Formula One Japanese Grand Prix – Sunday at 1 a.m. ET/Saturday at 10 p.m. PT on NBCSN
Lewis Hamilton Holds 34-Point Lead Over Sebastian Vettel With Five Races Remaining This Season
More than 10 Hours of Mecum Auctions: Chicago Coverage Begins Today at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN
NBCSN Presents Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 This Sunday at 2 P.M. ET on NBC
STAMFORD, Conn. – October 5, 2017 – NBC Sports Group continues its coverage of the 2017 Formula One season with comprehensive live coverage of the Japanese Grand Prix, highlighted by live race coverage on Sunday at 1 a.m. ET/Saturday at 10 p.m. PT on NBCSN.
This week’s motorsports coverage also features more than 10 hours of Mecum Auctions action coverage from Chicago, beginning today at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN. In addition, NBC Sports Group will provide comprehensive coverage of this weekend’s NASCAR XFINITY and Cup Series races from Charlotte.
FORMULA ONE JAPANESE GRAND PRIX – SUNDAY AT 1 A.M. ET/SATURDAY AT 10 P.M. PT ON NBCSN
The Formula One Japanese Grand Prix returns to Suzuka Circuit this week as Lewis
Hamilton (Mercedes) and Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) continue their season-long duel atop the drivers’ standings. Hamilton extended his lead to 34 points over Vettel with a second-place finish at last weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) earned his first win of the season in Malaysia, and teammate Daniel Ricciardo finished third to round out the podium. Vettel, who placed fourth at Sepang, enters the weekend with four career first-place finishes in the Japanese Grand Prix, with his most recent win coming in 2013.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream Practice 1 live tonight at 9 p.m. ET, followed by Practice 2 on Friday at 1 a.m. ET on NBCSN. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will live stream Practice 3 on Friday at 11 p.m. ET. Live qualifying will air on NBCSN on Saturday at 2 a.m. ET. Pre-race coverage kicks off on Sunday with F1 Countdown beginning at 12 a.m. ET/Saturday at 9 p.m. PT on NBCSN, followed by live race coverage beginning at 12:30 a.m. ET/9:30 p.m. PT F1 Extra wraps up the day’s events on NBCSN at 3 a.m. ET. NBCSN will air an encore presentation of the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET.
Leigh Diffey will call this weekend’s action and will be joined by veteran analyst and former racecar driver David Hobbs, and Steve Matchett, an analyst and former race mechanic for the Benetton F1 team. Will Buxton will serve as the on-site reporter at Suzuka.
2017 Formula One Driver Standings | |||
| Position | Driver | Team | Points |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 281 |
| 2 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 247 |
| 3 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 222 |
| 4 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing Tag Heuer | 177 |
| 5 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 138 |
MORE THAN 10 HOURS OF MECUM AUCTIONS: CHICAGO COVERAGE BEGINS TODAY AT 2 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBCSN follows the 2017 Mecum Auctions season as it rolls into Chicago this week with coverage from the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center beginning today at 2 p.m. ET. An estimated 1,000 American muscle cars, classics, Corvettes, Hot Rods, Resto Mods, among others, are set to cross the auction block.
Among the featured consignments for Mecum Chicago 2017 include a 1953 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster – one of 300 hand-built models from that year – a triple-black, single-owner 1967 Oldsmobile 442 Convertible and a 1953 Buick Skylark Convertible. Other auction headliners includes a private collection of vehicles from the Chicago-local Klairmont Kollection, including two Chrysler Town & Country convertibles from 1947 and 1948, respectively, and a 1947 Oldsmobile Series 66 Sedan.
Chicago’s 2016 auction totaled $10.5 million in sales, as spectators saw 435 cars sell over the course of the three-day event. A 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback sold for an event-high $245,000.
Scott Hoke will host NBCSN’s Mecum Auctions coverage on-site in Louisville alongside analysts John Kraman, Stephen Cox, and Bill Stephens. Mecum Auctions is led by Dana Mecum, Founder and President of Mecum Auctions for the past 29 years.
