NASCAR on TV this week

Weekend Primer: YellaWood 500

With only six weeks left in the 2024 season, all of NASCAR’s top three series will be heading to the famous Talladega Superspeedway for the next stop of the playoffs. The 2.66-mile superspeedway will play host to the second race of the Round of 12 for both the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series, as well as the opening race for the Craftsman Truck Series’ Round of 8.

Arguably the biggest wildcard in the playoffs and on the entire schedule, Talladega’s treacherous banking will feature twists and turns at every corner, ranging from three-, four-wide racing to the dreaded Big One that could strike at any moment. An exciting weekend of racing lies ahead, and it’s a weekend where the playoff standings for all three series can and will be turned upside down.

Round of 12 Standings (2 Races Until Elimination)

RankDriverPointsCut line
1William Byron3074+34
2Ryan Blaney3068+28
3Christopher Bell3068+28
4Kyle Larson3058+18
5Denny Hamlin3051+11
6Alex Bowman3048+8
7Chase Elliott3044+4
8Joey Logano3044+4
9Tyler Reddick3040-4
10Daniel Suarez3030-14
11Chase Briscoe3019-25
12Austin Cindric3015-29

The Playoff Consolation Standings

RankDriverPointsDifference
13Ty Gibbs2120
14Martin Truex Jr.2104-16
15Brad Keselowski2069-51
16Harrison Burton2045-75

Best of the Rest

RankDriverPointsDifference
17Ross Chastain806
18Chris Buescher780-26
19Bubba Wallace757-49
20Kyle Busch658-148

Quick Track Facts: Talladega

Built: 1969

First Cup race: 1969

Last Repaved: 2006

Length: 2.66 miles

Banking: 33 degrees (turns), 16.5 degrees (trioval), 2 degrees (straights)

Pit road speed limit: 55 mph

Talladega By the Numbers

Defending Winner: Ryan Blaney

Defending Spring Winner: Tyler Reddick

Most Wins (full-time drivers): Brad Keselowski (6)

Most Top Fives: Brad Keselowski & Denny Hamlin (11)

Most Top 10s: Denny Hamlin (16)

Most Poles: Chase Elliott & Christopher Bell (2)

Most Laps Led: Joey Logano (490)

Most Laps Led, Non-WinnerMartin Truex Jr. (111)

Best Average Finish (min. 5 starts): Todd Gilliland (5 starts, 12.8 avg. finish)

Former Talladega Winners in the field: Brad Keselowski (6), Ryan Blaney (3), Joey Logano (3), Kyle Busch (2), Chase Elliott (2), Denny Hamlin (2), Ross Chastain (1), Tyler Reddick (1), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (1), Bubba Wallace (1)

Playoff Driver Statistics at Talladega since 2022

Xfinity Series

Defending Race Winner: None (race not held last season)

Defending Spring Winner: Jesse Love

Playoff Standings (2 Races Before Elimination)

See also
Parker Kligerman Enjoying Final Full-Time Season, Ready for Next Chapter

Truck Series

Defending Race Winner: Brett Moffitt (Not Entered)

Playoff Standings (3 Races Before Elimination)

Entry Lists

Cup: 40 entries, 40 spots

Notables: AJ Allmendinger (Kaulig No. 13*), Cody Ware (RWR No. 15), Shane van Gisbergen (Kaulig No. 16), JJ Yeley (NY Racing No. 44), Anthony Alfredo (Beard No. 62), BJ McLeod (LFR No. 78)

* Unchartered car

Xfinity: 39 entries, 38 spots

Notables: Dylan Lupton (AMR No. 15), Taylor Gray (JGR No. 19), Aric Almirola (JGR No. 20), Dean Thompson (SHR No. 26), Jordan Anderson (JAR No. 32), Carson Kvapil (JRM No. 88)

Truck: 38 entries, 36 spots

Notables: William Sawalich (TRICON No. 1), Connor Zilisch (Spire No. 7), Johnny Sauter (Hattori No. 16), Kaden Honeycutt (Niece No. 45), Stefan Parsons (Henderson No. 75), Ryan Reed (MHR No. 91)

Where to Watch

Friday, Oct. 4

1 p.m. ET — Truck Qualifying (FS2)

4:30 p.m. ET – Truck Series Love’s RV Stop 225 (85 laps, 226.1 miles) (FS1)

Saturday, Oct. 5

11:30 a.m. ET — Xfinity Qualifying (USA Network)

1:30 p.m. ET — Cup Qualifying (USA Network)

4 p.m. ET — United Rentals 250 (94 laps, 250 miles) (the CW)

Sunday, Oct. 6

2 p.m. ET — Cup Series YellaWood 500 (188 laps, 500 miles) (NBC)

See also
Fire on Fridays: Could NASCAR Retaliate Against 23XI & FRM?

Recent News

  • Drivers, teams, tracks and several other prominent figures in the NASCAR industry have volunteered and contributed to the relief efforts following the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina and the Southeast United States. If you would like to help, you can donate to Operation Airdrop (link below).
  • New aerodynamic changes to have been made to the Cup cars to prevent them from going airborne this weekend. Previous aerodynamic changes were made at Daytona International Speedway in August but proved to be unsuccessful.
  • 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports have jointly filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, citing “anti-competitive practices to prevent fair competition in the sport,” among the reasons. FRM and 23XI were the only chartered teams that did not sign the 2025 agreement following a NASCAR-imposed deadline in early September.

Looking Ahead to Next Season

  • JR Motorsports’ 2025 Xfinity lineup is complete, as Carson Kvapil will compete full time for Rookie of the Year honors in the team’s No. 1 car, replacing Mayer. He joins Allgaier, Sammy Smith and Zilisch as the team’s full-time drivers next season.
  • Kaden Honeycutt will drive Niece Motorsports’ No. 45 truck full-time in 2025. Honeycutt has driven the truck on a part-time basis this season, and he has two top fives and five top 10s in 10 starts.

About the author

Stephen Stumpf is the NASCAR Content Director for Frontstretch and is a three-year veteran of the site. His weekly columns include “Stat Sheet” and “4 Burning Questions.” He also writes commentary, contributes to podcasts, edits articles and is frequently at the track for on-site coverage.

Can find on Twitter @stephen_stumpf.

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