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

NOAH GRAGSON
Talladega Advance
No. 10 Beef-a-Roo Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: YellaWood 500 (Round 31 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 6
● Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 2.66-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 188 laps/500 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 60 laps / Final Stage: 68 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Noah Gragson brings some quiet consistency to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway for Sunday’s YellaWood 500 NASCAR Cup Series race. The driver of the No. 10 Beef-a-Roo Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing comes into the 188-lap race around the 2.66-mile oval with three straight finishes of 18th or better. While none of the performances – 11th Sept. 15 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, 12th sept. 21 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, and 18th last Sunday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City – will be mounted over the mantle, that kind of solid consistency is key to emerging from Talladega with points in hand as opposed to being emptyhanded. The gargantuan facility is notorious for sending drivers to an early exit via The Big One, the perfunctory multicar accident that dashes any hope of victory and leaves drivers with just a handful of points and a garage full of mangled parts. In four career Cup Series starts at Talladega, Gragson has three top-20 finishes, a number that includes the best result of Gragson’s Cup Series career – third in the series’ prior visit to Talladega in April.

● In the three superspeedway races run this year – the season-opening Daytona 500, the April race at Talladega and the NASCAR Cup Series’ return to Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in August – Gragson has scored two top-10s. He finished ninth in the Daytona 500 before finishing third at Talladega. Gragson was collected in a 17-car accident at Daytona in August, leaving him with a 37th-place finish.

● Gragson is still relatively new to the NASCAR Cup Series, with the YellaWood 500 serving as just his 70th career start. Prior to joining the elite Cup Series, Gragson spent five years in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (2018-2022). In eight career Xfinity Series starts at Talladega, Gragson finished 11th or better seven times with six top-10s and three top-fives. His highlight was a victory in April 2022, when Gragson beat Jeffrey Earnhardt to the stripe by .131 of a second.

● Gragson has two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at Talladega. In October 2017, Gragson finished 14th. He returned a year later and one-upped his performance by finishing 13th.

● Gragson first took to the Talladega oval in May 2017 via the ARCA Menards Series. It started off well with Gragson qualifying second and taking the lead on the first lap. But on lap 37 of the 82-lap race, Gragson was swept into a six-car accident that ended his day.

● At Talladega in October 2018, Stewart-Haas enjoyed one of its most dominant days ever. The team qualified 1-2-3-4 for the first time in its history. Stewart-Haas drivers then led 155 of the race’s 193 laps (80.3 percent), including the last lap by Aric Almirola, who delivered Stewart-Haas’ milestone 50th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series victory and the organization’s 11th win of the season.

● Beef-a-Roo, known for its famously delicious burgers and fresh, quality ingredients, will serve as the primary partner for Gragson and the No. 10 team of Stewart-Haas in the YellaWood 500 at Talladega. Beef-a-Roo is a beloved fast-casual restaurant brand that has garnered a loyal fanbase for its commitment to quality food and community engagement. Talladega is the first of three primary races for the No. 10 Beef-a-Roo Ford Mustang Dark Horse, with Beef-a-Roo returning with Gragson Oct. 13 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval and Oct. 27 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This partnership, facilitated by agency AMG Sport, marks a key step in Beef-a-Roo’s strategy to align with dynamic personalities who resonate with racing fans and support local communities through motorsport. Coinciding with Beef-a-Roo’s partnership with Gragson is the opening of three new locations in October: Manhattan, Kansas; Pittsburgh, Kansas; and Joplin, Missouri. These soon-to-be-opened restaurants will join already established Beef-a-Roo locations in serving a special Noah Gragson-inspired burger throughout the month of October. Gragson’s “Nacho Burger” features a premium beef patty with lettuce, tomato, onion, tortilla chips, jalapenos and taco sauce, all drizzled with melted cheddar cheese. Beef-a-Roo/Gragson merchandise will be available soon, as will a new loyalty app that will offer NASCAR fans VIP giveaways and Beef-a-Roo discounts. To learn more about Beef-a-Roo and its offerings, please visit www.beefaroo.com.

