NASCAR Cup teams face the challenge of Talladega Superspeedway.
Ryan Blaney won the most recent race there last fall in the playoffs. Kyle Busch won this event last spring.
Chase Elliott enters this weekend after snapping his 42-race winless drought at Texas. Thirteen times a driver has snapped a winless streak of 36 races or more at Talladega.
This also has been a track of first-time winners. Among those who scored their first Cup victory at Talladega are Davey Allison (1987), Ken Schrader (1988), Brad Keselowski (2009) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2017).
Drivers seeking their first career Cup win this weekend include Corey LaJoie, Todd Gilliland. Ty Gibbs, John Hunter Nemechek and Harrison Burton.
Details for Sunday’s Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway
(All times Eastern)
START: The command to start engines will be given by Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, a four-star general and chief of the National Guard Bureau, at 3:08 p.m. ... The green flag will wave at 3:20 p.m..
PRE-RACE: The drivers meeting will be at 2:10 p.m. ... Driver introductions will be at 2:30 p.m. ... The invocation will be given at 3 p.m. ... The national anthem will be performed by the 313th United States Army Band from Redstone Arsenal in Huntsivlle, Alabama, at 3:01 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is 188 laps (500.08 miles) on the 2.66-mile speedway.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 60. Stage 2 ends at Lap 120.
STARTING LINEUP: Talladega starting lineup
TV/RADIO: Fox will broadcast the race at 3 p.m. ... Pre-race coverage begins with NASCAR RaceDay on FS1 at 1:30 p.m. ... RaceDay continues on Fox at 2 p.m. … Motor Racing Network coverage begins at 2 p.m. … SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have the MRN broadcast.
FORECAST: Weather Underground: Cloudy skies with a high of 55 degrees and a 24% chance of rain at the start of the race.
LAST TIME: Ryan Blaney won last fall’s playoff race, which featured 70 lead changes. William Byron was second. Denny Hamlin finished third. Kyle Busch won the race last spring. That event had 57 lead changes. Blaney was second. Chris Buescher finished third.
