Incredible Access to Pit Road, Red Carpet & Driver Intro’s Also Part of Pre-Race Pit Pass Upgrade
TALLADEGA, AL – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stars Kyle Larson, Danica Patrick, and Chris Buescher are scheduled to participate in the traditional Fan Question & Answer Session at Talladega Superspeedway’s start-finish line prior to the running of the GEICO 500 on Sunday, May 7.
Fans will have the opportunity to ask the drivers questions about the GEICO 500, where the winner will be all but assured a spot in NASCAR’s season ending playoffs. Access to this special session, which is tentatively scheduled for 9:30-10:45 AM (CDT), is available by purchasing Talladega’s Pre-Race Pit Pass Upgrade. Additional drivers/personalities that will be a part of the Fan Q&A line-up will be announced in the near future.
In addition to the Fan Q&A, the Pre-Race Pit Pass Upgrades gives fans a crew member’s perspective by getting to stroll down pit road and receiving access to up-close looks at some of NASCAR’s finest during multiple festivities race morning. Pre-Race Pit Pass Upgrades are $75, and also includes access to witness the red carpet entrance for the driver’s meeting as well as the pre-race stage to cheer for the drivers during pre-race introductions.
Larson, the 24-year-old driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, has run six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) races at Talladega Superspeedway, with his best finish of sixth coming last fall – his second career top-10 at NASCAR’s biggest and baddest track.
Larson is coming off consecutive runner-up finishes in the lasts two MENCS races (Atlanta & Las Vegas), and sits just one point out of the championship standings lead. He came close to winning the season-opening Daytona 500, leading on the final lap before running out of fuel. Larson, in his fourth full-time season in NASCAR’s premier series, captured his first win last year which locked him into the season-ending playoffs.
Patrick, pilot of the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, enters her fifth full-time season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, making eight starts at Talladega Superspeedway. In 2014, she cemented her place in the Talladega Superspeedway history books, becoming the first female driver to ever lead laps around the 2.66-mile Superspeedway. After starting seventh, she was out front on two occasions for six laps in the early stages of the spring GEICO 500. Later that year in the TSS fall MENCS event, she led the field for seven laps (with less than 30 laps go).
The 2013 Daytona 500 pole position winner has completed an incredible 98.8% of possible laps at Talladega’s mammoth venue.
Buescher, driver of the No. 37 JTG Daughtery Racing Chevrolet, is in his second full-time season in the MENCS. Buescher has also competed in races at Talladega in the ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS). His best Talladega finish came in the Spring 2014 NXS race where he finished runner-up to Elliott Sadler, the defending Sparks Energy 300 winner.
Buescher took a well-remembered wild ride on Talladega’s Alabama Gang Superstretch during last year’s GEICO 500, but walked away from the incident. As a rookie last season, he captured a victory at Pocono, helping him secure a berth in NASCAR’s playoffs.
The Pre-Race Pit Pass Upgrade will be in effect Sunday, May 7, from 8:00 a.m. CDT until the conclusion of the driver introductions. The GEICO 500 gets underway at 1:00 p.m. CDT.
Don’t miss out on other great experiences Talladega Superspeedway has to offer this spring, including include Pre-Race Pit Passes, The Sunday VIP Experience (which includes a guided garage tour of the MENCS Garage by Glenn Jarrett), The Unrestricted VIP Experience, Premium Box Seating and much, much more. For all ticket upgrade information, call 1-877-Go2-DEGA or visit www.
Talladega Superspeedway’s triple-header race weekend kicks off on May 5 and includes the following events:
Talladega Superspeedway Triple Header Weekend:
Friday, May 5:
8:30 AM – 10:20 AM General Tire 200 ARCA Racing Series Final Practice
10:30 AM – 11:25 AM Sparks Energy 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice
12:30 PM – 1:25 PM Sparks Energy 300 NASCAR XFINITY Final Practice
1:30 PM – 2:25 PM GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice
3:30 PM – 4:25 PM GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice
5:00 PM Green Flag – General Tire 200
7:00 PM “Big One On The Blvd” Fan Infield Parade & Competitions
Saturday, May 6:
9:30 AM Sparks Energy 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series Qualifying
12:00 PM Green Flag – Sparks Energy 300
3:00 PM GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying
7:30 PM Traditional Infield Concert – Headlined by The Charlie Daniels Band
Sunday, May 7:
1:00 PM Green Flag – GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race
*Driver availability for the TSS Fan Pre-Race Question & Answer session is subject to change and without notice. Neither NASCAR nor any of its affiliates are responsible for this event*
About Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is NASCAR’s Most Competitive Track (record 88 lead changes in 188 laps), most banked (33 degrees), and longest (2.66 miles), as well as the most fun and fan-friendly, offering up hundreds of acres of free camping, amazing kids ticket prices and special offers for military members and college students. The historic venue, built in 1969, is NASCAR’s “Party Capital” thanks to the track’s infamous infield, which features the traditional Saturday Night Concert and the world-renowned Talladega Blvd, home of the “Big One on the Blvd” party. It is the site of the most comfortable seats in motorsports, large video viewing boards lining the frontstretch and endless activities for fans throughout its event weekends. Talladega Superspeedway’s next NASCAR weekend is set for May 5-7 with the Sparks Energy 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race and the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event, in addition to the General Tire 200 for the ARCA Racing Series. Log on to www.talladegasuperspeedway.
