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Tag: Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Talladega

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin took third at Talladega and is the leader in the Playoff points standings.

“I’m practically a lock to advance to the next round,” Hamlin said. “The mathematicians tell me that as long as I don’t vanish into thin air, I’ll qualify for the next round.

“I hit 204 miles per hour at practice on Friday. When you’re moving that fast, you’re a blur to all fans, not just the ones who’ve been drinking too much.”

2. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex struggled at Talladega, finishing 26th, six laps down.

“I had a pit road speeding penalty,” Truex said, “plus I sustained some damage in a wreck. Luckily, my place in the standings is ‘pointing’ to me advancing to the next round.

“Aerodynamics is of major importance at Talladega. Airflow is a big deal on the track, as well as in the infield port-a-potties. However, when you’re on the track, you want to be in the draft.”

3. Kyle Busch: Busch finished 19th at Talladega, the last car on the lead lap.

“This race was called the ‘1000bulbs.com 500,” Busch said. “Let’s just say, compared to the good old days, today’s NASCAR race names are ‘lit.’

4. Kyle Larson: Larson was collected in a big Lap 107 crash triggered by Alex Bowman blocking a run by Joey Logano. Larson’s car was destroyed and he finished 39th.

“That’s why my win at Dover was so important,” Larson said. “It made my advancement to the Playoffs Round of 8 ‘idiot-proof,’ or should I say ‘Alex Bowman-proof?’”

5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 17th in the 1000bulbs.com 500.

“I got knocked out of the race in a wreck caused by Kurt Busch hitting his brother Kyle,” Harvick said. “Somebody, maybe even two people, should be punched for that.

“Stewart-Haas Racing and Smithfield Foods extended their partnership,” Harvick said. “Smithfield specializes in pork, so our collective motto is now, ‘Make the tires squeal like a pig.’”

6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished 25th at Talladega.

“Thanks to Kurt and Kyle Busch,” Keselowski said, “my chances of winning went kaput. In other words, Kurt and Kyle are both ‘asses-sories’ to ruining my day.

“The anxiety at Talladega is always evident. The tension is often so thick, you can cut it with a knife, or something even duller, like Matt Kenseth’s personality.”

7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney nipped Ryan Newman at the finish line by .007 of a second to win at Talladega and punched his ticket to the Round of 8.

“I’d like to thank Aric Almirola for the big push he gave me,” Blaney said. “Two Fords working in harmony is a beautiful sight. The title of my Talladega diary entry could very well be, ‘My Back End, Your Front End.’”

8. Joey Logano: Logano finished 11th at Talladega and is only 18 points above the cut line to advance to the field of 8.

“I started the race on time,” Logano said. “Unlike Guns ‘N Roses, I didn’t have any ‘Axl’ problems this time.”

9. Chase Elliott: Elliott started on the pole at Talladega and finished eighth.

“Hendrick Motorsports went 1-2-3-4 in qualifying,” Elliott said. “That’s more than just a ‘sweep;’ I would call consolidating the top two rows a ‘vacuum.’ Unfortunately, in the race, we mostly ‘sucked.’”

10. Alex Bowman: Bowman’s day ended when he tried to block Joey Logano’s run on Lap 107, triggering a big crash that involved 11 cars.

“Just when my feud with Bubba Wallace was dying down,” Bowman said, “I do something that could start several more. Now there’s egg on my face as well as water.

“And speaking of Bubba, I’ve got a perfect idea to settle our beef. We need to settle this like men, with a duel, with water guns.”

October 14, 2019
Cup Series race at Talladega postponed until Monday
Sunday afternoon NASCAR officially postponed the 1000bulbs.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway until Monday at 2 p.m. ET. due to heavy rains in the area and more to come.

Just 57 of the 188 laps were run with one stage completed. William Byron won the first stage followed by Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suarez as the top-10 finishers in Stage 1.

The race will be restarted where it left off following the completion of Stage 1. Drivers will be given the word to refire the engines and then can come down to make pit stops.

The remainder of the race can be seen on NBCSN at 2 p.m. ET and can be heard on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Only one caution has flown so far and that was for the No. 52 of Spencer Boyd who came to a stop in Turn 1 on lap 36 during the running of green-flag pit stops.

Also prior to the red, Paul Menard stepped out of his car due to soreness from disc issues in his neck and ThorSport Truck Series driver Matt Crafton stepped in.

