Talladega stats you have to know for Sunday’s race

Talladega Superspeedway is set to host its 100th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race this Sunday. Before the milestone event, scroll through to catch up on important stats you need to know to get ready for the GEICO 500 (2 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the 2.66-mile Alabama superspeedway.

Brad Keselowski holds the most wins among active drivers at Talladega with five victories in 20 starts. The No. 2 driver last went to Victory Lane in the fall race in 2017. Joey Logano is the defending winner of the GEICO 500 and is second among active drivers with three triumphs in 20 starts.

Kyle Busch's lone Monster Energy Series victory at Talladega came in April 2008, his sixth career win and second after joining Joe Gibbs Racing. Since then, Busch has finished runner-up twice and has led a total of 211 laps. He's also driven the No. 18 to Victory Lane on 48 occasions at 22 different tracks in that same time span.

Last fall, Stewart-Haas Racing dominated at Talladega, leading 80 percent of the race broken up among its four competitors. The quartet of drivers also ran 1-2-3-4 in 72 percent of the 193 total laps. Aric Almirola earned the victory, while Clint Bowyer finished second.

If you're still in search of a winning pick for Sunday's race, look no further than Stewart-Haas Racing and Team Penske. Six drivers in those stables made up the top seven in average running position last October at Talladega. Kurt Busch (now with Chip Ganassi Racing) led the way with a 3.08 average, followed by Clint Bowyer (3.65), Kevin Harvick (3.78), Aric Almirola (4.54), Joey Logano (7.76), Ryan Blaney (9.07) and Brad Keselowski (11.64).

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. holds the second-best all-time average finish at Talladega among drivers with a minimum of five starts. Stenhouse Jr.'s 10.64 average finish includes one victory (2017 spring race) in 11 total starts.

Ford Performance has gone to Victory Lane in the past seven events at Talladega, their longest streak at the Alabama track. Dating back to Joey Logano in October 2015, their seven consecutive wins is tied for their most at a particular track. Chevrolet still holds the all-time longest manufacturer streak at Talladega with 13 wins from April 1999 through May 2005.

Three of the last four Talladega winners have led 14 laps or less, the exception being Joey Logano's 70 laps led in the GEICO 500 last spring. Logano's laps led also serve as the most by a Talladega race winner in the last 23 races.

Twenty six of the 99 total races at Talladega (or 26 percent) have ended with a last-lap pass. Brad Keselowski holds the most wins at Talladega with the winning pass coming on the white-flag laps as three of his five total victories were earned under that scenario.

Sensing a theme here? You should because Team Penske and success are synonymous at Talladega. Penske drivers have won seven of the past 14 races at the superspeedway, including six of the last nine events. Their trio of drivers also know how to get to the front and stay there, leading the most laps in four of the last six races and 412 of the 1,140 circuits (36 percent) in the past six events.

In 10 career starts at Talladega, Kyle Larson has failed to earn a top-five result -- one of only four tracks where that is the case. Larson's sixth-place finish in October 2016 is his best to date.

Aric Almirola holds the longest active top-10 streak at Talladega with five straight finishes of eighth or better, including his victory last fall.

If you're hoping for some extra racing Sunday, you're in luck. Talladega is home to the second-most Overtime finishes on the circuit, only falling short to Daytona's mark of 17.