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Race Central NASCAR Cup Series news and information

  • Logano on New Rule Limiting Number of Starts for Cup Drivers in XFINITY and Truck

    Logano on New Rule Limiting Number of Starts for Cup Drivers in XFINITY and Truck

    MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Joey Logano gave his take on the new rule limiting Cup participation in the lower tier national touring series in the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing while speaking to the media at Martinsville.

    During his media availability this morning prior to first Sprint Cup Series practice, the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford talked about NASCAR implementing a new policy starting in 2017 curtailing the number of starts a Cup driver can make in the XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series, and how it would affect his organization’s operations in the XFINITY Series.

    “It affects them a lot. It affects the sport a lot,” Logano said. “As a race car driver, I want to race all the time, so if I put my race car driver hat on I think, ‘Man, this kind of stinks,’ because I want to drive. But I think when you kind of take that hat off and look at it from more of a global view I understand it.”

    NASCAR instituted a new policy on Wednesday that starting in 2017, limits Sprint Cup Series drivers with five or more years of experience at the highest level to 10 races a season in the XFINITY Series and seven in the Camping World Truck Series. Those Cup drivers won’t be allowed to take part in the four XFINITY Dash 4 Cash races next season or in the last eight races of either the XFINITY or Truck Series.

    The rule doesn’t apply to drivers with less than five years experience in Cup, such as Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson, or drivers with five or more years experience in Cup who are declared to run for points in either the XFINITY Series or Truck Series, such as Elliott Sadler.

    While this has largely been positively received by fans, it’s been a mixed bag amongst drivers.

    “I get why we’re doing that. I think it’s important to have Cup racers out there because I think growing up as a young race car driver I learned that you only get better when you’re racing against people that are better than you, and I think this has the ability to give young drivers that and young crew chiefs coming up through the XFINITY Series,” he said giving one of the common arguments by proponents for allowing Cup drivers in XFINITY and Truck competition.

    “I think it gives them the ability to work with Cup drivers and things like that, so I think that’s good that they have that mix in there, but at the same time you also want to have the opportunity for young drivers to get into the seat and drive it at some point. I get that. If you look at it from the business end, it’s no secret that a lot of sponsors want to have the big-name drivers in there. They want to have Sprint Cup racers that can go out there and are proven winners, so that’s definitely gonna change the game quite a bit from the business side of our sport.”

  • Larson Fastest in First Practice at Martinsville

    Larson Fastest in First Practice at Martinsville

    MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Kyle Larson topped the chart in first Sprint Cup Series practice at Martinsville Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 19.289 and a speed of 98.170 mph. Denny Hamlin was second in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 19.311 and a speed of 98.058 mph. Joey Logano was third in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 19.312 and a speed of 98.053 mph. Chase Elliott was fourth in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 19.321 and a speed of 98.007 mph. Danica Patrick rounded out the top-five in her No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet with a time of 19.328 and a speed of 97.972 mph.

    Martin Truex Jr. was sixth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. Kyle Busch was seventh in his No. 18 JGR Toyota. AJ Allmendinger was eighth in his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota. Jeff Gordon was ninth in his No. 88 HMS Chevrolet. Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top-10 in his No. 48 HMS Chevrolet.

    Kurt Busch was 11th, Matt Kenseth was 15th, Carl Edwards was 18th and Kevin Harvick was the lowest Chase driver in 19th.

    Larson posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 95.242 mph.

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  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Martinsville Speedway

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Martinsville Speedway

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the Camping World Truck Series head to Martinsville Speedway this weekend while the XFINITY Series is off. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Oct. 28:

    On Track:
    11 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    12:30-1:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series First Practice – FS1
    2:30-3:50 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice – FS1
    4:40 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    10:30 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series
    Noon: Camping World Truck Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    9:30 a.m.: Brian Scott
    9:45 a.m.: Joey Logano
    10 a.m.: William Byron, Matt Crafton and Timothy Peters
    10:15 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    1 p.m.: Denny Hamlin
    1:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    6 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)

    Saturday, Oct. 29:

    On Track:
    9-9:55 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – CNBC
    10:15 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    Noon-12:50 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    1:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Texas Roadhouse 200 presented by Alpha Energy Solutions (200 laps, 105.2 miles) – FS1

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    2:30 p.m. approx: Post-Camping World Truck Series Race

    Sunday, Oct. 30:

    On Track:
    1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Goody’s Fast Relief 500 (500 laps, 263 miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    5 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Race (time approx.)

