The 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 continues on Sunday at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
The second of three races in the second play-off stage, the 1000Bulbs.com 500 will be crucial for just about every driver in the field. Kyle Larson is the only driver who has already booked his spot in the Round of 8 after his win in Dover last time out.
In Talladega, Chase Elliott will be on pole after a qualifying session in which Hendrick Motorsports claimed the top four starting spots.
Date: Sunday, October 13
Start Time: 2 p.m. ET
Tickets: Available to buy on Stubhub.
Broadcast information: In the United States, the race will be available to watch on NBC and the NBC Sports app.
Lineup
1. Chase Elliott: 49.692
2. Alex Bowman: 49.732
3. William Byron: 49.808
4. Jimmie Johnson: 49.988
5. Aric Almirola: 49.992
6. Brad Keselowski: 50.007
7. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 50.053
8. Clint Bowyer: 50.055
9. Ryan Blaney: 50.078
10. Joey Logano: 50.130
11. Erik Jones: 50.179
12. Kyle Larson: 50.195
13. Ryan Newman: 50.223
14. Paul Menard: 50.264
15. Kevin Harvick: 50.315
16. Matt Tifft: 50.316
17. David Ragan: 50.341
18. Martin Truex Jr.: 50.452
19. Daniel Suarez: 50.481
20. Austin Dillon: 50.567
21. Ty Dillon: 50.577
22. Michael McDowell: 50.594
23. Chris Buescher: 50.616
24. Kurt Busch: 50.656
25. Landon Cassill: 50.750
26. Kyle Busch: 50.776
27. Bubba Wallace: 50.863
28. Brendan Gaughan: 50.873
29. Daniel Hemric: 50.881
30. Ryan Preece: 51.011
31. Matt DiBenedetto: 51.176
32. Parker Kligerman: 51.956
33. Corey LaJoie: 52.002
34. Ross Chastain: 52.324
35. Blake Jones: 52.407
36. Joey Gase: 53.101
37. Austin Theriault: 53.227
38. Reed Sorenson: 53.471
39. Spencer Boyd: 54.404
40. Denny Hamlin: 0.000
Qualifying times in seconds per NASCAR.com.
Preview
Elliott put in just eight laps at Dover last time out before an engine issue finished his race prematurely. It was a huge blow for the 23-year-old, who ended the day below the play-off cut line as a result.
In bouncing back with pole position, though, Elliott is well placed to get himself back in contention, and being surrounded by team-mates Alex Bowman, William Byron and Jimmie Johnson should play to his advantage in a notoriously unpredictable race.
He tasted success this year at Talladega, winning the GEICO 500 on the 2.66-mile-long circuit in April. he driver is fully aware, though, that nothing is guaranteed despite taking pole:
As Elliott mentioned, the key for every driver on Sunday will be to stay out of trouble.
With just one race remaining in the second round of the NASCAR play-offs after Talladega, there is little margin for error for those pushing for the championship.
Elliott is 11th in the Cup Series standings, ahead of Ryan Blaney and behind Joey Logano in ninth and Clint Bowyer in 10th.
By the end of play on Sunday, he will hope to have propelled himself into the top eight ahead of the Round of 12-closing trip to Kansas Speedway.
Read 0 Comments
Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation