Let’s be honest. Trying to predict which eight drivers will make it through the characteristic chaos of Talladega Superspeedway to advance to the Eliminator Round of the Chase is next to impossible. With only 25 points separating the top eight contenders and the looming likelihood of the almost inevitable “big one,” the only thing certain is that no one is safe - except Joey Logano.
Brad Keselowski topped the charts in the final practice session. The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford was the fastest in final practice with a time of 48.752 and a speed of 196.423 mph.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the Camping World Truck Series travel to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend while the XFINITY Series is off. All of the on-track action for the Sprint Cup Series will be broadcast on NBC Sports Live Extra. The Camping World Truck Series events can be seen on FOX and FOX Sports 1. Please see the full schedule below.
This week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into the Alabama roulette wheel that is known simply as Talladega Superspeedway for the 32nd race of the season, the fifth of the Chase and the final race of the Contender Round.
What France just did was ensure that Logano becomes a high-speed pinata come Talladega. He already has two wins, more than enough to guarantee himself a spot in the next round no matter what takes place on Sunday.
Monday, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France joined Dave Moody on Sirius XM Speedway to comment on the late race incident between Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano.
With finishes of 28th and 21st in the last two races, Dale Earnhardt Jr. currently sits 11th in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Standings, 31 points out of the top eight to advance to the third round.
At this stage of the game, only a dozen drivers really matter in Cup racing. Twelve still have a shot at the championship, 18 more either have the results or the resources to at least theoretically be of interest, while 13 others are just there and rarely, if ever, matter.
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Kansas Speedway.
Camry driver Thomas Annunziata captured his first career ARCA Menards Series title today with a fifth-place finish at Kansas Speedway. This championship is the first in ARCA competition for Nitro Motorsports.
Reigning Top Fuel world champ Doug Kalitta finished Friday’s qualifying with the best run of the day at Rockingham Dragway, rolling to the provisional No. 1 spot to open the NHRA Nationals at The Rock.