It’s the first time since April of 2008, where the Cup Series race at Talladega was rained out and pushed to Monday.

Current running order on lap 57/188
1. William Byron
2. Joey Logano
3. Alex Bowman
4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
5. Brad Keselowski
6. Kyle Larson
7. Jimmie Johnson
8. Kurt Busch
9. Ryan Blaney
10. Daniel Suarez
11. Matt DiBenedetto
12. Kevin Harvick
13. Clint Bowyer
14. Denny Hamlin
15. Kyle Busch
16. Daniel Hemric
17. David Ragan
18. Chase Elliott
19. Ryan Newman
20. Aric Almirola
21. Michael McDowell
22. Austin Dillon
23. Ty Dillon
24. Bubba Wallace
25. Ryan Preece
26. Chris Buescher
27. Parker Kligerman
28. Matt Tifft
29. Corey LaJoie
30. Martin Truex Jr.
31. Brendan Gaughan
32. Landon Cassill
33. Paul Menard (Matt Crafton is now in the car after the switch over)
34. Austin Theriault, one lap down
35. Erik Jones, one lap down
36. Joey Gase, one lap down
37. Ross Chastain, one lap down
38. Reed Sorenson, two laps down
39. Blake Jones, three laps down
40. Spencer Boyd, 15 laps down
October 13, 2019
Moffitt rebounds to top five finish after penalty

Brett Moffitt and his No. 24 GMS Racing team had their work cut out for them after he and his technical teammate Stewart Friesen were penalized for locking bumpers while leading. Moffitt was running his own race, while having help from Friesen in hopes of keeping the field behind them.

Once both were penalized, Moffitt and his teammate had to serve a pass-through penalty. With the help of a caution the Grimes, Iowa native was able to catch back up with the field to have one more shot.

Despite being penalized, Moffitt brought home the No. 24 CMR Construction and Roofing Chevy to a third place finish. Though he wasn’t overly happy with the finish or the penalty.

“It’s Talladega, that’s for sure,” Moffitt told MRN Radio. “I can’t thank everyone at GMS enough, we had really fast three Chevy Silverado’s and CMR, all the folks from CMR were here, which was exciting. I wish we could be in victory lane right now. Ultimately, we out pointed everyone in the playoffs and we now have a comfortable buffer. We’ll look forward to the next two races and try to win one. If not, we’ll try to make it to Homestead.”

When asked about the penalty, Moffitt wasn’t too pleased.

“I would love to see whatever clip they were calling. Everyone on TV could see, I was doing an extremely good job of hitting him and getting off of him three or four inches and then getting back to him. I guess we were stinking up the show and they wanted to make it interesting.”

Moffitt finished second in both stages and ultimately earned his 12th top five of the season. He maintains the championship points lead by +45.

October 13, 2019
Playoff battle in Truck Series stays close

With just three races left before crowning the 2019 champion, the Playoffs points standings in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series is tight, including one championship favorite now below the cutoff line.

Ross Chastain crashed from the lead with six laps remaining, Stewart Friesen was the only Playoff driver to earn any additional Playoff points by winning a stage, and Austin Hill was frustrated at the field when he was unable to find a drafting partner to score additional points at the conclusion of the second stage. It also didn’t help any of the six remaining drivers as none of the Playoff teams could capture the checkered flag to secure their spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. NASCAR issued a post-race penalty on Johnny Sauter to hand the win to then second-place finisher, Spencer Boyd.

Now, only two drivers have more than a 20-point cushion, while the other four are fighting for the last two spots with the last three drivers separated by just two points.

The Truck Series races at Martinsville Speedway and ISM Raceway during their Round of 6 before two are eliminated. Let’s review what happened Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway that shook up the Playoffs.

Chastain Takes Blame for “Big One” in Closing Laps

With six laps to go, Chastain learned the hard way that he can only block once.

Down the backstretch, the inside lane of Grant Enfinger and Harrison Burton had reached the peak of their momentum on Chastain, so the Niece Motorsports driver moved high to start blocking and using the charge from the outside lane. As the field entered Turn 3, Sheldon Creed and Todd Gilliland continued to work together to make a move around Chastain. They first moved high, then down to the middle lane to peek a bumper inside of the leader.

Chastain blocked high successfully but started the carnage when blocking low.

