GEICO 500
Talladega Superspeedway
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race #10 of 36
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 2:19pm/et
Laps/Stages: 188 laps total. Stages end on laps: 55/110/188
TELEVISION / RADIO / STREAMING
Television Coverage: Time 2:00pm/et, FOX and FOX Sports GO streaming (available with participating TV provider login)
Radio Coverage (over the air and streaming): Motor Racing Network (MRN) / SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR (available with subscription)
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
On track schedule
Practices:
Friday, April 26, 1:35-2:25pm/et, NASCAR.com streaming
Friday, April 26, 4:35-5:25pm/et, TV-FS1
Qualifying: Saturday, April 27 at 4:40pm/et, TV-FOX.
Complete Event Schedule (times local to the track)
Thursday, April 25
5:30 PM 7:30 PM MENCS HAULERS ENTER (EQUIPMENT UNLOAD)
Friday, April 26
8:00 AM-6:30 PM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
11:30 AM MENCS ROOKIE MEETING & RANDOM DRAWING
12:35 PM-1:25 PM MENCS 1ST PRACTICE
3:35 PM-4:25 PM MENCS FINAL PRACTICE
Saturday, April 27
7:30 AM-5:30 PM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
8:00 AM NXS, MENCS SPOTTERS MEETING (DRIVERS MEETING ROOM)
3:40 PM (4:40PM/ET) MENCS QUALIFYING IMPOUND (SINGLE VEHICLE / TWO ROUNDS)
Sunday, April 28
7:00 AM MENCS GARAGE OPENS
11:00 AM MENCS DRIVER / CREW CHIEF MEETING (DRIVERS MEETING ROOM)
12:20 PM MENCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
1:00 PM (2:00 PM/ET) MENCS RACE (STAGES 55/110/188 LAPS = 500.08 MILES)
MENCS = Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Links to race, practice, qualifying results (in pdf): (will be added as available)
Contingency awards
Race Results
Drivers Points
Owners Points
Cumlative Race Report
Penalty Report
Pitstalls
Starting Lineup
Qualifying Results
Qualifying Order
Practice 2 Speeds
Practice 1 Speeds
Crew Rosters
Latest / Final Entry List
Preliminary Entry List
Chase Elliott breaks Chevrolet drought with Talladega victory: Chase Elliott seized the lead in the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway during a four-lap shootout to the finish and took the checkered flag under caution after Kyle Larson barrel-rolled behind him. Elliott’s victory broke a Chevrolet drought in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series dating to last October at Kansas Speedway and broke a seven-race Ford stranglehold on the 2.66-mile track.[More](4-28-2019)
#9-Chase Elliott won the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. The win is his 1st win of 2019, 1st win at Talladega and 4th career win.
#88-Bowman finished 2nd followed by #47-Preece, #22-Logano, #8-Hemric, #1-Busch, #6-Newman, #62-Gaughan, #10-Almirola, and #18-Busch.
Pole winner #3-Dillon finished 13th.
The race ended under caution after an accident on the backstretch involving #81-Earnhardt, #42-Larson, #21-Menard, #38-Ragan, and #24-Byron. Larson’s car flipped several times but he was able to walk away from the accident.
The largest other wreck of the day occured on lap 182. #37-Buescher got spun by #10-Almirola. Buescher was run into by #95-DiBenedetto. Also collected was #19-Truex, Jr. and #77-Haley. Only Truex as able to continue. There was an 8 minute red flag for track cleanup with 6 laps remaining.
Stage 1 was won by #13-Dillon.
Stage 2 was won by #9-Elliott.
There were 37 lead changes among 15 drivers and 6 cautions for 21 yellow flag laps and a red flag for track cleanup with 6 laps remaining.
The average speed of the race was: 161.331mph.
See race details at:
Race Results (pdf)
Drivers Points Standings
Owners Points Standings
Cumulative Report
Penalty Report
Race Fast Facts – Talladega
Chase Elliott won the 50th Annual GEICO 500, his fourth victory in 123 Monster Energy Cup Series races.
This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in 2019.
This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in seven races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Alex Bowman (second) posted his second top-10 finish in eight races at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his first top-10 finish in 2019. The runner-up finish is a career best for Bowman. His previous best was third at Pocono Raceway (July 29, 2018).
Ryan Preece (third) posted his first top-10 finish in one races at Talladega Superspeedway. This was a career best finish for Preece. His previous best was eighth, in this year’s Daytona 500.
Ryan Preece (third) was the highest finishing rookie.
Daniel Hemric finished fourth, his first career top-10 finish in 12 races. His previous career best was 18th at ISM Raceway (March 10, 2019).
Kyle Busch leads the point standings by 15 points over Joey Logano.
There were 39 lead changes, the most at Talladega since May 4, 2014 (48).
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(4-28-2019)
2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings after Talladega:
1) #18-Kyle Busch [3 wins], 430 pts
2) #11-Denny Hamlin [2 wins]
3) #2-Brad Keselowski [2 wins]
4) #22-Joey Logano [1 win]
5) #19-Truex, Jr. [1 win]
6) #9-Elliott [1 win]
7) #4-Kevin Harvick, 350, -80
8) #19-Martin Truex, Jr., 328, -102
9) #12-Ryan Blaney, 306, -124
10) #10-Aric Almirola, 288, -142
11) #14-Clint Bowyer, 288, -142
12) #41-Daniel Suarez, 266, -164
13) #3-Austin Dillon, 253, -177
14) #6-Ryan Newman, 251, -179
15) #88-Alex Bowman, 239, -191
16) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 238, -192
See the Drivers Points Standings and Owners Points Standings.
To the rear #62-Gaughan (driver change), #6-Newman, #11-Hamlin, #17-Stenhouse, Jr., #18-Busch, #19-Truex, Jr., #20-Jones, #27-Sorenson, #51-Ware ( Unapproved adjustments)
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 #3-Dillon chose pit stall 1.
Outside pole sitter #14-Bowyer took the 2nd stall.
#2-Keselowski, starts 3rd and chose the 41st, and final, stall.
See all pit choices on Pit Stall chart.(4-28-2019)
QUALIFYING INFO, PRACTICE SPEED and ENTRIES
Austin Dillon speeds to pole position at Talladega: Picking up significant speed from the first round of knockout qualifying to the second, Austin Dillon won the pole for Sunday’s GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Covering the 2.66-mile distance in 49.734 seconds (192.544 mph) in his No. 3 Chevrolet, Dillon edged first-round leader Aric Almirola (192.131 mph) for the top starting spot by .107 seconds. In Saturday’s first round, Dillon had run 192.108 mph to Almirola’s 192.324 mph.[More](4-27-2019)
#3-Austin Dillon won the Busch pole for the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway with speed of 192.544mph for his 2nd pole of 2019, 1st at Talladega and 5th of his career.
#14-Bowyer will start 2nd followed by #2-Keselowski, #8-Hemric, #17-Stenhouse, Jr., #12-Blaney, #22-Logano, #88-Bowman, #42-Larson, #9-Elliott, and #34-McDowell.
#10-Almirola was quickest in the first round with a speed of 192.324mph.
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).(4-27-2019)
Talladega Superspeedway – Qualifying Fast Facts:
Austin Dillon won the Pole Award for the 50th Annual GEICO 500 with a lap of 49.734 seconds, 192.544 mph.
This is his fifth pole in 203 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series races.
This is his second pole and sixth top-10 start in 2019.
This is his first pole in 12 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Aric Almirola (second) posted his sixth top-10 start of 2019 and his fifth in 19 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Clint Bowyer (third) posted his 10th top-10 start at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his sixth in ten races this season.
Daniel Hemric (fifth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Statistics)(4-27-2019)
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:
#6-Newman 204.157
#17-Stenhouse, Jr. 204.127
#19-Truex, Jr. 204.114
#36-Tifft 204.092
#18-Busch 204.079
Slowest: #27-Sorenson 189.324 & #51-Ware 181.584
Most laps run: #42-Larson, 38 laps.
