NASCAR returns to Martinsville Speedway for three days of playoff racing action, the track will host limited fans for the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race on Sunday, Nov. 1, NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff race on Saturday, Oct. 31, and NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Playoff race on Friday, Oct. 30.

"Martinsville Speedway is home to some of the most competitive and dramatic racing in NASCAR, so we look forward to welcoming fans back to be a part of the experience," said Martinsville President Clay Campbell. "The roar of the engines combined with the return of fans' cheers will make the intense battle to set the field for the NASCAR Championship that much greater. After successfully hosting a June NASCAR Cup Series race, Martinsville will be ready to welcome fans back for a safe race experience in the Commonwealth."

A limited, reduced number of fans will be in attendance for each NASCAR Playoff race at Martinsville in accordance with public health officials and local, state and federal authorities. To ensure social distancing between groups, fans who have already purchased tickets to a race will be reseated in new locations, as comparable as possible to original seats, with new, lower ticket pricing applied.

All guests will be screened before entering the facility, required to wear face coverings and maintain six-feet of social distancing throughout the venue. In addition, coolers will not be permitted, but clear bags up to 18"x18"x14" in size will be allowed.

Additional information on fan protocols and camping will be made available to fans in the near future.

https://www.martinsvillespeedway.com/Articles/2020/10/Limited-Fans.aspx

.@MattDRacing effectively saved his job with a superb drive at Dega, as @Team_Penske changed course late and found the compromise of promoting @AustinCindric in '22.

Increasing doubts that DiBenedetto would be extended for '21 had led his reps to look into other new options.

Happy for Matty D.

Steve Williams said:

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Matty D definitely won me over.

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Same here. Hoping for the best.

Adam Stern

If the @NFL has to add a "Week 18" to its regular season because of COVID rescheduling, the @SuperBowl could get pushed back from Feb. 7 to Feb. 14, the day of @NASCAR's Daytona 500, per @BenFischerSBJ.

NFL also could just kill the Pro Bowl bye week to keep Super Bowl on 7th. https://t.co/kjoTzCMWKu

2020 has just sucked ......either way I will be watching the Daytona 500...

Wolfer79 said:

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I guess that means Chase to the 14, best of luck to Clint. Been fun watching him.

Adam Stern

.@NBCSports' NASCAR booth will call the final five Cup Series races in person, starting with this weekend at Charlotte and then traveling to the final four.

@RickAllenRacing, @SteveLetarte, @JeffBurton and @DaleJr had largely been calling races remotely due to the pandemic. https://t.co/I2JNpqYPkN

Wolfer79 said:

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Looks like a wet race Saturday and cup on Monday.....Sunday doesn't look good at all.

Sports Media Watch

NASCAR hit a new ratings low at Talladega, but the numbers were not too bad by 2020 standards.

Last Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series playoff race from Talladega averaged a 1.9 rating and 3.10 million viewers on NBC, marking the lowest rated race at the track since at least 1998 and the least-watched since at least 2001 (excluding rainouts). Ratings fell 14% and viewership 12% from 2018, the last time the fall race was run as scheduled (2.2, 3.51M). Last year's edition was postponed to Monday and averaged 1.54 million.

NBC's numbers do not include the conclusion of the triple-overtime race, which was bumped to NBCSN and averaged 1.86 million.

Denny Hamlin's win averaged a lower rating and fewer viewers than the 'spring' race at Talladega in June a Monday make-up on FOX (2.1, 3.33M). Keep in mind that race generated unusual national media attention.

Even with the historic low, the race held up reasonably well in a year of across-the-board declines for sports TV. It outdrew every game of this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs and every game of the MLB Postseason through Thursday.

The Xfinity Series race at Talladega averaged a 0.51 and 816,000 on NBCSN Saturday. There was no fall Xfinity race there last year.