To no fault of his own, Creed hooked the rear bumper of Chastain to send him spinning. Chastain would then collect nine other trucks to create what would be the only “Big One.”

He took all the blame.

“I definitely turned left on (Creed),” he shared with FOX Sports after being evaluated and released from the infield care center. “Sorry to everybody that got taken out. My Niece Motorsports boys and girls deserve better. The Car Shield Chevy was fast enough to go compete for the win.

That one’s on me. I’m so glad we get to go onto Martinsville and Phoenix and redeem ourselves to keep winning and press the attack.”

After declaring for the points championship in the Truck series earlier this year, his focus remains the same: that same Truck championship.

“I will go try to win practice, try to win qualifying and try to win the race, and just go execute. That was poor execution on my part. Again, sorry to everybody involved, but we’ll go on and just execute. That’s my job, and that’s what we’re gonna go do.”

Playoff Drivers Struggle Against Controversial Penalties

On Lap 51, NASCAR issued a penalty on two Playoff drivers, as Stewart Friesen and Brett Moffitt were caught locking bumpers to draft away from the pack. They were leading at the time but came down pit road to serve a stop-and-go penalty. While they rallied back to finish fourth and fifth, they both know it could have easily been a different story if a “Big One” had happened while they marched back to the front. Being eligible for the championship just added more to the drama.

“I don’t really know what to say about anything,” Friesen said. “I didn’t see it. I have no idea, no clue. But we were fortunate to get back to the lead lap and get a fifth out of it.”

Although Moffitt has a 45 point buffer above the cutoff line, he wanted proof of their two trucks locking bumpers. The hard part is that no television coverage could catch exactly when they were locking bumpers.

“I would love to see it, love to see where we locked bumpers because I was very conscious of it and staying off him, giving him a bubble,” Moffitt shared after the race. “I would love to see proof. Everyone’s pushing the limit.

“Now had that played out like Daytona where we (went to) the back and ended up in a wreck I’d be a little more upset about it, but the fact we had really good Chevrolets here and were able to rebound – all three of us. It’s frustrating but ultimately we did our job and out-pointed everyone in the playoffs.”

Sheldon Creed (front) and Brett Moffitt (back) appear to potentially lock bumpers driving through the tri-oval, but no penalty was issued. Photo courtesy of Stephanie McLaughlin with Speedway Media.

To make matters more controversial about the call, there were other instances throughout the race where two trucks would clearly lock bumpers and serve no obligated penalty. Possibly the biggest missed call was on the final lap.

Eventual race winner Boyd locked bumpers with Riley Herbst to create a run to the lead. The attempted pass between Herbst and Sauter caused Sauter to go below the yellow line, which is not allowed at all by the leader. Sauter would be penalized and hand the win to Boyd.

“So those are tough calls and I think there were several instances where we were all looking at each other,’‘Is that too much? Is that too much?’” said NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller who addressed media questions on the officiating calls after the race. “So, there was really no other choice but to make that call (on Moffitt and Friesen).”

However, the same driving that NASCAR claimed Moffitt and Friesen did was also executed by Boyd and Herbst fighting for the win on the final lap. No call was made.

Austin Hill Frustrated with Competition and Lack of Stage Points

While Hill is currently in the third position in the Playoffs, he sure would like to have more of a points gap going into the next two races. He clearly understood how valuable stage points are in a time like now, and with a points structure where each position is just one point, it’s a spot in the season where every point matters.

Austin Hill (No. 16) had trouble finding drafting help, as depicted here. Ross Chastain (No. 45) would get drafting help from behind, while competitors behind Hill would find a way to battle around. Photo courtesy of Stephanie McLaughlin with Speedway Media.

But for some reason, Hill just wasn’t able to find a drafting partner to work with during the race. That cost him valuable spots, and eventually valuable points by not executing strongly at the conclusion of either stage.

“I was really frustrated all day about that,” Hill said. “I didn’t really have any help from anybody – whether a Toyota was behind me or anyone else. It didn’t matter. No one seemed to want to work with me. It was tough all day.

“We were leading that second stage and with two (laps) to go, they had such a big run, there was no way to really block that outside lane coming. I tried to stay on the bottom because I knew I had two Toyotas behind me and then they bailed on me.”

That tough fighting and loss of potential points could be vital as the Round of 6 continues. Hill finished the race in sixth but collected just 35 points. In comparison, Moffitt and Friesen finished fourth and fifth and collected 51 and 48 points respectively — over 10 stage points each more than Hill.

