Ryan Blaney wins YellaWood 500 thriller at Talladega to advance in NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs:  Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford crossed the finish line about a foot ahead of Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick to claim victory in a thrilling final 10-lap push to the YellaWood 500 checkered flag at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on Sunday. With the crucial Playoff win – Blaney’s third on the famed 2.66-mile high-banks – the driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford punched his ticket to the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs after being points away from elimination at the Talladega green flag three hours earlier.[Read More](10-1-2023)

UPDATE: #4-Kevin Harvick was disqualified from the race due to windshield fasteners not being secure.  He was moved from 2nd to a 38th-place finish. Results and standings have been updated.

#12-Ryan Blaney won the YellaWood 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. The win is his 2nd win of the year, 3rd at Talladega and 9th career win.
#24-William Byron finished 2nd followed by#11-Denny Hamlin, #7-Corey LaJoie, #2-Austin Cindric, #31-Justin Haley, #9-Chase Elliott, #41-Ryan Preece,  #36-Riley Herbst and #99-Daniel Suarez.
#4-Kevin Harvick, who originally finished second, was disqualified due to windshield fasteners not being secure.
Pole winner #10-Aric Almirola ran up front much of the day but finished 18th.
Blaney ran second to Harvick for a number of laps near the end of the race, but took the lead with one lap remaining and held off Harvick by .012 second for the win.
Playoff drivers having problems during the race:
#8-Kyle Busch, #1-Ross Chastain, and #20-Christopher Bell suffered damage on the final lap of stage 1 when #47-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr ran out of fuel. Chastain suffered the most damage and could not continue. He finished 37th
#11-Hamlin was caught speeding on pit road during green flag pit stops in stage 2. He had to serve a pass through penalty and lost a lap. He got the free pass with 25 laps remaining and battled back to finish 4th.
#6-Brad Keselowski was involved in an accident with 27 laps remaining. He finished 32nd
Stage 1 was won by #12-Ryan Blaney. Stage 2 was won by #6-Brad Keselowski.
There were 70 lead changes among 24 drivers and 5 cautions for 17 yellow flag laps. There was a 10 minute red flag for SAFER barrier repair with 25 laps remaining.
The average speed of the race was: 160.097mph.
See race details at: Race Results, Driver Points Standings, Owner Points Standings, Cumulative Report, Penalty Report.

Where the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers finished at Talladega:
#12-Ryan Blaney, 1st
#24-William Byron, 2nd
#11-Denny Hamlin, 3rd
#20-Christopher Bell, 14th
#5-Kyle Larson, 15th
#45-Tyler Reddick, 16th
#19-Martin Truex, Jr, 18th
#17-Chris Buescher, 19th
#23-Bubba Wallace, 23rd
#8-Kyle Busch, 25th
#6-Brad Keselowski, 32nd
#1-Ross Chastain, 37th

Race Fast Facts – Talladega:
Ryan Blaney (P) won the YellaWood 500, his ninth victory in 301 Cup Series races.
This is his second victory and 14th top-10 finish in 2023.
This is his third victory and eighth top-10 finish in 19 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
William Byron (P) (second) posted his fourth top-10 finish in 12 races at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his 17th top-10 finish in 2023.
Denny Hamlin (P) (third) posted his 16th top-10 finish in 36 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Ty Gibbs (34th) was the highest finishing rookie.
William Byron (P) leads the point standings by 28 points over Denny Hamlin (P).
(NASCAR)

Cup Series Playoff Standings after Talladega:
Race 31 of 36 for the year; 5 of 10 in the Playoffs; 2 of 3 in the Round of 12
1) #24-William Byron [6 wins, 1 in Round of 12], 3136
2) #12-Ryan Blaney [2 wins, 1 in Round of 12], 3078
3) #11-Denny Hamlin [3 wins], 3107, +50 ahead of 9th
4) #20-Christopher Bell [1 win], 3080, +22
5) #17-Chris Buescher [3 wins], 3077, +19
6) #19-Martin Truex, Jr. [3 wins], 3075, +17
7) #5-Kyle Larson [3 wins], 3073, +15
8) #6-Brad Keselowski, 3060, +2
Currently behind the cutoff for the Round of 8:
9) #45-Tyler Reddick [2 wins], 3058, -2 behind 8th
10) #23-Bubba Wallace, 3051, -9
11) #1-Ross Chastain [1 win], 3050, -10
12) #8-Kyle Busch [3 wins], 3034, -26
See the Driver Points Standings and Owner Points Standings.

Paint Schemes

Cars to the rear: #42-Hocevar (unapproved adjustments)

Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the YellaWood 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway have been made.
Pole winner #10-Almirola chose pit stall 16, with and opening in front of it.
Outside pole sitter #22-Logano took the 1st pit stall.
See all pit choices on the Talladega Pit Stall page.

#10-Aric Almirola won the Busch pole for the YellaWood 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway with speed of 181.656mph for his 2nd pole of the year, 1st at Talladega and 6th of his career.
#22-Joey Logano will start second followed by #14-Chase Briscoe, #5-Kyle Larson, #6-Brad Keselowski, #36-Riley Herbst, #2-Austin Cindric, #24-William Byron, #23-Bubba Wallace, #12- Ryan Blaney.
See the complete qualifying results and the YellaWood 500 Starting Lineup.

Where the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers start at Talladega:
#5-Kyle Larson, 4th
#6-Brad Keselowski, 5th
#24-William Byron, 8th
#23-Bubba Wallace, 9th
#12-Ryan Blaney, 10th
#11-Denny Hamlin, 12th
#45-Tyler Reddick, 13th
#20-Christopher Bell, 15th
#19-Martin Truex, Jr, 16th
#17-Chris Buescher, 24th
#8-Kyle Busch, 25th
#1-Ross Chastain, 32nd

Talladega Superspeedway – Qualifying Fast Facts:
Aric Almirola won the Pole Award for the YellaWood 500 with a lap of 52.715 seconds, 181.656 mph.
This is his sixth pole in 455 NASCAR Cup Series races.
This is his second pole and ninth top-10 start in 2023.
This is his first pole in 28 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Joey Logano (second) posted his 15th top-10 start of 2023 and his 12th in 30 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Chase Briscoe (third) posted his third top-10 start at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his seventh in 31 races this season.
Ty Gibbs (22nd) was the fastest qualifying rookie.(NASCAR)

Qualifying Order

There will be no practice at Talladega.

Crew Rosters

The entry list for the YellaWood 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is posted, 38 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
Some of the drivers entered include: #13-Chandler Smith, #15-Brennan Poole, #36-Riley Herbst, #42-Carson Hocevar, #51-J.J. Yeley, #78-B.J. McLeod.
See the full entry list on the YellaWood 500 Entry List page.

Goodyear Fast Facts — Talladega Superspeedway

TandemDraft Stats – Talladega

Weekend Event Schedule