NASCAR at Talladega 2017: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series continues to settle into a sense of normalcy heading into Sunday's Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Alabama.
What could classify as the usual suspects have started to pile up checkered flags over the past month, with Jimmie Johnson winning two races, Brad Keselowski one and Joey Logano most recently taking down the event in Richmond.
Fans will recall how wild the start of the season was as the entire series tried to adapt to the format change, which helped produce a few surprises.
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Things have settled slightly, though the stage format has plenty of winless drivers sitting in good spots on the leaderboard. It makes for an interesting scenario heading into this weekend, where the drivers will tackle one of the most notable events of the season.
Viewing Details
Where: Talladega Superspeedway, Alabama
When: Sunday, 2 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Geico 500
| 1 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 2 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| 3 | Brad Keselowski |
| 4 | Matt Kenseth |
| 5 | Trevor Bayne |
| 6 | Kevin Harvick |
| 7 | Daniel Suarez |
| 8 | Chase Elliott |
| 9 | Paul Menard |
| 10 | Kyle Busch |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 12 | Joey Logano |
| 13 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 14 | Erik Jones |
| 15 | Kurt Busch |
| 16 | Ryan Blaney |
| 17 | Clint Boyer |
| 18 | Austin Dillon |
| 19 | Kasey Kahne |
| 20 | Ryan Newman |
| 21 | Kyle Larson |
| 22 | Aric Almirola |
| 23 | Jamie McMurray |
| 24 | Michael McDowell |
| 25 | Landon Cassill |
| 26 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 27 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 28 | Ty Dillon |
| 29 | David Ragan |
| 30 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 31 | Danica Patrick |
| 32 | Brendan Gaughan |
| 33 | Reed Sorenson |
| 34 | Chris Buescher |
| 35 | Elliott Sadler |
| 36 | Corey LaJoie |
| 37 | Gray Gaulding |
| 38, 39, 40 | Cole Whitt, Joey Gase, Jeffrey Earnhardt |
Note: Qualifying to set lineup is Saturday.
2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Standings
| 1 | Brad Keselowski | 327 | 2 |
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson | 270 | 2 |
| 3 | Kyle Larson | 398 | 1 |
| 4 | Martin Truex Jr. | 358 | 1 |
| 5 | Ryan Newman | 225 | 1 |
| 6 | Kurt Busch | 192 | 1 |
| 7 | Chase Elliott | 346 | 0 |
| 8 | Joey Logano | 308 | 1 |
| 9 | Kevin Harvick | 286 | 0 |
| 10 | Jamie McMurray | 282 | 0 |
| 11 | Clint Bowyer | 266 | 0 |
| 12 | Kyle Busch | 235 | 0 |
| 13 | Denny Hamlin | 231 | 0 |
| 14 | Ryan Blaney | 229 | 0 |
| 15 | Trevor Bayne | 216 | 0 |
| 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 201 | 0 |
Drivers to Watch
Joey Logano
It's about time, right?
Logano entered last weekend one of the hottest drivers around yet to win a race. The Penske Racing ace has six top-five finishes, but he finally pushed through and got a checkered flag in Richmond after leading all of 25 laps.
Oddly enough, Logano doesn't have a ton of time to celebrate the major win because NASCAR wound up hitting him with a L1-level penalty.
"I think what happened was something that's very, very small," Logano said, according to USA Today's Mike Hembree. "What we got in trouble for was something that really didn't make our car any faster. I drive the car and I really don't know what's underneath it."
Regardless, Logano now has to push forward with a strong showing at an event he finished 25th at one year ago.
Now under the microscope for both good and bad reasons, Logano has to hope the incredible pace he's set to start the year translates through the summer months as he looks to contend for a title.
The pursuit starts Sunday.
Jimmie Johnson
Johnson had to cool off at some point.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver stole the title of NASCAR's hottest driver from Logano and others for a few weeks because he took the checkered flag in Texas before really hitting his stride two races ago in Bristol, leading 81 laps on the way to a win.
Johnson's pair of wins placing him alongside Keselowski on the leaderboard did much to hide the fact he had an overall iffy start to season. Before the pair of wins, he had only recorded one top-10 finish, a 34th slotting at the Daytona 500 a bit of foreshadowing to his limping out the gates.
Last week in Richmond, Johnson wound up 11th after starting 17th. He took to Twitter to talk about the finish and joke about his contact with teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.:
All jokes aside, this weekend feels like a pivotal point for Johnson. Automatic bids are great, but it won't do him any good to fall back into pre-win form. This event in particular presents a challenge, as one year ago he finished 22nd.
This is the best stretch of Johnson's young season by quite a bit. Whether he keeps it going is something worth watching closely this weekend.
Brad Keselowski
Keselowski has had rather sustained success this year, though his dominant wins essentially bookend his season so far.
He took first in Atlanta right after a 27th slot at the Daytona 500. Three top-five finishes later, he turned around and led 116 laps in Martinsville before taking the checkered flag.
Strong season or not, Keselowski has a bit of a sour taste in his mouth leading to this weekend after sitting in front of the pack for 110 laps in Richmond before a runner-up finish.
"That's part of how this racing deal works, and the fastest car doesn't always win," Keselowski said, according to FoxSports.com's Joe Menzer. "It takes some weeks where you're the fastest and you have to try to make the most of it and try and do all you can. I feel as a team we did that today."
If there's a place for Keselowski to turn things around, though, it's in Talladega at the Geico 500, an event he's won three times, including last year.
Maybe Keselowski doesn't need another win, but going to a place he's supposed to perform well at and doing so is the sign of a guy ready to compete for a title, even this early in the campaign.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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