Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, GEICO 500 at Talladega Preview

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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is at Talladega Superspeedway for the GEICO 500 on Sunday, May 7th. Television coverage is on FOX starting at 1:30 pm with the race starting around 2 pm ET.  Radio coverage is on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Teams will race 500.8 miles over 188 laps with Stage 1 ending on lap 55 and Stage 2 ending on lap 110. The final stage ends on the last lap 188. 

What To Watch For: Dale Earnhardt Jr., who leads active drivers with six wins at Talladega, tries to visit victory lane at the Alabama track for the first time since spring of 2015.

Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski will be favorites in Sunday’s GEICO 500. They swept the Talladega races last year and have won four of the last five contests there.

Austin Dillon looks poised for a strong finish after placing third and ninth in the two Talladega races last season.

Last year’s GEICO 500 featured 213 passes for the lead (not just counting lead changes at the Start/Finish line) throughout the contest – tops among all 2016 races.

Short Strokes

As NASCAR drivers ran between raindrops throughout the day on Friday, Clint Bowyer paced opening practice with a lap at 196.822 mph, as cars identifiable by manufacturer hooked up in a session that was shortened by rain.

All told, nine Fords posted the nine fastest laps, followed by five Toyotas. Camry drivers Erik Jones and Kyle Busch ran the most circuits in the session—13 each. Only 31 of the 41 cars attempting to earn positions in Sunday’s GEICO 500 recorded times in the opening practice.

Richmond Winner Logano Goes for Second Straight ‘Dega Victory

Joey Logano, 26, won his first race of the season Sunday at Richmond in his 300th career start. He’ll attempt to win again in his 301st start in Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway – a track where he won the latest race last fall.

Logano has taken the checkered flag in the last two fall races at Talladega, but claims only two top-ten finishes at the 2.66-mile behemoth in the spring (ninth in 2009 and tenth in 2011; both with Joe Gibbs Racing). Overall the No. 22 Team Penske driver has two wins, four top-fives, six top-tens and an 18.7 average finish in 16 starts at Talladega.

The Middletown, Connecticut, native’s win at Richmond put an exclamation point on his strong start to the season.  He has only finished outside the top six once in the first nine races – a 31st-place showing at Phoenix where he led a season-high 82 laps and won the first stage before wrecking out of the race.

Logano ranks fourth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings, 65 points behind leader Kyle Larson. His six playoff points are the fifth-most in the series.

Four drivers besides Logano have won in their 300th start: NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace (Atlanta, 1993), along with active competitors Kasey Kahne (Charlotte, 2012), Kyle Busch (Texas, 2013) and Denny Hamlin (Talladega, 2014). None of them won in their 301st start.

Team Penske Hopes to Continue Hot Streak at Talladega

Joey Logano isn’t the only Team Penske driver who’s had success recently at Talladega. Brad Keselowski has combined with his Penske teammate to win four of the last five races there (Logano: fall 2015, fall 2016; Keselowski: fall 2014, spring 2016).

In fact, Keselowski is arguably the top driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at the Alabama track. In 16 career starts there, he owns four wins, six top-fives, nine top-tens and an average finish of 15.4 (third-best in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series).

Overall, Team Penske has five wins at Talladega. Richard Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports lead all teams with 12 wins each at the 2.66-mile track.

Talladega Tornado: Dale Jr. Readies to Make Final Mark at Top Track

Sunday’s GEICO 500 marks Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final spring race at the Talladega Superspeedway – his top track.

Earnhardt’s six wins at Talladega rank tied with Jeff Gordon’s total for second all-time. His father, Dale Earnhardt, holds the track record with ten victories.

In addition to his triumphs, Earnhardt has 12 top-fives, 16 top-tens and a 15.4 average finish at the 2.66-mile behemoth. Among active drivers, he claims the second-best driver rating (92.0) and third-best average running position (14.4).

Earnhardt, who announced he will retire after this season, has struggled so far in his final campaign. He has one top-ten showing, a finish of fifth at Texas. He’s currently 24th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings.

Young Guns at ‘Dega

Many of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ‘Young Guns’ performed well at Talladega last season and are poised to finish up front again in Sunday’s race. Last spring, four drivers currently 27 or younger finished in the top-ten: Austin Dillon (third), Chase Elliott (fifth), Ryan Blaney (ninth) and Trevor Bayne (tenth).

In last season’s fall Talladega race, five drivers currently 27 or younger finished in the top-12: Joey Logano (first), Kyle Larson (sixth), Dillon (ninth), Blaney (11th) and Elliott (12th).

Standings Shakeup: Larson Increases Lead, Truex Moves into Second

There was some movement at the top of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings following Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond – a race that set the spring track record for most green flag passes (2,495). Martin Truex Jr. jumped from third to second following his tenth-place showing. Chase Elliott dropped one spot to third after finishing 24th. The current top-five features drivers from all three manufacturers: 1. Kyle Larson (Chevrolet), 2. Truex (Toyota, 40 points behind Larson) 3. Elliott (Chevrolet, -52) 4. Joey Logano (Ford, -65) 5. Brad Keselowski (Ford, -71).

Keselowski leads the series with 11 playoff points. Truex ranks tied with Jimmie Johnson

Also Noteworthy

GEICO 500 Had Most Passes For The Lead: Don’t be surprised to see a ton of passes for the lead at Talladega this weekend. A year ago in the GEICO 500, there were 213 passes for the lead throughout the race (not just counting lead changes at the Start/Finish line) – tops among all 2016 races.

30th Anniversary Of Bill Elliott’s Qualifying Record: Thirty years ago, NASCAR Hall of Famer, Bill Elliott set the NASCAR qualifying record with a 212.809 mph lap at Talladega Superspeedway. His son, Chase Elliott, will take the track in Sunday’s GEICO 500. In his first two career starts at Talladega last season, Chase finished fifth and 12th, respectively, and led a total of 36 laps. He won the Coors Light Pole Award in the 2016 spring race.