Sunday, October 3, 2021

Unpredictable Talladega Playoff Weekend

Unpredictable Talladega Superspeedway Playoff Weekend UPDATE: The NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway has been postponed due to inclement weather. The YellaWood 500 will now take place Monday at 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 

 

 

#NASCAR - Unpredictable Talladega Superspeedway Playoff Weekend

 

Known as one of the biggest hurdles in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Talladega Superspeedway opens the gates and unleashes the postseason contenders to battle it out in Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90). Expect the unexpected in this weekend’s event at Talladega as it is literally anyone’s to win and with the stakes so high and the Playoff standings so tight, the competition could reach new heights.

 

 

  • Next Race: Chevrolet Silverado 250  
  • The Place: Talladega Superspeedway  
  • The Date: Saturday, October 2  
  • The Time: 1 p.m. ET  
  • TV: FS1, 12 p.m. ET  
  • Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)  
  • Distance: 250.04 miles (94 Laps) 
    • Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 20) 
    • Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 40) 
    • Final Stage (Ends on Lap 94)

 

Five times a non-Playoff driver has won the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway:

 

  • • In 2005, Dale Jarrett won the Playoff race at Talladega; he was 14th in points.
  • • In 2006, Brian Vickers won the Playoff race at Talladega; he was 16th in points. 
  • • In 2009, Jamie McMurray won the Playoff race at Talladega; he was 22nd in points. 
  • • In 2011, Clint Bowyer won the Playoff race at Talladega; he was 13th in points. 
  • • In 2013, Jamie McMurray won the Playoff race at Talladega; he was 14th in points. 

 

Twice a non-Playoff driver has won the fifth race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs: 

  • • In 2010, Jamie McMurray won the fifth race in the Playoffs at Charlotte; he was 14th in points. 
  • • In 2013, Brad Keselowski won the fifth race in Playoffs at Charlotte; he was 16th in points.

 

 

Clinch Scenarios: Trying to advance at Talladega

Just two races left for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff challengers in the Round of 12 to secure their spot in the Round of 8. Denny Hamlin, with his win last weekend at Las Vegas, is the only driver locked into the next round, leaving seven spots still up for grabs as the series heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for the YellaWood 500 (Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) the fifth race of the 2021 postseason.

 

Already Clinched

 

The following driver has clinched a spot in the eight-driver field of the next round:

  • Denny Hamlin.

 

Can clinch via points

 

If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the 7th winless driver in the standings. The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott or Joey Logano.

 

 

If there is a new winner from Brad Keselowski or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the 6th winless driver in the standings.

 

  • • Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano: Could only clinch with help this weekend.

 

Can clinch via win

 

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: 

 

 

source: NASCAR Media
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Saturday, October 2, 2021

NASCAR Xfinity Playoff Contenders

NASCAR Xfinity Playoff Contenders

Sparks 300 at Talladega at Talladega Superspeedway

A Jr. Motorsports 1 2 3 Finish (Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, Noah Gragson)
A Jr. Motorsports 1 2 3 Finish
(Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, Noah Gragson)

 


We are one race into the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs after the series competed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend. Josh Berry, v a non-Playoff driver was victorious, meaning that none of the 12 drivers in the Playoffs have punched their ticket to the next round. Below is a look at the Playoff drivers’ past performances at Talladega Superspeedway.

 

 

Austin Cindric: The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford has made five starts at Talladega. His first start was in 2018. Most recently, earlier this season, he started on the pole and finished runner-up to Jeb Burton. He has three top fives and three top 10s at the track in his five starts. He’s led 35 laps and has an average start of 7.8 and an average finish of 15.0.

 

AJ Allmendinger: The driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet and the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Regular Season Champion has made three Xfinity Series starts at Talladega. He has one top five and two top 10s in those three starts. Most recently, he started 11th and finished third earlier this season. He has an average finish of 11.3 at the superspeedway.

 

Justin Allgaier: The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet has three top fives and six top 10s in 12 starts at Talladega. He has an average start of 12.3 and an average finish of 16.2. He has led 79 laps of 1,369 completed. He has had five DNFs due to crashes and an engine issue. His best finish of second came in 2016. Most recently, Allgaier has struggled at Talladega. He has not finished better than 28th in the last four races at the track.

 

Noah Gragson: The driver of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet will make his sixth start at Talladega on Saturday. He has two top fives and four top 10s in those starts with 48 laps led. He has an average start of 9.0 and an average finish of 6.8. Most recently, he finished sixth earlier this season after starting fourth. His best finish of third came at this race in 2020.

