NASCAR travels to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend as the Playoffs continue for all three national series. There will be no practice or qualifying and the lineups will be set by NASCAR’s metric format.
Saturday will feature a doubleheader with the Camping World Truck Series race at 1 p.m. followed by the Xfinity Series Sparks 300 at 4:30 p.m.
Sunday’s Cup Series YellaWood 500 will begin with Dale Earnhardt Jr., a six-time winner at the track, taking a ceremonial lap before the start of the race in Ron Bouchard’s No. 47 Buick. The lap will pay tribute to Bouchard’s 1981 upset win when he passed Darrell Waltrip and Terry Labonte on the final lap and won by a margin of only two feet to claim the checkered flag in the 11th start of his rookie season.
All times are Eastern
Saturday, October 2
1 p.m.: Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250
Stages 20/40/94 Laps/250.04 Miles
Pole: Ben Rhodes
FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
4:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Sparks 300
Stages 25/50/113) Laps/300.58 Miles
Pole: Justin Allgaier
NBCSN/TSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Sunday, October 3
2 p.m.: Cup Series YellaWood 500
Stages 60/120/188 Laps/500 Miles
Pole: Denny Hamlin
NBC/TSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
The NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega has been rescheduled to Monday at 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Talladega Superspeedway Data
Season Race #: 31 of 36 (10-03-21)
Track Size: 2.66-miles
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 33 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 33 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 16.5 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 4,300 feet
Backstretch Length: 4,000 feet
Race Length: 188 laps / 500 miles
Stage 1 & 2 Length: 60 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 68 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Qualifying Data
-Track qualifying record: Bill Elliott, Melling Racing Ford (212.809 mph, 44.998 secs.) on April 30, 1987.
-2020 Playoff pole winner: Metric Qualifying – Denny Hamlin (Toyota) started in the first position.
-2019 Playoff pole winner: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (192.707 mph, 49.692 secs.) on October 12, 2019.
- Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead all active Cup drivers in starts at Talladega with 41 each.
- Chase Elliott leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Talladega with a 6.000 in 11 starts.
- Six of the 44 NASCAR Cup Series pole winners at Talladega Superspeedway are active this weekend. Chase Elliott (2), Kevin Harvick (2), Austin Dillon (1), Kurt Busch (1), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (1), and Martin Truex Jr. (1).
- Kevin Harvick (2005, 2018) and Chase Elliott (2016, 2019) lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in poles at Talladega with two each.
- The youngest series Talladega pole winner: Chase Elliott (May 1, 2016 – 20 years, 5 months, 3 days).
- Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in poles at Talladega Superspeedway with 13 among eight different drivers.
- Eight different manufacturers have won at least one pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway; led by Chevrolet with 37 and followed by Ford (29), Dodge (12), Mercury (five), Oldsmobile (five), Pontiac (three), Toyota (three) and Buick (two).
Talladega Superspeedway Race Data
-Track race record: Mark Martin, Roush Fenway Racing Ford (188.354 mph, 02:39:18) on May 10, 1997.
-2020 Playoff race winner: Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (129.774 mph, 04:05:58) on October 4, 2020.
-2019 Playoff race winner: Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford (136.644 mph, 03:39:35) on October 14, 2019.
- Nine of the 49 NASCAR Cup Series race winners at Talladega Superspeedway are active this weekend. Brad Keselowski (6), Joey Logano (3), Denny Hamlin (2), Ryan Blaney (2), Chase Elliott (1), Aric Almirola (1), Ricky Stenhouse Jr (1), Kevin Harvick (1), and Kyle Busch (1).
- Brad Keselowski leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in wins at Talladega Superspeedway with six victories (2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021).
- 15 of the 104 NASCAR Cup Series races (14.4%) at Talladega Superspeedway have been won from the pole or first starting position.
- The outside front row (second starting position) is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.
- The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at Talladega is 34th, by Denny Hamlin in the 2014 spring race.
From OddsChecker: Denny Hamlin a slight favorite to win YellaWood 500’
Hamlin is given +900 odds to win the YellaWood 500. That’s an implied 10% chance to win the race. He’s quickly followed by Joey Logano who’s given +1000 odds, or a 9.1% chance. Chase Elliot and Ryan Blaney aren’t far behind either as both are given +1100 odds, or an 8.3% chance.
YELLAWOOD 500 WINNER ODDS
| Driver | Odds | Implied chance |
| Denny Hamlin | +900 | 10% |
| Joey Logano | +1000 | 9.1% |
| Chase Elliot | +1100 | 8.3% |
| Ryan Blaney | +1100 | 8.3% |
| Kevin Harvick | +1600 | 5.9% |
| William Byron | +1600 | 5.9% |
| Kyle Larson | +1800 | 5.3% |
| Alec Almirola | +2000 | 4.8% |
| Alex Bowman | +2200 | 4.3% |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +2800 | 3.4% |
