The NASCAR Cup Series playoff field is down to eight drivers for Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway.
Viewers will get to watch the Hollywood Casino 400 dramatics unfold on NBC. It should be noted, though, that the network could still shift the action to NBCSN if the race pushes into Sunday Night Football like it did two weekends ago in the YellaWood 500.
This is the first of three Round of 8 races.
MORE: Watch today’s NASCAR race live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Here are the drivers still championship eligible, ranked by points:
| Pos. | Driver | Distance from cut-off |
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | +45 |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | +32 |
| 3 | Brad Keselowski | +13 |
| 4 | Chase Elliott | +5 |
| CUT-OFF | CUT-OFF | CUT-OFF |
| 5 | Joey Logano | -5 |
| 6 | Martin Truex Jr. | -10 |
| 7 | Alex Bowman | -18 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | -21 |
The start time for Sunday’s NASCAR race at Kansas is 2:30 p.m. ET. Below is how to watch Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 race, including the TV channel and live stream options.
What channel is NASCAR on today?
- Race: Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway
- Date : Sunday, Oct. 18
- TV channel: NBC
- Live stream: NBCSports.com | fuboTV (7-day free trial)
- Radio: PRN
NASCAR is back on schedule even after its two-month hiatus amid COVID-19 in the spring, and Sunday’s playoff race at Kansas will get prime TV treatment on NBC rather than NBCSN. Three of the final four races this season, Sunday included, will be on NBC. Next weekend at Texas is the lone remaining race slated for NBCSN.
The 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 night’s race at Kansas with the assistance of analysts Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte.
What time does the NASCAR race start today?
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 18
- Start time: 2:30 p.m. ET
The Round of 8 NASCAR playoff race at Kansas on Sunday should begin at about 2:30 p.m. ET. Rain is possible but considered unlikely for the competition.
The race is 267 laps spread over three stages and will become official after Lap 134. The distance of the race is 400 miles.
Kevin Harvick is the most accomplished playoff racer at Kansas with three career victories at the track.
NASCAR live stream for Kansas race
Anybody who has a cable or satellite subscription can stream Sunday’s NASCAR race at Kansas 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 |
| Sun., Oct. 25 | Texas | NBCSN | 3 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.