 

Jeb Burton: The driver of the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet will make his fourth start at the Alabama track on Saturday. Talladega is the home of Burton’s first career Xfinity Series victory earlier this season. He has one win, two top fives and two top 10s at the track. He’s led 28 total laps and had an average start of 9.7 and an average finish of 7.0.

 

Daniel Hemric: The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will make his fifth Xfinity Series start at Talladega on Saturday. He has one top five and one top 10 along with one pole award at the track. His best finish of fifth was at this race in 2020 and most recently, he started second and finished 12th at ‘Dega earlier this season. He has led 157 laps and has an average start of 2.8 and an average finish of 19.5.

 

Harrison Burton: The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has only one top 10 to his name at Talladega. In three starts, he has a best finish of 10th that came earlier this season. He has an average start of 8.3 and an average finish of 21.7.

 

Myatt Snider: The driver of the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet has made three starts at Talladega. Earlier this season, he finished runner-up after started ninth. He has an average start of 20.0 and an average finish of 20.7. His first two starts at Talladega ended early due to an incident.

 

Brandon Jones: The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has seven starts at the track. He has two top five and two top 10s in those starts with 39 laps led. He has an average start of 10.3 and an average finish of 18.9. Earlier this season, he was involved in a crash and finished 37th. His best finish of runner-up came in 2018.

 

Justin Haley: The driver of the No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet has been extremely good at Talladega in his four starts. He has two wins, two top fives and four top 10s in his four starts. He has an average start of 4.8 and an average finish of 4.3. Earlier this season, he finished eighth, which is the worst he’s ever finished at the track but is still a top-10 result. He swept both races in 2020 and has led a total of 20 laps.

 

Riley Herbst: The driver of the No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford will make his fourth Talladega start on Saturday. He has one top five and one top 10 in three starts and the best finish of fourth came earlier this season. He has an average start of 17.7 and an average finish of 25.3. In his first two starts, he ended up not finishing the races due to incidents.

 

Jeremy Clements: The driver of the No. 51 Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet has made 12 starts at Talladega Superspeedway. In those starts, he has one top five and two top 10s. His best finish of fourth was in 2016 and earlier this season, he finished 14th.

 

 

source: NASCAR Media
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Friday, October 1, 2021

Camping World Truck Series Playoff Contenders

Camping World Truck Series Playoff Contenders

Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway

Matt Crafton and Ben Rhodes
Matt Crafton and Ben Rhodes

 

Experience is at a premium at Talladega Superspeedway and seven of the eight NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoff drivers have five or less starts at the 2.66-mile facility.

 

Veteran Matt Crafton is the lone Playoff contender vying for a spot in the Championship 4 Round with more than five starts at the track. Below is a look at the elite eight trying to earn a spot in the next round.

 

Ben Rhodes (No. 99 ThorSport Racing Toyota) has made five series starts at Talladega posting one top-five finish. His average finish at the 2.66-mile track is 15.8, and his pre-race driver rating is 81.9.

 

John H. Nemechek (No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota) has made five series starts at Talladega posting one top-five finish. His average finish at the 2.66-mile track is 21.1, and his pre-race driver rating is 68.7.

 

Stewart Friesen (No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota) has made four series starts at Talladega posting one top-five and two top-10 finishes. His average finish at the 2.66-mile track is 11.2, and his pre-race driver rating at is 80.6.

 

Matt Crafton (No. 88 ThorSport Racing Toyota) has made 15 series starts at Talladega posting one top-five and six top-10 finishes. His average finish at the 2.66-mile track is 15.7, and his pre-race driver rating at Talladega is 75.0.

 

Sheldon Creed (No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet) has made two series starts at Talladega posting one top-10 finish. His average finish at the 2.66-mile track is 10.5 (second-best among Playoff drivers). His pre-race driver rating at Talladega is 107.7 (series-best among Playoff drivers).

 

Carson Hocevar (No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet) will be making his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career debut at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend.

 

Zane Smith (No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet) has made one series start at Talladega posting a 33rd-place finish. His pre-race driver rating at Talladega is 41.7.

 

Chandler Smith (No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota) has made one series start at Talladega posting one top-five finish (third-place). His average finish at the 2.66-mile track is 3.0. His pre-race driver rating at Talladega is 105.6 (second-best among Playoff drivers).

 

 

 

source: NASCAR Media
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