Previewing the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega
The playoff battle for the NASCAR Cup Series championship faces its most unpredictable challenge yet, 500 miles at Talladega Superspeedway. The 2.66-mile facility in Alabama brings superspeedway racing to the Round of 8, with the chance to make or break a driver's hopes of making the Championship 4.
Fast Facts: YellaWood 500
Date: October 19
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (Talladega, Alabama)
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: NBC/Peacock
Stages: 60/120/188
Defending Winner: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
Entry List: 40 for 40 spots
YellaWood 500 Schedule
Date | Time | Session | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
Sat., Oct. 18 | 1:30 p.m. ET | Qualifying | truTV |
Sun., Oct. 19 | 2 p.m. ET | YellaWood 500 | NBC/Peacock |
VIEWING GUIDE: How to Watch the Yellawood 500 at Talladega
Talladega Presents Upset Potential
NASCAR's superspeedways offer a chance for an upset win, as we saw last fall when Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. won the YellaWood 500. Stenhouse scored the overtime victory, crossing the finish line 0.006 seconds ahead of Brad Keselowski and playoff hopeful William Byron.
While seven of the eight playoff drivers are seeking a big win to move on to the Championship 4, many teams see races at the likes of Talladega or Daytona as their best chance to go to victory lane during the season.
Non-playoff drivers who have also won the fall Talladega event include Dale Jarrett (2005), Brian Vickers (2006), Jamie McMurray (2009 and 2013), Clint Bowyer (2011) and Bubba Wallace (2021).
Playoff Hopefuls Seeking 'Win and In'
Four of the drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff field currently in the Round of 8 have won at the Talladega playoff race in the past. One of those drivers, Denny Hamlin, is already secure in the next round following his win last week at Kansas Speedway.
However, the other three are looking to dig out of a hole following the South Point 400 at Kansas. Joey Logano, a three-time Talladega winner, finished sixth but remains 24 points below the cutoff. Meanwhile, Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney both ran into issues at Kansas, as did William Byron.
To avoid a cutthroat elimination possibility at Martinsville, all of those drivers will be looking for a Talladega win.
RELATED: How The Eight Playoff Drivers Historically Perform at Talladega
Avoiding the Big One
As always at the superspeedways, there's the constant fear of "The Big One" looming around the corner. The massive packs produced by the "drafting-style" of racing at tracks such as Talladega leave little margin for error and even less room for escape.
For drivers such as Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe above the cutoff, their margin in the Playoffs can evaporate with one crash on Sunday. For any driver in the field, a day spent mostly at the front of the field can come to a crashing halt without any warning.
To win at Talladega, you must first be there at the finish. It sounds simple, but often it is entirely out of a driver's control.
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Zach Evans is the Managing Editor of RacingAmerica.com, with nearly a decade of experience in motorsports. He has been with Racing America since 2017.
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