     

     

    Find NBCSN in your area | Watch live online at NBCSports.com

     

    Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

     

  • Chase hopes for Keselowski and Truex Go up in Smoke

    Chase hopes for Keselowski and Truex Go up in Smoke

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — Two of the heavy favorites to win the championship going into the Chase won’t continue on in the pursuit of a championship in 2016 following mechanical failure in Alabama.

    Martin Truex Jr. – who entered the race in seventh, 13 points above the cutoff – started the race on pole position and had a strong car in the first quarter of the Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, leading two laps while staying near the front.

    Rounding turn 2, however, his Chase hopes went up in smoke when his engine blew up, his first since the 2014 Daytona 500.

    “Just developed a vibration and started to lose a little bit of power,” Truex said of what happened to take him out. “Originally I thought it could have been a tire because it was shaking worse and worse and worse until it was time to pit. I slowed down to hit pit road and felt the vibration still there and knew it was the engine. Definitely not the way we wanted today to go – it’s a tough way to go out, but proud of the effort and proud of all the guys.”

    This relegated him to a 40th place finish, his fifth in 401 Sprint Cup Series starts and first since the 2014 Daytona 500.

    He’s also the first pole sitter to finish last in a race at Talladega since Stacey Compton in April of 2001 and the first driver to finish last after having led a lap since Michael McDowell at Texas in November of 2013 (LASTCAR.info).

    He leaves Talladega ninth in points.

    Brad Keselowski takes his car to the garage following his engine expiring late in the Hellmann's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Photo: Sarah Crabill/Getty Images
    Brad Keselowski takes his car to the garage following his engine expiring late in the Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Photo: Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

    Truex wasn’t alone in the engine failure department.

    Brad Keselowski, entering Talladega 11th in a seven-point hole, worked his way to the lead on the first lap and led 90 laps on nine different occasions.

    In the final quarter of the race, Keselowski allowed Ryan Blaney to take the lead so he could get behind him and clear off trash that was stuck on the grille of his car. The debris flew off, but a lap later, his engine blew up, eliminating him from Chase contention.

    “It looks like we lost an engine,” Keselowski said when asked what happened. “I’m pretty confident I lost a rod or something in the lower end. That’s just the way it goes.”

    He said he didn’t know if the engine got too hot from the debris on his grille.

    “I’m not an engine guy, but the car was really strong and we definitely kept finding debris,” he added. “I thought I got it cooled off and only got it slightly over, but I don’t know.”

    Keselowski finished 38th and leaves Talladega 10th in the standings.

  • Logano Moves on with Victory at Talladega

    Logano Moves on with Victory at Talladega

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — A jack getting stuck under the car of Joey Logano on his first stop didn’t stop him from rallying back to score the victory in Alabama.

    Martin Truex Jr. led the field to the green flag at 2:22 p.m. Brad Keselowski got a run on him going down the backstretch to lead the first lap. Truex worked his way up alongside Keselowski in Turn 1 to take the lead for the first time on the 13th circuit, only to give it back to Keselowski a lap later.

    The No. 2 Penske car spent most of the run blocking all three lanes, which allowed Chase Elliott to get under him in Turn 3 and take the lead on lap 26. Keselowski regained it briefly two laps later before Elliott powered by on the top in Turn 1 to regain the lead back on lap 29, only for Keselowski to take it back on lap 32.

    Green flag stops started on lap 37 with the first wave of cars hitting pit road. Race leader Keselowski was among the second wave the following lap. After the third wave pitted, the lead cycled back to Keselowski.

    Teammate Logano was penalized for removing equipment (jack) from the pit box under this pit cycle.

    Truex’s Chase hopes went up in smoke when his car went up in smoke in Turn 2 on lap 41.

    “Just developed a vibration and started to lose a little bit of power,” Truex said. “Originally I thought it could have been a tire because it was shaking worse and worse and worse until it was time to pit. I slowed down to hit pit road and felt the vibration still there and knew it was the engine. Definitely not the way we wanted to go. It’s a tough way to go out, but proud of the effort and proud of all the guys.”

    The race restarted on lap 47. Attempting to block Elliott’s advance, Keselowski found himself without drafting help and Elliott took back the lead, only for Biffle to get a run on him going into Turn 1 to take the lead on lap 49. Elliott worked his way back to the lead by dropping to the bottom lane going into Turn 1 and driving under Biffle on lap 78.

    Another wave of cars started pitting the following lap. The lead under the cycle went as follows: Elliott, Hamlin, Edwards, Annett and Keselowski.

