THE RACE: GEICO 500
TRACK: Talladega Superspeedway
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race #10 of 36
Date: Sunday, April 29, 2018 in Talladega, AL
Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 2:19 pm/et
Sections on this page:
Television | Radio/Streaming | Schedule | Track/Race Info | Race Rundown
Qualifying / Practice / Entry Info | Weather Links | Tire Notes | Odds
NASCAR RaceDay: TBA on FS1
NASCAR Sunday Pre-Race Show: 1:30pm/et on FOX
Television Race Coverage: FOX, 2:00pm/et
Practices:
Friday, April 27, 12:35pm-1:25pm/et, TV-FS1;
Friday, April 27, 2:35pm-3:25pm/et, TV-FS1
Qualifying for positions 1-40, Saturday, April 28 at 1:05 pm/et, TV-FOX;
In the Booth: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon
Pit Reporters: Jamie Little, Regan Smith, Vince Welch, Matt Yocum
In-Race Analyst: Larry McReynolds
Race / Hollywood Hotel Host: Chris Myers
Analysts / Hollywood Hotel: Jeff Gordon, Darrell and Michael Waltrip
Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:
Monday, April 30 at 12:00am/et on FS1
Monday, April 30 at 12:00pm/et on FS2
TV Listings, Links and Info:
see the TV Listings and Links page
Motor Racing Network (MRN)
SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90
ONLINE STREAMING
FOX Sports GO (available with participating TV provider login)
Radio: MRN Live Streaming
SiriusXM Internet Radio (available via internet connected device, with subscription)
EVENT SCHEDULE
Event Schedule times are local to the track
Thursday, April 26
5:30 PM-7:30 PM MENCS HAULERS ENTER (EQUIPMENT UNLOAD)
Friday, April 27
8:30 AM-5:00 PM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
10:15 AM MENCS ROOKIE MEETING & RANDOM DRAWING
11:35 AM-12:25 PM MENCS 1ST PRACTICE
1:35 PM-2:25 PM MENCS FINAL PRACTICE
3:45 PM NXS, MENCS SPOTTERS MEETING
Saturday, April 28
8:00 AM-2:00 PM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
12:05 PM (1:05 PM/ET) MENCS QUALIFYING IMPOUND (SINGLE VEHICLE / TWO ROUNDS)
Sunday, April 29
8:30 AM MENCS GARAGE OPENS
11:00 AM MENCS DRIVER / CREW CHIEF MEETING
12:20 PM MENCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
1:00 PM (2:00 PM/ET) MENCS RACE (188 LAPS, 500.08 MILES)
MENCS = Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Talladega Superspeedway Track News, Stats & Links page
May 2017: see the Talladega Race Info page
October 2017: see the Talladega Race Info page
Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: Auburn University Head Football Coach Gus Malzahn
Command to start engines: Gus Malzahn
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: Alabama State Senator Gerald Dial
Honorary Pace Car Driver: Deontay Wilder
Color Guard: Alabama National Guard
Invocation: Mark Stokes, Alabama Raceway Ministries
National Anthem: 313th United States Army Band, Birmingham
Flyover: US Navy F-18s, Ragin' Bulls
Sunday Talladega Notebook: Hendrick teammates trigger "The Big One" at Talladega; Kyle Busch falls short in attempt to win fourth straight race; Erik Jones ignites wreck that sends Trevor Bayne to garage.[More](4-29-2018)
Saturday Talladega Notebook: Can Austin Dillon pull off an encore at Talladega? NASCAR shrinks restrictor-plate openings after Jamie McMurray's crash; Did ARCA race produce the closest stock car finish ever?[More](4-28-2018)
Friday Talladega Notebook: Talladega - the track where winning streaks come to die. Did Trevor Bayne just call his shot at Talladega? Jamie McMurray barrel-rolls down Talladega's backstretch.[More](4-27-2018)
Talladega Weekend Preview: Busch goes for fourth straight win at tumultuous Talladega; Lights, camera, action: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup racers set for all-driver broadcast[More](4-26-2018)
What to Watch For: Talladega: Busch Goes For Four Straight; Welcome Back, Matt Kenseth; Getting Crazy at 'Dega; Who's Hot and Who's Not - Talladega[More](4-26-2018)
A look at many news, notes and story lines for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, see the stats on the NASCAR National Series News & Notes -- Talladega Superspeedway
A look at some of the top statistical performers and top-10 driver ratings at Talladega Superspeedway, see the stats on the Statistical Advance - Analyzing Talladega Superspeedway page
Joey Logano hangs tough for hard-fought Talladega victory: Joey Logano led a Ford feast on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, beating Kurt Busch to the checkered flag by .127 seconds to win the GEICO 500, the 10th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season. Logano led the final 42-of-188 laps, a race-high 70 overall, and controlled the action after a 14-car wreck on Lap 166 thinned the field. Logano led the field to the green flag for the final restart on Lap 172 and stayed out front the rest of the way.[More](4-29-2018)
Joey Logano won the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. The win is his 1st win of 2018, 3rd win at Talladega and 19th career win.
