Hello? There's no Racing News down here. Where ya off to? Bob, this doesn't look good... Are you lost... The blue dot on the GPS won't help you here. It's probably too late to turn back now anyway. Baby Jessica, it appears you've fallen into the well. Like a mummy at night fightin' with bright lightnin'. I'm not here to save you. I'm just here for the ride. So, let me entertain you and everything will be fine. Have you had it up to here? That's Rock Bottom. Click here to exit the well.<doc-sep>AJ Mast/Associated Press The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs waved goodbye to racing great Jimmie Johnson during the first wave of eliminations. Those left standing are headed to Dover International Speedway for the Gander Outdoors 400, a new wrinkle in the playoff journey after realignment. There, names like Martin Truex Jr. will try to overcome the after-effects of a major end-of-race wreck last time out as drivers attempted to stave off elimination. With only 12 drivers remaining and plenty of those on the outside looking in, aiming to play spoiler, Dover should once again hold one of the top events of the year. Here's everything to know about Sunday's affair. Viewing Details Where: Dover International Speedway Video Play Button Videos you might like When: Sunday, 2 p.m. ET Watch: NBCS Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Tickets: StubHub Gander Outdoors 400 1. Kyle Busch 2. Kevin Harvick 3. Martin Truex Jr. 4. Brad Keselowski Note: Qualifying rained out; full start list set by points. 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Standings 1. Kyle Busch 3090 2. Brad Keselowski 3040 3. Ryan Blaney 3018 4. Kevin Harvick 3085 5. Martin Truex Jr. 3058 6. Clint Bowyer 3025 7. Joey Logano 3019 8. Kurt Busch 3019 9. Chase Elliott 3013 10. Kyle Larson 3006 11. Aric Almirola 3001 12. Alex Bowman 3000 13.Jimmie Johnson 2097 14. Austin Dillon 2071 15. Denny Hamlin 2053 16. Erik Jones 2046 ESPN.com Drivers to Watch Martin Truex Jr. Mike McCarn/Associated Press Truex is angry heading into Sunday. The Furniture Row Racing driver seemed to have a shot at a checkered flag in the previous race before Johnson came out of nowhere and caused both men to wreck out. It should go without saying, but Truex wasn't exactly thrilled with the situation: Johnson's attempt to save his season was a polarizing move and resulted in Truex's 14th-placed finish at a time when he was finally starting to re-establish momentum. Before the odd finish, Truex had landed third at two consecutive events, breaking himself free of a downward trend that had seen him finish outside of the top 10 in four consecutive events. Now it is back to non-top-10 land for Truex, who has four wins but lost out on some serious playoff positioning as a result of the wreck. He will undoubtedly be motivated to get back on track in Dover, but an erratic couple of months could be hard to overcome with so much at stake for the entire field. Ryan Blaney Mike McCarn/Associated Press The big winner after the Johnson-Truex debacle, Ryan Blaney now has to find a way to keep the momentum going. After playing the points game well all year, Blaney was in the right place at the right time to capitalize on some chaos and grab his first checkered flag of the season. The outcome was a surprise to him as well. "But we put ourselves in a good spot, and it worked out for us," Blaney said, according to USA Today's Michelle Martinelli. "When I was running third, I was just thinking about points. We were good on points, and I was cool with just riding around in third. But then that situation happened, and we happened to be there." Winning in dominant fashion is something fans have been repeatedly hit over the head with this year thanks to the likes of Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, who have combined to tally 14 wins (seven apiece). But there should still be room in the hearts of fans for an opportunist like Blaney, who sits in a great position on the leaderboard, much like he has in most races this year. If he's picking and choosing his spots the rest of the way—like he has much of the season—he could sneak his way past a few more cut lines. The No. 12 Ford is one to keep in mind while the heavyweights soak up much of the attention on the broadcast. Kyle Busch Chuck Burton/Associated Press Busch made a devastating mistake in Charlotte last time out that saw him land 32nd. Just don't call it a rookie mistake. Most of the press ahead of the race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval centered on the fact it was a great unknown because it was a rare road-course hybrid for a playoff event. Near the end of the race, Busch and other big names like Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski misjudged a turn and slammed into a barrier, ending their event. Busch spent the post-race media run explaining what happened, as Motorsport.com's Nick DeGroot shared: "We'd just been there the longest we had been on tires, and I guess all of us are just stupid and don't know where to brake for the corner considering what our tires look like, and so we just all drove off into a 90-degree wall for something to do because we had nothing else better to do." Unlike Truex, Busch wasn't hurting to keep a good streak going at least. He's sitting on seven wins, and over his four prior events, he had finished eighth or better, hitting Victory Lane in Richmond most recently. To top it all off, Busch won this race a year ago, so he's looking to make it two in a row as the series returns to a normal event—one he has to enter as the favorite.