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NBC Sports
a day ago
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Good news, bad news ahead of Michigan weekend for NASCAR Cup teams
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to one of its fastest tracks this weekend with a trip to Michigan International Speedway. Qualifying was canceled at the 2-mile track by rain last year, but the pole speed of 193.382 mph in 2023 was the fastest pole speed of the season. It's not uncommon to see speeds at or above 200 mph entering the corners. Here is a look at the good news and bad news for Cup teams heading into Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway. 23XI Racing — Good news: The organization placed multiple cars in the top 10 last weekend at Nashville, marking only the second time this season, 23XI Racing had done that. … Bubba Wallace was sixth at Nashville and Tyler Reddick was ninth. … Reddick won last year's race at Michigan. Bad news: Riley Herbst was one of four full-time drivers not to qualify for the in-season tournament, which will begin later this month. Front Row Motorsports — Good news: Todd Gilliland has placed 18th or better in six of the last eight races. … Zane Smith has four top-20 finishes in the last five races. Bad news: Noah Gragson was eliminated by a crash at finished 38th at Nashville, the second time in the last four races he's placed 34th or worse. Haas Factory Team — Good news: Cole Custer is coming off a 19th-place finish at Nashville. … All three of his top-20 finishes this season have come in the last five races. Bad News: Custer was one of four full-time drivers who did not qualify for the in-season tournament, which will begin later this month. Hendrick Motorsports — Good news: The organization is the only team to have a car finish in the top five in all 14 points races this season. … Kyle Larson has four finishes of seventh or better in the last five Michigan races. … Larson's three wins at Michigan tie him with Joey Logano for most there among active drivers. …William Byron has scored two consecutive top-five finishes and four in the last seven races. … Byron's average finish of 9.2 this season is best in the series. … That is Byron's best average finish through 14 races in his Cup career. Bad news: Alex Bowman has finished 27th or worse in six of the last eight races, dropping him from third in the points to 12th. … Larson has failed to score any points in the last five stages after winning six of the previous eight stages. … While Chase Elliott has 10 top 10s in 14 Cup starts at Michigan, he has no top 10s in his last three starts there. Hyak Motorsports — Good news: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is 18th in the points after 14 races; last year he was 27th in points after 14 races. Bad news: Stenhouse suffered his first DNF of the season last weekend at Nashville after contact from Carson Hocevar wrecked him. … The resulting 39th-place finish at Nashville dropped Stenhouse out of a playoff spot with 12 races left in the regular season. Joe Gibbs Racing — Good news: Denny Hamlin has seven consecutive top-10 finishes at Michigan, the longest active streak among all drivers. … Chase Briscoe has won the pole for the past two races. … Briscoe has three poles this season, most in the series. … Christopher Bell has seven top 10s in the last nine races, including four in a row. … Ty Gibbs has two top-10 finishes in three Cups starts at Michigan, including a third-place result last year. … Gibbs ranks first all-time in best average finish at Michigan for those with three or more starts there. Gibbs has an average finish of 8.0 in three career starts there. Bad news: The organization last won at Michigan in August 2015 with Matt Kenseth. … Bell's best finish in six Michigan Cup starts is 13th, making it the only active oval he has not scored a top 10. … Ty Gibbs has finished 17th or worse in each of the last five races. … While Hamlin is a two-time winner at Michigan, his last victory there came in June 2011. Kaulig Racing — Good news: Although AJ Allmendinger dropped to 19th in the points after Nashville, he is only seven points from the final playoff spot. Bad news: Allmendinger has finished 20th or worse in four of the last