CONCORD, N.C. – “Restrictor-plate racing is a white-knuckle experience where we race in big packs while trying to avoid the ‘big one’ – the big wreck that collects a lot of race cars,” said Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet SS, about tracks like Talladega. “It's hectic. It's physical. It's mental.”
Be sure to tune in Sunday, May 3, at 1 p.m. ET to FOX to watch the Hendrick Motorsports drivers take on this weekend’s superspeedway. It’s a race you won’t want to miss.
Here’s what you should know before Sunday’s racing begins:
THIS WEEK’S PAINT SCHEMES: This weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, Kasey Kahne returns to the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS and for the second consecutive weekend, Gordon will compete in the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS. Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will pilot the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS and No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, respectively, at the 2.66-mile Alabama track.
QUALIFYING: Talladega Superspeedway brings, for the first time this season, two-round qualifying. Each round will consist of single-car qualifying in which each competitor receives one timed lap per round. The first round order will be determined by a random draw. The second round will be determined by lap times of the top 12 drivers—with the fastest lap time going last. Starting positions will correlate to order of fastest laps from each round.
Qualifying will begin tomorrow, May 2, at 1 p.m. ET on FOX. Two practice sessions will be held prior to qualifying on Friday, May 1, at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT TALLADEGA: In 62 Cup events at Talladega, Hendrick Motorsports has 11 wins, 49 top-five finishes and 73 top-10 finishes. The organization’s 11 victories rank second all-time behind Richard Childress Racing (12). In Hendrick Motorsports’ most recent Talladega win, Earnhardt pushed Johnson to Victory Lane in April 2011. Johnson, the outside pole-sitter, matched the closest margin of victory recorded -- 0.002 seconds -- since the use of electronic scoring.
TALLADEGA DOUBLE: In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the No. 5 Chevrolet SS this weekend, Kahne will pilot JR Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet in the 300.58-mile NASCAR event on Saturday. In six previous starts at the superspeedway, Kahne has qualified inside the top 10 three times, including an outside pole position in 2003. In 2013, Kahne drove the No. 5 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, where he led 16 laps and finished third.
KAHNE AT TALLADEGA: According to NASCAR loop data in the last 20 Sprint Cup Series events at Talladega, Kahne ranks fourth in the closers category with 67 positions moved up and also ranks sixth in green-flag passes (6,430). In the October 2012 event, Kahne won his first pole position at the 2.66-mile track. Crew chief Keith Rodden has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-856 for Sunday’s race at Talladega. Notably in 2014, Kahne drove the car to finishes of eighth place and 12th place in two races at Talladega.
TV ANALYST: On Saturday, Gordon will join the FOX Sports broadcast of the XFINITY Series race as an analyst – his third and final broadcast this year. In April, he participated in the Texas and Bristol FOX Sports 1 XFINITY broadcasts.
GORDON AT TALLADEGA: The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet SS leads active drivers in wins, top-five finishes, top-10 finishes and laps led at Talladega Superspeedway. Crew chief Alan Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-916 for this Sunday’s race. The chassis has been raced once to a seventh-place finish in this year’s Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway.
JOHNSON AT TALLADEGA: Johnson has the fifth-highest driver rating (87.5) at Talladega in the past 10 years. He has an average finish of 16th at the 2.66-mile track in Alabama. For this weekend’s event, crew chief Chad Knaus has selected chassis No. 48-915 which is a brand new car.
RECORD-SETTING AT TALLADEGA: Earnhardt set a record for most consecutive wins at the Alabama track with four at the 2.66-mile superspeedway from October 2001 to April 2003.
EARNHARDT AT TALLADEGA: Driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet SS’ five wins at Talladega are the most for him at any track and rank him third all-time among drivers at the Alabama superspeedway. Earnhardt's father Dale Earnhardt Sr. earned 10 wins at the track, while Hendrick Motorsports teammate Gordon has recorded six.