After the race, Hill now sits just 12 points above the cutoff line.

“Still a decent points day, just not what we wanted. At least we didn’t end up on the wrecker like a few of them did. All in all, it was a decent points day and we’ll go on to Martinsville.”

October 13, 2019
Sauter finishes 14th at Talladega after being penalized

It was a controversial finish for Johnny Sauter and the No. 13 team at Talladega Superspeedway Saturday afternoon, following the Sugarland Shines 250. Sauter was the first truck to cross the line first, but not the ultimate victor.

Sauter was trying to do everything he could to hang on to win the race. However, when they were coming to the checkers, Sauter accidentally forced a truck below the yellow line which is not allowed in any of the three national series. Due to that infraction, Sauter was not the winner and had to settle for 14th place after being penalized.

Miller, the senior vice president of competition said, “[Sauter] actually did two things wrong “He had his whole car down below the yellow line, which you can’t do, and you can’t force another car below the yellow line, and he did both. It was pretty clear cut.”

Sauter described what happened as a by-product of plate racing.

“I went down to put a little block on him,” Sauter said, “but then when I did, I got hooked sideways, but that’s just plate racing. You know, I didn’t block his advance or anything like that. I just hate it for my guys. They deserve better than that.”

“It is what it is,” Sauter added when he spoke to MRN Radio. “I listen to the veterans and I feel like I’m a old school racer. I hate it for my guys and everybody at Ford, Tenda, Quarter Horse, Duke and Rhonda especially. You just got to do what you do.”

“I’m going to shake this stuff off, it don’t bother me. It ain’t the first time I’ve had a win taken away. We’ll just go fight hard at Martinsville.”

Sauter had stage finishes of 13th in Stage 1 and fifth in Stage 2. He also led 28 laps.

October 12, 2019
Elliott leads the way, wins pole at Talladega as Hendrick sweeps top four spots

Chase Elliott claimed the Busch Pole Award at Talladega Superspeedway Saturday evening while his teammates followed for a Hendrick Motorsports sweep of the top four starting positions.

His qualifying lap of 192.707 mph earned Elliott his fourth pole of the season and his eighth career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole. It was his second pole at the 2.66-mile track. Elliott also won the spring race at the track and is hoping for a repeat.

When asked about the odds of winning again, he was optimistic but is not taking anything for granted.

“To me, I feel like our car has pace, which is a good thing,” Elliott replied.

“Typically in these races, cars that have pace tend to kind of set the standard and are able to do some things that you wouldn’t be able to do if your car didn’t have pace. I would much rather have pace on my side than not.

“Can you still win without those little extra things here and there? Yes. But I do think it is a good thing to have if you do. And luckily, I feel like our car does. Hopefully it drives well tomorrow. And, I’m sure as we start the race, we’ll see some gamesmanship being played amongst the manufacturers and I’m sure that’ll form-up very quickly.”

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Alex Bowman (192.552 mph), William Byron (192.258 mph) and Jimmie Johnson (191.566 mph) will follow Elliott in the lineup after qualifying second, third and fourth.

Byron is hoping the teammates can stay up front together.

“I’ve got three teammates behind but then not a lot of Chevrolets back behind that for a little while,” he noted. “So, there are a bunch of other guys stacked in between us. So, we’ll see. I’m sure these games will be played pretty early. And hopefully we can stay up front and grab some stage points and hopefully get a win.”

Ford drivers Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Clint Bowyer, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano rounded out the top-10 qualifiers.

Logano spoke about the significance of the car manufacturers working together.

“We’ve got to stay open to doing what our competition is doing and trying to do what they do better than them. That’s what we’ve got to try to do, but it seems like now more than ever the teamwork aspect has really come into play more than it’s ever been,” Keselowski said. “I say teamwork, not just Penske – we’re talking about all the Fords or all the Chevys or Toyotas. Everyone really seems to be committed to each other and it’s really changed the game a lot.”

Of the remaining playoff drivers, Kyle Larson will start 12th, Kevin Harvick 15th, Martin Truex Jr. 18th, Kyle Busch 26th and Denny Hamlin will start in 40th after an engine failure during qualifying.

