NASCAR at Talladega schedule: How to watch, race history, odds originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
It’s finally time for a race at one of NASCAR’s most iconic tracks. That’s right, it’s Talladega weekend.
The 2022 season has been hectic through nine weeks, and the mayhem is sure to continue at NASCAR’s biggest track.
Talladega, a 2.66-mile superspeedway, has played host to some of the craziest finishes in history. There has been a last-lap pass for the win in 29 of 105 races at the track, including three of the last four races dating back to 2020.
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Here’s everything you need to know about Talladega:
What is the NASCAR Talladega schedule?
On Saturday at 11 a.m. ET, the lineup for Sunday’s race will be determined with qualifying. In the first round, all 39 drivers get one single lap around the track. The 10 fastest drivers will advance to the second round, while positions 11 through 39 will be locked into their starting spot. The 10 drivers who advance will get one lap in the second round, and their speeds will determine the top-10 starting positions.
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The GEICO 500 at Talladega will go green at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 24.
What is the NASCAR TV schedule this weekend?
The race at Talladega is on FOX, Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
Pre-race coverage starts with NASCAR RaceDay at 2 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. The coverage moves to FOX at 2:30 p.m., with more pre-race festivities before the race at 3 p.m.
All coverage before, during and after the race can be streamed online here and in the Fox Sports app.
NASCAR Talladega entry list
Thirty-nine drivers are on the Talladega entry list. Up to 40 cars can qualify for a race, so all 39 entrants will race on Sunday. Here's the full list:
NASCAR standings entering Talladega
Now nine races into the 26-race regular season, the star drivers are beginning to emerge atop the points standings. Only 16 drivers make the playoffs, and drivers secure a berth by winning a race or scoring the most points among non-winners. Here’s a look at the current playoff standings, where wins reign supreme over points:
- William Byron, 295 points, 2 wins
- Alex Bowman, 273 points, 1 win
- Kyle Busch, 273 points, 1 win
- Ross Chastain, 250 points, 1 win
- Kyle Larson, 249 points, 1 win
- Chase Briscoe, 245 points, 1 win
- Austin Cindric, 222 points, 1 win
- Denny Hamlin, 159 points, 1 win
- Chase Elliott, 324 points
- Ryan Blaney, 321 points
- Joey Logano, 303 points
- Martin Truex Jr., 253 points
- Tyler Reddick, 241 points
- Aric Almirola, 237 points
- Kevin Harvick, 225 points
- Christopher Bell, 220 points
Which active drivers have won at Talladega?
Eleven of the 39 drivers racing this weekend have won at Talladega: Keselowski, Logano, Blaney, Hamlin, Wallace, Elliott, Almirola, Stenhouse, Ragan, Harvick and Kyle Busch.
Keselowski leads active drivers in Talladega wins (6), including this race in 2021. Logano has three Talladega wins, while Blaney and Hamlin each have two. The other seven drivers each have one victory at the track.
Who is favored to win NASCAR this weekend?
It’s hard to pick a favorite at a drafting track like Talladega, where massive wrecks can eliminate contenders in an instant.
Ty Dillon has the best average finish at Talladega (12.0 in eight starts), including finishing third in his latest start. Stenhouse (14.1 in 17 starts), Keselowski (15.1 in 26 starts), Harvick (15.6 in 42 starts) and Elliott (15.9 in 12 starts) are the other active finish leaders at Talladega.
Last year, Keselowski won the spring Talladega race with a last-lap pass in overtime and Wallace won the fall race after taking the lead just before rain cut the finish short.
Here are some of the favorites to win at Talladega, courtesy of PointsBet:
- Ryan Blaney, +1000
- Joey Logano, +1200
- Denny Hamlin, +1400
- Brad Keselowski, +1400
- Bubba Wallace, +1400
- Chase Elliott, +1400
- Austin Cindric, +1400
- Chase Briscoe, +1500
- Kyle Busch, +1800
- Kyle Larson, +1800
- Kevin Harvick, +2000
- Aric Almirola, +2000
- William Byron, +2000
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., +3000
- Ty Dillon, +10000
- David Ragan, +12500
