NASCAR Cup playoffs at Dover 2017: Start time, lineup, TV, more
It’s NASCAR race day at Dover International Speedway, and we’ve got some essential information you need to get ready for Sunday's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Apache Warrior 400:
START TIME: Three-time Grammy-Award winning musician Wyclef Jean will instruct drivers to start their engines at 2:07 p.m. ET., followed by the green flag at 2:15 p.m.
RACE DISTANCE: The Apache Warrior 400 is 400 miles and 400 laps around the 1-mile concrete oval.
MCMURRAY: Hopes to change luck at Dover elimination race
PLAYOFF FIELD: Will try to close gap on Truex at Dover
TEAMS: Employ pit crew musical chairs to gain playoff advantage
DRIVERS: Seek to move on from national anthem debate at Dover
SEGMENTS: Beginning this season, NASCAR is dividing every race into segments and awarding one bonus point to the winner of each stage. Segment lengths will be different for every race. Also, the top 10 finishers of segments 1 and 2 will be awarded regular-season points in descending order from 10 to 1. Here are the segments for the Apache Warrior 400: Stage 1: 120 laps; Stage 2: 120 laps; Stage 3: 160 laps.
NATIONAL ANTHEM/FLYOVER: The USO Show Troupe will perform the national anthem at 2:01 p.m. ET, followed by a flyover by two F-16’s of the 149th Fighter Wing of the Texas Air National Guard.
TV/RADIO SCHEDULE: NBC Sports Network will broadcast the race on TV and has a pre-race show beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET. Motor Racing Network and Sirius/XM NASCAR Radio will call the race on the radio.
LIVE STREAMING: NBCSports.com will live-stream the race for those who sign in with their cable/satellite provider's credentials.
WEATHER: The National Weather Service is calling for sunny skies with a high near 66 degrees and 7-10 mph winds out of the north.
LAST TIME: Jimmie Johnson took the lead on an overtime restart and won under caution following a multicar crash after taking the white flag. The June 4 win was Johnson's 11th at Dover, extending his record for most victories at the track. And one year ago, Martin Truex Jr. led 187 laps to earn his second career win at Dover and second in the first round of the 2016 playoffs.
STARTING LINEUP: Truex, who already has clinched a berth in the second round with his victory two weeks ago at Chicagoland Speedway, will start on the pole after turning in a lap of 160.664 mph. Kyle Busch, who won last week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to lock in his spot in the next round, also will start on the front row.
Here is the starting lineup for the Apache Warrior 400 (car number in parentheses):
1. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota
2. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota
3. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
4. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota
5. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota
6. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
7. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet
8. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet
9. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford
10. (77) Erik Jones, Toyota
11. (21) Ryan Blaney, Ford
12. (24) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
13. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford
14. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford
15. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford
16. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford
17. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
18. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
19. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford
20. (6) Trevor Bayne, For
21. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet
22. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet
23. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
24. (10) Danica Patrick, Ford
25. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet
26. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet
27. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
28. (38) David Ragan, Ford
29. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
30. (95) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
31. (34) Landon Cassill, Ford
32. (15) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
33. (72) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet
34. (83) Brett Moffitt, Toyota
35. (66) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet
36. (51) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet
37. (23) Corey LaJoie, Toyota
38. (33) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet
39. (55) Reed Sorenson, Toyota
40. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford
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