Talladega II Event Info:
Date: Sunday, Oct. 19
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Lincoln, Alabama
Format: 188 Laps, 500.08 Miles, Stages: 60-120-188
TV: NBC
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)
Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 1:30 p.m. ET, Cup Qualifying (TruTV, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 2 p.m. ET, Cup Race (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Pace Laps:
- Talladega hosts its annual fall race date this weekend as the middle race in the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series Playoffs.
- Overall, Jack Roush has eight wins at Talladega Superspeedway with five in the Cup Series.
- Chris Buescher has the fifth highest average starting position (12.0) in the Cup Series this season, anchored by 12 starts inside the top 10.
- Buescher is also one of eight drivers with 16+ top-10 results this season, and has an average finish of 13.5 which is the sixth highest among Cup drivers.
- Brad Keselowski has posted three top-10 finishes over his last five races, including one in the top five, and boasts an average finish of 14.3 dating back to Dover in late July.
- Keselowski enters the weekend as the active winningest driver at Talladega with six victories, accounting for 16 percent of his career wins in the Cup Series.
- Ryan Preece has set Cup Series career highs this season in top-fives (3) and top-10s (12), and is coming off a ninth-place result at Las Vegas last Sunday.
- Preece has back-to-back top-10 finishes for the fourth time this season, and returns to Talladega where he led six laps earlier this season and nearly found victory lane.
6 Team Info:
Driver: Brad Keselowski
Crew Chief: Jeremy Bullins
Partner: BuildSubmarines.com
17 Team Info:
Driver: Chris Buescher
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Kroger / Thomas’ High Protein Bagels
60 Team Info:
Driver: Ryan Preece
Crew Chief: Derrick Finley
Partner: Trimble
Keselowski at Talladega
Starts: 33
Wins: 6 (2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021)
Top-10s: 16
Poles: —
- Keselowski enters the weekend as the winningest active driver at Talladega with six wins in the NCS, tied for second all-time with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon.
- Since 2014 Keselowski has four wins – two each in the spring race (2016, 2021) and two each in the fall race (2014, 2017). He finished runner-up in both races at Dega last season, but crashed out earlier this spring.
- Keselowski won his first-ever start at Talladega back in 2009 in the No. 09 car, and again won the spring race three years later in 2012.
- He has an average starting position of 12.7 with 14 starts inside the top-10.
- Keselowski also made five Xfinity Series starts at Talladega with one win (2010).
Buescher at Talladega
Starts: 20
Wins: —
Top-10s: 3
Poles: —
- Buescher makes his 21st Cup start on the high banks of Talladega this weekend where he has three top-10s. He posted his best finish to date at Talladega in 2023, a P3 result in the spring. He finished sixth twice, first in the 2020 spring race, and again in the 2021 fall event.
- Buescher has an average starting position of 23.4 with a career-best sixth starting spot in this race earlier this spring.
- He also made a pair of NXS starts in the No. 60 with finishes of second (2014) and sixth (2015).
Preece at Talladega
Starts: 11
Wins: —
Top-10s: 3
Poles: —
- Preece is set for his 12th Cup start at Talladega this weekend, where he has a career-best finish of third at the track in 2019.
- He has three top-10s at Talladega, with a 14th-place finish in the 2023 fall race. Overall, Preece has a 20.1 average finish in the Cup Series.
- Preece posted his best career qualifying effort this spring, fourth, and holds an average starting position of 21.8.
RFK Historically at Talladega
Cup Wins: 5 (Mark Martin, 1995, 1997; Jamie McMurray, 2009; Matt Kenseth, 2012; Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2017)
- Running Clear Across Alabama: RFK has seen its fair share of success at the Alabama track, amassing 292 starts, eight wins, 48 top-fives and 99 top-10s across NASCAR’s three major touring series. Roush machines have also tallied seven poles, including three in cup action, and have led more than 1500 laps.
- Winning in Greenbow: RFK has won in all three of NASCAR’s major series at Talladega. The team won its first race at Talladega in the NCS event in the spring of 1995. Former RFK driver Mark Martin won for the organization in all three series at the 2.66-mile oval. Most recently, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. piloted his Fifth Third Bank Ford to victory lane four years ago when the NCS rolled through Talladega for the organization’s eighth win at the historic track.
- Fastest Chicken in the South: Former RFK driver Mark Martin won the fastest Cup race ever recorded on May 10, 1997 at Talladega piloting the No. 6 Ford. Martin, who held off NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, started from the 18th position and led 47 laps en route to the victory. The race saw 26 lead changes and had an average speed of 188.354 mph.
- Tale of the Tape: RFK has started 233 NCS races at Talladega with 82 top-10 and 41 top-five finishes along with three poles. Former drivers Mark Martin (1995, 1997), Jamie McMurray (2009), Matt Kenseth (2012) and Stenhouse are responsible for RFK’s combined five Cup wins and overall, a Jack Roush Ford has led 1,198 laps at the 2.66-mile track.
RFK Talladega Wins
1995-1 Martin Cup
1997-1 Martin Cup
1997 Martin NXS
2006 Martin Truck
2009 Ragan NXS
2009-2 McMurray Cup
2012-2 Kenseth Cup
2017-1 Stenhouse Cup
Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Las Vegas: RFK Racing was dealt a solid hand in Las Vegas as they turned in two-of-a-kind, scoring a pair of top-10 finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Ryan Preece ran the table in the closing laps to lead RFK with a ninth-place finish, while Brad Keselowski finished 10th. Chris Buescher narrowly missed the top 10 with a 12th place finish.
