Posted on by Holly Cain

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford crossed the finish line about a foot ahead of Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 Ford to claim victory in a thrilling final 10-lap push to the checkered flag on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.

With the win — Blaney’s third at Talladega — he punched his ticket to the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Blaney led eight laps but was out front in the final two laps to secure the win over Harvick, whose car was disqualified during post-race technical inspection for violating rules involving windshield fasteners. It’s Blaney’s second win of the season and the ninth of his career.

SHOP: Winner’s gear

“I don’t really know, pretty wild last restart, let alone last couple laps,’’ Blaney said of the frantic finish. “Kinda lost momentum, then getting it back, got clear to the bottom to kind of get to the front row and drag race it out with Kevin (Harvick). It’s so cool to win here three times at Talladega.

“I won it by more than I had the last couple years,” Blaney said with a laugh. “You just don’t know. You have to drag race to the line and hope you get help. William (Byron) gave me a pretty good shove on the bottom.”

With Harvick’s disqualification, playoff drivers Byron and Denny Hamlin finished second and third, respectively. Corey LaJoie was fourth for his third career top-five finish as he came across just ahead of a multicar accident with Austin Cindric, who finished fifth.

Justin Haley, Chase Elliott, Ryan Preece, Riley Herbst — making only his fourth career Cup Series start — and Daniel Suárez rounded out the top 10.

MORE: Race results | At-track photos: Talladega

It was an action-packed day at Talladega, with 70 lead changes among 24 drivers. Blaney’s teammate, Joey Logano, led the most laps (48) but finished 24th.

Seven drivers led double-digit laps, but only one of those — Byron — was a playoff driver.

Hamlin’s third-place effort was especially impressive, considering he was issued a pit-road penalty mid-race and had to recover from being a lap down.

“Not how we drew it up, but a dub (W) is a dub, and that was a dub in our book,” Hamlin said. “As close as it gets to it. I made a statement, bringing me a car fast enough for us to win. And obviously, when I had to go there, I could, and just made the right moves at the right time, and a top five is a long way from where we were with about 15 laps to go.”

Blaney joined last week’s Texas winner Byron with victories in this three-race playoff round to earn a position in the Round of 8. Hamlin’s rally, after running outside the top 20 for much of the middle of the race, keeps his position atop the playoff standings (50 points up on the elimination line).

RELATED: See drivers closest to elimination line

Brad Keselowski, one of two playoff drivers to suffer a DNF on Sunday, still holds a slim two-point edge on Tyler Reddick for the eighth and final transfer position going into next week’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course.

Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, who was involved in an early-race accident and suffered his first DNF of the playoffs, dropped below the elimination line for the first time this round and is now in 11th place, 10 points back.

Chastain is one point behind 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, a former Talladega race winner who finished 23rd on Sunday. His team co-owner, NBA superstar Michael Jordan, met up with Wallace on pit road after the race, offering a handshake, pat on the back and some encouraging words.

Two-time series champion Kyle Busch finds himself in a catch-up role, essentially needing a walk-off victory next week at the road course. He finished 25th and sits 26 points behind eighth-place Keselowski.

The Bank of America ROVAL 400 is next Sunday afternoon at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Christopher Bell is the defending race winner.

Note: Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford was the only car found with an issue in post-race inspection, confirming Blaney as the event winner. Four cars will be taken to the NASCAR R&D Center for engine dynamometer testing: No. 24 (Hendrick), No. 11 (TRD), No. 31 (ECR) and No. 41 (RYE).

Posted on by Staff Report

Brad Keselowski crashed out of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race at Talladega Superspeedway after triggering a multicar accident.

Keselowski was pushing rookie Carson Hocevar through the tri-oval bend of Talladega’s frontstretch and clipped Hocevar’s left-rear quarter panel. The contact sent Hocevar sliding into the pack, where he tipped Ty Gibbs and Austin Dillon spinning into the outside SAFER barrier. Dillon caught Keselowski in the left rear, sending the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford spinning toward the inside wall. The car briefly became airborne before the aerodynamic roof flaps set the vehicle back onto the pavement.

MORE: Race results | At-track photos: Talladega

The crash ended Keselowski’s day, a critical blow as the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion battles through the postseason. Sunday’s race marks the middle race of the Round of 12, with four drivers set to be eliminated from championship contention following next week’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. Keselowski entered Talladega in seventh place, eight points above the provisional divide. He will be credited with a 32nd-place finish, earning 15 points — 10 of which came from winning Stage 2. That boost of points left him two points above the line, eighth in the standings.

