It’s Talladega time, which means wild pack racing, crazy crashes and high-speed drama at NASCAR’s largest track.
The unpredictability at Talladega Superspeedway offers a chance for any driver to take the checkered flag. The Alabama track was the site of Bubba Wallace’s first career Cup Series victory in 2021, while Ross Chastain earned his second career Cup victory there in 2022.
But Talladega has also been particularly good to defending series champion Ryan Blaney. Three of his 10 career Cup Series wins have come at the superspeedway, and he enters Sunday’s race as the most recent winner.
No driver, though, has had more success at Talladega than Brad Keselowski, whose six wins lead all active drivers. Keselowski is coming off a second-place finish at Texas last weekend, and the massive Alabama oval might be the perfect track for the 2012 series champion to snap a long winless streak that dates to 2021 – coincidentally at Talladega!
Who will take the checkered flag on Sunday? Here is all the information you need to get ready for the GEICO 500:
What time does the Cup race at Talladega start?
The GEICO 500 starts at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. local) at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama.
What TV channel is the Cup race at Talladega on?
Fox is broadcasting the GEICO 500 and has a pre-race show beginning at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local).
Will there be a live stream of the Cup race at Talladega?
The GEICO 500 can be live streamed on the FoxSports website and on the FoxSports app.
How many laps is the Cup race at Talladega?
The GEICO 500 is 188 laps around the 2.66-mile track for a total of 500.08 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 60 laps; Stage 2: 60 laps; Stage 3: 68 laps.
Who won the most recent races at Talladega?
Ryan Blaney led eight laps during the playoff race on Oct. 1, 2023 and took his final lead on the penultimate lap, passing Kevin Harvick before edging William Byron by just 0.012 seconds.
And one year ago, Kyle Busch prevailed in double overtime on April 23, 2023, taking the lead from Bubba Wallace following a restart and winning under caution after a multi-car crash in Turn 2 during the white flag lap. Blaney finished second, while Wallace, who was involved in the crash, finished 28th.
What is the lineup for the GEICO 500 at Talladega?
(Car number in parentheses)
1. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford
2. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford
3. (38) Todd Gilliland, Ford
4. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
5. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
6. (19) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota
7. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
8. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
9. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
10. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
11. (41) Ryan Preece, Ford
12. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
13. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet
14. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
15. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
16. (21) Harrison Burton, Ford
17. (16) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
18. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
19. (31) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet
20. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
21. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
22. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
23. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
24. (62) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet
25. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
26. (14) Chase Briscoe, Ford
27. (51) Justin Haley, Ford
28. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota
29. (4) Josh Berry, Ford
30. (71) Zane Smith, Chevrolet
31. (7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet
32. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
33. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
34. (15) Cody Ware, Ford
35. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
36. (10) Noah Gragson, Ford
37. (78) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet
38. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet