TALLADEGA, Ala. – As with all things in NASCAR, things change.
Certainly, racing at drafting tracks is no different and in the Next Gen era, never has qualifying been more important for a race at Talladega Superspeedway. And never has the timing been more crucial than now.
Qualifying was held at NASCAR's biggest and fastest oval on Saturday ahead of Sunday's main event. Sunday’s race, which will serve as the second in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs Round of 12, will start at 2 p.m. and is slated to air on NBC.
Three of Hendrick Motorsports' entries earned spots in the top 20 of the starting grid. Chase Elliott will roll off in the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet in 11th with Kyle Larson alongside in 12th in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro.
William Byron, piloting his No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet this week, will start 16th with Alex Bowman rounding out the organization's four entries in the 23rd starting spot.
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Elliott is among the Cup Series best at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. He has a pair of wins at Talladega and his career average finish of 13.7 is best among all active drivers to have made more than five starts in Alabama.
Byron has been solid in recent events at Talladega, piling up four top-10 showings and a pair of top fives in seven starts. That includes coming home seventh or better in each of the last three events there highlighted by a runner-up showing in this event last year.
Bowman earned a fifth-place finish at Talladega in the spring and will look to continue a hot streak to begin the postseason in which he's outscored all other drivers by 24 points.
Finally, Larson will look to register his first superspeedway victory in pursuit of his second career championship.
Here’s a look at how they’ll line up on Sunday:
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NASCAR qualifying lineup for Sunday
- Michael McDowell, No. 34
- Austin Cindric, No. 2
- Todd Gilliland, No. 38
- Kyle Busch, No. 8
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12
- Joey Logano, No. 22
- Austin Dillon, No. 3
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11
- Harrison Burton, No. 21
- Daniel Hemric, No. 31
- Chase Elliott, No. 9 Kelley Blue Blook Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54
- William Byron, No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Shane van Gisbergen, No. 16
- Ryan Preece, No. 41
- Josh Berry, No. 4
- Chris Buescher, No. 17
- Christopher Bell, No. 20
- Noah Gragson, No. 10
- Alex Bowman, No. 48, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Martin Truex Jr., No. 19
- AJ Allmendinger, No. 13
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23
- Ross Chastain, No. 1
- Corey LaJoie, No. 7
- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42
- Erik Jones, No. 43
- Daniel Suarez, No. 99
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47
- Anthony Alfredo, No. 62
- Cody Ware, No. 15
- Justin Haley, No. 7
- Chase Briscoe, No. 14
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77
- B.J. McCleod, No. 78
- Zane Smith, No. 71
- JJ Yeley, No. 44
Where is the NASCAR race this weekend?
The NASCAR Cup Series will run at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama on Sunday.
What channel is NASCAR on this week?
The NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday will air on NBC.
NASCAR playoff standings after Kansas
- William Byron +34
- Ryan Blaney +28
- Christopher Bell +28
- Kyle Larson +18
- Denny Hamlin +11
- Alex Bowman +8
- Chase Elliott +4
- Joey Logano +4
- Tyler Reddick -4
- Daniel Suarez -14
- Chase Briscoe -25
- Austin Cindric -29