What to know, how to watch Sunday’s NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta

The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs officially begin today. Atlanta Motor Speedway hosts the first race on the road to the 2024 championship, as 16 playoff drivers race against the rest of the field seeking to take the checkered flag and gain automatic advancement to the second round.

Atlanta presents a wide-open opportunity for any driver to speed to victory as the action on the 1.5-mile track has come to resemble the superspeedway pack racing made famous at Daytona and Talladega. The February race at Atlanta provides an excellent example as Daniel Suarez prevailed in a photo finish to score just his second career Cup Series win and clinch an early berth in the playoffs.

Will Sunday prove a thrilling repeat? Follow along for all the news, action and highlights from race No. 1 of the 10-race playoffs:

What time does the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta start?

The Quaker State 400 starts at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.

What TV channel is the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta on?

USA Network is broadcasting the Quaker State 400 and has a pre-race show beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta?

The Quaker State 400 can be live streamed on the NBC Sports website and the NBC Sports app. The race is also available to stream on Fubo.

What is the weather forecast for the NASCAR race at Atlanta? 

It’s going to be a great day for racing! The forecast at the track, according to AccuWeather, is calling for sunny to partly cloudy skies with temperatures reaching the high-70s or low-80s by the time the race begins.

How many laps is the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta? 

The Quaker State 400 is 260 laps around the 1.54-mile track for a total of 400.4 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) – Stage 1: 60 laps; Stage 2: 100 laps; Stage 3: 100 laps. 

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