NASCAR Cup Series Fast Facts: Talladega

Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney race during the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Talladega Superspeedway – GEICO 500

Talladega Superspeedway offers big opportunity to Playoff seeking competitors

Eight different winners in nine races to start the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season and this weekend’s GEICO 500 (Sunday, April 24 at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) serves up a platter of opportunity for a ninth different winner to pull into Victory Lane and secure their spot in the Playoffs.

Construction began on what was then known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway on May 23, 1968. The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway was held on September 14, 1969, and the event was won by Richard Brickhouse, from Rocky Point, North Carolina, driving a Dodge for car owner Ray Nichels. The average speed of the first race at the 2.66-mile track was 153.778 mph.

The name of the facility changed to Talladega Superspeedway in 1989, and the surface underwent its fourth repaving on September 19, 2006. In total, there have been 105 NASCAR Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway; one series event in 1969, and two races per year since 1970.

A total of 44 different drivers have won at least one pole at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Cup Series; 23 of the pole winners have won more than one. Six of the 44 Talladega NASCAR Cup Series pole winners are active this weekend. Busch Light Pole Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday, April 23 at 11 a.m. ET on FS1.

Schedule (all times eastern):
Busch Light Pole Qualifying – Saturday, April 23 11 a.m. on FS1.
Raceday – Sunday, April 24 3:00pm on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Track:
Season Race #: 10 of 36 (04-27-22)
Track Size: 2.66-miles
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 33 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 33 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 16.5 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 4,300 feet
Backstretch Length: 4,000 feet
Race Length: 188 laps / 500 miles
Stage 1 & 2 Length: 60 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 68 laps

Race Records & Results
Track qualifying record: Bill Elliott, Ford, 212.809 mph, 44.998 secs. April 30, 1987
Track race record: Mark Martin, Ford, 188.354 mph, (02:39:18), May 10, 1997
2021 pole winner: Due to the pandemic, Qualifying was not held. The starting lineups were set by Metric Qualifying. Denny Hamlin started from the first starting position.
2021 race winner: Brad Keselowski, Ford, 147.620 mph, (03:26:30), April 25, 2021

Top 5 In Points:
1 Chase Elliott 324
2 Ryan Blaney 321
3 Joey Logano 303
4 William Byron 295
5 Alex Bowman 273
Kyle Busch 273

Top Driver Stats:
TALLADEGA-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
(Following driver statistics are Loop Data from 2005 – Present)

Aric Almirola (No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)
· One win, five top fives, nine top 10s
· Average Finish of 16.167, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 18.652, 16th-best
· Driver Rating of 78.3, 12th-best
· 73 Fastest Laps Run, 14th-best
· 1,911 Laps in the Top 15 (42.5%), ninth-most
· 3,993 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Ryan Blaney (No. Team Penske Ford)
· Two wins, three top fives, five top 10s
· Average Finish of 17.267, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.216, second-best
· Driver Rating of 91.4, third-best
· 42 Fastest Laps Run, 20th-best
· 1,990 Laps in the Top 15 (71.2%), eighth-most
· 3,603 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Kurt Busch (No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota)
· Nine top fives, 22 top 10s; one pole
· Average Finish of 16.618, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.082, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 89.7, fourth-best
· 115 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· 4,172 Laps in the Top 15 (65.1%), series-most
· 8,723 Quality Passes, series-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· One win, six top fives, eight top 10s
· Average Finish of 20.970, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 17.328, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 81.0, 10th-best
· 144 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
· 3,403 Laps in the Top 15 (54.7%), second-most
· 6,871 Quality Passes, second-most

William Byron (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Two top fives, two top 10s
· Average Finish of 19.500, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.412, third-best
· Driver Rating of 83.0, eighth-best
· 31 Fastest Laps Run, 27th-best
· 892 Laps in the Top 15 (61.3%), 17th-most
· 1,583 Quality Passes, 19th-most

Cole Custer (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)
· One top 10
· Average Finish of 19.000, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.189, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 86.8, sixth-best
· 8 Fastest Laps Run, 37th-best
· 379 Laps in the Top 15 (54.2%), 28th-most
· 828 Quality Passes, 27th-most

Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· One win, four top fives, five top 10s; two poles
· Average Finish of 17.333, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 12.118, series-best
· Driver Rating of 88.2, fifth-best
· 44 Fastest Laps Run, 17th-best
· 1,522 Laps in the Top 15 (68.7%), 13th-most
· 2,841 Quality Passes, 14th-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· Two wins, nine top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average Finish of 16.875, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 17.219, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 84.0, seventh-best
· 130 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
· 2,998 Laps in the Top 15 (49.8%), sixth-most
· 5,972 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)
· One win, eight top fives, 18 top 10s; two poles
· Average Finish of 15.912, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 16.630, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 81.6, ninth-best
· 138 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
· 3,306 Laps in the Top 15 (51.6%), third-most
· 6,300 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 6 RFK Racing Ford)
· Six wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average Finish of 15.077, third-best
· Average Running Position of 14.096, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.9, series-best
· 99 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· 3,095 Laps in the Top 15 (63.3%), fifth-most
· 5,869 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)
· Three wins, nine top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average Finish of 16.962, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.774, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.6, second-best
· 93 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· 3,172 Laps in the Top 15 (64.9%), fourth-most
· 6,094 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet)
· One win, six top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
· Average Finish of 14.118, second-best
· Average Running Position of 16.863, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 80.1, 11th-best
· 76 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
· 1,597 Laps in the Top 15 (50.4%), 12th-most
· 3,478 Quality Passes, 12th-most

RacingNation Crew

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