NBCSN PRESENTS MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFFS ROUND OF 12 THIS SUNDAY AT 2 P.M. ET ON NBC
NBC Sports Group surrounds this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series and XFINITY Series Playoffs, with more than 20 hours of trackside coverage from Charlotte Motor Speedway, in Concord, N.C. Race coverage from the “Queen City” begins Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with the pivotal XFINITY Series Playoffs Round of 12 elimination race, and culminates Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, with the first race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12. Click here for more information.
Following is this week’s motorsports coverage schedule:
| Date | Program | Time (ET) | Network |
| Thur., October 5 | Car Matchmaker (Premiere) | 12 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Car Matchmaker (Premiere) | 12:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Car Matchmaker (Premiere) | 1 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Car Matchmaker (Premiere) | 1:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Mecum Auctions: Chicago | 2p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America | 5 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Practice 1 | 9 p.m. | Streaming** | |
| Fri., October 6 | F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Practice 2 | 1 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Mecum Auctions: Chicago | 12 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Practice – Charlotte | 1:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice – Charlotte | 3 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Mecum Auctions: Chicago | 4 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR XFINITY Series Final Practice – Charlotte | 6 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – Charlotte | 7 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Mecum Auctions: Chicago* | 8:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR K&N Series – Dover International Speedway | 10:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Practice 3 | 11 p.m. | Streaming** | |
| Sat., October 7 | F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Qualifying | 2 a.m. | NBCSN |
| NASCAR Wheelen Series – Stafford Motor Speedway | 10 a.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Practice – Charlotte | 11 a.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR XFINITY Series Qualifying – Charlotte | 12 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America | 1 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice – Charlotte | 1:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green | 2:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Charlotte | 3 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race Show – Charlotte | 5:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Mecum Auctions: Chicago* | 6 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| F2 Series – Spain* | 11 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sun., October 8 | F1 Countdown | 12 a.m. | NBCSN |
| F1 Japanese Grand Prix | 1 a.m. | NBCSN | |
| F1 Extra | 3 a.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America | 12 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green | 1 p.m. | NBC | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Racing From Charlotte | 2 p.m. | NBC | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race Show – Charlotte | 6 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Victory Lap | 6:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Mecum Auctions: Chicago* | 7:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| F1 Japanese Grand Prix Race* | 9 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR K&N Series – Meridian Speedway (Premiere) | 11 p.m. | NBCSN |
*delayed coverage
**NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app
NBC SPORTS GROUP STREAMING, DIGITAL AND SOCIAL CONTENT
NBC Sports Group will provide comprehensive streaming and digital coverage surrounding its motorsports properties via NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – and NASCAR Talk and MotorSportsTalk, NBC Sports Group’s digital home for the latest motorsports news.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will provide season-long live streaming coverage of all Formula One practices, qualifying sessions and Grands Prix, including exclusive coverage of practices that will not air on NBC or NBCSN. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream NASCAR and IndyCar content that will air on NBC and NBCSN (race coverage and some practice and qualifying), as well as the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, Red Bull Global RallyCross series, and Red Bull Air Race.
MOTORSPORTSTALK: MotorSportsTalk (@MotorSportsTalk) on NBCSports.com brings racing fans up-to-the-minute news, video and information on Formula One, the Verizon IndyCar Series, and other open-wheel and off-road racing from around the world. The site also serves as the destination for all news, analysis and video from NBC and NBCSN productions of IndyCar and F1, including contributions from on-air commentators.
SOCIAL: NBC Sports Group will continue to provide comprehensive motorsports social coverage across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. On Twitter, fans can follow @MotorsportsTalk for all-encompassing content across NBC Sports Group’s motorsports properties. @NASCARonNBC and@NASCARTalkNBC share the latest NASCAR content, @F1onNBCSports provides the latest news in Formula One, and @IndyCaronNBCSN delivers up-to-the-minute information on the Verizon IndyCar Series.
In addition, the NASCAR on NBC Facebook page will provide users with videos, interactive content and much more. Fans should also “like” NBC Sports on Facebook for the most up-to-date news, videos and commentary about NBC Sports Group’s motorsports properties.
For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.
– NBC SPORTS GROUP –