five races. … Ty Dillon has not scored a top-10 finish in 12 Michigan Cup starts. Legacy Motor Club — Good news: The organization's three top-five finishes are more than it had the last two seasons combined. … The team's seven top-10 results are already more than it had last year (six). … Erik Jones finished seventh at Nashville, giving him two top-10 finishes in the last four races. … Jones' average running position of 9.4 at Nashville was his best since Texas in September 2023. Bad news: John Hunter Nemechek's average finish at Michigan is 29.3, his worst among active oval tracks. Richard Childress Racing — Good news: Kyle Busch moved into the final Cup playoff spot after last weekend's race at Nashville. … Busch has 10 top 10s in the last 12 Michigan Cup races. Bad news: Austin Dillon has finished 20th or worse in each of the last three races. … Busch has one top-10 finish in the last 10 races. Rick Ware Racing — Good news: Cody Ware's 21st-place finish in last year's race at Michigan is his best result there in four Cup starts. Bad news: Ware was one of four full-time drivers who did not qualify for the in-season tournament, which will begin later this month. RFK Racing — Good news: Brad Keselowski's nine top-five finishes and 15 top 10s at Michigan are his most at any Cup track where he's winless. … Chris Buescher has finished sixth or better in each of the last two Michigan races, including a win. … This organization has won 14 times at Michigan, most among any teams. Bad news: Ryan Preece has finished 20th or worse in five of the last seven races. Dustin Long, Spire Motorsports — Good news: Carson Hocevar tied his career-best Cup finish of second last weekend at Nashville. … Hocevar has scored points in eight of the last 13 stages. … Hocevar finished 10th last year at Michigan in his only Cup start there. Bad news: Justin Haley has finished 30th or worse in each of the last three races. … Michael McDowell has placed 21st or worse in five of the last seven races. Team Penske — Good news: Ryan Blaney comes into the weekend after his victory at Nashville Superspeedway. … All three Penske drivers have won a race this season. … Team Penske has won three of the last five points races. … Blaney has three top 10s, including a win, in his last four Michigan starts. … Joey Logano placed fourth last weekend at Nashville. … Logano's three wins at Michigan tie him with Kyle Larson for most there among active drivers. Bad news: Austin Cindric's Talladega win is his only top 10 in the last nine races. Trackhouse Racing — Good news: Ross Chastain has five finishes of seventh or better in the last eight races, including his Coca-Cola 600 win. … Daniel Suarez has top-10 finishes in each of his last two Michigan starts. Bad news: Shane van Gisbergen was one of four full-time drivers who did not qualify for the in-season tournament, which will begin later this month. … Chastain has six finishes of 24th or worse in seven Michigan starts. Wood Brothers Racing — Good news: Josh Berry has started in the top 20 in five of the last six races. Bad news: Berry has not finished better than 22nd in three Michigan Cup starts. Hear from Erik Jones, Carson Hocevar, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell following the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.
NBC Sports
4 days ago
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Nashville Xfinity results: Justin Allgaier scores third victory of the season
LEBANON, Tenn. — Justin Allgaier swept both stages, led a race-high 101 laps, including the final 48, to win Saturday's Xfinity race at Nashville Superspeedway. The victory is the third of the season for Allgaier and 28th of his career. He passes Jeff Burton for ninth on the all-time Xfinity wins list. Allgaier earned his second career win at Nashville. MORE: Nashville results Connor Zilisch finished second, giving JR Motorsports the top-two finishers in the race. It is the 17th time in team history that JR Motorsports has accomplished that feat and the first time it has done so this year. Sam Mayer was third and his Haas Factory Team teammate Sheldon Creed was fourth. Ross Chastain, driving for JR Motorsports, completed the top five. Corey Day placed 12th for his career-best finish in the series.