“I didn’t hit that hard so I’m fine. I would’ve been OK but the toe link was broke, so I wasn’t able to keep moving,” Keselowski told NBC Sports. “Just unfortunate. We got shuffled to the outside line here. The 42 (Hocevar) pulled up in front of me. I’m like, ‘Alright, let’s go. We’re gonna go back up to the front.’ And I just pushed him and he kind of instantly spun out. I don’t think he did anything wrong. I just think his car probably wasn’t driving that good.

“It’s frustrating, you know? We were able to win the second stage and we were in good position there for a long time and just kind of unraveled on us. That’s how it goes here sometimes.”

Asked if Hocevar’s inexperience was factored before applying the push, Keselowski said: “Only one way to learn. Get out there and go. This is just part of this racing. You push, and I gave him a pretty light push. I don’t really think he did anything wrong. I just don’t think his car was handling well enough.”

Keselowski, Gibbs, Dillon and Hocevar were unable to continue but were evaluated and released from the infield care center. Chase Briscoe and Harrison Burton were also involved. Briscoe was able to continue toward a 13th-place finish while Burton’s race ended from suspension damage after 175 laps, resulting in a 31st-place finish.

Posted on by Staff Report

Ross Chastain was involved in a Lap 60 crash in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, jeopardizing his hopes to advance in the NASCAR Playoffs.

Entering Turn 3 on the final lap of Stage 1, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. appeared to run out of fuel while leading the outside lane of cars. That slowed Kyle Busch, another postseason contender, who was just behind Stenhouse. As the pair slowed, Busch darted left to avoid Stenhouse and clipped Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet. Chastain spun into the SAFER barrier and incurred significant damage to his right-front fender and suspension, then was hit by Christopher Bell — yet another playoff contender.

MORE: Race results | At-track photos: Talladega

Chastain drove his Trackhouse Racing entry to the garage before being evaluated and released from the infield care center.

“Yeah, saw some slow and tagging the fence, and obviously they were that much slower, I should have just stayed in behind them,” Chastain said. “Four-wide wasn’t … obviously was not the right call. I saw a hole and just tried to slide through there. Wished I wouldn’t have.”

Chastain entered Sunday’s race 12 points above the elimination line with only one race remaining in the Round of 12. Four drivers will be eliminated from postseason contention following next week’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course on Sunday, Oct. 8 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

WATCH: In-car: Chastain wreck at Talladega

“Whatever we bring next week, we’ll put our best foot forward,” said Chastain, who advanced to the Championship 4 last season. “As long as I get to drive these rocket ships that Trackhouse brings me, I’m living my dream, and we’ll keep fighting.”

Chastain was credited with a 37th-place finish with one point scored, ahead only of Kevin Harvick, whose No. 4 Ford was disqualified upon failing post-race technical inspection. Chastain enters the Charlotte road course 11th in points, 10 markers shy of the provisional elimination line.

Bell, Stenhouse and Busch were able to continue toward finishes of 14th, 22nd and 25th, respectively.

Posted on by Staff Report

Throughout the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Advance Auto Parts is spotlighting a series of Home Track Heroes from NASCAR-sanctioned short tracks around the country. Each Home Track Hero, nominated by his or her peers as a result of contributions made to the race track, will have his or her name appear on the C-Post of Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang in a Cup Series Playoff race. André Boissonneault, who’s in charge of the tow crew as well as an important annual charity race at Autodrome Granby, is the Home Track Hero whose name will appear on Blaney’s car during the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

André Boissonneault is a staple at Autodrome Granby, the NASCAR Home Track located in Quebec, Canada.

His impact at the facility began 35 years ago.

Boissonneault was behind the start of what’s now known as the Défi-Vision, a race at Autodrome Granby in which blind drivers, aided by co-pilots in their cars, compete for 10 laps around the dirt track.

The Défi-Vision is a fundraising race that supports the MIRA Foundation, an organization that provides guide dogs for blind children. The MIRA Foundation also provides seminars for families of blind children with reference to daily living skills, psychology of blindness and what to emphasize in orientation.

In the 35 years Boissonneault and Autodrome Granby have been hosting the Défi-Vision, they have raised more than $1.5 million for the MIRA Foundation.

Boissonneault since the beginning has found and prepared the cars for the Défi-Vision.

In addition to his help with the charity race, Boissonneault aids Autodrome Granby through the towing company he founded in 1979.

