Just one NASCAR Cup Series race remains before the championship at Phoenix: Sunday's Xfinity 500 at Martinsville.
Four of the eight remaining contenders will be eliminated following this weekend's competition, their tough paths amid the COVID-19 pandemic ending just before the finish line. Unlike previous rounds, when some drivers who were surprised to make it so far bowed out, those who are scratched from the title field at Martinsville will do so after entering 2020 with legitimate hopes of hoisting a trophy.
Right now, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch are on the wrong side of the bubble. Drama will be heightened if any of them are positioned to win in the final laps on Sunday.
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 |
Here's all you need to know about the schedule for Sunday's Xfinity 500 race at Martinsville.
MORE: Watch today's NASCAR race live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
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.
What channel is NASCAR on today?
- TV channel : NBC
- Live stream : NBC Sports Go | fuboTV (7-day free trial)
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.
NASCAR live stream for Martinsville race
Anybody who has a cable or satellite subscription can stream Sunday's NASCAR race at Martinsville live via NBCSports.com or the NBC Sports app . This should be the preferred route for any 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. Of the five, Hulu, YouTubeTV and fuboTV 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, with Sunday's race at Martinsville in bold.
| 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.