NBC Sports
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Good news/bad news for NASCAR Cup teams ahead of Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte
The NASCAR Cup Series hits the midpoint of the 26-race regular season with Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Seven of the 16 playoff spots are held, at this time, by drivers who have at least one win this season: Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric and Josh Berry. Here is a look at the good news and bad news for Cup teams heading into Sunday's Coca-Cola 600. 23XI Racing — Good news: Tyler Reddick has finished in the top 10 in all five of his Coca-Cola 600 starts, including a fourth-place result last year. Bad news: Bubba Wallace finished 33rd in each of the past two points races, dropping him from seventh to 10th in the standings. … Reddick has one top 10 in his last six Cup points races. … Riley Herbst has finished 27th or worse in six of the last nine points races. Dustin Long, Front Row Motorsports — Good news: Todd Gilliland has finished 16th or better in five of the last six races. … Zane Smith has six top-20 finishes in the last seven points races. … Noah Gragson won the All-Star fan vote for a third year in a row. Bad news: Gragson has not been running at the finish in any of his three Coca-Cola 600 starts. Haas Factory Team — Good news: Cole Custer has two top-20 finishes in the last three races. … Both of those top-20 finishes came after he started 20th or better. Bad News: Custer has started 30th or worse five times this year. Hendrick Motorsports — Good news: Kyle Larson's three wins, eight top-five finishes, nine top-10 results and 817 laps led this season are the most in his Cup career through the first 12 points races of the season … Larson has won six of the last eight stages this season. … Larson seeks to be only the second driver in the last 20 years to race in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. … William Byron has finished fourth or better in three of the last four Coke 600s. … Chase Elliott has led in the last six Coca-Cola 600s. … Alex Bowman has five top 10s in his last seven Coke 600s. … Hendrick Motorsports' drivers have led 41.6% of the laps run this season, the team's highest percentage of laps led through 12 races since 1996 (44.1%). Bad news: No driver leading the points after 12 races went on to win the championship since the playoff format debuted in 2014. … This is the third time Larson led the points at the All-Star break. He led the points in 2017 (eliminated in the round of 12) and 2024 (eliminated in round of 8). Hyak Motorsports — Good news: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has four top 10s in his last seven Coca-Cola 600 starts. Bad news: His sixth-place finish at Texas is his only top 10 in the last 13 races on a 1.5-mile track. Joe Gibbs Racing — Good news: Christopher Bell has finished first or second in five of the 12 points races this season, winning three times and finishing second twice. … Bell is the defending Coca-Cola 600 winner and comes into this weekend after his victory at the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. … Chase Briscoe has finished a season-best fourth four different times this year. … Ty Gibbs will make his 100th career Cup start this weekend. … Gibbs won the pole and finished sixth in last year's Coca-Cola 600. Bad news: JGR has led only 21 laps on 1.5-mile tracks this year, the team's fewest through four races at 1.5-mile tracks since 1994. … Denny Hamlin failed to finish the past two races, the first time since 2013 he's done that. … Briscoe has finished 20th or worse in three of his four Coca-Cola 600 starts. Kaulig Racing — Good news: AJ Allmendinger has four top-10 results in his last six races on 1.5-mile tracks. Bad news: Allmendinger has finished 36th and 38th in the past two races, dropping him from 15th to 25th in the season standings. … Ty Dillon's only top-10 Cup result at a 1.5-mile track came in February 2020. Legacy Motor Club — Good news: John Hunter Nemechek's four top-10 finishes this year already ties for his most in a season. … Nemechek has finished eighth (Texas) and 10th (Kansas) in the last two points races. … Jimmie Johnson will make his 700th career Cup start this weekend, becoming the 21st driver to reach that mark in series history. … Johnson finished third in the Daytona 500, his only start start this year ahead of this weekend. Bad news: Erik Jones has scored one stage point since the Daytona 500. Richard Childress