NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will take to the track on Sunday, October 23rd at 2 pm ET to race 500.8 miles over 188 laps in the Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. NBC Sports Network begins their coverage at 1:30 pm ET and radio coverage is on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

What to Watch For: Heading into Sunday’s Hellmann’s 500 cutoff race at Talladega Superspeedway, Austin Dillon (ninth, tiebreaker), Denny Hamlin (tenth, -6 points below Joey Logano on the cutoff line), Brad Keselowski (11th, -7) and Chase Elliott (12th, -25) are on the outside looking in for advancement to the Round of 8.

Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski can break their tie for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins lead by getting a fifth victory.

Non-Chasers who have won at Talladega who can spoil an automatic Round of 8 qualifying spot with a victory are Clint Bowyer (twice), Jamie McMurray (twice), Tony Stewart and David Ragan.

Spring Talladega winner Brad Keselowski goes for the season sweep.

Chase Snapshot: Bubble Occupied by Heavyweights and Talented Youngsters

The competition for the final transfer spot to the Round of 8 is tight following Sunday’s race at Kansas. Four drivers are within seven points of each other for the final spot, including a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, two Daytona 500 champions and a talented up-and-coming wheelman.

Here’s how the Chase Grid shakes out heading into Sunday’s Hellmann’s 500 Chase cutoff at Talladega Superspeedway at 2 pm ET on NBCSN: Jimmie Johnson (clinched transfer spot with win at Charlotte), Kevin Harvick (clinched transfer spot with win at Kansas), Matt Kenseth (29 points above Austin Dillon on the cutoff line), Kyle Busch (+27), Carl Edwards (+24), Kurt Busch (+17), Martin Truex Jr. (+13), Joey Logano (tied with Austin Dillon in points, but owns tiebreaker with higher Round of 12 finish; third at Kansas), Austin Dillon (see Logano), Denny Hamlin (-6), Brad Keselowski (-7), Chase Elliott (-25).

Only Johnson and Harvick are truly safe. Just ask Kyle Busch, who was third on the Chase Grid going into Talladega in 2014, a hefty 25 points above the cutoff line, but was eliminated after a wreck relegated him to a 40th-place finish.

Below are the Talladega clinch scenarios:

Note: Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick have already clinched a spot in the Round of 8. In the scenarios below, the term “new winner” refers to a win by Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski or Chase Elliott. A win by any other driver (Chase driver or field) is referred to as a ‘repeat winner’ in the scenarios below.

Matt Kenseth (0 Wins, 3074 Points) – Would clinch on points with 13 Points (28th and no laps led, 29th and led at least one lap, 30th and led most laps) and a new winner. If there is a repeat winner, would clinch on points with 11 Points (30th and no laps led, 31st and led at least one lap, 32nd and led most laps). With a win, would clinch a next round spot on wins.

Kyle Busch (0 Wins, 3072 Points) – Would clinch on points with 15 Points (26th and no laps led, 27th and led at least one lap, 28th and led most laps) and a new winner. If there is a repeat winner, would clinch on points with 14 Points (27th and no laps led, 28th and led at least one lap, 29th and led most laps). With a win, would clinch a next round spot on wins.

Carl Edwards (0 Wins, 3069 Points) – Would clinch on points with 18 Points (23rd and no laps led, 24th and led at least one lap, 25th and led most laps) and a new winner. If there is a repeat winner, would clinch on points with 16 Points (25th and no laps led, 26th and led at least one lap, 27th and led most laps). With a win, would clinch a next round spot on wins.

Kurt Busch (0 Wins, 3062 Points) – Would clinch on points with 25 Points (16th and no laps led, 17th and led at least one lap, 18th and led most laps) and a new winner. If there is a repeat winner, would clinch on points with 24 Points (17th and no laps led, 18th and led at least one lap, 19th and led most laps). With a win, would clinch a next round spot on wins.

Martin Truex Jr (0 Wins, 3058 Points) – Would clinch on points with 29 Points (12th and no laps led, 13th and led at least one lap, 14th and led most laps) and a new winner. If there is a repeat winner, would clinch on points with 28 Points (13th and no laps led, 14th and led at least one lap, 15th and led most laps). With a win, would clinch a next round spot on wins.

Joey Logano (0 Wins, 3045 Points) – If there is a repeat winner, would clinch on points with 41 Points (2nd and led most laps). With a win, would clinch a next round spot on wins. Could clinch on points with a new winner and help.

Austin Dillon (0 Wins, 3045 Points)
 – If there is a repeat winner, would clinch on points with 41 Points (2nd and led most laps). With a win, would clinch a next round spot on wins. Could clinch on points with a new winner and help.

Denny Hamlin (0 Wins, 3039 Points) – With a win, would clinch a next round spot on wins. Could clinch on points with help.

Brad Keselowski (0 Wins, 3038 Points) – With a win, would clinch a next round spot on wins. Could clinch on points with help.

