NASCAR Cup Series

Trevor Bayne, driver of the No. 6 AdvoCare Ford Fusion, gave a statement to media members regarding the news earlier this week that Matt Kenseth will now share the seat of the 6 car for the remainder of the 2018 campaign, at Talladega Superspeedway prior to the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice Friday. Bayne did not take questions.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Fusion, returns to Talladega Superspeedway one year removed from victory at the track. Stenhouse met with media members Friday morning ahead of opening practice.

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CAMARO ZL1, met with members of the media at Talladega Superspeedway and discussed his success at Daytona and if he can translate it to Talladega, the progress of the No. 88 team thus far in 2018, Hendrick Motorsports 250th victory and many other topics. Full Transcript:

DARRELL ‘BUBBA’ WALLACE, JR., NO. 43 PETTY’S GARAGE/MEDALLION BANK CAMARO ZL1, met with members of the media at Talladega Superspeedway and discussed how his second-place finish at Daytona might translate to this weekend at Talladega, his assessment of his progression and the team’s progression during his rookie season and many other topics. Full Transcript

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Snap-On Tools Ford Fusion -- YOU ARE THE WINNINGEST ACTIVE DRIVER HERE WITH FIVE VICTORIES. WHAT DO YOU AND PAUL WOLFE NEED TO DO TO GET WIN NUMBER SIX ON SUNDAY? “I think Talladega has been a good track for us for sure. I come here excited and feeling like we can win and there is a lot to be said for that. It is the kind of confidence you need to have to run well here. Also we come here with pretty strong cars which always make your job a little bit easier. I think this year it seems as though the cars are quite a bit different than they have been in my history here. They are a lot faster and handling quite a bit worse. I told somebody today that I felt like I was in 1985 with the way the cars are driving. That said, I expect a little bit of a different race than what we have seen here. I am not really sure exactly what to predict but we are hopeful it will be a great day for us.”

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch was made available to the media at Talladega Superspeedway: KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Flavor Vote Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - Can you talk about your momentum coming into Talladega after three consecutive wins? “It’s obviously a great opportunity to try to go race for four in a row, but definitely a different circumstance that we’re coming to Talladega. I’ve kind of heard some of the rumblings through the week about some of the guys that have been on streaks of three in a row or four in a row, whatever they’ve been on, they’ve never gone through a plate race to the best of my knowledge. It makes for a more challenging time to be able to get that fourth in a row, but also we’ll know how much more rewarding it is when we do get it.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW SCOOPER CAT CAMARO ZL1, met with members of the media at Talladega Superspeedway and discussed his outlook for this weekend’s race at Talladega, the incident in final practice, his thoughts on what kind of race this superspeedway package will produce and many other topics. Full Transcript:

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Outside the infield care center at Talladega Superspeedway, Jamie McMurray stood by the guard rails and watched a replay of the backstretch barrel roll that sent him to the care center.

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Ty Dillon topped the chart in first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Talladega Superspeedway. The driver of the No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 47.182 and a speed of 202.959 mph.

NASCAR needs more crossover stars. It's a time-honored tradition in the sport to bring in drivers from across the pond (mostly on NASCAR's dime) and put them in our cars not only to perform but to draw in the fans. This is usually met with success more on the fan side of things, although former F1 drivers Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya did find a bit of success in NASCAR.