In other racing action, IndyCar's doubleheader at Indianapolis Motor Speedway averaged a 0.14 and 221,000 on USA Network last Friday and a 0.37 and 566,000 on the NBC broadcast network last Saturday. Aided by an NFL lead-in, the Red Bull Signature Series averaged a robust 0.9 and 1.70 million on Sunday actually topping NASCAR in adults 18-49 (714K to 590K).

[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 10.6 a, b]


Paulsen
Dr. Jon Lewis (aka Paulsen) has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and sole writer of Sports Media Watch. You can contact him here or on the Sports Media Watch Twitter page.

Weird watching them race in heavy rain

Here is all the info for the Sunday Cup race at the Charlotte Roval:
(All times are Eastern)

START: "This is Us" actor Justin Hartley will give the command at 2:20 p.m. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 2:32 p.m.

PRERACE: Cup garage opens at 7:30 a.m. Drivers report to their cars at 1:55 p.m. Driver intros at 2 p.m. The invocation will be given at 2:13 p.m. by David Chadwick, founding pastor at Moments of Hope Church. The national anthem will be performed by Season 14 of "The Voice" contestants Pryor & Lee at 2:14 p.m.

DISTANCE: The race is 109 laps (252.88 miles) around the 2.32-mile course.

STAGES: Stage 1 ends on Lap 25. Stage 2 ends on Lap 50

TV/RADIO: NBC will televise the race. Coverage begins at 1 p.m on NBCSN with NASCAR America, followed by Countdown to Green at 1:30 p.m. Race coverage begins at 2 p.m. on NBC. Performance Racing Network's radio coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m. and also can be heard at goprn.com. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the broadcast.

STREAMING: Watch the race on the NBC Sports App

FORECAST: The wunderground.com forecast calls for thunderstorms with a high of 74 degrees and an 84% chance of rain at the start of the race.

The Cup Series has never raced in the rain and Goodyear on Saturday offered an explainer on the four sets of tires each team will have Sunday. The tires most closely compare to the consumer Eagle F1 all-season Goodyear tire and Juan Pablo Montoya assisted on their final development 10 years ago.

The Xfinity Series has raced in wet conditions before and the rain tires were needed Saturday in a slippery potential preview of the main event. Cars were hydroplaning all over the course, crashing into the wall and struggling to get the windshield wipers working.

That was from competitors who not only have raced in the rain before, but just did it in August at Road America. The Cup drivers have never before used rain tires in competition.

"It is fair. Everyone has the same opportunity," said Joey Logano, eighth and in the transfer spot ahead of Busch.

Logano asked Team Penske driver Austin Cindric, who has raced in the rain in the Xfinity Series, for tips, but also wondered if there's a limit on how much rain NASCAR will tolerate.

NASCAR stopped the Xfinity Series race for about 40 minutes Saturday so its track dryers could push water off the racing surface.

"At what point ... is it too much rain? Is standing water or running water across the racetrack where you can hydroplane what is the line?" Logano wondered. "What is the drainage like at that racetrack through the infield road course? I don't know.

"I've never really looked around when it was pouring rain to see how that road course drains, so there are so many questions that we have no answers to. We just have to expect the unexpected at this point."

Fun couple of days of racing. Enjoyed being there and seeing fans there. Happy to see Chase win...interesting finial 8.

Good to see teams doing things the right way....hope to see them move up...they run a very good XFINITY program.

Adam Stern

.@MartinTruex_Jr has started a private charter plane company, and on top of flying drivers to races, it also flies human organs and surgical teams for transplant missions.

- https://t.co/MTEIdswlxV https://t.co/8NGxt7ZPvT

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/amp34225572/nobody-carried-dale-earnhardts-gas-quite-like-chocolate-myers/

Nobody Carried Dale Earnhardt's Gas Quite Like Chocolate Myers

Myers is more to NASCAR than just Dale Earnhardt's former crew guy with the unusual nickname.

20 years ago today, Dale Earnhardt stormed through the pack at @TalladegaSuperS to capture his final victory.

Relive the spectacle of those iconic final laps as the Intimidator navigated his way to the front.