You can tune into Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

October 12, 2019
Boyd wins Truck Series race after Sauter black-flagged
The Sugarland Shines 250 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race was relatively calm until the checkered flag flew. Originally, Johnny Sauter was named as the race winner. But, in the end, it was Spencer Boyd and the No. 20 Youngs Motorsports who provided the ultimate upset after NASCAR ruled that Sauter forced Riley Herbst below the yellow line. Sauter was penalized after the finish and Boyd was declared as the ultimate victor at Talledega Superspeedway.

“A guy like me was pretty happy finishing second to Johnny Sauter, then 30 seconds later, they’re like you won and I’m like, man, second doesn’t feel so good anymore,” Boyd told MRN Radio. “This is awesome. Tyler Young and the whole Young family, I started out in the 20 Truck this year, we started out strong. Finished fourth at Daytona, had A1 Auto on board for most of the year. I knew we had a good Superspeedway truck and I wasn’t driving this thing two weeks ago.”

“Alabama Roofing Professionals coming on board, putting this deal together. My mom and dad coming out here to watch me race, they don’t make it all of them, it’s awesome! Freedom Warranty, Kickass Beef Jerky, there’s so many people. The Young family is a small team, but they’re making moves, Gus Dean and Tyler Dippel, we got a great group of guys. The guys work hard, the spotter (Freddie Kraft) was amazing, my crew, no mistakes on pit road all day. Really blessed to be here right now, I’m so excited!”

Talladega Superspeedway was the beginning of the Round of 6 in the 2019 Playoffs. After an unfortunate outcome at Vegas, Matt Crafton qualified on the pole. Among the other five playoff drivers Tyler Ankrum qualified second, Brett Moffitt was eighth, Stewart Friesen was 10th, Austin Hill qualified 13th and Ross Chastain will start in 17th.

Stages were 20/20/54 to make up the 94 lap race. Jordan Anderson was the only driver sent to the rear after missing the driver’s meeting.

Stage 1: Lap 1- Lap 20

The first caution of the race came out on Lap 8 for the No. 18 of Harrison Burton who spun around in the tri-oval. Ross Chastain had to come down pit road after having a flat tire. There was no major damage to either truck. The red flag eventually was flown as the No. 33 of Mason Massey blew up which caused an extensive cleanup.

Stage 1 went back green on Lap 14 and it remained green the rest of the way until Lap 20 with
Sheldon Creed taking the stage victory. Moffitt, Chastain, John Hunter Nemechek, Friesen, Riley Herbst, Hill, Ben Rhodes, Todd Gilliland and Austin Wayne Self rounded out the top-10 finishers for Stage 1.

Stage 2: Lap 26- Lap 40

Chastain was the race leader to begin the stage as he stayed out under the stage yellow. Speaking of yellows, the second caution flew on Lap 29 for the No. 02 of Tyler Dippel who hit the wall on the backstretch after slight contact with Timothy Peters.

Nemechek also had damage to his hood after a few drivers ahead of him checked up. He eventually went to the garage and wound up with a disappointing 30th place finish.

After the only caution for Stage 2, the leaders were able to race out until Lap 40. Grant Enfinger played strategy by pitting with three to go and assumed the lead when Stage 3 began.

This time around, Friesen ended up winning the stage. Moffitt, Wayne Self, Creed, Sauter, Ankrum, Gus Dean, Anthony Alfredo, Gilliland and Crafton were the top-10 finishers for Stage 2.

Stage 3: Lap 46- Lap 98

A few laps after Stage 3, technical teammates, Friesen and Moffitt were penalized for locking bumpers and had to serve a pass-through penalty.

On Lap 65, the final round of green-flag pit stops began. There were no incidents, other than Clay Greenfield, Ankrum, Friesen and Moffitt who were penalized for being too fast on pit road. After the stops cycled out, Sauter went back to the lead on Lap 74. However, just as soon as stops were done, a caution occurred on Lap 81 for Alfredo who spun prior to the tri-oval.

This set up a restart with eight to go and another caution flag was flown on Lap 87 for a wreck in Turn 4. Chastain went to throw a block to protect the lead but ended up wrecking instead. Codie Rohrbaugh, Timothy Peters, Natalie Decker, Greenfield, Bryan Dauzat and Enfinger were all involved. The red flag was brought out again for clean up.

A late-race restart came with three to go but there was another caution for Dean and his No. 12 machine who went sliding and hit hard on the backstretch wall.