Boissonneault and his employees are in charge of the towing crew at the race track; he’s worked countless volunteer hours over the years making drivers feel safer thanks to his presence. The track refers to Boissonneault and his crew as the best in the business when it comes to the dirt racing world.

At this point, it’s a family business. Both Boissonneault’s son and grandson have joined the fold through the years.

Boissonneault has been a pioneer at his local track. To Autodrome Granby, he’s the definition of a Home Track Hero.

Posted on by Staff Report

Anything can happen at Talladega. It’s easy to say that, but we also have the numbers to prove it.

PLAYOFFS: Playoffs hub page | Playoffs Grid Challenge game

— Seven different drivers have won the last seven Cup races at Talladega, with six different teams accounting for those victories.

— Six of the last seven races at Talladega have ended with a last-lap pass for the win.

— The last four Talladega winners all started from 16th place or worse.

— The final green-flag stretch was two laps or less in nine of the last 10 Talladega races.

These are all encouraging signs for drivers who suffered a slow start in the Round of 12 at Texas Motor Speedway. It means if they can be around at the end of Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriuxXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), then they’ll have a chance to go for a season-altering victory in the NASCAR Playoffs.

At least two big-name drivers could certainly use a pick-me-up after Texas — Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney both stumbled out of the gate and sit 17 points and 11 points beneath the elimination line, respectively. And although Busch was the winner here in the spring, the stats tend to favor Blaney for this one.

Since 2017, Blaney has scored an average of 32 points per race at Talladega, and that’s tops among active drivers. He has also led laps in nine of the last 10 Talladega races, a stretch that has included two victories.

However, just as Talladega could mean a golden opportunity for drivers like Blaney and Busch, there are others who will need to buck the statistical trends if they hope to have a good result on Sunday.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

KYLE LARSON: Larson was running so well at Texas until disaster struck late when he lost aero grip racing close to Bubba Wallace and crashed en route to a 31st-place finish. Now Larson comes to a track where his fortunes haven’t been good (only three top-10 finishes in 17 starts) and with only a two-point cushion on the elimination line. | Breaking down Larson’s wreck

MARTIN TRUEX JR.:  Truex comes to Talladega with a 19-point cushion to the elimination line, but he can’t get too comfortable, considering he has bettered his positioning only once at Talladega under the current playoff format. Plus, he hasn’t had a strong playoff run to this point and finished 17th last week at Texas.

BRAD KESELOWSKI: Keselowski is only eight points above the elimination line, but his history at Talladega is the exact opposite of Truex’s as he leads active drivers with six victories at the 2.66-mile track. Keselowski hasn’t won in Cup since April 2021 at Talladega, but his two runner-up finishes in 2023 came at drafting-style tracks (Atlanta, Daytona).

CHRIS BUESCHER: Keselowski’s RFK Racing teammate won the last drafting race in August at Daytona and has an average finish of 2.67 on superspeedways this season. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he improved upon his 22-point cushion above the elimination line.

BUBBA WALLACE: Wallace is coming off a strong showing at Texas, where he led a race-high 111 laps and finished third. Plus, he has typically run strong at drafting tracks, including a fall win at Talladega in 2021.

Projections as of Sunday, Oct. 1:

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE YELLAWOOD 500

Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results.

FinishCar NumberDriver
16Brad Keselowski
211Denny Hamlin
324William Byron
49Chase Elliott
517Chris Buescher
620Christopher Bell
712Ryan Blaney
84Kevin Harvick
91Ross Chastain
1043Erik Jones
1119Martin Truex Jr.
1223Bubba Wallace
135Kyle Larson
1410Aric Almirola
1548Alex Bowman
1699Daniel Suárez
1745Tyler Reddick
188Kyle Busch
1922Joey Logano
2014Chase Briscoe
2154Ty Gibbs
2247Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2334Michael McDowell
242Austin Cindric
257Corey LaJoie
263Austin Dillon
2738Todd Gilliland
2831Justin Haley
2916AJ Allmendinger
3041Ryan Preece
3177Ty Dillon
3221Harrison Burton
3351J.J. Yeley
3413Chandler Smith
3578BJ McLeod
3636Riley Herbst
3742Carson Hocevar
3815Brennan Poole

Posted on by Brandon White

NORTH WILKESBORO, North Carolina — Saturday marked the ending of one era at North Wilkesboro Speedway and the beginning of a new one.

The final race on the current North Wilkesboro racing surface that has survived since the early 1980s was the inaugural NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Brushy Mountain Powersports 150. Many of the best Modified drivers from the North and South made the trip to Wilkes County looking to write another chapter in North Wilkesboro’s storied history.

