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

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

START TIME: First Data Chairman and CEO Frank Bisignano will instruct drivers to start their engines at 2:30 p.m. ET, followed by the green flag at 2:38 p.m. ET.

RACE DISTANCE: The First Data 500 is 500 laps around the 0.526-mile Martinsville Speedway for a total of 263 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: 130 laps, Stage 2: 130 laps, Stage 3: 240 laps.

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

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