Noah Gragson, Driver of the No. 10 Beef-a-Roo Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Ninth in the Daytona 500, a career-high third at Talladega in April, but 59 laps into the Daytona race in August, a wreck ended your day? How would you assess your performances at superspeedway races this year?

“It started out really well, and then for whatever reason, it just doesn’t seem like we had what it took to do well at the superspeedways. The first Daytona and first Talladega, we were decent. Talladega, particularly, felt like we had a great car. But I didn’t feel great about it for the second Daytona race. As the year’s gone on, we haven’t had as much in terms of handling at these tracks, for whatever reason. I can’t make the moves that I need to.”

What’s the patience level of drivers in the last superspeedway race of the year?

“I think the added fuel-saving factor at Talladega will dictate the patience level at different parts of the race. You’re able to kind of establish track position at the beginning at Talladega and then get down to it at the end. It seemed like at the first Talladega we were able to make our way up there easier than at Daytona.”

These superspeedway races have become fuel-mileage races where you’re riding around until you get to your fuel window, and only then can you finally hit the go switch. Explain what you have to do, and are you handcuffed a little bit until you get into that window where you can go full throttle?

“Yeah, you ride around half-throttle pretty much the whole run until the end of the race, until you get within your fuel window to get to the checkers. Honestly, what they need to do is just let you go, whatever our fuel window is should be the race. We should be able to race hard the whole time.”

It’s the fourth and final superspeedway race of the year. Have you found some go-to guys in the draft who you work well with, and do you seek them out to develop your own strategy for the race?

“No. I race for me. I race to win the race, and I race to put myself and my No. 10 team in the best position possible. I’m not there to help others. I’m there to win the race.”

What’s the secret to performing well at superspeedways?

“I think just being smart and being patient. You definitely want to be aggressive and get to the front. I always want to get to the front at a superspeedway and be able to control the lines and be up in that front row leading the line or being second. But if I can’t get there, because sometimes it’s like a roadblock out there and you just can’t physically get to the front, I’ll just cruise around in the back and wait for them to wreck. It depends on what part of the race it is, but definitely starting that third stage, I want to be able to get track position. I want to have that track position at the start. And if we are in the back, I want to get up to the front as soon as I can because I know the intensity of the race ramps up as those stages and the race come to a close. Being able to get to the front early in the stage is definitely important to me as a driver. Those are the tendencies I look for.”

Does blocking remain the necessary evil it’s seemingly always been when it comes to superspeedway racing?

“I think there’s always blocking, especially if you’re leading the line. But it’s harder to punch through the air and get to a guy’s back bumper. As the lead car, you’re almost lifting off the corner to get the guy attached behind you and have him pushing you when you get to the flat down the back straightaway. Off of turn four, you kind of lift out of the gas so he can get locked up with you so he can push you down the straightaways. If you get too far of a lead and the cars in second and third are hooked up, they’re coming with a massive run, so yeah, you’re blocking. But it’s not like it used to be maybe three or four years ago where you’d see those guys get massive runs and hit the leader and the leader will go to block them. The runs don’t come as fast in this NextGen car, so blocking is definitely a lot easier to stall out the momentum of the guy behind you.”

When you finish the second stage at Talladega, is there a sense of accomplishment because you’ve avoided the Big One to that point?

“You don’t really get that sense until you cross the start-finish line when the checkered flag is waving at the end of the race. You could start the third stage and be wiped out on a restart, or something else happens, like you make a bad move. There’s no sense of accomplishment until you cross the start-finish line under your own power. You want to stay out of the mess. Anything can happen on any given lap.”

On the last lap of a race at Talladega, how smart do you need to be and how lucky do you need to be, as it seems those last 2.66 miles are the most treacherous part of the race?

