YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway

(⏰ Sunday, 2 p.m. ET | 📺 NBC, NBC Sports App | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega, the 31st points-paying race of the 2023 Cup Series campaign.

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | Talladega playoff race 101

📍 Location: Talladega, Alabama
📐 Track length: 2.66 miles
🎟️ Buy tickets: Find weekend passes, seats for the race
💰 Cup Series race purse: $8,806,315
📏 Race distance: 188 laps | 500 miles
🔢 Stages: 60 | 120 | 188
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📋 Starting lineup: TBA
🚗 Pit stall assignments: TBA
🏆 Defending winner: Chase Elliott, fall 2022

Key things to watch 🔑

Big story line

Can Brad Keselowski break his 92-race winless streak and get his first win as a car owner in the Cup Series?

It is hard to believe that 92 races have passed since Keselowski’s last visit to Victory Lane, which came at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2021. While it must feel great watching the RFK Racing resurgence, it has to feel a little frustrating for Keselowski to watch teammate Chris Buescher win four times as the No. 6 team is still awaiting that big breakthrough. Keselowski’s time could arrive on Sunday at the 2.66-mile Alabama track, where he leads all active drivers with six wins.

He enters the race weekend with some momentum, riding a five-race streak of top-10 finishes. More winless streaks of at least 90 races or longer have been broken at Talladega than any other track on the schedule. Given Keselowski’s success at drafting tracks, impressive record at Talladega and resurgent 2023 season, do not be surprised if his long drought finally comes to an end. | Relive Keselowski’s last Cup Series win in April 2021 | Watch the race on NASCAR Classics

History tells us…

If Kyle Larson’s typical superspeedway misfortune strikes again, he could head to the Round of 12 elimination race at Charlotte in an uncomfortable spot.

With the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet only two points above the elimination line after crashing out last Sunday at Texas, coming to a track where he typically struggles to get a good result certainly does not inspire confidence. In the last 11 races at Talladega, Larson has 10 finishes outside of the top 10. In Larson’s last eight races on drafting tracks, he has not finished better than 13th and picked up five DNFs. He only has one top-five finish in 17 Talladega starts.

Adding to the concern entering Talladega, the 2021 Cup Series champion earned 10 total points or fewer in the last four of the last six Talladega races. To make matters worse for the No. 5 team, under the current format, Larson has never gained on the bubble in the Talladega playoff race. We have seen miracles happen at Talladega before and Larson will need a miracle run on Sunday to avoid heading to the Charlotte elimination race in trouble, given his past Talladega history. | Inside the Race: Diving into Kyle Larson’s devastating late-race wreck

He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

Chase Briscoe. The 2023 season has not been a strong one for Briscoe. After winning at Phoenix early last season and making the postseason, Briscoe currently sits 30th in the Cup Series standings. Given the struggles we have seen across the board at Stewart-Haas Racing this year, Talladega might be one of his last realistic shots to end up in Victory Lane before season’s end. His top-10 finish last Sunday at Texas was his first one in the last six races. This snapped a cold streak that saw the No. 14 team finish 11th or worse 17 times in the last 20 races. Briscoe enters Talladega with odds of 28-1. He finished fourth in Alabama in the spring race.

Despite the long, frustrating season, the SHR driver will get to have some fun this weekend with teammate Ryan Preece as both drivers honor “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” with the No. 14 Ford receiving sponsorship from Old Spice and Briscoe taking on the role as Cal Naughton Jr. Meanwhile, Preece will have Wonder Bread sponsoring the No. 41 Ford and gets the ultimate honor of being Ricky Bobby. Maybe a little bit of fun can bring the No. 14 team some positive vibes and see them mix it up toward the front at Talladega on Sunday.

Familiar favorites ⭐️

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• At-track photos: TBA
• Bubble Watch: Playoff drama intensities at Talladega | Get the analysis
• Fantasy Fastlane: Don’t shy away from non-playoff drivers at Talladega | See the advice
• Paint Scheme Preview: See the schemes for Talladega | Pick a favorite
• Power Rankings: Don’t forget what Ross Chastain is capable of | Latest driver rankings
• Stacking Pennies: Kurt Busch tells Corey LaJoie how he ended up with an autographed Michael Jordan rookie card after winning at Kansas Speedway. | Listen to the podcast

💎 NASCAR 75: Learn more about the history of the sport, from pioneers to current stars | Visit NASCAR 75 hub

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• Going the distance: 2023 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

🔮 Advance to Victory Lane: Racing Insights projects the finishing order