It’s Talladega week.
NASCAR’s biggest oval will host the fifth race of the playoffs on Sunday, with the Round of 12 now underway.
The Alabama superspeedway is one of NASCAR’s most unpredictable tracks, with high speeds and massive crashes that can often take out dozens of drivers. None of the playoff drivers have secured safety into the Round of 8 yet, so the stakes are high entering Sunday’s race.
So, who is racing at Talladega? What’s the schedule for TV and streaming? And what drivers could contend for the win? Here’s everything you need to know for 2024 YellaWood 500:
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When is the NASCAR race at Talladega?
The YellaWood 500 is set for Sunday, Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. ET.
Before the race, there will be a qualifying session on Saturday. The 40 drivers will take the track one-by-one (in this order) for two-round qualifying. Each driver gets two laps in the first round, with the 10 fastest advancing to the final round. The final 10 drivers will get two more laps to determine the top-10 starting order, with positions 11 through 40 set based on first round times.
What is the NASCAR TV schedule this weekend?
Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Jeff Burton (analyst) and Steve Letarte (analyst) will be on the call for NBC Sports all weekend. Here’s the full TV and streaming schedule:
Saturday, Oct. 5 (USA Network streaming)
- Qualifying: 1:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports app
Sunday, Oct. 6 (NBC and streaming)
- Countdown to Green: 1:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports app
- YellaWood 500: 2 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports app
NASCAR Talladega entry list, drivers
Forty drivers will race at Talladega – the 34 full-timers, plus six others.
Three Xfinity Series regulars will step up into the Cup Series on Sunday, with A.J. Allmendinger and Shane van Gisbergen driving for Kaulig Racing and Anthony Alfredo suiting up for Beard Motorsports. Then there’s part-timers Cody Ware for Rick Ware Racing, J.J. Yeley for NY Racing Team and B.J. McLeod for Live Fast Motorsports.
Here’s the full entry list for Talladega:
| Car number | Driver | Team | Sponsor |
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Busch Light |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Discount Tire |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Bass Pro Shops |
| 4 | Josh Berry | Stewart-Haas Racing | SunnyD |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | HendrickCars.com |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | BuildSubmarines.com |
| 7 | Justin Haley | Spire Motorsports | Gainbridge |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Lucas Oil |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Kelley Blue Book |
| 10 | Noah Gragson | Stewart-Haas Racing | Beef A Roo |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | FedEx |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Menards |
| 13 | A.J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Strive |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Rush Truck Centers |
| 15 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Arby's |
| 16 | Shane van Gisbergen | Kaulig Racing | WeatherTech |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Nexletol |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Bass Pro Shops |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | DeWalt |
| 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | DEX Imaging |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Shell/Pennzoil |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | U.S. Air Force |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | RaptorTough.com |
| 31 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Cirkul |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Love's RV Stop |
| 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Georgia Peanuts |
| 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Wonder Bread |
| 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | GearWrench |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Dollar Tree |
| 44 | J.J. Yeley | NY Racing Team | |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Monster Energy |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Kroger |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Ally |
| 51 | Corey LaJoie | Rick Ware Racing | Mighty Fire Breaker |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Monster Energy |
| 62 | Anthony Alfredo | Beard Motorsports | Fortify Building Solutions |
| 71 | Zane Smith | Spire Motorsports | Focused Health |
| 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Delaware Life |
| 78 | B.J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | |
| 99 | Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse Racing | Tootsies Orchid Lounge |
NASCAR Talladega predictions, picks, favorites
Predicting a winner at Talladega is no simple task – there have been eight different winners in the last eight races dating back to 2020. But while it may seem like a dart throw at a track with so much carnage, there actually is a science to running well there.
Look no further than the Ford trio of Blaney, Logano and Keselowski. Blaney has three wins in his last 10 Talladega starts, including this race last fall to spark his eventual title run. Logano’s 490 laps led at Talladega is best among active drivers. And Keselowski has six Talladega wins – trailing only Dale Earnhardt (10) and tied with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Part of the challenge at Talladega is actually finishing the race, so keep an eye on those who usually stay out of trouble. Chastain and LaJoie are the only drivers in the field with over 10 starts and just one DNF. On the other side of things, Truex (13) and McDowell (10) both have double-digit DNFs.
Alfredo has the best Talladega average finish (9.3), though he’s only made three starts. Elliott (13.7 average finish in 17 starts), Briscoe (14.4 in seven starts), Blaney (14.8 in 20 starts) and Stenhouse (15.1 in 22 starts) are the best finishers among drivers with more than five starts.
NASCAR Talladega winners list, race history
Ten of the 40 drivers in the field are past winners at Talladega, including six with multiple victories.
Keselowski leads all drivers with six Talladega wins, followed by Logano and Blaney with three apiece. Busch, Hamlin and Elliott have two wins each, and the one-time winners are Stenhouse (2017), Wallace (2021), Chastain (2022) and Reddick (2024).
NASCAR playoff standings entering Talladega
With Chastain (a non-playoff driver) winning last week at Kansas, nobody has locked themselves into the next round. That leaves all 12 drivers at risk, though some are in a bigger hole than others.
Reddick, Suarez, Briscoe and Cindric are below the cut line with Talladega and Charlotte still to go before the bottom four are eliminated.
You can find a full explanation of NASCAR’s playoff format right here.
Here’s the playoff standings entering Talladega:
| Rank | Driver | Points |
| 1. | William Byron | 3,074 |
| 2. | Ryan Blaney | 3,068 |
| 3. | Christopher Bell | 3,068 |
| 4. | Kyle Larson | 3,058 |
| 5. | Denny Hamlin | 3,051 |
| 6. | Alex Bowman | 3,048 |
| 7. | Chase Elliott | 3,044 |
| 8. | Joey Logano | 3,044 |
| 9. | Tyler Reddick | 3,040 |
| 10. | Daniel Suarez | 3,030 |
| 11. | Chase Briscoe | 3,019 |
| 12. | Austin Cindric | 3,015 |