Logano led 70 of the 188 laps. He regained the lead after green flag pit stops with 41 laps to go and even relinquished the lead.
#41-Busch finished 2nd followed by #9-Elliott, pole sitter #4-Harvick, #17-Stenhouse, Jr., #38-Ragan, #10-Almirola, #88-Bowman, #31-Newman, and #19-Suarez.
The biggest wreck of the day came on lap 167 and involved 14 cars.
Stage 1 was won by #2-Keselowski, finished 33rd after an accident.
Stage 2 was won by #21-Menard, finished 30th after an accident
There were 25 lead changes among 16 drivers and 6 cautions for 29 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 152.489mph.
See unofficial race results, awards, laps led, cautions and more at:
Unofficial Race Results (pdf)
Cumulative Report (pdf)
Penalty Report (pdf)
See OFFICIAL race results & points standings on the Official Race & Points Report (pdf).
MENCS at Talladega
- Joey Logano: snaps 36-race winless streak and picks up 19th career win (tied for 41st all-time)
- Logano: 3rd career MENCS win at Talladega (his most at any track)
- Logano: 9th top-10 finish in 10 races this season (leads all drivers); had 9 top-10 finishes in last 27 races of 2017 season (following encumbered Richmond win)
- Logano: led final 42 laps; only driver
- Team Penske: 5th win in last 6 Talladega races; 1st team to win 5 of 6 races at Talladega since Hendrick Motorsports from 2005-08
- Kurt Busch: finished 2nd for 1st top 5 this season; 2nd 2nd-place finish since winning 2017 Daytona 500 (0 wins, other was at Kansas in Oct. 2017)
- Chase Elliott: finished 3rd; 25th career top-5 finish (0 wins); 2nd straight top-5 finish (1 in 1st 8 races of season)
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: finished 5th; 6 of 13 career top-5 finishes have been at restrictor-plate races
- David Ragan: finished 6th; matched best finish over last 3 seasons (also 6th in 2017 July Daytona race)
- Kyle Busch: finished 13th; last 4 drivers going for 4th straight win have finished 13th or worse
(ESPN Stats & Info)
Race Fast Facts - Talladega
Joey Logano won the 49th Annual GEICO 500, his 19th victory in 337 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races.
This is his first victory and ninth top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his third victory and eighth top-10 finish in 19 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Kurt Busch (second) posted his 19th top-10 finish in 35 races at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his fourth top-10 finish in 2018.
Chase Elliott (third) posted his second top-10 finish in five races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Darrell Wallace Jr. (16th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Kyle Busch leads the point standings by 30 points over Joey Logano.
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(4-29-2018)
[after Talladega, race 10 of 36]
#18-Kyle Busch [3 wins], 447
#4-Kevin Harvick [3 wins - 2 can be used for playoffs], 366
#22-Joey Logano [1 win], 417
#14-Clint Bowyer [1 win], 335
#78-Martin Truex Jr. [1 win], 303
#3-Austin Dillon [1 win], 210
#41-Kurt Busch, 320, -127
#2-Brad Keselowski, 317, -130
#11-Denny Hamlin, 314, -133
#12-Ryan Blaney, 313, -134
#42-Kyle Larson, 280, -167
#10-Aric Almirola, 278, -169
#88-Alex Bowman, 238, -209
#20-Erik Jones, 234, -213
#48-Johnson, 230, -217
#17-Stenhouse, Jr., 217, -230
#31-Ryan Newman, 214, -233
See the Unofficial Drivers Points Standings page (pdf) and Unofficial Owners Points Standings page (pdf)
See OFFICIAL race results & points standings on the Official Race & Points Report (pdf).