Eventually, this set up an overtime restart with two to go. Sauter was out front and doing everything he needed to do to protect his lead for a possible race win. When the checkered flag flew on Lap 98, Sauter was the first truck to cross the line but it was later determined that he forced a truck (Herbst) under the yellow line coming to the finish, which is not allowed.

Because of this, Sauter did not end up winning and it was later determined that Boyd won instead.

“I knew we could draft up and make a lot of moves, and take the surges pretty easily, it felt really good,” Boyd added to MRN Radio. “We could go from 20th to fifth, back to 20th and we rode for a little bit. The next thing you know, my spotter Freddie, three to go, we’ve got to go and be aggressive when I tell you to fill a whole. We did it, we got to the middle and avoided that wreck, that was crazy. We were taking the runs when we could, I pushed the 51 (Herbst), just pushing them was exciting. Then I was in second and Johnny was up there doing his thing and we ended up winning at the end of the day.”

“I’ll take the call, four years ago I was selling cars. For me to be in NASCAR’s victory lane is amazing, my family has done so much.”

Boyd just led one lap and it was the last one, which was the most important one. Sauter, who was the original victor ended up 14th.

There were seven cautions for 29 laps and two red flags that slowed the Sugarland Shines 250. There were 24 lead changes among 15 drivers.

Playoff Standings
1. Brett Moffitt, +45
2. Stewart Friesen, +22
3. Austin Hill, +12
4. Matt Crafton, +1
  Below the cut line
5. Tyler Ankrum, -1
6. Ross Chastain, -2
Official Results
1. Spencer Boyd, led one lap
2. Todd Gilliland
3. Riley Herbst
4. Brett Moffitt, led seven laps
5. Stewart Friesen, led eight laps
6. Austin Hill, led two laps
7. Tyler Ankrum, led six laps
8. Matt Crafton, led one lap
9. Sheldon Creed, led 20 laps
10. Grant Enfinger, led three laps
11. Harrison Burton
12. Ben Rhodes
13. Korbin Forrister
14. Johnny Sauter, led 28 laps
15. Anthony Alfredo, one lap down
16. Natalie Decker, one lap down
17. Bryan Dauzat, one lap down
18. Norm Benning, two laps down
19. Jesse Iwuji, two laps down
20. Gus Dean, OUT, Crash
21. Jordan Anderson, eight laps down
22. Ross Chastain, OUT, Crash
23. Timothy Peters, OUT, Crash
24. Codie Rohrbaugh, OUT, Crash
25. Clay Greenfield, OUT, Crash
26. Brennan Poole, OUT, Rear end
27. Jennifer Jo Cobb, OUT, 19 laps down
28. Angela Ruch, OUT, Engine
29. Austin Wayne Self, OUT, Overheating
30. John Hunter Nemechek, OUT, Radiator
31. Tyler Dippel, OUT, Crash
32. Mason Massey, OUT, Engine
Up Next: The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series takes a couple of weeks off once more before returning to the track on Saturday, October 26.
October 12, 2019
Weekend Schedule for Talladega

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the Gander Outdoors Truck Series head to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. The NASCAR Xfinity Series is off but will return to competition next week at Kansas Speedway.

This will be the second race in the Round of 12 for the Cup Series Playoffs. Aric Almirola is the defending Cup Series race winner. The Truck Series begins its Round of 6 at the 2.66-mile tri-oval. Timothy Peters won the Truck Series race at Talladega last year.

All times are Eastern.

Friday, October 11

12:35 p.m. – 1:25 p.m.: Truck Series First Practice – No TV

1:35 p.m. – 2:25 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice – NBCSN/MRN

3:35 p.m. – 4:25 p.m.: Truck Series Final Practice – No TV

4:35 p.m. – 5:25 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/MRN

Saturday, October 12

10:35 a.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – FS1

1:30 p.m.: Truck Series Sugarlands Shine 250 (Stages 20/40/94 Laps = 250.04 Miles) – FS1/MRN

4:35 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying Impound (Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – NBCSN/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Sunday, October 13

2 p.m.: Cup Series 1000Bulbs.com 500 (Stages 55/110/188 Laps = 500.08 Miles) – NBC/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio – Green flag: 2:03 p.m.

Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

October 10, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Talladega
After well over a month off, the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series gets back on track this Saturday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway to begin the Round of Six where should a playoff driver win, they’ll be locked in into the Championship Four at Homestead-Miami Speedway. However, if a Playoff driver doesn’t have a good run there, it will definitely hurt their chances going forward in hopes of making that final round and competing for a championship.