“You’re spending the whole race trying to see what your car’s tendencies are, where they’re better and where they’re weak. You’re trying to figure out where you’re getting big runs and where guys around you are getting runs on you. You’re setting up a plan the whole race to where, if you’re in that position to be leading the race, or running second or wherever you’re running, you’re setting up a plan and you’re gathering information throughout the whole race. So you definitely have to be very, very focused and aware of your surroundings, and be in rhythm and in sync with your spotter to be able to paint a good picture. Your spotter has to paint a good picture so you can make the right moves. They always ask, ‘What’s the best position to be in coming to the white flag? Do you want to be second or do you want to be leading?’ I’d like to be leading. I feel like I can control a lot more, but it’s a different situation every single race. You just try to learn in every single race what’s going on, and if you get put in that situation again, you’ll be ready for it.”

No. 10 Beef-a-Roo Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Noah Gragson

Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Jerry Cook

Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Engineer: James Kimbrough

Hometown: Pensacola, Florida

Spotter: Andy Houston

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder

Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White

Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Tyler Bullard

Hometown: King, North Carolina

Jack Man: Sean Cotten

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Fuel Man: James “Ace” Keener

Hometown: Fortuna, California

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Chris Trickett

Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Beau Whitley

Hometown: Carmel, Indiana

Tire Specialist: Jacob Cooksey

Hometown: Westbrookville, New York

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller

Hometown: Monroe, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Steve Casper

Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy

Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

Martin Truex Jr.
Talladega Advance
No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

● Event: YellaWood 500 (Round 31 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 6
● Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 2.66-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 188 laps/500 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 60 laps / Final Stage: 68 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Six to Go: After a strong third-place finish last weekend at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Truex sits 14th in the driver standings with 2,104 points heading to this weekend’s race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

● In his 39 career Cup Series outings at Talladega, Truex has three top-five finishes, nine top-10s, and he’s led a total of 111 laps. His average Talladega finish is 21.0.

● Looking for 35: Truex’s July 2023 win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon was his most recent Cup Series win, the 34th of his career, tying him with 2004 champion Kurt Busch for 25th on the all-time Cup Series win list.

● Ahead at this Stage: Truex has accumulated 64 stage wins since the beginning of the stage era in 2017. He is the only driver with 10 or more stage sweeps, with his latest sweep coming at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn in August 2023. Truex scored his fourth stage win of the season three weeks ago at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, leading the field across the line at the end of Stage 1.

Martin Truex Jr., Driver of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE

You are aiming to get your first Talladega win. What do you work on leading into Talladega that you might not do other weeks?

“Talladega is a lot different than normal weeks. It’s a lot of strategy and a lot of talk with my teammates and trying to plan to work together to get to the end of that thing. It seems like every time we go back there it’s a little bit different. It’s changed a lot over the years and a lot in the past few. It’s been quite a bit different racing there with this car. Still trying to figure out how to get that first win at Talladega. We’ve been close there before and ran really strong there last year with our Bass Pro Shops Camry, so just looking to build on that and focus on what it’s going to take to try and get our first win there.”

A Talladega win would be your first on a superspeedway-style track – Daytona and Atlanta being the others on the current schedule. Is a superspeedway win something you would really like to have on your resume?

“I would like to, it’s something we put a lot of work and effort into. I would say it’s probably not my best style of racing. We just need to put it all together and make the right moves. For us, I think that we are always damaged, so if we can ever get to the end of one of those races and are at the front, we would have a chance. If we get that chance again, we need to be able to figure out how to make the right moves. Would love to be there at the end at Talladega this weekend and have a shot to win with our Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE.”

After running five superspeedway-style races so far this season with the current package, what are your expectations for Talladega this weekend?

