 at Martinsville
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 1
- TV channel: NBC
- Live stream: NBCSports.com | fuboTV (7-day free trial)
- Radio: PRN
NASCAR's race at Martinsville is on NBC for a national TV audience. The championship at Phoenix will also be shown on NBC.
The NBC 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's race at Martinsville with the assistance of analysts Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte.
Viewers in Canada can watch this week's NASCAR race on TSN.
What time does the NASCAR race start today?
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 1
- Start time: 2 p.m. ET
The last of three Round of 8 races is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. It comes just four days after NASCAR completed its postponed Texas race. The short turnaround is one of several main storylines expected to be discussed at length on the afternoon Martinsville broadcast.
Most of NASCAR's recent playoff races have taken place around the same time, but several have been delayed or postponed because of inclement weather. There is a threat of rain in the Sunday forecast for Martinsville. The track has lights, meaning a night race would be in play if the track needs time to dry.
The race is 500 laps spread over three stages and will become official after 250. The distance of the race is 263 miles.
Martin Truex Jr, who desperately needs a win to secure a Championship 4 place at Phoenix, has swooped to victory lane in back-to-back outings at Martinsville.
NASCAR live stream for Martinsville race
Anybody who has a cable or satellite subscription can stream Sunday's Round of 8 finale at Martinsville 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 |
| Wed., Oct. 28 | Texas | NBCSN | 5 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.