Looking back at the previous race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, well over a month ago at Vegas, which was the final race of the first round in the playoffs. Playoff driver Austin Hill was able to win and advanced to the next round. While Hill found himself victorious, other drivers were left frustrated, including the ThorSport Racing group.

All three of ThorSport’s Playoff drivers (Grant Enfinger, Johnny Sauter, and Matt Crafton) were out of the race early due to engine failures. Enfinger and Sauter ultimately failed to make the round, while Crafton was still able to move on. ThorSport sent a request in to NASCAR in hopes for NASCAR to include their eliminated trucks in the next round, but their request was denied. In doing so, Crafton is the only driver out of that stable that moves on. The other Playoff drivers are Hill, Ross Chastain, Brett Moffitt, Tyler Ankrum and Stewart Friesen all with championship hopes still in play.

With that in mind, there are 32 trucks entered on the preliminary entry list this week, which means no drivers will miss the field on Saturday morning for qualifying. Talladega provides a unique opportunity for those to have yet find victory lane, not to mention the possibility for an upset winner such as Mike Wallace in 2011 and Parker Kligerman in 2017.

But who has the greatest chance of winning on Saturday? Here’s a look at five drivers who could win on Saturday afternoon in ‘Dega.
1. Grant Enfinger- It’s a home race for Grant Enfinger and his No. 98 ThorSport Racing team. Enfinger was born in Fairhope, Alabama, just five hours from the track, but still has a lot of family and friends around the area. With the disappointment of Vegas in the rear view mirror, one can only think the Alabama native is hungry to win at his home track. Enfinger has an up and down track record at Talladega; he has just five starts with a victory here in 2016. However, for his starts with ThorSport, it’s been decent at best. In 2017, Enfinger finished fourth at the 2.66-mile superspeedway while he finished 19th in last years race. He holds an average finish of 11.6 at Talladega, but considering he ran second at Daytona earlier this year he is a formidable enough threat for another superspeedway win on Saturday.
2. Stewart Friesen- Friesen isn’t really considered an upset, but he maybe a surprise winner this weekend. The Canadian native has two starts at Talladega with a best finish of sixth in last years race. While he may not be considered a superspeedway raceer, Friesen just may quietly win his way into the Championship Four by winning on Saturday.
3. Brennan Poole- Poole is making his first truck start at Talladega this weekend in the No. 30 machine. While he does not have any starts in the Truck Series here, Poole does have some success in other series at this track. His best finish at Talladega was third in the XFINITY Series in 2016, where he originally won the race coming to the line. However, the win was taken away after a video review by NASCAR officials. In the ARCA Series he has a best finish of eighth at Talladega driving for Venturini Motorsports in 2012. Should the opportunity for success arise, Poole might be the one that takes advantage of it.
4. Gus Dean- Dean maybe a surprise winner this weekend, but not a surprise to people who followed his ARCA career. Dean won in the ARCA competition at Talladega nearly three years ago. His other starts have fared well, with finishes of sixth in 2017, 12th in 2018, and sixth again in this year’s race back in spring. The Bluffton, South Carolina native has just one superspeedway start in the Truck Series that came back in February at Daytona, where Dean finished 15th due to a crash. Keep an eye on Dean, who is a well-known superspeedway racer.
5. Timothy Peters- Peters is back in the Truck Series field this weekend in the No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports entry. The Providence, North Carolina native is the defending race winner. Peters was able to escape the last lap chaos in last year’s event, where he dodged spinning trucks to win his first Truck Series race since 2015. His track record speaks for itself, with three wins, five top fives and six top-10 finishes, and a 9.0 average finish. Two of those wins were back-to-back (2014-15).
Other drivers on the entry list include the return of the No. 7 All Out Motorsports team driven by Korbin Forrister, John Hunter Nemechek in the family owned NEMCO Motorsports No. 8 Chevy, Bryan Dauzat in the No. 28 Chevy, Riley Herbst in the No. 51 Toyota, and Clay Greenfield in his own No. 68 Truck.

Talladega Superspeedway has seen 13 NGOTS races dating back to its first race in 2006. Winners are Mark Martin, Todd Bodine (twice), Kyle Busch (twice), Parker Kligerman (twice), Johnny Sauter, Timothy Peters (three times), Mike Wallace and Grant Enfinger.