RELATED: Complete race results from the Brushy Mountain Powersports 150

Matt Hirschman earned the distinction of winning the first Brushy Mountain Powersports 150 after surviving several late restarts. Hirschman was one of the first to claim a checkered flag during North Wilkesboro’s revival in 2022 and was honored to take another elevator ride to Victory Lane.

“This is probably the biggest win of the year,” Hirschman said. “We haven’t won as many races as we did last year, but here’s a big one that rivals many of the things we did last year. I really enjoy coming here and these are memories that will last a lifetime.”

There was a brief period where Hirschman was unsure if he would even be able to compete in the Brushy Mountain Powersports 150.

A bad crash at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in August left Hirschman sidelined with a broken arm. Being out of the car due to the injury was a frustrating time for Hirschman, but he met the best-case scenario on his prognosis and was back racing by the middle of September.

The Brushy Mountain Powersports 150 was Hirschman’s first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race since sustaining that injury. Once he made several laps in practice around North Wilkesboro, Hirschman knew he was in perfect shape both physically and mentally to contend for a victory on Saturday night.

Replicating his victory from last August was going to be a more challenging task for Hirschman. Rather than a 50-lap sprint, a 150-lap endurance race required Hirschman and the rest of his competition to be patient and take advantage of opportunistic cautions.

After pitting early, Hirschman cycled to the lead of the race before falling to second behind 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman. During the final pit stops of the evening with 40 laps left Hirschman’s team opted for two tires, allowing him to take the lead and eventually the win.

“I felt this was going to be a tough race to win tonight,” Hirschman said. “There were so many ideas in my head as to what possibly could work. What ended up happening wasn’t initially my Plan A, but you just never know how these races are going to play out.”

If we came back next week to run this race again, what I did tonight probably wouldn’t work.”

Even though Hirschman had track position, he still had to play defense during the closing stages. Newman, Doug Coby and Ron Silk all provided Hirschman with strong challenges, but the veteran driver withstood everything that came his way to triumph at North Wilkesboro again.

Hirschman considered his North Wilkesboro victory to be one of the most significant of his career alongside the inaugural NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at New Smyrna Speedway last year. Both events attracted notoriety and large fields, which only motivated Hirschman even further.

With North Wilkesboro set to be repaved ahead of the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race, Hirschman found Saturday’s outcome to be bittersweet in many ways, but he is also happy to see the historic track thrive after nearly two decades of being dormant.

“I hope this place is here to stay for a long time,” Hirschman said. “It’s going to take a while for this surface to age when they repave the whole thing. For the new surface to have the character it had [on Saturday], I don’t know if it’ll happen during my racing career.

“Last year and this year were two different storybook endings and I’m going to remember them for a long time.”

Hirschman considers himself fortunate to have played a key part in North Wilkesboro’s revival and hopes to write many more successful chapters at the track on the new surface in the coming years.

Silk finished behind Hirschman in the second position with Justin Bonsignore, Eric Goodale and Patrick Emerling completing the Top 5. Newman, Andrew Krause, Cobb, Kyle Ebersole and Bobby Santos III were the rest of the Top 10 finishers.

CNBC will broadcast a replay of the Brushy Mountain Powersports 150 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 8 at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Only two races remain on the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule. The penultimate event takes place on Sunday, Oct. 8 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park with the running of the World Series 150 present by FloSports.com. FloRacing will provide live coverage.