Racing — Good news: Kyle Busch has seven top 10s in his last eight starts in the Coca-Cola 600. … Austin Dillon, the 2017 Coke 600 winner, has finished in the top 10 twice in the last four Coke 600s. Bad news: RCR has only one top-five finish this season. … Dillon's 22nd-place finish at Kansas snapped a streak of three consecutive top-10 results. … Busch has finished outside the top 15 in six of the last eight points races. Rick Ware Racing — Good news: Cody Ware's best career finish on a 1.5-mile track (18th) came in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2022. Bad news: Ware ranks last among the 36 full-time drivers in points after 12 races. RFK Racing — Good news: RFK Racing announced Monday that it would appeal penalties to Chris Buescher and his team, that included being docked 60 points and 10 playoff points, for an infraction discovered after Kansas. … Ryan Preece will make his 200th career Cup start this weekend. … Preece has four top-10 finishes this season. The most in his Cup career is five. Bad news: Buescher has finished outside the top 10 in four of the last six points races. … Brad Keselowski has failed to finish the last three races. … He has a series-high five DNFs this year. Nate Ryan, Spire Motorsports — Good news: Michael McDowell's team comes into the Coca-Cola 600 after winning the Pit Crew Challenge last weekend at North Wilkesboro. … Carson Hocevar has scored points in five of the last eight stages. Bad news: Justin Haley has one top-10 finish in his last 17 starts on 1.5-mile tracks (a 10th-place result at Miami this year). … McDowell has one top-10 finish in his last 22 races on 1.5-mile tracks. Team Penske — Good news: Ryan Blaney has finished third in each of the past two races at 1.5-mile tracks, Texas and Kansas. … Joey Logano's win this season came at Texas, a 1.5-mile track. Bad news: Austin Cindric has never placed better than 20th in three Coca-Cola 600 starts. … Blaney's average finish of 19.7 at Charlotte is his worst among 1.5-mile tracks. … Logano has finished outside the top 10 in seven of the last eight Coke 600s, including the last five. Trackhouse Racing — Good news: Connor Zilisch, who is 18 years old, makes his second career Cup start this weekend. … Daniel Suarez will make his 300th career Cup start this weekend. … In the past six races, Ross Chastain's average finish has been 10.0. Bad news: In the last six races, Chastain's average starting position has been 27.7. … Shane van Gisbergen finished 28th last year in his only Coke 600 start. … Suarez has finished outside the top 20 in four of the last five Coke 600s. Wood Brothers Racing — Good news: Josh Berry finished 10th in last year's Coca-Cola 600. … Berry has one win (Las Vegas) and two top 10s (Las Vegas and Kansas) on 1.5-mile tracks this season. Bad news: Berry has one top-10 finish in the seven races since his Las Vegas victory.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Good news, bad news for NASCAR Cup teams ahead of All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro
The NASCAR Cup Series takes a week off from points racing for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. This is the third year the event has been held at the historic track, which hosted Cup races from 1949-96. The Cup Series returned in 2023 for this exhibition race. Kyle Larson won the 2023 All-Star Race and Joey Logano won the race last year. Advertisement Here is a look at the good news and bad news for Cup teams heading to North Wilkesboro. 23XI Racing — Good news: Bubba Wallace's average finish of 7.25 in four All-Star Race appearances ranks third among active drivers behind only Joey Logano (average finish of 6.07) and Kyle Larson (7.0). … Wallace is among is among the top five for the All-Star fan vote. Bad news: Wallace finished 33rd in each of the past two points races, dropping him from seventh to 10th in the standings. … Tyler Reddick failed to score a top 10 in the last four races. … Reddick has one top 10 in his last six Cup points races. … Riley Herbst failed to score a top-20 finish in six of the seven races leading into this weekend. Front Row Motorsports — Good news: Noah Gragson has been voted into the All-Star Race by the fans in each of the last two years and is among the top five vote-getters heading into this weekend. … Todd Gilliland has finished 16th or better in five of the last six races entering the All-Star Race. … Zane Smith has six top-20 finishes in the last seven Cup races. Bad news: Gragson is 31st in the points