The NASCAR Cup Series playoff Round of 12 shifts to the unpredictable high banks of Talladega this weekend.
Spring race winner Kyle Busch enters needing a strong performance to get on the positive side of the cut line, currently sitting 12th in the standings, 17 points shy of advancing. William Byron has already clinched a spot in the Round of 8 by virtue of his win last weekend at Texas.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the YellaWood 500:
YellaWood 500 TV/streaming schedule
All times Eastern
Saturday
4:30-6 p.m.: Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports app)
Sunday
2-5:30 p.m.: YellaWood 500 (USA, NBC Sports app)
YellaWood 500 race details
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (2.66-mile high-banked tri-oval) in Alabama
Length: 188 laps for 500 miles
Banking: Turns – 33 degrees | Tri-oval – 16.5 degrees | Backstretch – 3 degrees
Stage lengths: Stage 1 – 60 laps | Stage 2 – 60 laps | Stage 3 – 68 laps
2022 winner: Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings
Byron, who had a season-high five wins going into Texas last weekend, notched his sixth victory of the year to clinch a spot in the Round of 8.
1. William Byron – 3,083*
2. Denny Hamlin – 3,074
3. Chris Buescher – 3,059
4. Christopher Bell – 3,057
5. Martin Truex Jr. – 3,056
6. Ross Chastain – 3,049
7. Brad Keselowski – 3,045
8. Kyle Larson – 3,039
______________________________ Cut line
9. Bubba Wallace – 3,037
10. Tyler Reddick – 3,036
11. Ryan Blaney – 3,028
12. Kyle Busch – 3,022
*Clinched entry in Round of 8
YellaWood 500 top drivers and best bets
Due to Talladega’s particularly perilous nature – “The Big One” lurks around every corner – no driver enters the weekend at better than 10-to-1 odds. Among the 10 drivers with the best odds going in, just one, Chase Elliott, is not in the playoffs. Brad Keselowski boasts the most Talladega wins of anyone in the field with six victories, the last coming in the spring 2021 race.
Best odds to win
• Denny Hamlin +1000
• Brad Keselowski +1000
• Ryan Blaney +1200
• Joey Logano +1200
Yahoo Sports’ Nick Bromberg wrote earlier in the week about the betting outlook and, given the anything-can-happen nature of this race, recommends spreading the money around rather than banking on one or two heavy favorites. In the mid-tier, he likes Christopher Bell (+2200) and Tyler Reddick (+2500), two playoff drivers who are likely at such long odds due to the fact that Toyota hasn’t won at Talladega in the Next Gen car.
YellaWood 500 entry list
Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford
Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford
Corey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Kyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford
Chandler Smith (13), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Brennan Poole (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford
A.J. Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford
Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford
Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota
William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Michael McDowell (34), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Riley Herbst (36), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Todd Gilliland (38), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Ryan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Carson Hocevar (42), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Erik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
Alex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
J.J. Yeley (51), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ty Dillon (77), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
BJ McLeod (78), Live Fast Motorsports Ford
Daniel Suárez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Weather for the YellaWood 500
The weekend forecast calls for warm temperatures in the mid-to-upper 80s and partly cloudy skies with no chance of precipitation. That’s about 10-15 degrees cooler than last week, which will make Talladega seem to the drivers like a tropical oasis compared to Texas.