    A three-car wreck involving Biffle, Jeffrey Earnhardt and Casey Mears on the frontstretch brought out the second caution with 74 laps to go.

    After the race went back green with 68 to go, it settled into a routine of going back and forth between single and double file. The most notable event during the run was Keselowski blowing an engine on the backstretch with 42 to go and bringing out the third caution. Teammate Logano assumed the lead

    The next run didn’t last a lap because the caution flew the same lap as the restart with 39 to go for a big piece of debris on the backstretch.

    Going back green with 35 to go, the race was slowed down with four to go by Kasey Kahne wrecking in Turn 3 and Alex Bowman going for a spin through the tri-oval grass coming to the line to get two to go.

    Restarting in overtime, Logano had to hold off Brian Scott to score the victory.

    “It’s never a layup here at Talladega. It’s always close,” Logano said. “You never get a big lead. A good Shell/Pennzoil Ford. Todd made some good adjustments during the race and found some speed in the car, so that was pretty neat to see some of that. We got that track position and just hung onto it. I was able to stay on the bottom and try to run the bottom and keep everyone in lane, and that worked out really well. Kevin did a good job with that, which ultimately got us all a great finish. It was fun racing there at the end. I was really confused. I didn’t know what lane to pick coming to the last restart, but I knew Kevin had a lot of experience in these situations and is great at speedway racing, so he did a good job of pushing me out and then had to defend the top lane with Brian Scott, so a couple of Fords out front here at Talladega is pretty cool.”

    It’s his 16th career victory in 287 Sprint Cup Series starts, second of 2016 and second at Talladega Superspeedway.

    Scott brought his No. 44 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford home to a runner-up finish, his career-best finish and first top-10 finish of 2016. Hamlin rounded out the podium in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

    Describing the level of stress, Hamlin said the race “was crazy. I mean, it was very tough in there not having any teammates, but there were a lot of guys that acted like teammates today to me and can’t thank enough for that. They know who they are. I don’t want to get them in trouble with their race teams because they’re probably a different team, different manufacturer, but thank those guys for that. 4 (Kevin Harvick) cut me a break at the tri-oval. I mean, just – we had something go our way for crying out loud. One time, we had something go our way and we just battled at the line right there with the 41 (Kurt Busch), so just – I’m just so happy.”

    Kurt Busch finished fourth and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top-five.

    “It was really fun. Every time I would make a mistake and get shuffled to the middle it seemed like the crew guys would bring back a solid pit stop to put us in position and to be in control,” Busch said. “It feels good when we have that plus alongside our name in points. I was trying to ease it for Tony Gibson (crew chief) and all these guys that work so hard. There was some rooting and gouging at the end and I got some damage. I don’t even know where we finished, but all I was shooting for was top 15.”

    Kyle Larson finished sixth, Kevin Harvick finished seventh, Aric Almirola finished eighth, Austin Dillon finished ninth and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top-10.

    Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Edwards, Hamlin and the Busch brothers advance to the Round of 8 while Austin Dillon, Elliott, Keselowski and Truex go no further in the Chase.

    The race lasted three hours, 11 minutes and 38 seconds at an average speed of 159.905 mph. There were 31 lead changes among 14 different drivers and six cautions for 25 laps.

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  • Truex Earns Pole at Talladega

    Truex Earns Pole at Talladega

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — Martin Truex Jr. will lead the field to the green flag tomorrow at Talladega Superspeedway.

    The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota posted the fastest time in the final round of qualifying and scored the pole position for the Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway with a time of 49.509 and a speed of 193.423 mph.

    “It’s definitely the place to be to start the race – it’s just about trying to stay there as long as you can,” Truex said. “We’ll see what happens. This is obviously a big race with a lot on the line. I look forward to it. I’m just so proud of the guys in Denver and everybody here at the race track for what they did here. This is all about the team, all about what they do and all about the guys at TRD (Toyota Racing Development) in California building these engines, so my hat’s off to all of them. I’m lucky to be sitting behind the wheel and holding it to the floor. It was a good day today and hopefully, we will have another good day tomorrow.”

    It’s his 11th career pole in 401 Sprint Cup Series starts, fourth of the season and first at Talladega Superspeedway.

    His car was at the center of a parts confiscation stir earlier today when NASCAR confiscated a front jack bolt that started a discussion over Truex getting a Chase-ending penalty. But Scott Miller, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, said it wasn’t “a real competitive advantage” and “unlikely” to result in a penalty.