<doc-sep>What channels are NASCAR races on this week? We answer that and give you the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule. Note: All times are ET. MORE: Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Gets FOX Sports Go | How to find NBCSN MONDAY, Oct. 8 3 p.m.: NASCAR 120, NBCSN/NBC Sports App 5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App On MRN Noon: Motorsports Monday (with hosts Woody Cain and Joey Meier) TUESDAY, Oct. 9 4 p.m.: Glory Road (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App 5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App 6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1 On MRN 7 p.m.: NASCAR Live (with host Mike Bagley) WEDNESDAY, Oct. 10 3 a.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1 5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN On MRN Noon: Crew Call (with hosts Sammi Jo Francis and Rocko Williams) 1 p.m.: NASCAR Coast to Coast (with hosts Kyle Rickey & Hannah Newhouse) THURSDAY, Oct. 11 5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NCBSN/NBC Sports App 5:30 p.m.: Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App 6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub (live), FS1 6 p.m.: NASCAR K&N Pro Series race, NBCSN/NBC Sports App On MRN Noon. : The Straight Line 1 p.m.: Throwback Thursday: 1980 Talladega 500 FRIDAY, Oct. 12 10 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Talladega practice, FS2 11 a.m.: NASCAR Race Classic: 1998 Daytona 500, FS2 11:30 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Talladega final practice, FS2 5:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Talladega qualifying, FS2 On MRN Noon. : The Inside Line (with host Tyler Burnett) SATURDAY, Oct. 13 9 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Talladega qualifying (re-air), FS1 10:30 a.m.: NASCAR Decades: The 1990s, NBCSN/NBC Sports App 11 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Talladega final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN1, 3, 4, 5) 12:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Set Up, FOX 1 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Talladega, FOX 4:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Talladega, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) 6:30 p.m.: Racing Roots: Bubba Wallace, NBCSN/NBC Sports App SUNDAY, Oct. 14 8:30 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Talladega final practice (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App 9-11 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series race at Talladega (re-air), FS1 10 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Talladega (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App 11 a.m.: NASCAR RaceDay, FS1 noon: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App 1 p.m.: NASCAR America Sunday, NBC/NBC Sports App 1:30 p.m.: Countdown to Green: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NBC/NBC Sports App 2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega, NBC (Canada: TSN1, 4) 6 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series post-race show, NBCSN/NBC Sports App 6:30 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN/NBC Sports App<doc-sep>
One week after an exciting finish to the Round of 16 at Charlotte's ROVAL, the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs heads to Dover International Speedway for the start of the Round of 12. Stakes are high with a win propelling any of the 12 remaining playoff drivers in to the Round of 8 and that much closer to the Championship 4. Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson, Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin were eliminated as the checkered flag flew last week, with Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, race-winner Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Aric Almirola and Alex Bowman advancing to the next round. The playoff field is surely thanking their lucky stars that Johnson wrecked on the last lap, as the 11-time Dover winner would have proved to be a serious threat to start the Round of 12. Despite an elimination, Johnson still has motivation to win his record 12th race at the Monster Mile, with the hunt for a 2019 sponsor still on. Look for Johnson to potentially play spoiler this weekend. As for the drivers currently locked into the field, Harvick is the defending Dover winner. In addition to one other win there in his career, the No. 4 team has a series-best seven wins this season. Harvick has 16 top-10 finishes in 35 starts at the track and has earned his wins in the last six races. While we're at the top, let's move to Kyle Busch, who won this race last season. Rowdy is atop the playoff standings and will look to make a statement at the track this weekend. On top of last year's triumph, Busch has 2 more wins under his belt. And let's finish with the other "Big 3" member, hometown kid Martin Truex Jr. He won this race in 2016 and was on the cusp of a ROVAL win at Charlotte before wrecking with Johnson at the finish line. The reigning champion was fourth in the June race and fourth there in this race last year after starting from the pole. He had eight top-10 finishes in his last nine starts, including top-five finishes in his last four races at the track. Other winners in the playoff field include: Keselowski in 2012 and Kurt Busch in 2011. Blaney, Larson, Logano and Bowyer have won in the Xfinity Series. How to watch the Gander Outdoors 400 Location: Dover International Speedway Date: Sunday, October 7th Time: 2 p.m. ET Length: 400 miles/400 laps Stage 1: Ends on Lap 120 Stage 2: Ends on Lap 240 Final stage: Scheduled for Lap 400 TV: NBCSN Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)