TALLADEGA 2
Friday, October 4 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 4:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, October 5 — NASCAR Xfinity Series, 4 p.m. ET (CW)
Sunday, October 6 — NASCAR Cup Series, 2 p.m. ET (NBC)
This will mark the second straight week that all three of NASCAR’s top national series will be competing in playoff races at the same track as Talladega Superspeedway hosts the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series on consecutive days. Friday will see the Truck Series open its Round of 8 while Saturday and Sunday is the second race in the Round of 12 for both the Xfinity and Cup Series.
FORD DRIVERS IN THE CUP PLAYOFFS
Ryan Blaney – 2nd (+28 above cut line)
Joey Logano – 8th (+4)
Chase Briscoe – 11th (-25 below cut line)
Austin Cindric – 12th (-29)
Note: Top 8 advance after Charlotte
FORD PLAYOFF DRIVERS AT TALLADEGA
Joey Logano: 31 starts, 3 wins, 9 top-10, 11 top-10
Ryan Blaney: 20 starts, 3 wins, 6 top-5, 8 top-10
Chase Briscoe: 7 starts, 0 wins, 1 top-5, 2 top-10
Austin Cindric: 5 starts, 0 wins, 1 top-5, 2 top-10
TALLADEGA PLAYOFF SUCCESS
No track has provided more playoff success for Ford than Talladega Superspeedway, which has seen 10 Blue Oval wins in the postseason. Team Penske has been at the forefront of that success with Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney each winning twice.
FORD PLAYOFF WINS AT TALLADEGA
2005 – Dale Jarrett, Robert Yates Racing
2009 – Jamie McMurray, Roush Fenway Racing
2012 – Matt Kenseth, Roush Fenway Racing
2014 – Brad Keselowski, Team Penske
2015 – Joey Logano, Team Penske
2016 – Joey Logano, Team Penske
2017 – Brad Keselowski, Team Penske
2018 – Aric Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing
2019 – Ryan Blaney, Team Penske
2023 – Ryan Blaney, Team Penske
KESELOWSKI CLIMBING
ALL-TIME TALLADEGA WIN LIST
Brad Keselowski, who will be making his 32nd career start at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, is the winningest active driver at the track with six NASCAR Cup Series victories. That ties him for second on the all-time list with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon and puts him four behind all-time winner Dale Earnhardt Sr., who won 10 times during his NASCAR Hall of Fame career. In 31 races, Keselowski has registered 11 top-5 and 15 top-10 finishes while completing almost 97 percent of the laps (5655-of-5835).
BLANEY GOING FOR FOURTH WIN
AT TALLADEGA
Ryan Blaney heads into this weekend with 12 career NASCAR Cup Series wins and three of those have come at Talladega Superspeedway (2019, 2020 and 2023). Blaney advanced to the Round of 8 with his photo finish victory over Ryan Newman in 2019 after the race had to be completed on Monday due to rain forcing a postponement following the first stage one day earlier. The race came down to a final inch as Newman got past Blaney for the lead coming off turn three, only to see the Team Penske driver battle back on the inside and nip him by a bumper at the stripe. The script was much the same in 2020 as rain forced the race to Monday with Blaney this time beating Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by inches in an overtime finish. Last year, Blaney outdueled Kevin Harvick in a door-to-door battle for the entire final lap to win in a photo finish and once again advance to the Round of 8.
ROBERT YATES RACING’S FINAL WIN
When Dale Jarrett won the UAW-Ford 500 on Oct. 2, 2005 it ended up being the final trip to victory lane for Robert Yates Racing. This race came down to a green-white-checker restart, where Jarrett was positioned fourth. He was still in that spot when they came around to start the final lap, but quickly moved to the outside as Tony Stewart grabbed the lead on the inside lane. The two drivers battled side-by-side down the backstretch before Jarrett powered his way in front. Seconds after getting the lead, Kyle Petty was involved in a single-car accident that brought out the caution as the cars entered turn three. Jarrett was declared the winner after NASCAR verified that he was in front at the time the yellow flag was thrown. The win was RYR’s 57th triumph in the NASCAR Cup Series, and came six years after the team won its only championship with Jarrett in 1999.
MARTIN LEFT HIS MARK
Mark Martin is the only Ford driver to have won in all three of the major series offered by NASCAR at Talladega. Martin won the Cup series race in 1995 and 1997, Xfinity in 1996 and lastly in the Truck series’ debut 2006 event. Martin went a lap down in that NCTS victory after only 10 laps when his engine began to overheat due to debris getting stuck on the grille of his F-150. Once that was removed, Martin was able to get back on the lead lap and team up with Mike Wallace to work his way to the front. He passed Ted Musgrave with four laps to go and was still leading when a multi-truck accident occurred on the final lap to end the race and allow Martin to complete his Talladega series sweep.
CUSTER ON TOP OF PLAYOFF STANDINGS
Defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer finds himself on top of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff standings after the first race in the Round of 12. Custer, who finished second last weekend at Kansas Speedway, has a 41-point advantage over the cut line going into Saturday’s scheduled race at Talladega Superspeedway. Custer has five career NXS starts at Talladega and has most recently posted finishes of fourth and 10th in his last two events.
Riley Herbst is eighth in the standings and is one point above the cut line with two races remaining in the round. Herbst has made eight series starts at Talladega and has two top-five and three top-10 finishes with his best effort coming earlier this year when he finished second in April.
MAJESKI MOVING ON
The first race in the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is scheduled to take place on Friday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway with Ty Majeski being the sole Ford driver remaining the championship hunt. Majeski, who has a pair of wins this season, starts the round in third place and is 14 points above the cut line. The Round of 8 will conclude with races at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Oct. 26) and Martinsville Speedway (Nov. 1) with the top four drivers advancing to the championship race at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 8.
RIGGS CONTINUES ROLL
If Layne Riggs was in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs, he would undoubtedly be a championship contender because of the streak he’s been on the past two months. Riggs and his No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford F-150 won back-to-back races at the Milwaukee Mile and Bristol Motor Speedway before finishing second last weekend in Kansas. He goes into Friday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway with a streak of five consecutive top-five finishes.
FORD’S NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS
AT TALLADEGA
1975 – Buddy Baker (Sweep)
1976 – Buddy Baker (1)
1979 – Bobby Allison (1)
1983 – Dale Earnhardt (2)
1985 – Bill Elliott and Cale Yarborough
1987 – Dave Allison and Bill Elliott
1989 – Davey Allison and Terry Labonte
1992 – Davey Allison (1)
1994 – Jimmy Spencer (2)
1995 – Mark Martin (1)
1997 – Mark Martin (1)
1998 – Dale Jarrett (2)
2005 – Dale Jarrett (2)
2009 – Jamie McMurray (2)
2012 – Matt Kenseth (2)
2013 – David Ragan (1)
2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2015 – Joey Logano (2)
2016 – Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano
2017 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Brad Keselowski
2018 – Joey Logano and Aric Almirola
2019 – Ryan Blaney (2)
2020 – Ryan Blaney (1)
2021 – Brad Keselowski (1)
2023 – Ryan Blaney (2)
FORD’S NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS
AT TALLADEGA
1995 – Chad Little
1997 – Mark Martin
2002 – Jason Keller
2009 – David Ragan
2015 – Joey Logano
2017 – Aric Almirola
FORD’S NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT TALLADEGA
2006 – Mark Martin
2023 – Brett Moffitt
