TALLADEGA, Ala. – The last superspeedway race of the 2019 NASCAR season is set for this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
While April’s race winner Chase Elliott hopes to defend his win at the 2.66-mile track, Hendrick Motorsports looks to add to their Talladega record-setting performances, which include all-time records in wins, poles, runner-up results and more.
Take a closer look at how the organization and its drivers stack up at Talladega.
- Hendrick Motorsports has a history of record-breaking performances at Talladega Superspeedway. The organization owns the all-time record at the track in each of the following categories: wins (13), poles (12), runner-up results (14), top-five finishes (58), top-10s (87) and laps led (2,809).
- The organization holds the record for the most superspeedway wins all-time with 27 and also holds the record for the most pole positions at superspeedways with 32. In each of the last two superspeedway races, the organization has held two of the top-three finishing positions. That includes Elliott and Alex Bowman finishing one-two at Talladega and William Byron and Jimmie Johnson finishing two-three at Daytona.
- In the spring race at Talladega Superspeedway, Elliott brought home his first win in 2019 and fourth career Cup Series victory. En route to the Talladega victory, the 23-year-old driver collected his first stage win of the season and led a total of 45 laps in the 188-lap event. In total, Elliott garnered 57 points during the April event, the most of any driver. Looking to continue his on-track success this weekend in Alabama, Elliott is looking to advance to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR playoffs. He currently sits 11th in the playoff standings, seven points below the cut line.
- Byron currently finds himself eighth in the driver point standings, sitting on the playoff cut line tied with ninth place in his first playoff appearance. Making his fourth NASCAR Cup Series start at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, the 21-year old is looking to change his luck at the 2.66-mile track. In his previous three Cup races, Byron has had solid runs, including leading a total of 19 laps, but has a track-best finish of 20th due to the unpredictability of superspeedway racing.
- Johnson owns two of the organization’s 13 wins at the track. The No. 48 superspeedway program has been stout from a performance standpoint in 2019, as Johnson recorded a win in the season-opening “Clash” event at Daytona. He secured a ninth-place finish in the Daytona 500 and a third-place finish at Daytona in July. The driver of the No. 48 Chevy was involved in an on-track incident where the car suffered damage early on during the spring event at Talladega and he finished 33rd.
- Following his third-place finish at Dover on Sunday, Bowman now sits seventh in the playoff standings. The No. 88 team is currently 17 points above the cut line going into the second race in the Round of 12 this weekend in Talladega Superspeedway. Earlier this year the Tucson, Arizona, native earned 53 points at the 2.66-mile superspeedway after finishing second to teammate Elliott. It marked the second-most points scored by any driver in the event. In the spring, only four of the 12 playoff drivers finished inside the top 10. So far in the 2019 playoffs, Bowman has an average finish of 8.5, which ranks fifth-best. He has led 33 laps at the superspeedway and owns a runner-up finish and two top-10s.
With these statistics in mind, see how the four drivers fare this weekend at Talladega by tuning into the race this Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.