NASCAR is racing at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, giving the drivers a wildcard as the championship race draws near.
The YellaWood 500 at Talladega is this Sunday at 1 p.m. on NBC and will be a total of 188 laps.
Talladega is third to last race in the season and will cause chaos in NASCAR’s new playoff format, The Chase.
The top 16 drivers in points at the end of the regular-season finale advance to The Chase to fight for the championship through ten races.The driver with the most points at the end of The Chase wins the championship.
Hendrick Motorsports’ driverKyle Larson currently leads in points going into the Talladega race. He is the reigning champion, winning it all last season as well as 2021. He leads by five points overJoe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell.
The other two Hendrick Motorsports drivers in The Chase is Chase Elliott and William Byron who are currently tenth and fourteenth. Elliott won the championship in 2020 and is NASCAR’s most popular driver.
The reigning Talladega fall race winner is Bell’s teammate, Chase Briscoe. He is currently third in points and trails Larson by 24 points.
Bell and Briscoe’s other teammate Denny Hamlinis currently in fourth place. He was the leader in points to start The Chase but has fallen to fourth. He is the oldest driver in NASCAR and is still seeking his first championship.
The fourth and final Joe Gibbs Racing driver is Ty Gibbs. He is Joe Gibbs’ grandson and is currently ninth in points.
Penske Racing’s Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano are the co-favorites to win the race as both drivers currently sit fifth and sixth in The Chase. Logano has the most championships out of the current drivers with three. Also, their teammate, Austin Cindric, is ninth in The Chase.
Last week’s race winner in Phoenix was 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who is seventh in points. He leads the cup series in wins with six, including the Daytona 500. His teammate is Bubba Wallace, who is an Alabama native and currently twelfth in points.
Carson Hocevar won the Talladega race in the spring and sits in eleventh place.His teammate at Spire Motorsports, Daniel Suarez, is currently thirteenth.
The final two drivers in The Chase are RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece who are fifteenth and sixteenth respectfully.
Talladega will present a huge challenge to drivers and can cause a mix up in the points. Anyone can win at Talladega, and anyone can wreck at Talladega.