    Three of the JGR cars – 11, 18 and 20 – were sent back to the garage before they were allowed to make their qualifying run. Miller said the issue was “body manipulation.”

    “The quarter panels (on the right side) appeared to have been messed with around the deck lid,” he added. “(We) brought them back in to rectify it.”

    Brad Keselowski will join him on the front row in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford after posting a time of 49.523 and a speed of 193.365 mph.

    “It’s good to qualify up front,” Keselowski said. “I think it’s a good confidence boost. I feel like when we have cars that qualify well here, we race well. The Miller Lite Ford was really fast here in qualifying and hopefully, it will stay the same for Sunday.”

    Matt Kenseth will start third in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota after posting a time of 49.568 and a speed of 193.189 mph.

    “Good for America. It was good,” Kenseth said of his qualifying run. “I think we ended up third, so that’s really good. It’s obviously a team qualifying session – not anything to do with the driver really. I just steered around and hold it to the floor, so obviously, they did a good job and it’s a good spot to start.”

    Chase Elliott will start fourth in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after posting a time of 49.574 and a speed of 193.166 mph. Greg Biffle will round out the top-five starters in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford after posting a time of 49.585 and a speed of 193.123 mph.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon and Paul Menard will round out the top-10.

    Trevor Bayne and Reed Sorenson, who posted the fastest time in the first round in his No. 55 Premium Motorsports Toyota, will round out the 12 drivers that made the final round of qualifying.

    Carl Edwards will start 13th, Kyle Busch will start 14th, Joey Logano will start 16th, Jimmie Johnson will start 17th and Kevin Harvick will be the lowest starting Chase driver in 22nd.

    David Gilliland was the lone driver that failed to make the race.

    In total, 19 Chevrolet’s, 12 Ford’s and nine Toyota’s will comprise the 40-car field for Sunday’s Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega.

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  • Edwards on Aspects of Plate Racing

    Edwards on Aspects of Plate Racing

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — Among the topics Carl Edwards addressed with the media were if he thinks plate racing is “insane,” the unpredictability of plate racing and Talladega not being an elimination race come next season.

    Speaking to the media yesterday at Talladega Superspeedway, the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was asked, given the unpredictable and volatile nature of restrictor plate racing, if he as a driver ever stopped to think “I am insane to do this.”

    “It’s a crazy style of racing and there are times at the end of these races where you think, ‘This is just – this is truly insanity,’” Edwards said. “All the cars are torn up, everybody is limping around, but I think NASCAR – aside from completely changing the race track and the style of racing – I believe NASCAR does the best job they can do keeping things as safe as they can. We’ve got the best technology that we can have to keep the walls soft and the cars safe and monitoring everyone and keeping us from bumping too much and all that, but it is – it’s a crazy style of racing. That’s all there is to it.”

    He also expanded on the unpredictability, stating “if you look back a couple – I think it was a couple years ago – Dave (Rogers, crew chief) mentioned it and he doesn’t like to talk about it, but I guess he and Kyle (Busch) came here basically leading the points or really close to leading the points and got knocked out running 42nd and were out of the Chase, so that’s a pretty big swing in fortune. I think all of us are aware that can happen here and it’s not just that it can happen – I mean that can happen anywhere, it can happen at Charlotte, we saw a lot happen there – but it can happen and it’s not your fault so to speak. Outside circumstances – you’re just so close and you’re in a pack and I think that’s what makes this race interesting to watch is that truly anything can happen. I mean, I’ve been staring at the checkered flag thinking I was going to win and then been upside down in the fence. I mean, it’s – and that was just the two of us messing around. If you get the whole pack in there, it can get crazy.”

    Edwards is not the only driver to note the “insanity” of racing at Talladega. Brad Keselowski, in his post-race media availability following his victory in the GEICO 500, talked about how racing is a “balance of daredevils and chess players” and that Talladega “has always been the more daredevil style of track.”

    Restrictor plate racing, exclusive to Talladega and Daytona International Speedway, has always been a polarizing topic in NASCAR since its introduction nearly 30 years ago. Drivers tend to dislike or outright hate plate racing because of its unpredictability and violent nature. Fans, on the other hand, overwhelmingly love it.

    The nature of plate racing has made Talladega’s position late in the schedule a hot button topic over whether it should have any impact on the championship that late in the going, especially in the elimination format era of the Chase.

