The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway Sunday to continue the Round of 12 (2 p.m. ET, NBC).
This is the second race of the Round of 12. Chase Elliott, who is in the owner championship, is the defending winner.
Here is a look at the drivers to keep an eye on during the Sunday afternoon race at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.
FRONTRUNNERS
Chase Elliott
Points position: 17th
Best finish this season: 2nd (Fontana, Indianapolis)
Past at Talladega: Two wins at Talladega since the 2019 season. This includes last season’s playoff race when he passed Ryan Blaney on the final lap. Elliott’s average finish at Talladega is 14.1.
Brad Keselowski
Points position: 7th
Best finish this season: 2nd (Atlanta I, Daytona II)
Past at Talladega: He has 29 Talladega starts with 14 top-10 finishes, 10 top fives and six wins, tied with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the second-most in Cup Series history. Talladega was the site of Keselowski’s first career Cup win in 2009. It was the site of his last trip to Victory Lane in 2021.
Bubba Wallace
Points position: 9th
Best finish this season: 3rd (Texas)
Past at Talladega: He has 11 starts with one win, the 2021 playoff race. He was in the lead on the final lap of this season’s spring race but crashed while blocking Ryan Blaney. Five of Wallace’s 16 career top-five finishes are at superspeedways.
MORE: Bubba Wallace laments final restart at Texas
William Byron
Points position: 1st
Best finish this season: 1st (Las Vegas I, Phoenix I, Darlington I, Atlanta II, Watkins Glen, Texas)
Past at Talladega: He has 11 starts with three top-10 finishes and two top fives. His average finish is 17.3. Byron has three career drafting track wins – one at Daytona (2020) and two at Atlanta (2022, 2023).
Ross Chastain
Points position: 6th
Best finish this season: 1st (Nashville)
Past at Talladega: He has nine starts at Talladega with two top-10 finishes, two top fives and one win. He won last season’s spring race at Talladega and then finished fourth in the playoff race. Chastain’s drafting track success includes two runner-up finishes at Atlanta last season.
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
Kyle Busch
Points position: 12th
Best finish this season: 1st (Fontana, Talladega I, Gateway)
Past at Talladega: He has 36 starts with 10 top-10 finishes, eight top fives and two wins. He first won at Talladega in 2008. He also won this season’s spring race. The No. 8 team has struggled since New Hampshire in July with only three top-10 finishes and four finishes of 34th or worse. Busch is 17 points below the cutline with two races left in the Round of 12.
Martin Truex Jr.
Points position: 7th
Best finish this season: 1st (Dover, Sonoma, New Hampshire)
Past at Talladega: He has 37 starts at Talladega with nine top-10 finishes and three top fives. He has finished 20th or worse in 12 of the last 14 races. Truex continues to seek his first win on a drafting track.
Kyle Larson
Points position: 9th
Best finish this season: 1st (Nashville)
Past at Talladega: He has 17 starts at Talladega with three top-10 finishes and one top five. He has six DNFs, including this season’s spring race. Larson, who fell to two points above the cutline after Texas, has no Cup wins on a drafting track.
Ryan Blaney
Points position: 1st
Best finish this season: 1st (Charlotte)
Past at Talladega: He has 18 starts at Talladega with seven top-10 finishes, five top fives and two wins. He went back-to-back in 2019 and 2020. Blaney finished second in the last two Talladega races. The No. 12 team has made mistakes in multiple playoff races. There was a loose wheel at Kansas that cost Blaney 13 spots. There was a speeding penalty and a crash at Texas that cost him 24 spots.
