The Verizon IndyCar Series concludes its 2016 season this weekend with the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, which airs this Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Full details and times for this weekend’s coverage of practice, qualifying and the 16th and final race of the year are below:
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This weekend’s motorsports coverage on NBCSN is highlighted by a duel for the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series championship, as Team Penske teammates Simon Pagenaud and Will Power battle for the season title at the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma this Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
INDYCAR GOPRO GRAND PRIX OF SONOMA – SUNDAY AT 6:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Simon Pagenaud has been at the top of the Verizon IndyCar Series standings for nearly the entire 2016 season, with three wins and two second-place finishes to start the year, and will need to hold off teammate Will Power to clinch his first career season title on Sunday at Sonoma. Pagenaud leads the standings with 555 points, 43 ahead of Power (512). Sunday’s race is a double-points race, so Power can still win the championship by finishing in the top five in Sunday’s 85-lap race – depending on how Pagenaud fares. Click here for a full breakdown of championship outcomes.
Pagenaud’s best season finish came in 2013, when he finished in third place overall, while Power has one career Verizon IndyCar Series championship under his belt (2014). Power has historically performed well at Sonoma Raceway with three career victories, the most recent coming in 2013.
Heading into Sunday’s season finale, NBC Sports Group has had its most-watched IndyCar season to-date, averaging 481,000 viewers, up 2% vs. 2015 (excludes Pocono race, which aired on Monday, Aug. 22, due to a rain delay).
Coverage from Sonoma begins Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN with practice, followed by live qualifying at 6 p.m. ET. Pre-race coverage on Sunday begins at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at 6:30 p.m. ET. NBCSN will also present an encore presentation of the race on Monday, Sept. 19, at noon ET.
Leigh Diffey play-by-play) will call the action alongside analysts and drivers Paul Tracy and Townsend Bell. Reporters Kevin Lee, Jon Beekhuis, Katie Hargitt and Robin Miller will report from the pits.
Following is this week’s NBC Sports Group motorsports coverage schedule:
| DATE | COVERAGE | TIME (ET) | NETWORK |
| Sat., Sept. 17 | IndyCar GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma – Practice | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| IndyCar GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma – Qualifying | 6 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sun., Sept. 18 | IndyCar GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma | 6:30 p.m. | NBCSN |
| IndyCar Post-Race | 9 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Mon., Sept. 19 | IndyCar GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma (Encore) | Noon | NBCSN |