NASCAR Cup playoff race at Texas 2018: Start time, lineup, TV schedule, more

It’s NASCAR race day at Texas Motor Speedway, and we’ve got some essential information you need to get ready for Sunday's AAA Texas 500, the second race in the Round of 8 of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs:

START TIME: Major Ed Pulido, U.S. Army (retired), will instruct drivers to start their engines at 3:07 p.m. ET (2:07 p.m. local), followed by the green flag at 3:16 p.m. ET (2:16 p.m. local).

RACE DISTANCE: The AAA Texas 500 is 334 laps around the 1.5-mile track for a total of 501 miles.

RACE STAGES: After a successful run last season, NASCAR will once again be dividing races into stages and handing out points. Here are the segments for tonight's Cup race: Stage 1: 85 laps, Stage 2: 85 laps, Stage 3: 164 laps.

PLAYOFFS: Today's race is the eighth of 10 playoff races and the second of the three-race third round, which concludes next weekend at ISM Raceway in Phoenix. Eight drivers advanced from the second round and remain in contention for the championship.

NATIONAL ANTHEM: The Air National Guard Band of the Southwest will perform the national anthem at 3:01 p.m. ET (2:01 p.m. local), followed by a flyover by four F-15s from the 142nd Fighter Wing out of Portland, Ore.

TV RADIO SCHEDULE: The race will be broadcast on NBCSN starting at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. local), with a pre-show beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. local). Radio calls can be found on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius/XM NASCAR Radio.

LIVE STREAMING: NBCSports.com will live-stream the race for those who sign in with their cable/satellite provider's credentials.

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WEATHER: Pleasant. The Weather Channel is calling for sunny skies with highs in the mid-60s during the race, with a very minimal chance of rain.

LAST TIME: Kyle Busch led 116 laps in April and edged Kevin Harvick by 0.300 seconds for his first of seven victories this season. And one year ago in the playoff race, Harvick led the final 10 laps and 38 overall, topping Martin Truex Jr. by 1.580 seconds and clinching a berth in the championship four.

LINEUP: Ryan Blaney won his fifth career Cup Series pole and third this season in front of a trio of Stewart-Haas Racing playoff drivers still competing in the Round of 8. Clint Bowyer will start alongside Blaney on the front row, while Row No. 2 will have Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola.

Here's the starting lineup for today's First Data 500 (car number in parentheses):

1. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford

2. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford

3. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford

4. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford

5. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford

6. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota

7. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford

8. (22) Joey Logano, Ford

9. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet

10. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota

11. (21) Paul Menard, Ford

12. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota

13. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota

14. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet

15. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford

16. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet

17. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford

18. (88) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet

19. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota

20. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet

21. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet

22. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet

23. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet

24. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet

25. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet

26. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet

27. (38) David Ragan, Ford

28. (95) Regan Smith, Chevrolet

29. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford

30. (43) Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet

31. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford

32. (00) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet

33. (15) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet

34. (96) Parker Kligerman, Toyota

35. (23) JJ Yeley, Toyota

36. (99) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet

37. (72) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet

38. (7) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet

39. (51) Joey Gase, Ford

40. (97) David Starr, Toyota

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