Chase Elliott (0 Wins, 3020 Points) 
– With a win, would clinch a next round spot on wins. Could clinch on points with help.

Pursuit of Happiness: Harvick Ties for Series Wins Lead on Quest for Second Title

He’s back.

Kevin Harvick made his way into the Round of 8 for the third time since the implementation of the “win-and-you’re-in” Chase format in 2014 via his victory at Kansas last Sunday.

Featured in the Round of 8 is Harvick’s top track – Phoenix International Raceway – where he has won five of the last six races and finished second in the one he didn’t win. A berth in the Championship 4 Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway looks to be in the No. 4 Chevrolet driver’s future.

Harvick’s  Kansas triumph also tied him with Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins lead with four. He is also tied with Keselowski for the top-five finishes lead with 15 and paces all drivers with 23 top-10 showings.

Furthermore, Harvick ranks first in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in driver rating (107.4) and fastest laps run (929).

‘Dega Delivery in the Cards for Denny Hamlin?

Right now, Denny Hamlin is seven points below Joey Logano on the cutoff line and needs a stellar performance in Sunday’s Hellmann’s 500 Chase cutoff race at Talladega Superspeedway to advance to the Round of 8.

Beyond his one win at Talladega in 2014, Hamlin has struggled there. Overall, he claims the 2014 win, four top-five and seven top-10 finishes in 21 starts at the 2.66-mile behemoth.

In Hamlin’s last seven starts at Talladega, he has finished worse than 30th four times. Although he’s struggled at Talladega recently, Hamlin has been stellar at NASCAR’s other restrictor-plate track – Daytona International Speedway – which could be a good omen. In his last six Daytona starts, Hamlin boasts one win and only one finish worse than sixth.

Keselowski No Stranger to Epic Wins at Talladega

Two of the biggest wins of Brad Keselowski’s career have occurred at Talladega. In 2009, he won his first career race – one of the biggest upsets in NASCAR history – with Phoenix Racing. In 2014, he capped off a week of drama by visiting Victory Lane in a “win-or-go-home” situation to advance to the Round of 8 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The No. 2 Ford driver also won at ‘Dega in spring of 2012 and earlier this season.

Another clutch victory would go a long way to helping Brad Keselowski capture his second career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title. He’s currently 11th on the Chase Grid, seven points behind his Team Penske shopmate Joey Logano on the cutoff line.

In 15 career starts at Talladega, Keselowski claims four wins, six top fives and nine top 10s. His 13.9 average finish at ‘Dega ranks third-best among active drivers.

Keselowski has won two of the three races at restrictor-plate tracks this season – Talladega-1 and Daytona-2.

Logano Goes for Fall Dega’ Repeat

Clinging on to the final Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Round of 8 spot, Joey Logano sure would like to successfully defend his fall Talladega race win from last season.

The problem is – other than last year’s triumph – Logano hasn’t fared well at the Alabama superspeedway. He has an average finish of 19.9 at Talladega and his four other top-ten finishes there all came with Joe Gibbs Racing from 2009-10.

Dillon on Chase Bubble, but in Decent Position to Advance

Austin Dillon hopes he can at least repeat his Talladega performance from the spring when he recorded his career-best finish of third. Dillon’s top-ten qualifying effort will help.

The 26-year-old No. 3 Chevrolet driver is the first driver outside the cutoff heading into Sunday’s Hellmann’s 500, but doesn’t trail eighth-place Joey Logano in points. Dillon is only behind Logano because Logano has a Round of 12 high finish of third (Kansas), which beats Dillon’s best of sixth (Kansas).

If there is a repeat winner, Dillon would clinch a Round of 8 berth on points with 41 Points (2nd and led most laps). With a win, he would clinch a next round spot on wins.

He could also clinch on points with a new winner and help, but would need to produce a high finish to make up ground on the drivers ahead of him. at Talladega, that’s not out of the question.

In 13 career starts at restrictor-plate tracks, Dillon claims two top-fives, six top-tens, one pole and an average finish of 14.47.

Elliott in Need of First Win

Positioned 25 points below the Chase cutoff line, Chase Elliott is going to need a ton of help to make the Round of 8 without a win in Sunday’s Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Elliott placed fifth at Talladega in his lone NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start there this spring. At NASCAR’s other restrictor-plate track – Daytona International Speedway – Elliott has finishes of 37th (February 2016) and 32nd (July 2016).

The Sunoco Rookie of the Year frontrunner will attempt to capture some of the magic his father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, seemed to have at the 2.66-mile behemoth. Bill won twice at Talladega and holds the track record with eight poles. In 1985, Bill rallied from five miles down to win the Winston 500 at Talladega on the way to earning the Winston Million.

An Elliott win on Sunday would give Hendrick Motorsports its 13th win at Talladega, breaking its tie with Richard Childress Racing for the track record. 

Talladega Field is Filled with Chase Spoilers

The Talladega field is littered with drivers who have won there before and can spoil a Chase transfer spot with a victory on Sunday.

