Statistical Advance: Analyzing the GEICO 500

Below is a look at the NASCAR Cup Series statistical performances at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, going into the GEICO 500 on Sunday, April 21 at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Talladega Qualifying / Race Data

Track qualifying record:
Bill Elliott, Ford, 212.809 mph, 44.998 secs. April 30, 1987

Track race record:
Mark Martin, Ford, 188.354 mph, (02:39:18), May 10, 1997

2023 pole winner:
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 180.751 mph, 52.979 secs. April 22, 2023

2023 race winner:
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, 146.575 mph, (03:33:25), April 23, 2023

Talladega Superspeedway Track Data:
Season Race #: 10 of 36 (04-21-24)
Race Purse: 8,234,125
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 / 500.08 miles
Stage 1 & 2 Length: 60 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 68 laps

HISTORY

• Construction began on what was then known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway on May 23, 1968.
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway was held on September 14, 1969. The race was won by Richard Brickhouse, from Rocky Point, North Carolina, driving a Dodge for car owner Ray Nichels. The average speed of the first race was 153.778 mph.
• The name of the facility changed to Talladega Superspeedway in 1989.
• The fourth repaving of the 2.66-mile track was completed on September 19, 2006.
• In total, there have been 109 NASCAR Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, one series event in 1969, and two races per year since 1970.

STARTS

• A total of 491 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway; 344 have competed in more than one Cup race at the track.
• Dave Marcis and Terry Labonte lead the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Talladega with 61 starts each.
• Martin Truex Jr. leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in starts at Talladega Superspeedway with 38.
• A total of 72 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have made their first career start at Talladega Superspeedway. The most recent was Harrison Burton on April 25, 2021. Justin Haley (4/28/19) is the only other active driver to make his first career Cup start at Talladega.
• Of the 72 drivers to make their first career Cup start at Talladega Superspeedway, Dick Simon had the best finish with a seventh-place result after starting 52nd on May 6, 1973.

• Bobby Isaac leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Talladega Superspeedway with a 3.625 in eight starts.
• Chase Elliott leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Talladega Superspeedway with a 10.313 in 16 starts.

Top 10 in Average Starting Positions at Talladega Superspeedway (All-Time & Active)

POLES

• A total of 47 different drivers have won at least one pole at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Cup Series; 24 of the 47 pole winners have won more than one.
• Bobby Isaac won the inaugural pole at Talladega Superspeedway in 1969 with a speed of 199.466 mph. In fact, Isaac won the first three poles at the 2.66-mile superspeedway: 1969 and a 1970 sweep.
• Six of the 47 Talladega NASCAR Cup Series pole winners are active this weekend.

• NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Talladega Superspeedway with eight poles (1985 sweep, 1986 sweep, 1987 sweep, spring 1990 and fall 1993).
• Chase Elliott (2016, 2019) and Christopher Bell (2022 sweep) lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in poles at Talladega Superspeedway with two each.
• A total of 11 drivers have won consecutive poles at Talladega – none are currently active.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott holds the record for most consecutive poles at Talladega Superspeedway with six-straight from 1985 – 1987.
• Youngest Talladega Cup Series pole winner: Chase Elliott (May 1, 2016 – 20 years, 5 months, 3 days).
• Oldest Talladega Cup Series pole winner: Mark Martin (October 23, 2011 – 52 years, 9 months, 14 days).
• Six drivers have posted their first NASCAR Cup Series pole at Talladega Superspeedway.

• A total of 30 different organizations have won a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway.
• Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Talladega Superspeedway with 13 poles among eight drivers: Darrell Waltrip (1988), Terry Labonte (1995), Jimmie Johnson (2002), Jeff Gordon (2007, 2011, 2012, 2015 sweep), Mark Martin (2011), Kasey Kahne (2012), Chase Elliott (2016, 2019) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2017).
• Of the 30 different organizations with a NASCAR Cup Series pole at Talladega, seven are active this weekend.