“I think it will be similar to the others now that we have a better idea of what we’ve seen so far. This car, for whatever reason, just likes to be two-wide, there never seems to be a third lane. There’s a lot of two-wide and a lot of track position – hard to make your way up through the field. You never know, though, it all depends on what everyone is wanting to do. How aggressive does everyone want to be, and will we have a chance at a third lane forming? I don’t know.”

Has superspeedway racing changed in recent years?

“I think superspeedways probably haven’t changed much as opposed to some of the other types of tracks. Just the way you can bump draft with this car is totally different than the previous-generation cars. I think right now there are a lot more options as far as what lanes work. It used to be that you never wanted anyone on the outside, and now you can pass guys on the bottom a bit easier and that sets up some other opportunities. I feel like the racing has been fun on superspeedways, but you have to be really aggressive, as well.”

Talladega has made some renovations in recent years to its fan amenities. How have you seen the track change in recent years?

“It’s cool because it’s a good fan experience at Talladega and that’s what it’s really all about, giving the fans something to do throughout the weekend when we are not racing. It’s a really cool setup for the fans. It’s cool that the fans can get up close to the cars now more than ever and they can check out what is going on. Always have a lot of great fan energy when we go to Talladega, for sure.”

No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.

Hometown: Mayetta, New Jersey

Crew Chief: James Small

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Car Chief: Chris Jones

Hometown: Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

Race Engineer: Jaik Halpainy

Hometown: Blockville, New York

Spotter: Drew Herring

Hometown: Benson, North Carolina

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Ryan Martin

Hometown: Mechanicsburg, Virgina

Mechanic: Todd Carmichael

Hometown: Redding, California

Interior/Tire Specialist: Tommy DiBlasi

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engine Tuner: Beau Morton

Hometown: Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Transporter Driver: Kyle Bazzell

Hometown: Fairbury, Illinois

Transporter Driver: Eddie DeGroot

Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Jackman: Caleb Dirks

Hometown: Riverside, California

Tire Carrier: CJ Bailey

Hometown: Outer Banks, North Carolina

Front Tire Changer: Thomas Hatcher

Hometown: Middleburg, Florida

Rear Tire Changer: Lee Cunningham

Hometown: Leaf River, Illinois

Talladega II Event Info:
Date: Sunday, Oct. 6
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Lincoln, Alabama
Format: 188 Laps, 500.08 Miles, Stages: 60-60-68
TV: NBC
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 1:30 p.m. ET, Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 2 p.m. ET, 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 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs.
• Brad 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.
• Keselowski is also coming off a dramatic P2 finish at Talladega this spring, his second-straight top five in the spring event.
• Overall Jack Roush has eight wins at Talladega with five in the Cup Series.

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: BuildSubmarines.com

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe)

Keselowski at Talladega
Starts: 31
Wins: 6 (2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021)
Top-10s: 15
Poles: —

• Keselowski makes his 32nd Cup start at Talladega with six wins on his resume, tied for second all-time with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon.
• In the last decade alone Keselowski has four wins – two each in the spring race (2016, 2021) and two each in the fall race (2014, 2017). He’s coming off a P2 finish 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 12.4 with 14 starts inside the top-10.
• Keselowski also made five Xfinity Series starts at Talladega with one win (2010).

Buescher at Talladega
Starts: 18
Wins: —
Top-10s: 3
Poles: —

• Buescher makes his 19th Cup start on the high banks of Talladega this weekend. He has three top-10s and a 20.1 average finish.
• He finished 19th in this race a season ago and ran 25th this spring. He has led laps in eight different Talladega races, and three of the last four.
• Buescher has an average starting position of 24.5 and is coning off his best qualifying effort to date, P8, this spring.
• He also made a pair of NXS starts in the No. 60 with finishes of second (2014) and sixth (2015).

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 287 starts, eight wins, 47 top-fives and 98 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 228 NCS races at Talladega with 81 top-10 and 40 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 1545 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
Kansas: Buescher led RFK with a P11 finish Sunday at Kansas while Keselowski finished 22nd.