Top-Ten Stage 2 Results (lap 110) of the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway (lap 110/188):
#21-Menard, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#22-Logano, 9pts
#22-Blaney, 8pts
#4-Harvick, 7pts
#17-Stenhouse, Jr., 6pts
#38-Ragan, 5pts
#48-Johnson, 4pts
#41-Busch, 3pts
#24-Byron, 2pts
#18-Busch, 1pt
Top-Ten Stage 1 Results (lap 55) of the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway (lap 55/188):
#2-Keselowski, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#22-Logano, 9pts
#78-Truex, Jr., 8pts
#18-Busch, 7pts
#21-Menard, 6pts
#11-Hamlin, 5pts
#12-Blaney, 4pts
#17-Stenhouse, Jr., 3pts
#4-Harvick, 2pts
#48-Johnson, 1pt
Lucky Dogs, drivers that got a lap back during the cautions (and their finish):
Caution 1: #38-Ragan, 6th
Caution 2: #72-Whitt, 22nd
Caution 3: #95-Kahne, 17th
Caution 4: #14-Boywer, 31st
Caution 5: #96-Kennington, 20th
Caution 6: #11-Hamlin, 14th
Sunday pre-race schedule at Talladega Superspeedway (Eastern time):
1:59pm: Pledge of Allegiance: Boy Scout Troop 97 - Magnolia Springs, AL led by Senior Patrol Officer Fisher Bryant
2:00pm: Intro Presentation of Colors by: Alabama National Guard
2:00pm: Invocation by: Mark Stokes, Alabama Raceway Ministries
2:01pm: National Anthem: 313th United States Army Band, from Birmingham Alabama
2:02pm: Flyover By: (3) F-18s from US Navy, Ragin' Bulls
2:07pm: "Driver's, Start Your Engines" by: Gus Malzahn, Head Football Coach of the Auburn Tigers
2:19pm: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500
See the starting lineup for the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on the Starting Lineup Page (pdf).
To the rear: #1-McMurray (backup car), #13-Dillon (backup car), #19-Suarez (backup car), #31-Newman (backup car), #9-Elliott (tire change), #10-Almirola (adjustments after impound)
NASCAR Overtime Race Procedure: Rule and notes on the NASCAR Overtime rules/news/stats page.
Wave Around: how the wave around rule works: All vehicles between the leader and the caution vehicle at the start/finish line when the "one to go" signal is given by the starter are considered "Wave Around" eligible. "Wave Around" vehicles will not be permitted to enter pit road at any time during this yellow flag/caution period. "Wave Around" vehicles must receive the green flag on the race track before being permitted to enter pit road without a penalty. Vehicles under a penalty and the "Free Pass" vehicle will not be eligible to receive a "Wave Around".
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway have been made.
Pole winner #4-Harvick chose pit stall 1, the first stall available [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole winner #41-Busch. took pit stall 37, with an opening in front of it.
#78-Truex, Jr., who starts 3rd, took the 2nd stall.
The final pit stall was taken by #20-Jones, who starts 6th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on Jayski.com's Pit Stall Selection chart.(4-28-2018)
Links to results, practices, qualifying PDF's: (will be added as available)
Official Race & Points Report
Race Results
Drivers Points
Owners Points
Cumlative Race Report
Penalty Report
Pitstalls
Starting Lineup
Qualifying Results
Qualifying Order
Happy Hour Practice Speeds
Practice 1 Speeds
Crew Rosters
Latest / Final Entry List
Preliminary Entry List
See the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race results page
QUALIFYING INFO, PRACTICE SPEED and ENTRIES
Kevin Harvick edges teammate Kurt Busch for Talladega pole: Kevin Harvick hadn't won a pole at a restrictor-plate track since 2005. Kurt Busch had never topped qualifying for a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at a superspeedway. But those two Stewart-Haas Racing Ford drivers were the class of the field during time trials on Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, where Harvick outdueled Busch to secure his first Busch Pole Award of the season.[More](4-28-2018)
Kevin Harvick won the Busch pole for the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway with speed of 194.448mph for his 1st pole of 2018, 2nd at Talladega and 22nd of his career. Harvick has won 5 times from the 21 previous poles.
#41-Busch will start 2nd followed by #78-Truex, Jr., #11-Hamlin, #9-Elliott, #20-Jones, #17-Stenhouse, Jr., #14-Bowyer, #22-Logano, #2-Keselowski, #88-Bowman, and #38-Ragan.
#4-Harvick was also quickest in the first round with a speed of 194.275mph.
Driver(s) who will miss the race: none as 40 were entered for 40 spots
See round-by-round qualifying results on the Qualifying results page (pdf) and the complete starting lineup on the Starting Lineup page (pdf).(4-28-2018)
Talladega Superspeedway - Qualifying Fast Facts:
Kevin Harvick won the Busch Pole Award Pole Award for the 49th Annual GEICO 500 with a lap of 49.247 seconds, 194.448 mph.
This is his 22nd pole in 620 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and ninth top-10 start in 2018.
This is his second pole in 35 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Kurt Busch (second) posted his seventh top-10 start of 2018 and his 11th in 35 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Martin Truex Jr. (third) posted his seventh top-10 start at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his seventh in ten races this season.