• A total of eight different manufacturers have won the pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Speedway; led by Chevrolet with 37 poles; followed by Ford (30), Dodge (12), Toyota (six) Mercury (five), Oldsmobile (five), Pontiac (three), and Buick (two).
• A total of 11 different drivers have won poles in the NASCAR Cup Series in multiple manufacturers at Talladega Superspeedway, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Buddy Baker, who all three of his poles were in a different manufacturer (Dodge 1973, Ford 1975, and Oldsmobile 1980).

WINS

• A total of 51 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Talladega Superspeedway; 27 of the 51 have won multiple times at the 2.66-mile track.
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway was held on September 14, 1969, and the race was won by Richard Brickhouse, from Rocky Point, North Carolina, driving a Dodge for car owner Ray Nichels.
• This weekend nine of the 51 NASCAR Cup Series Talladega Superspeedway race winners are active.

• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Talladega Superspeedway with 10 victories (1983, 1984, 1990 sweep, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1999 sweep, 2000).
• Brad Keselowski leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in wins at Talladega Superspeedway with six victories (2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021).
• Youngest Cup Series Talladega winner: Bobby Hillin Jr. (July 27, 1986 – 22 years, 1 month, 22 days).
• Oldest Cup Series Talladega winner: Harry Gant (May 6, 1991 – 51 years, 3 months, 26 days).
• A total of 12 different drivers have won their first NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Speedway; three are active this weekend – Brad Keselowski (2009), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2017) and Bubba Wallace (2021).

• Eight different drivers have won consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway – Pete Hamilton (1970 sweep), Buddy Baker (1975 sweep, 1976), Darrell Waltrip (1982 sweep), Dale Earnhardt (1990, 1993-94, 1999 sweep), Sterling Marlin (1995-96), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2001-2003), Jeff Gordon (2007 sweep) and Ryan Blaney (2019-2020).
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. holds the record for the most consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races won at Talladega Superspeedway with four straight from 2001-2003.
• A total of 25 different starting positions in the field at Talladega Superspeedway have led to a win in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• A total of 15 of the 109 (13.7%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway have been won from the pole or first starting position; the most recent to accomplish the feat was Denny Hamlin (October 4, 2020).
• A total of 13 different drivers have won a NASCAR Cup Series race from the pole or first starting position at Talladega Superspeedway.

• The outside front row (second-place) starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position at Talladega (18.3%).

NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Talladega Superspeedway

• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Talladega is 36th, by NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon in the 2000 spring race.
• The deepest in the field that an active NASCAR Cup Series race winner has started at Talladega is 34th, by Denny Hamlin in the 2014 spring race.
• Martin Truex Jr. leads the NASCAR Cup Series among active drivers with the most starts at Talladega Superspeedway without visiting Victory Lane at 38; followed by Michael McDowell with 26 and Austin Dillon with 21.
• A total of 31 different organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway; 10 of the 31 are active this weekend.

Active Organization with Wins At Talladega Superspeedway

• Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins by an organization at Talladega Speedway with 14 victories among seven different drivers – Ken Schrader (1988), Jeff Gordon (1996, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2007 sweep), Terry Labonte (1997), Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2011), Brian Vickers (2006), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2015), Chase Elliott (2019, 2022).
• Nine different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway, led by Chevrolet with 44 wins; followed by Ford (32), Mercury (7), Buick (6), Oldsmobile (6), Toyota (5), Dodge (4), Plymouth (3), Pontiac (2).
• Chevrolet also leads the NASCAR Cup Series in consecutive wins at Talladega Superspeedway with 13 straight victories among five drivers from April 25, 1999 to May 1, 2005.

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes

• A total of 54 different drivers have finished runner-up in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway, and 27 of the 54 have finished runner-up multiple times.
• NASCAR Hall of Famers Buddy Baker (1973, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1984) and Tony Stewart (April 2001, Oct. 2001, 2002, May 2005, Oct. 2005, 2006) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Talladega with six second-place finishes each.
• Kyle Busch (2012, 2016), Ryan Blaney (2022, 2023) and William Byron (2021, 2023) lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in runners-up finishes at Talladega Superspeedway with two each.

Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Talladega Superspeedway (All-Time & Active)

Top-Five Finishes

• A total of 127 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished in the top-five at Talladega, and 82 of the 127 have finished in the top-five multiple times.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top fives at Talladega with 23 top-five finishes.
• Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top fives at Talladega with 11.

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Talladega Superspeedway (All-Time & Active)

Top-10 Finishes

• A total of 213 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished in the top-10 at Talladega, and 137 of the 213 have finished in the top-10 multiple times.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top 10s at Talladega with 27.
• Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top 10s at Talladega with 16.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Talladega Superspeedway (All-Time & Active)

Average Finishes

• Pete Hamilton leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Talladega Superspeedway with a 5.600 in five career starts.
• Anthony Alfredo leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Talladega Superspeedway with a 11.0 in two career starts.

Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Talladega Superspeedway (All-Time & Active)

LAPS LEADERS

• A total of 212 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have led at least one lap at Talladega Superspeedway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Talladega with 1,377 in 44 career starts.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Buddy Baker has the second-most laps led in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega with 1,137 in 43 starts.
• Joey Logano leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in laps led at Talladega Superspeedway with 468 in 30 career starts.
• The most laps led by the race winner at Talladega Superspeedway in a NASCAR Cup Series event was 153 laps of the scheduled 188 (81.4%) by Pete Hamilton on August 23, 1970. He started the race from the fourth position.
• The most laps led by a driver that did not win the race at Talladega Superspeedway in a NASCAR Cup Series event was 142 laps of the scheduled 192 (73.9%) by Matt Kenseth on May 5, 2013. He started the race from the sixth position and finished eighth.
• Five times the winner of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway has led only the final lap (one lap) – April 25, 2021 (Winner: Brad Keselowski), October 14, 2018 (Aric Almirola), April 26, 2009 (Brad Keselowski), October 7, 2009 (Jeff Gordon) and April 24, 2022 (Ross Chastain).

Top 10 Series Lap Leaders at Talladega Superspeedway (All-Time & Active)

TRACK/EVENT SPECIFIC STATS

• Qualifying has been cancelled in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway nine times.

• Three NASCAR Cup Series races held at Talladega Superspeedway were not run on their scheduled date:
• The April 27, 1997, race was postponed due to inclement weather to May 10, 1997 – Mark Martin won the event.
• The April 26, 2020 race was rescheduled due to the pandemic to June 22, 2020 – Ryan Blaney won the race.
• The October 3, 2021, race was postponed due to inclement weather to October 4, 2021 – Bubba Wallace won the event.
• There have been 18 NASCAR Cup Series races resulting in NASCAR Overtime at Talladega:

• Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway is the April 17, 2011 race won by Jimmie Johnson over second-place Clint Bowyer with a Margin of Victory of 0.002 second – the Margin of Victory is tied with the 2003 Darlington race as the closest finishes in the series using electronic scoring.

Top 10 Closest Margin of Victory in the NCS at Talladega Superspeedway

• Only three of the 109 NASCAR Cup Series races at Talladega have been shortened due to weather conditions:

FEMALE COMPETITOR STATS

• Three female drivers have competed at Talladega in the NASCAR Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Patty Moise and Danica Patrick.

NASCAR IN ALABAMA

• There have been 181 NASCAR national series races held in the state of Alabama among seven different tracks.

• The very first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Alabama was a NASCAR Cup Series event held at Lakeview Speedway (Mobile) in 1951 – the race was won by Alabama native Tim Flock (Oldsmobile).
• The first race held at Talladega Superspeedway was in 1969 – the event was won by Richard Brickhouse (Dodge).

ALABAMA IN NASCAR

• A total of 76 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Alabama.
• 11 drivers from Alabama have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series combining to a total of 210 victories; seven of the 11 winners have won in the NASCAR Cup Series.

• Bubba Wallace became the sixth different driver from the state of Alabama to win at a track in Alabama; joining Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Davey Allison, Neil Bonnett and Tim Flock.

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