at the All-Star break. Haas Factory Team — Good news: Cole Custer has two top-20 finishes in the last three races. Bad News: Those are his only top-20 finishes this year. Advertisement Hendrick Motorsports — Good news: Kyle Larson heads into the All-Star break as the points leader. … He also has scored the most playoff points this season, scored the most stage wins, led the most laps and is tied for most wins. … Oh yeah, Larson has more All-Star wins (three) than any other active driver and is one win away from tying Jimmie Johnson for most All-Star Race wins all-time. … Hendrick Motorsports has won a record 11 All-Star Races. … Chase Elliott enters the All-Star Race fourth in the points for the second year in a row. Bad news: William Byron lost the points lead due to a 24th-place finish last weekend at Kansas. … Byron has finished 19th or worse in each of the two All-Star Races at North Wilkesboro. … Alex Bowman has three finishes of 35th or worse in the last five races (the other results were top 10s). IndyCar: Miller Lite Carb Day Kyle Larson's quest to run Indy 500, Coke 600 begins, but will it be his last attempt? Several challenges, including a new NASCAR rule, make the feat of running in those signature races in the same day much more difficult. Advertisement Hyak Motorsports — Good news: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. provided the highlight of last year's All-Star Race with his confrontation with Kyle Busch after the event. Bad news: Stenhouse has finished last in each of the two All-Star Races at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Joe Gibbs Racing — Good news: Christopher Bell has finished first or second in five of the 12 points races this season, winning three times and finishing second twice. … Denny Hamlin has finished second in two of the last three All-Star Races. … Chase Briscoe has finished a season-best fourth four different times this year. … Ty Gibbs won last year's NASCAR Open to earn a spot in the All-Star Race. He's in the NASCAR Open this year. Bad news: JGR last won the All-Star Race in 2017 with Kyle Busch. … Ty Gibbs has finished 17th or worse in the last three points races. Kaulig Racing — Good news: Twice AJ Allmendinger has won what is now called the NASCAR Open to advance to the All-Star Race. Bad news: Allmendinger has finished 36th and 38th in the past two races, dropping him from 15th to 25th in the season standings. … Ty Dillon has finished outside the top 20 in three of the last four points races. AUTO: MAY 04 NASCAR Cup Series Wurth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY Change proves to be a constant in NASCAR, so what will be next? Advertisement From new events on the schedule in recent years to examining how to enhance the racing at some tracks and what changes, if any to make to how the champion is crowned keeps NASCAR looking ahead. Legacy Motor Club — Good news: John Hunter Nemechek has scored back-to-back top 10s, the second time he's done that this year. Bad news: Legacy failed to have a car in last year's All-Star Race after both Erik Jones and Nemechek failed to advance out of the NASCAR Open. Richard Childress Racing — Good news: Kyle Busch holds the record for most laps led in the All-Star Race at 324. Bad news: Kyle Busch has failed to finish better than ninth in the last four All-Star Races. … Austin Dillon has not finished better than 17th in his last two All-Star Race starts. Rick Ware Racing — Good news: Harrison Burton, who is eligible for the All-Star Race with his win last year at Daytona, will drive the No. 51 in the event. … This will mark the first time Rick Ware Racing has had a car in the All-Star Race. … Cody Ware will move over to the No. 15 and compete in the All-Star Open. … Ware goes back to the No. 51 after this weekend. The change is just for the All-Star Race since Burton, who races full-time in the Xfinity Series, didn't have a ride in the exhibition race. Bad news: Ware ranks last among the 36 full-time drivers in points after 12 races. Advertisement RFK Racing — Good news: Brad Keselowski has finished second in the All-Star Race three times, tied with Sterling Marlin and Ken Schrader for the most runner-up results without a victory in the event. … Chris Buescher finished third in last year's All-Stat Race. … Ryan Preece is among the top five for the All-Star fan vote. Bad news: Buescher has finished outside the top 10 in four of the last six points races. NASCAR: AdventHealth 400 NASCAR Cup playoff standings after 12 races shows