Three races remain in NASCAR’s postseason Chase and, realistically, seven drivers have the chance to win the championship.
One of them, Chase Briscoe — winner of three races this season and two in the Chase — will start on the pole for a crucial and unpredictable race, the YellaWood 500 on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Talladega Superspeedway.
In his No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe logged a best speed of 186.065 mph around the 2.66-mile asphalt oval with high banks, notching the fastest speed on a pole lap in the Cup Series at Talladega since 2021. He’ll need that speed on Sunday, and some good luck in avoiding chaotic crashes, to get a strong points day.
The pole win was Briscoe’s first of the season and 11th of his Cup Series career.
“Who knows
what to expect with the handling and obviously that first run is all about fuel saving, so we’ll probably have our blinker on pretty early to not have the lead, but we’ll see how it plays out,’’ Briscoe said. “It does show that we have a fast car. So, typically if it's fast by itself, it's normally fast in the draft, too.”
Briscoe is in third place in the standings, trailing leader Kyle Larson by 24 points. Briscoe is one of six drivers within 56 points of Larson, and four of them are behind the wheel of Toyotas. Briscoe’s JGR teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin both still have legitimate chances at winning the championship — Bell is just five points behind Larson entering Talladega, while Hamlin was the regular season champion and is in fourth place, 41 points back.
The other Toyota in the hunt is Tyler Reddick’s No. 45 for 23XI Racing, trailing Larson by 56 points. Reddick has the most Cup Series wins of any driver this season with six, adding to that total last weekend at Phoenix.
However — in addition to Larson’s Chevrolet — the Toyotas will have to contend this weekend with two Team Penske Fords aiming for the championship as well. Ryan Blaney won at Talladega in 2023, while Joey Logano has three career wins there.
But Talladega can be chaotic and difficult to forecast. There have been 12 different race winners in the last 12 trips to the track in Lincoln, Alabama, for the Cup Series. The track that opened in 1969 is known for blistering speeds and big wrecks.
"Talladega, like any superspeedway race, is challenging because there are so many things that can happen outside of your control," Larson said.
Most of the Chase drivers will likely be happy if they can finish Talladega without destroying their car. But of course, much is at stake, and if the winner is one of the seven Chase drivers, it could shake up the championship picture.
“Sometimes, there’s not a lot you can do about it and you just have to deal with that,” Blaney said. “I think everyone thinks of these speedways a little bit differently, but I’ve always enjoyed coming just because I like the style, and I feel like it’s just a different form of racing and you just hope you make the right decisions.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway:
What time does the NASCAR race at Talladega start?
The green flag is set to drop on the YellaWood 500 at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama.
What TV channel is the NASCAR race at Talladega on?
The YellaWood 500 will be broadcast on NBC. Pre-race coverage will start at 1:30 p.m. ET.
It is the second of four races this season on NBC, but the broadcast will still be produced by the USA Sports crew.
Leigh Diffey will have the call alongside analysts Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte, while Dale Jarrett will offer additional analysis from the pit box. Marty Snider will host the pre- and post-race shows, and he, Kim Coon and Dave Burns will report from pit road.
Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR race at Talladega?
Despite being on NBC, this race will not be streamed on Peacock.
Subscribers to YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV can watch the YellaWood 500 through those services.
HBO Max will continue to provide live streams of in-car cameras, while MRN will carry the live radio broadcast.
How many laps is the NASCAR race at Talladega?
The YellaWood 500 is 188 laps around the 2.66-mile asphalt oval for a total of 500.08 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 98 laps; Stage 2: 45 laps; Stage 3: 45 laps.
What is the weather for the NASCAR race at Talladega?
The track at Talladega Superspeedway should be dry and the YellaWood 500 should start on time.
The National Weather Service is forecasting a sunny afternoon, with a high temperature near 74 degrees. Winds from the northeast could get up to 10 mph.
Into the evening, projections say it will be mostly clear with a low temperature around 47 degrees.
Who won the last NASCAR race at Talladega?
Carson Hocevar notched his first career Cup Series win at Talladega earlier this season on April 26. Chase Briscoe won the fall race last season.
Dale Earnhardt had the most career Cup Series wins at Talladega with 10. Brad Keselowski is the leader among active drivers with six victories at the track.
What are the current standings for the NASCAR Chase?
(Points back next to driver)
- Kyle Larson
- Christopher Bell -5
- Chase Briscoe -24
- Denny Hamlin -31
- Ryan Blaney -40
- Joey Logano -44
- Tyler Reddick -56
- Austin Cindric -130
- Ty Gibbs -132
- Chase Elliott -149
- Carson Hocevar -158
- Bubba Wallace -162
- Daniel Suarez -188
- William Byron -190
- Chris Buescher -204
- Ryan Preece -211
Any driver that is at least 152 points behind the leader after Talladega will be mathematically eliminated from the Chase.
What is the lineup for the NASCAR race at Talladega?
(Car number in parentheses, Chase drivers designated with asterisk)
- Chase Briscoe (19) — Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing*
- Austin Hill, (33) — Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Connor Zilisch (88) — Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing
- Shane van Gisbergen (97) — Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing
- Chris Buescher (17) — Ford, RFK Racing*
- Christopher Bell (20) — Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing*
- Alex Bowman (48) — Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Ty Gibbs (54) — Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing*
- Denny Hamlin (11) — Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing*
- Kyle Larson (5) — Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports*
- Cody Ware (51) — Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing
- Austin Dillon (3) — Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Daniel Suarez (7) — Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports*
- Riley Herbst (35) — Toyota, 23XI Racing
- Ross Chastain (1) — Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing
- Joey Logano (22) — Ford, Team Penske*
- William Byron (24) — Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports*
- Chase Elliott (9) — Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports*
- Ryan Preece (60) — Ford, RFK Racing*
- Cole Custer (41) — Chevrolet, Haas Factory Team
- Josh Berry (21) — Ford, Wood Brothers
- Brad Keselowski (6) — Ford, RFK Racing
- Michael McDowell (71) — Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47) — Chevrolet, HYAK Motorsports
- Bubba Wallace (23) — Toyota, 23XI Racing*
- Carson Hocevar (77) — Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports*
- Ryan Blaney (12) — Ford, Team Penske*
- Austin Cindric (2) — Ford, Team Penske*
- Erik Jones (43) — Toyota, Legacy Motor Club
- Ty Dillon (10) — Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing
- Zane Smith (38) — Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- John Hunter Nemechek (42) — Toyota, Legacy Motor Club
- Tyler Reddick (45) — Toyota, 23XI Racing*
- Casey Mears (62) — Chevrolet, Beard Motorsports
- Todd Gilliland (34) — Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Daniel Dye (78) — Chevrolet, Live Fast Motorsports
- AJ Allmendinger (16) — Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing
- Joey Gase (44) — Chevrolet, New York Racing Team
- Noah Gragson (4) — Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Gray Gaulding (66) — Ford, Garage 66
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASCAR race at Talladega: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup, weather for YellaWood 500
