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NASCAR heads to its wildest and most unpredictable track for superspeedway pack racing in Talladega, Alabama.
Expect bumper-to-bumper racing and a handful of crazy crashes — including “The Big One” — as drivers navigate multiple lanes at the 2.66-mile track.
You’d probably be safe to bet on a Ford to win, as the blue oval has triumphed at 12 of the past 17 Cup races at Talladega Superspeedway. But given how the 2021 season has gone so far — with only one repeat winner in nine races, and none yet by the best driver so far this season, Denny Hamlin — the best bet is to expect the unexpected.
Here’s all the information you need to get ready for Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway:
START TIME: 2 p.m. ET. (1 p.m. local)
TV: Fox. Pre-race broadcast begins at 1:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. CT) on Fox.
RADIO: Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
STREAMING: Fox Sports Go (must have TV provider) and FOX Sports Go app plus other streaming services.
RACE DISTANCE: 188 laps around the 2.66-mile track for a total of 500.08 miles.
STAGE LENGTHS (laps per stage): Stage 1: 60, Stage 2: 60, Stage 3: 68.
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LAST TIME: Denny Hamlin led 26 laps in the 2020 playoff race — the messiest and longest race in Talladega history, with three overtimes and 13 cautions, two more than the record. Hamlin beat then-Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Erik Jones by 0.086 seconds. And in the 2020 spring race, held in June, Ryan Blaney led 63 laps and beat Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by a miniscule 0.007 seconds for his second consecutive win at Talladega.
QUALIFYING: There was no on-track qualifying for this race. Instead NASCAR used a performance-metrics formula to determine the lineup:
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25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
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25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
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35 percent: Team owner points ranking
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15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race
LINEUP: Two-time Talladega winner Denny Hamlin, who has rocketed to eight top-five finishes in the first nine races of 2021, will start on the pole alongside Joey Logano, who has three career victories at Talladega.
Here is the lineup for the GEICO 500 (with car number in parentheses):
1. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
2. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
3. (19) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota
4. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet
5. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
6. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
7. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
8. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
9. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota
10. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford
11. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
12. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
13. (21) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford
14. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford
15. (1) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet
16. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford
17. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chevrolet
18. (42) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
19. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
20. (8) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet
21. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
22. (43) Erik Jones, Chevrolet
23. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford
24. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
25. (14) Chase Briscoe, Ford
26. (7) Corey Lajoie, Chevrolet
27. (41) Cole Custer, Ford
28. (6) Ryan Newman, Ford
29. (37) Ryan Preece, Chevrolet
30. (38) Anthony Alfredo, Ford
31. (78) BJ McLeod, Ford
32. (00) Quin Houff, Chevrolet
33. (51) Cody Ware, Chevrolet
34. (77) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
35. (28) Joey Gase, Ford
36. (52) Josh Bilicki, Ford
37. (15) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet
38. (16) Kaz Grala, Chevrolet
39. (96) Harrison Burton, Toyota
40. (66) Timmy Hill, Ford
Follow Horrow on Twitter @EllenJHorrow.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASCAR Talladega 2021: Start time, lineup, TV, streaming schedule