Darrell Wallace Jr. (15th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Statistics)(4-28-2018)
First Round of Qualifying for the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is over.
#4-Harvick 194.275
#41-Busch 193.921
#78-Truex, Jr. 192.707
#20-Jones 192.618
#9-Elliott 192.591
the rest of the top 12: 11 22 2 17 1 88 38
not advancing to the final round: 21 19 43 48 24 31 18 34 6 42 12 3 37 95 1 47 13 62 96 92 32 00 15 72 23 55 51 10
Qualifying at Talladega is two rounds of single car qualifying.
Drivers who will miss the race: none, 40 entered
(4-28-2018)
Coverage of Qualifying for the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is scheduled for Satrurday, April 28, 2018 at 1:05pm/et.
Television (TV): FOX, 1:00pm/et
Radio: Live online at Motor Racing Network (MRN)
Superspeedway Qualifying Format for Daytona/Talladega: The qualifying format at superspeedways consists of the following:
· Two rounds of qualifying, with the top-12 posted lap speeds advancing to the second round
· Race vehicles taking one, timed lap in each round of qualifying
· Each race vehicle will be released in a predetermined timed interval as determined by NASCAR, with the sanctioning body reserving the right to have more than one vehicle engaging in qualifying runs at the same time
· Qualifying order for the first round was be determined by practice speeds, slowest to fastest; final round qualifying order is determined by slowest to fastest speeds from the first round
· A 10-minute break will occur between the first qualifying round and the final round
· Upon completion of the first qualifying round, the field will be set with positions 13 and beyond determined from first round qualifying speed
· The 12 fastest vehicles from the first round will have their speeds reset for the final round with starting positions 1-12 determined by the fastest laps in the final round
· NASCAR will impound race vehicles following each qualifying lap; vehicles advancing to the final round will be allowed to adjust tape and utilize a cool-down unit during the 10-minute break only.
Qualifying Order for the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is posted.
The first driver to be lined up on pit road will be #15-Chastain.
The final driver lined up on pit road will be #1-McMurray.
The order is set by Friday practice speeds.
For the qualifying order, see the Qualifying Order page (pdf).(4-28-2018)
Happy Hour (final) practice for the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#1-McMurray 203.975
#13-Dillon 203.610
#19-Suarez 203.079
#20-Jones 202.830
#78-Truex, Jr. 202.770
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of XX drivers):
slowest: #55-Sorenson 184.979 & #15-Chastain 184.612.
notes: #1-McMurray cut a tire early in practice and spun in front of #31-Newman. The #1 the spun around further and barrel rolled several times. McMurray was ok. #13-Dillon and #19-Suarez also suffered some damage. All four drivers will go to backup cars.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Happy Hour Practice speeds page (pdf) (4-27-2018)
First practice for the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top-five, slowest and notes:
#13-Dillon 202.959
#19-Suarez 202.680
#18-Busch 202.680
#11-Hamlin 202.671
#31-Newman 202.637
most laps run: #88-Bowman, 30 laps
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 11 drivers): #11-Hamlin 198.109
slowest: #92-Peters 184.317 & #55-Sorenson 184.129
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Friday Practice speeds (pdf) (4-27-2018)
Entry List for the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is posted, 40 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
Some of the drivers entered include: #00-Gase, #15-Chastain, #51-Hill, #55-Sorenson, #62-Gaughan, #72-Whitt, #92-Peters, #96-Kennington.
Since 40 cars are entered, all drivers will make the race.
See the full entry list on the Entry List (pdf)
For qualifying rules and formats, see the Qualifying Rules page
How to Calculate Track Speeds: use the formula Speed = Distance divided by Time. Distance is Track Length, and Lap Time into Hours. Once hour is 3600 seconds, so the calculation for a 48 second lap at Daytona(2.5 miles) would be: Speed = 2.5 x (3600/48), = 2.5 x 75 = 187.500mph. For a 19 second lap at Talladega(.533 miles): Speed = .533 x (3600/19), = .533 x 189.474 = a speed of 100.990mph
Weather Channel
Accuweather
National Weather Service
Race Weather
Race Day Forecast
Weather Bug
Weather Underground
Talladega Goodyear Tire Notes See complete tire information for the race weekend across all series on the [Goodyear Tire Notes - Talladega Superspeedway page.(4-24-2018)
RACE & CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS
Vegas Insider
Race and Championship odds
NASCAR Top-Five Finish Prediction
Talladega Race Preview by Micah Roberts
Bovada Sportsbook:
Race and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Championship