who has work to do With six of the 14 races left in the regular season on either road courses or drafting tracks, the standings could change dramatically by late August. Advertisement Spire Motorsports — Good news: Carson Hocevar is among the top five for the All-Star fan vote. Bad news: All three Spire drivers (Michael McDowell, Justin Haley and Hocevar) are in the NASCAR Open this weekend. Team Penske — Good news: Joey Logano is the defending All-Star winner after he led 199 of 200 laps in last year's event. … Logano has finished in the top 10 in the last 10 All-Star Races, a series record. … Ryan Blaney has finished no worse than sixth in each of the last five All-Star Races, including a win in 2022. Bad news: Austin Cindric, who is in the All-Star Race this year, finished last in the NASCAR Open a year ago after being in an incident during the event. Trackhouse Racing — Good news: Daniel Suarez's average finish in five All-Star Race appearances is 8.80, which ranks sixth among active drivers. … Shane van Gisbergen is among the top five for the All-Star fan vote. Bad news: Ross Chastain has not qualified better than 25th in the last five Cup races entering the All-Star break. Wood Brothers Racing — Good news: His Las Vegas win earned him a spot in the All-Star Race. … Berry comes into the weekend after a sixth-place finish at Kansas last weekend. Bad news: That Kansas finish was his first top 10 since his Las Vegas win in March.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Good news, bad news for NASCAR Cup teams ahead of Talladega weekend
The NASCAR Cup Series is back in action after taking last weekend off. Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway begins a stretch of 28 consecutive weekends of racing, going all the way through the season finale Nov. 2 at Phoenix Raceway. Here is a look at the good news and bad news for Cup teams heading to Talladega. Advertisement 23XI Racing — Good news: Tyler Reddick won at Talladega last spring. … Reddick has finished in the top six in three of the last six races at drafting tracks. … Bubba Wallace has two third-place finishes in the last four races this year. Bad news: Riley Herbst is one of two full-time drivers who have yet to score a stage point this season (Cody Ware is the other). Front Row Motorsports — Good news: The organization has had at least one car finish in the top 10 in 10 of the last 11 Talladega races. … Noah Gragson finished third in last spring's race at Talladega. … Todd Gilliland has three top 10s at Talladega, his most at any track. … Zane Smith has finished 12th or better in four of the nine races this year. Bad news: In the six races since finishing eighth at COTA, Gragson has not placed in the top 15. Haas Factory Team — Good news: Cole Custer's best finish this season came in the Daytona 500 when he placed 21st. Bad News: Custer has finished 28th or worse in five of the first nine races of the season. Hendrick Motorsports — Good news: Hendrick drivers have combined to lead 87% of the 797 laps run in the past two races (Darlington and Bristol). … Kyle Larson has won two of the last four races this season. … William Byron has four consecutive top 10s at Talladega. … Byron has won three of the last 11 races on drafting tracks. He is the only repeat winner at those tracks in that stretch. … Chase Elliott has completed all but one of the 2,605 laps run this year. Bad news: Larson is winless in 49 starts at drafting tracks. … Elliott has only three top 10s in the last 13 races at drafting tracks. … Alex Bowman has finished 27th or worse in each of the last three races this season. AUTO: APR 13 NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 NASCAR Cup returns to action this weekend at Talladega with much to focus on Advertisement NASCAR Cup Series is scheduled to race every weekend through Nov. 2. Hyak Motorsports — Good news: Ricky Stenhouse won last fall's race at Talladega, his second career victory there. … Stenhouse finished fourth in last spring's race at Talladega. … Stenhouse has 11 top 10s in 23 career starts at Talladega, his most at any Cup track. … The organization remains one of two in the series without a DNF this year (Legacy Motor Club is the other). Bad news: Since placing fifth at Atlanta in the season's second race, Stenhouse has not finished better than 18th. Joe Gibbs Racing — Good news: Denny Hamlin has four consecutive top-five finishes, finishing fifth at Homestead, first at Martinsville, first at Darlington and second at Bristol. … Hamlin is