The race winner has come from the pole just three times (2006, 2007, 2015). The lowest a race winner has ever started was 26th back in 2014.

Toyota is the winningest manufacturer with nine wins, followed by Chevrolet with three and Ford with one win.

The NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series starts the weekend on Friday afternoon with two practice sessions. The first practice is scheduled at 11:35 a.m./ET and final practice at 2:35 p.m./ET with no live TV coverage.

Qualifying is early Saturday morning at 10:35 a.m./ET live on Fox Sports 1.

The Sugarlands Shine 250 is scheduled for Saturday afternoon shortly after 1:30 p.m./ET live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio. Stages will be 20/20/54 to make up the 94 lap race.
October 10, 2019
Hendrick Motorsports Playoff drivers are likeliest to advance following Talladega Playoff event

Despite being behind in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup win column, Chevrolets face the likeliest chance to succeed at Talladega for Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 Playoff event. The 2.66-mile superspeedway is no stranger to upset winners, but if the April event is any indicator then not only do the Hendrick Chevrolets face the likeliest chance of winning, they’re also the likeliest to carry on the recent Bowtie winning streak but also advance to the Playoff Round of Eight.

Chase Elliott – His Daytona results notwithstanding, Elliott is showing to be a steady performer on the superspeedways. Along with his April victory in Alabama, he holds three top-fives and three top-10s. It may not seem like much in seven starts, but in the races where he held a dismal finish including his two DNFs in 2017, he has always run near the front including leading 26 laps before a hard crash in the Fall 2017 event.

Still, with two of his three teammates also in the Playoffs as well as the performance of teammate Alex Bowman in the Spring, Elliott could be leading the charge to get out of the Playoff rut his last-place finish at Dover has left him in.

Alex Bowman – 2019 has become the defining year of Bowman’s Cup Series career. It has been a breakout in every sense of the word – one win, six top-fives, 10 top-10s, and a comfortable spot in the seventh slot in the standings. Bowman isn’t satisfied, however, and with Talladega around the corner, a track where he finished second to teammate Elliott in April, he could be kicking his Playoff campaign into high gear and showing the rest of the field that the No. 88 Greg Ives-led crew could be the team to beat in the Playoffs.

Bowman and Elliott proved themselves to be a formidable duo in the Spring, not unlike the early 00s’ when Dale Earnhardt Incorporated drivers Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were winning every other race at Talladega. Should Bowman or Elliott win at Talladega, then it could be the dawn of a new era in NASCAR.

William Byron – Byron’s 2019 Playoff campaign is showing zero signs of a sophomore slump. If anything, it shows that Hendrick Motorsports is catching up in leaps and bounds with the rest of the field, currently led by the Team Penske Fords and the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas. He’s scored five poles already, with three top-fives (including a second at Daytona in July) and 11 top-10s to boot.

He’s only in his second full-time Cup Series campaign, so his previous Talladega results can be chalked up as educational experiences. Same thing goes with his Daytona results, although he has led 56 laps at the 2.5-mile Superspeedway. But one thing to take into account for the Chad Knaus-led No. 24 team is momentum. Byron has been quietly consistent, having finished in the top-25 in every race this season. Granted, that doesn’t equate to wins, but still, quiet consistency is better than no consistency. He could be a sleeper at Talladega, if not in the Playoffs overall. He could have a run equivalent to Ryan Newman’s in 2014 if the could just keep up with the consistency.

Although those drivers are the only Hendrick Chevrolets in the Playoffs at this moment, there are other drivers to consider for the win in Sunday’s race. Talladega is well-known for upset winners, and although rookie Ryan Preece is not a Playoff driver, he’s been stout on the superspeedways in 2019. He was in contention to win the Daytona 500 late in the going before being shuffled back to eighth, for one.

But it was his Talladega performance in April which could translate to a win on Sunday, as the No. 47 was able to latch onto the Hendrick Motorsports train of Elliott and Bowman en route to a third-place finish in the final order. His JTG-Daugherty Racing No. 47 is also powered by Hendrick engines, and given their proclivity for running up front on the superspeedways, he could very well put his car at the front in Sunday’s event. Preece is definitely the dark horse pick for the 1000Bulbs.com 500.

The 1000Bulbs.com 500 will be on NBC on Sunday, October 13, at 2 p.m.

October 10, 2019