Posted on by Staff Report

Brushy Mountain Powersports 150

North Wilkesboro Speedway

  • Race results
Pos Car No. Name Sponsor Laps Diff
1 60 Matt Hirschman PeeDee Motorsports/Coyler Trucking 155  —
2 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine & Future Homes 155 0.564
3 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc. 155 1.095
4 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 155 1.213
5 14 Patrick Emerling Advantage Trucks/Anastasi Trucking 155 1.462
6 39 Ryan Newman Pace-O-Matic/Aggressive Hydraulics/Montrose Molders 155 1.648
7 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing Co. 155 1.988
8 7 Doug Coby Mayhew Tools 155 2.201
9 5 Kyle Ebersole Ebersole Excavating, Inc. 155 2.219
10 44 Bobby Santos III Harshaw Paving/Olivas Market 155 2.295
11 19 Anthony Sesely Wanick Construction Inc. 155 2.435
12 32 Tyler Rypkema Northeast Driling/MUSCO Lighting 155 2.497
13 34 JB Fortin A&R Materials/John’s Fuel Oil 155 2.542
14 64 Austin Beers AP Marquadt & Sons/Lumiere Electrical/Andrew James Interiors 155 2.905
15 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprises/Eastport Feeds 155 2.953
16 3 Jake Johnson* Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 155 3.376
17 06 Sam Rameau Quality Fleet Services/Dennison Lubricants 155 3.661
18 1 Burt Myers Citrusafe Cleaners 155 4.238
19 92 Anthony Nocella Nocella Paving/K and D Associates/Airgas 155 4.433
20 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprera 155 4.609
21 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 155 5.185
22 70 Andy Seuss Rockingham Boat 155 5.406
23 99 Jamie Tomaino Tony’s Competition Engines 155 5.592
24 04 Brandon Ward KevinSaysYes.com/Kevin Powell’s Foothill Ford 155 6.165
25 23 Carson Loftin* L&R Transmissions/Lebleu Bottled Water 155 12.096
26 59 Brett Meservey* BNP Machine 154 1 Lap
27 21 Jacob Perry* The Royal Screw Machine Co. 152 3 Laps
28 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 149 6 Laps
29 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Ave Landscape Supply/L.I. Wood Heat 147 8 Laps
30 09 Chris Hatton* Generac/HTR Racing/Race Radios Direct 143 12 Laps
31 77 Gary Putnam Curb Records/Mowhawk Northeast 138 17 Laps
32 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood Market & Restaurant 129 26 Laps
33 38 Bobby Labonte Pace-O-Matic/Cook Out/Units/Coca-Cola 119 36 Laps
34 82 Craig Lutz Horton Avenue Materials 110 45 Laps
35 17 Chase Dowling Start Finish Production/S&S Paving 83 72 Laps
36 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies LLC 40 115 Laps
37 28 John-Michael Shenette * Eighty-Two Services/Heinz Performance 25 130 Laps
38 20 Edward McCarthy Jr. McCarthy’s Marine Sales 16 139 Laps
Posted on by Zack Albert

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Martin Truex Jr. is still looking for the first Talladega Superspeedway victory of his career, and snagging one Sunday at a pivotal point in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs would be well-timed. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran is also looking to right the ship in this star-crossed postseason — his four races so far have yet to produce a top-10 finish or a lap led.

Sunday’s YellaWood 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) presents an opportunity for the Regular Season Champion and the rest of the 12 postseason hopefuls to advance to the next round. The event is the middle race in the Round of 12, and four drivers will be ousted from championship eligibility after Sunday’s 500-miler and next Sunday’s event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. Only William Byron — who entered the postseason tied with Truex atop the standings — has immunity, thanks to last weekend’s win in the round opener at Texas Motor Speedway.

RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | Weekend schedule

Truex holds a 19-point edge over the provisional elimination line after Texas. The wild-card nature of racing at the 2.66-mile Talladega track could treat the playoff standings like a properly shaken drink, but the style of high-speed racing in the draft will also place an emphasis on teamwork along manufacturer lines.

Truex is one of just six Toyota drivers in the 38-car field, pitted against 17 Chevrolets and 15 Fords. After Saturday’s Cup Series qualifying, he suggested strength might not necessarily be in the numbers.

“All the drivers, we all work together really well and look back on past races and things, so I feel like we have a good group of guys,” said Truex, who starts 16th Sunday. “You know, we’re definitely outnumbered Toyota-wise, and this racing has become manufacturer racing, but at certain times, it works well for us because we’re so committed. We’re all basically on the same team, where other guys are … they might be a Chevrolet, but they might be with different teams or have a beef or something, and when it comes down to the end, they leave each other hanging. So if we can all make it to the end and be together, we’ll have a really good shot at one of us winning.”

Five of the six Toyota drivers are still playoff-eligible, a list that includes Truex and JGR teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin, plus the two-car effort of 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace. All five will be fighting for their own playoff fates, but the value of teamwork, they say, still applies.

“We all obviously need each other to do good, too,” said Bell, who is just ahead of Truex in the playoff standings, 20 points up. “So while we are competing against each other, the betterment for the whole … all of us are going to benefit from pushing each other and being committed to each other. So instead of bailing on each other and getting away from team racing, we will all benefit if we stay together.”

MORE: What to Watch: Talladega | At-track photos

Chevrolet drivers have won the last three Talladega races, with Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch splitting the laurels. The most recent superspeedway race, though, was a Ford affair, with RFK Racing teammates Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski closing out a 1-2 finish in the regular-season finale at Daytona.