the only driver to complete all 2,605 laps this season. … Christopher Bell has five top-six finishes, including a win, in the last eight drafting track races. … Ty Gibbs has had back-to-back top-10 finishes for the first time this season, placing ninth at Darlington and third at Bristol. … Gibbs has gone from 34th to 20th in points over the past three races. … Chase Briscoe has three top 10s in the last four starts this season. Bad news: Briscoe has one top-10 finish in his last seven races on drafting tracks. Kaulig Racing — Good news: AJ Allmendinger is only two points out of the final playoff spot. … Allmendinger has three top 10s in the last five races entering Talladega. …Ty Dillon's season-best finish of 14th came at Daytona. Bad news: Dillon has four finishes of 27th or worse this season. NASCAR: NASCAR All-Star Race NASCAR reveals 2025 All-Star Race format with 'promoter's caution' to allow for random yellow Advertisement A 'Manufacturer Showdown' also will be featured in the annual exhibition race. Legacy Motor Club — Good news: John Hunter Nemechek is one of only two drivers (Ryan Blaney is the other) to finish in the top 10 in both drafting-track races this season. Nemechek was fifth in the Daytona 500 and 10th at Atlanta. … Erik Jones has five top 10s in his last seven Talladega starts. … The organization remains one of two in the series without a DNF this year (Hyak Motorsports is the other). Bad news: Jones has started 27th or worse six times this year. Nemechek has started 27th or worse five times. Richard Childress Racing — Good news: Austin Dillon turns 35 on race day at Talladega. His teammate, Kyle Busch, is the last Cup driver to win on his birthday. Busch did so in May 2021 at Kansas. Bad news: Busch has finished 18th or worse in nine of the last 11 Talladega races. Rick Ware Racing — Good news: Cody Ware finished a Talladega-best 12th in last fall's playoff race. Bad news: Ware is one of two full-time drivers who have yet to score a stage point this season (Riley Herbst is the other). Advertisement RFK Racing — Good news: Brad Keselowski finished second in both Talladega races last year. … Keselowski has six career Cup wins at Talladega, most among active drivers. … Ryan Preece is 14th in points, the best he's been in his Cup career through the first nine races of the season. Bad news: Keselowski has not had a top-10 finish through the first nine races this season for the first time since 2011. … Chris Buescher has finished outside the top 15 in five of the last six Talladega races. Spire Motorsports — Good news: Carson Hocevar has 33 stage points this season, which is more than six drivers who are in a playoff spot. … Justin Haley has two top 10s in his last three Talladega starts. Bad news: Michael McDowell has finished 31st or worse in three of the last four Talladega races. Rodney Rodney Childers out as crew chief for Justin Haley at Spire Motorsports Advertisement Team co-owner Jeff Dickerson says in statement: 'NASCAR is an ever-evolving sport and the path to improvement isn't always comfortable.' Team Penske — Good news: Ryan Blaney ranks first in the series in stage points with 92. … Blaney has three top-two finishes in the last five Talladega races. … Blaney is one of two drivers (John Hunter Nemechek is the other) to finish in the top 10 in both drafting track races this season. Blaney was seventh in the Daytona 500 and fourth at Atlanta. … Austin Cindric started second in both Talladega races last year. Bad news: This will mark the second consecutive year that Team Penske has not scored its first Cup victory of the season until at least the 10th race of the season. Last year, Team Penske didn't win its first points race until the 15th event of the season. … Joey Logano has only one top-10 finish in his last 11 Talladega starts. NASCAR: Cup Practice Team Penske looks to score first NASCAR Cup win of year this weekend at Talladega Advertisement Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric have combined to lead 54.6% of the laps at drafting tracks this season. Trackhouse Racing — Good news: Ross Chastain has finished in the top 10 in four of the last five races, including the past three. … Daniel Suárez has three top 10s in his last five Talladega starts. Bad news: Shane van Gisbergen has placed 30th or worse in five of the last six races. Wood Brothers Racing — Good news: Josh Berry has scored Ford's only win this season. Bad news: Berry has not finished better than 12th in the four races since winning at Las Vegas.