Best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 29 drivers): #17-Stenhouse, Jr., 200.913mph.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Happy Hour Practice speeds page (pdf).(4-26-2019)
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:
#1-Busch 202.674
#38-Ragan 202.654
#20-Jones 202.654
#34-McDowell 202.641
#9-Elliott 202.624
Slowest: #96-Kligerman 186.047 & #15-Chastain 183.959mph
Most laps run: #4-Harvick, 40 laps.
Best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 23 drivers): #9-Elliott, 198.451mph
Notes: The top 21 drivers exceed 200mph average.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the First Practice speeds page (pdf).(4-26-2019)
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: #27-Sorenson, #51-Ware, #52-Barrett, #62-Gaughan, #77-Justin Haley, #81-Jeffrey Earnhardt, #96-Kligerman.
Since 40 cars are entered, all drivers will make the race.
See the full entry list on the Entry List (pdf).
April 2018: see the Talladega Race Info page
October 2018: see the Talladega Race Info page
Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: Grant Lynch
Command to start engines: Grant Lynch
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: Airman Matthew J. Kovall
Honorary Pace Car Driver: Actor Norman Reedus
Color Guard: Alabama National Guard
Invocation: Mike Jackson, Alabama Raceway Ministries
National Anthem: 313th United States Army Band
Flyover: TBA
Sunday Talladega Notebook: Chevrolets gang up to foil Joey Logano’s winning chances; Rookie Ryan Preece gets career-best finish in wild race; GEICO 500 ends in a wild ride for Kyle Larson.(More)(4-28-2019)
Saturday Talladega Notebook: Kyle Busch will try to extend top-10 streak from 22nd starting position; Return to tandem racing may be more myth than reality; Short Strokes.(More)(4-27-2019)
Friday Talladega Notebook: Rule change doesn’t throw Brad Keselowski for a loop; Blaney says blocking may be a bit more challenging; Jimmie Johnson wages war within himself at Boston Marathon.(More)(4-26-2019)
New Talladega rules package could lead to unpredictable race
Weekend Preview: Talladega Superspeedway: Fords show recent success at Talladega; XFINITY Dash 4 Cash Raises the stakes.(More)(4-25-2019)
Talladega News and Notes: A look a news and notes of interest across all three NASCAR national series this week.(More)(4-25-2019)
Statistical Advance: Analyzing the GEICO 500
Weather Channel
Accuweather
National Weather Service
Race Weather
Race Day Forecast
Weather Bug
Weather Underground
Brian Neudorff @NASCAR_WXMAN
Aaron Studwell @RaceWeather
Tire: Goodyear Eagle Superspeedway Radials
Set limits:
Cup: 2 sets for practice, 1 set for qualifying and 7 sets for the race
(6 race sets plus 1 set transferred from qualifying or practice)
Tire Codes:
Left-side — D-4886;
Right-side — D-4752
Tire Circumference:
Left-side — 2,236 mm (88.03 in.);
Right-side — 2,249 mm (88.54 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front — 29 psi; Left Rear – 29 psi;
Right Front — 50 psi; Right Rear — 48 psi
Storyline – Superspeedway strategy on tap for Talladega: Since its repave in 2010, the Goodyear tire set-up for Talladega Superspeedway has split off from that of NASCAR’s other restrictor plate track at Daytona. Talladega exhibits some wear characteristics, though teams are still able to employ some tire strategy – two-tire and fuel-only stops – that leads to chances to trade fresh rubber for track position. Because it is possible to pit at Talladega and not lose a lap to the race leaders, that opens up strategy plays for teams outside the top-10 to short pit and gain track position when the rest of the field pits at the end of a stage.
“While we actually see some tire wear at Talladega, it still leaves room for some team and pit strategy,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “When to pit, with whom and how many tires to take all come into the equation for teams to consider this weekend. And adding in a rules package that Cup teams will be running for the first time, should make for some interesting racing.”
Notes – New left-side tire for Cup cars at Talladega: While teams in both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series will run the same right-side tire at Talladega this weekend, they will each run their own left-side tires . . . this is a brand new left-side tire code for the Cup cars . . . compared to what was run at Talladega last year, this left-side features a construction update . . . Cup teams ran this right-side tire twice at Talladega in 2018 . . . this tire set-up was tested and recommended for Talladega after a tire test at Daytona this past February 18-19 . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Talladega . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.