That result, Buescher said, stemmed from a concentrated effort on working hand-in-hand on the circuit’s largest ovals.

“This has been something that we recognized we didn’t do very well together last season and realized we had fast race cars, one or the other, and didn’t do a good enough job at finding each other and making a show out of that,” Buescher said. “We’ve worked very hard this year together. We put a lot of emphasis and a lot of studying into these events to make sure that when we are in a situation like we were in Daytona there at the end, we’re ready for it, that we’ve thought about that. And that hasn’t changed. We can’t say, ‘Oh, we had it figured out there, we’re done. We don’t need to think about again. We’ll remember.’

“It’s the same diving into it, looking at what happened there, looking at this race from the last time we were in Talladega, playing out scenarios in our heads, talking it through with spotters, with crew chiefs, with our entire teams. There’s a lot that goes into these things, obviously, our pit strategy and pit road is a massive part of how these races play out as well. So yeah, a lot of time and a lot of studying goes into this one, just like it did at Daytona, and we plan on it yielding the same results.”

For Truex to reverse some of his previous superspeedway results, he’ll need that teamwork dynamic on his side. The playoff scenarios, he says, won’t disrupt that strategy.

“Not at all,” Truex says. “I mean, our best chance is to all work together all day and hopefully be together at the end. That’s our best chance to win.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola claimed the pole position for Sunday’s YellaWood 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) with a fast lap of 181.656 mph in the No. 10 SHR Ford; the 39-year old Tampa native just bettering the speed of fellow Ford driver and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano Saturday afternoon by 0.004 seconds.

Almirola’s SHR teammate Chase Briscoe was third fastest and will start on the second row alongside Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, the top qualifier among the 12 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers.

RELATED: Full starting lineup | Weekend schedule

“You know these races come down to pit stops really, track position at the end, and so having a good pit stall, a clean-in and clean-out, stuff like that, that all matters,’’ said Almirola, who won the fall race on the 2.66-mile Talladega high banks in 2018 and gets first pit selection with this pole-winning effort Saturday, his sixth career pole.

“I’m just really proud of all the guys on this 10 team. We’ve been working so hard to put speed in these Smithfield Ford Mustangs and [engine builder] Doug Yates obviously brings a ton of horsepower when we come to these type race tracks.

Aric Almirola poses with a light blue Busch Light Pole Award flag after winning pole at Talladega
Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

“It’s not a secret, this has been a tough year for us,’’ Almirola said of the four-car SHR organization that is still racing for its first win of the season. “So to show that kind of grit and resolve with everyone continuing to grind and work and bring fast race cars to the race track. That says a lot about our race team. Just really proud. The driver has a small part to do with it at these places, but a lot of it is just the speed built into the cars.’’

Five of the 12 playoff drivers advanced to second-round qualifying on Saturday. Brad Keselowski, whose six wins at Talladega are most in the field, qualified fifth in his Roush Fenway Keselowski Ford. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron, who has already punched his ticket into Round of 8 with a victory last week at Texas Motor Speedway, will start eighth. 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney round out the top 10 positions on Sunday’s starting grid.

MORE: Briscoe, Preece lean into “Talladega Nights” | Keselowski “due” for next win

Several other playoff drivers were just off that pace. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, who leads the standings in terms of points, will roll off 12th Sunday. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick was 13th-fastest in final qualifying, with Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr. 15th and 16th, respectively.

RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher will start 24th, with Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch lining up his Chevrolet 25th on the grid. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain – who finished runner-up at Texas last week – rounds out the current playoff dozen and will start 32nd.

Among those drivers who advanced to the final round qualifying and not competing in the Round of 12, NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Riley Herbst turned in an impressive result, qualifying a Front Row Motorsports car sixth – his best start in four NASCAR Cup Series races. Blaney’s Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric – the 2021 Daytona 500 winner – was seventh-fastest.

Going into this second race of the three-race round of playoff competition, Hamlin holds a 37-point edge to ninth-place Wallace, who sits only two points behind Larson. Reddick is 10th, three points behind Larson, followed by Blaney (-11) and Busch (-17).

“I think [starting position] definitely helps for the first stage, and hopefully, we can get some stage points, but outside of the first stage, I don’t think it really matters a ton,’’ said Larson, who is competing for his first Talladega victory.

“I feel happy we made the final round, but we’ll see. I think it should be good.’’