TV Schedule May 7-9

NASCAR tangles with the "Lady in Black" this weekend at Darlington Raceway. The Nationwide and Sprint Cup series make their annual stop at the 1.366-mile oval. The Southern 500 Sprint Cup race is considered by many to be one of the premier events of the NASCAR season.

"The Track Too Tough to Tame" has banking of up to 25 degrees in the turns. Drivers can reach 190 mph coming off those corners, but face the challenge of navigating straightaways only as wide as those of a short track. Darlington also presents a challenge for crews: its unique egg shape makes it difficult to adjust their cars' handling to be effective at both ends.

Who will get their "Darlington stripes"? Tune in Friday for the Royal Purple 200 Nationwide race and Saturday for the Showtime Southern 500 Sprint Cup race. Defending race winners are Matt Kenseth in Nationwide and Mark Martin in Cup.

The Camping World Truck Series is off this weekend.

The following is a schedule of track events and television coverage at Darlington Raceway (all times listed in Eastern Standard Time. Note: Friday's Nationwide practice will not be televised.)

Friday, May 7:
8:30 a.m. Nationwide practice
11:30 a.m. Sprint Cup practice, SPEED
1:00 p.m. NASCAR Live, SPEED
1:30 p.m. Sprint Cup final practice, SPEED (reruns at midnight)
3:00 p.m. Nationwide qualifying, SPEED
4:30 p.m. NASCAR Live, SPEED
5:00 p.m. Sprint Cup qualifying, SPEED (reruns at 1:30 a.m.)
6:30 p.m. NASCAR Now, ESPN2
6:30 p.m. Trackside, SPEED. Guests: Chip Ganassi or Felix Sabates - #1 car will run a Bill France Jr. Paint scheme for 1st HOF class induction (reruns 11 at p.m.)
7:00 p.m. Nationwide Countdown, ESPN2
7:30 p.m. Nationwide race: Royal Purple 200, ESPN2. Green flag: 7:45 p.m. (reruns at 2 a.m.)

Saturday, May 8:
10:00 a.m. NASCAR Now, ESPN2
3:30 p.m. NASCAR Performance, SPEED
4:00 p.m. NASCAR Smarts, SPEED
4:30 p.m. NASCAR in a Hurry, SPEED
5:00 p.m. NASCAR RaceDay, SPEED
7:00 p.m. Sprint Cup pre-race show, FOX
7:30 p.m. Sprint Cup race at Richmond: Showtime Southern 500, FOX. Green flag: 7:45 p.m.

Sunday, May 9:
8 p.m. NASCAR Victory Lane, SPEED (reruns at 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. Monday)

PHOTO FROM NASCAR MEDIA