    While some drivers are in favor of NASCAR swapping Talladega’s place as the final race of the Round of 12 with Kansas Speedway next season, Edwards doesn’t think it’ll make that much of a difference.

    “I think Talladega being in this round, I think it makes all of the races crazier just because you know this one’s slightly less predictable, so it puts a pressure on regardless of where it’s at,” he said. “I guess if it were the first race, there’s a chance you could come out and everything will go smoothly and then your next two races might be more normal, but heck I don’t know. I feel like truly Talladega gets a lot of attention, but as this – as being a real ‘wild card’ – but as people get better at this Chase and understand how important each lap is and each position is, the intensity has just been ramping up the last couple of years and it seems like it’s there for sure this year.”

  • Johnson Fastest in Final Practice at Talladega

    Johnson Fastest in Final Practice at Talladega

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — Jimmie Johnson topped the chart in final Sprint Cup Series practice at Talladega Superspeedway.

    The driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 48.761 and a speed of 196.386 mph. Matt Kenseth was second in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 48.773 and a speed of 48.773 and a speed of 196.338 mph. Chase Elliott was third in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 48.774 and a speed of 196.334 mph. Carl Edwards was fourth in his No. 19 JGR Toyota with a time of 48.775 and a speed of 196.330 mph. Alex Bowman rounded out the top-five in his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 48.775 and a speed of 196.330 mph.

    Kasey Kahne was sixth in his No. 5 HMS Chevrolet. Paul Menard was seventh in his No. 27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Ryan Reed was eighth in his No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Kyle Busch was ninth in his No. 18 JGR Toyota. Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top-10 in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota.

    Denny Hamlin was 11th, Joey Logano was 13th, Kurt Busch was 15th and Austin Dillon was the lowest Chase driver in 16th.

    The Cup drivers are back on track tomorrow after the Truck race for qualifying.

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  • Biffle Fastest in First Talladega Practice

    Biffle Fastest in First Talladega Practice

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — Greg Biffle topped the chart in first Sprint Cup Series practice at Talladega Superspeedway.

    The driver of the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 48.133 and a speed of 198.949 mph. AJ Allmendinger was second in his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet with a time of 48.284 and a speed of 198.327 mph. Chris Buescher was third in his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford with a time of 48.300 and a speed of 198.261 mph. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fourth in his No. 17 RFR Ford with a time of 48.300 and a speed of 198.261 mph. Trevor Bayne rounded out the top-five in his No. 6 RFR Ford with a time of 48.338 and a speed of 198.105 mph.

    Michael McDowell was sixth in his No. 95 Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet. Brian Scott was seventh in his No. 44 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford. Landon Cassill was eighth in his No. 38 FRM Ford. Kevin Harvick was ninth in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet. Kyle Larson rounded out the top-10 in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

    Martin Truex Jr. was 13th, Denny Hamlin was 14th, Jimmie Johnson was 15th, Matt Kenseth was 16th, Kyle Busch was 17th, Chase Elliott was 21st, Brad Keselowski was 23rd, Joey Logano was 26th, Austin Dillon was 27th, Kurt Busch was 29th and Carl Edwards was the lowest Chase driver in 31st.

    The Cup cars will be back on track for final practice at 4:30 p.m.

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  • GEICO given naming rights to restart zone at ISC tracks

    GEICO given naming rights to restart zone at ISC tracks

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — The restart zone at the tracks of NASCAR’s largest track holder has sold its naming rights going forward.

    During a Casey Mears media availability at Talladega Superspeedway billed as having a “major Talladega/International Speedway Corporation announcement,” GEICO was named the entitlement sponsor of the restart zone, dubbed the Talladega Restart Zone, for the track this weekend’s Chase for the Sprint Cup Hellmann’s 500 and Fred’s 250. It’ll take effect at all ISC tracks, sans Auto Club Speedway, starting in 2017.

    “At GEICO, we’re always looking for new ways to engage with sports fans,” said Ted Ward, GEICO marketing vice-president. “Having out branding in the restart zone is not only a GEICO first, but also a first for all of NASCAR. This expansion of our presence at the track underscores the success of our NASCAR partnership.”

    As part of the announcement, GEICO also extended its sponsorship of Talladega’s May race, the GEICO 500, through 2019.

    “We’re exited about extending out relationship with GEICO, one of the largest auto insurers in the U.S.,” said Grant Lynch, chairman of Talladega Superspeedway. “This race, known for its thrilling on-track action at NASCAR’s most competitive track, will continue to provide an incredible platform for GEICO to engage with fans.”