All three national NASCAR series head to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend for a pivotal playoff weekend.

The Craftsman Truck Series teams will continue the Round of 10 as championship-hopeful drivers aim to join Corey Heim in the Round of 8. Meanwhile, Xfinity Series teams will kick off the Round of 12 with a Friday night race.

Cup Series teams will close out the Round of 16. This race will determine which 10 drivers join Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe in the Round of 12.

The ARCA Menards Series teams will also be in action for a Thursday evening race, which will kick off the packed weekend.

This race weekend will feature cooler temperatures, as well as a new tire compound that could force the Cup Series teams to adapt early in the opening stage.

“I think the tire change is going to mean more than the conditions will,” Hamlin said after winning at Gateway. “Apparently, this right-side tire is going to be more aggressive as far as a tire wear stand point – that is the goal of it, which I’m all for it.

“Any time, Goodyear and NASCAR can get together and be okay with some chaos style racing, when it comes to the tires, I’m all for it. Certainly, the teams and the drivers will separate themselves when that happens.”

Bristol Motor Speedway forecast and weekend schedule

Thursday forecast: The WeatherUnderground forecast calls for sunny skies throughout the day. A high of 68 degrees and a 4% chance of rain at the start of the Truck Series playoff race. 

Friday forecast: The forecast calls for sunny skies throughout the day. A high of 74 degrees and no chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity Series race. 

Saturday forecast: The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies throughout the day. A high of 74 degrees and no chance of rain at the start of the Cup Series elimination race. 

Thursday, Sept. 11 (Eastern Time)

9 a.m. — ARCA Menards Series garage hours
10 a.m. — Truck Series garage hours
1 – 1:45 p.m. — ARCA Menards Series practice (No TV)
2 – 2:20 p.m. — ARCA Menards Series qualifying (No TV)
3:05 – 4 p.m. — Truck Series practice (FS2)
4:10 – 5 p.m. — Truck Series qualifying (FS2)
5:30 p.m. — ARCA Menards Series race (200 laps, 106.6 miles. FS1)
8 p.m. — Truck Series race (250 laps, 133.25 miles. FS1, Radio coverage on NASCAR Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Friday, Sept. 12 (Eastern Time)

9 a.m. — Xfinity Series garage hours
11 a.m. – 7 p.m. — Cup Series garage hours
2 – 2:55 p.m. — Xfinity Series practice (CW app)
3:05 – 4 p.m. — Xfinity Series qualifying (CW app)
4:30 – 5:30 p.m. — Cup Series practice (truTV, Max, radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
5:40 – 6:30 p.m. — Cup qualifying (truTV, Max, radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
7:30 p.m. — Xfinity Series race (300 laps, 159.9 miles. CW, Radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Saturday, Sept. 13 (Eastern Time)

3:30 p.m. — Cup Series garage opens
7:30 p.m. — Cup Series race (500 laps, 266.5 miles. USA Network, streaming on NBC Sports app, in-car cameras on Max, Radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)