The non-chasers who have won at the 2.66-mile behemoth are Clint Bowyer (twice), Jamie McMurray (twice), Tony Stewart and David Ragan.

Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick, who have already secured berths in the Round of 8 have won twice and once, respectively, at Talladega.

Current non-Chase-eligible drivers who fared well at Talladega in spring include: Jamie McMurray (fourth), Tony Stewart (sixth), Clint Bowyer (seventh), Ryan Blaney (ninth) and Trevor Bayne (tenth).

Joe Gibbs Racing Makes Attempt at being First Team to Place Multiple Drivers In Championship 4

Joe Gibbs Racing has continued its strong regular season performance in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Its four drivers have not won a race in the Chase, but three of them – Matt Kenseth (third, points above the cutoff line, Kyle Busch (+27) and Carl Edwards (+24) – are in good shape to make the Round of 8. Denny Hamlin is 10th on the Chase Grid, but only six points below the cutoff line for advancement. Additionally, Martin Truex Jr. of JGR technical partner Furniture Row Racing has two wins in the Chase and currently sits seventh on the Chase Grid – a comfortable 13 points above the cutoff line.

No team has ever placed multiple drivers in the Championship 4. JGR, Stewart-Haas Racing and Team Penske can all achieve the feat this season. SHR’s Kevin Harvick has already advanced to the Round of 8 with his win at Kansas, while Kurt Busch ranks sixth on the Chase Grid, 17 points above the cutoff line. Joey Logano of Team Penske currently holds the final transfer spot, while Brad Keselowski sits 11th on the Chase Grid, seven points below the cutoff line.

Bowman Rides to Another Career-High Finish

Alex “The Showman” Bowman overcame a stomach bug to produce a career-best seventh-place finish at Kansas in place of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The 23-year-old Arizonan has showed off his speed the last two races, qualifying second at Charlotte and fifth at Kansas. An unfortunate wreck relegated him to a 39th-place finish in the Queen City.

Bowman takes the No. 88 Chevrolet, which has won three superspeedway races in the last three years, to Talladega on Sunday.

“Hendrick Motorsports brings such fast race cars to that racetrack, so I’m really excited,” Bowman said. “Their speedway stuff is amazing, always – especially the No. 88 – so I’m just really looking forward to having a chance to win. I’m going to sit Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) down and have a couple-hour discussion with him about speedway racing because if there’s a speedway racer left in this garage, it’s him, for sure.”

Sprint Cup Series Noteworthy News

The drop of the green flag in the Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will mark a milestone for Toyota as the manufacturer will post its 1000th NASCAR national series start. Toyota’s first start was with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Daytona International Speedway on February 13, 2004. The manufacturer then joined the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at the same track in February of 2007.

On Sunday, six-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. will miss his first restrictor-plate race since his debut in the 2000 Daytona 500, breaking a string of 67 straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series plate races. In the Hellman’s 500, Alex Bowman is subbing for Earnhardt, who is recovering from a concussion and will not return to competition this season, but will be in the NBC broadcast booth on Sunday, and again at Martinsville.

GEICO has extended its sponsorship of the May race at Talladega through 2019. In addition, GEICO will be the entitlement sponsor of the restart zone all International Speedway Corporation tracks with the exception of Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. The GEICO Restart Zone was established this weekend at Talladega; starting in 2017, it will be a fixture at 11 ISC tracks.

Ryan Reed has re-signed a multi-year deal with Roush Fenway Racing to continue competing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Reed, who was diagnosed with Type I diabetes five years ago, hopes to make his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in the Hellman’s 500 at Talladega on Sunday. He is one of five drivers competing for four available spots in the 40-car field.

Drafting with fellow Ford drivers Chris Buescher, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne, Greg Biffle paced opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Talladega with a lap at 198.949 mph, then went on to invade Sprint Cup qualifying. The only non-Ford interloper in the top-five was Chevrolet driver AJ Allmendinger, who was second fastest at 198.327 mph.

Jimmie Johnson, who has already locked up a spot in the Round of 8 thanks to his win in Charlotte, led final practice on Friday with a lap of 196.386 mph.

The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth all were pulled from the grid before qualifying when NASCAR inspectors noticed irregularities with the rear deck lid. The issues were corrected, and Kenseth subsequently qualified third, Hamlin eighth and Busch 14th.

Martin Truex Jr is the Coors Light Pole winner and will lead the field to the green flag in the Hellmann’s 500 on Sunday. He also had a non-conforming jack screw taken by NASCAR and had to replace the part.

Reed Sorenson made the final 12 in qualifying with the fastest lap of the day in his No. 55 Jay Robinson-owned Toyota, covering the 2.66-mile distance in 49.324 seconds (194.145 mph). But on his money lap in the final round, Sorenson slowed to 188.300 mph, qualifying 12th with a speed that would have placed him 35th in the first round.