09/27/2023
RFK Advance | Talladega II
Talladega II Event Info:
Track Info: Talladega Superspeedway, 2.66-mile Superspeedway
Date: Sunday, Oct. 1
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Lincoln, Alabama
Format: 188 laps, 500 miles, Stages: 60-60-68
TV: NBC
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 4:30 p.m. ET, Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 2 p.m. ET, Race (NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: Solomon Plumbing
17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: BuildSubmarines.com
Pace Laps:
- Talladega Superspeedway hosts race two in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs this weekend.
- In five speedway races thus far in 2023 – with this weekend being the last – RFK has seven top-10s between Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher, and an overall average finish of 9.5.
- Buescher finished third at Talladega this spring with Keselowski in fifth, while Buescher’s average finish at Daytona this season was 2.5 with a win in the summer race, with Keselowski finishing runner-up. BK also finished second and sixth in the Atlanta events this season.
Keselowski at Talladega
Starts: 29
Wins: 6 (2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021)
Top-10s: 14
Poles: —
- Keselowski enters the weekend as the winningest active driver at Talladega with six wins in the NCS, tied for second all-time with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon.
- Since 2014 Keselowski has four wins – two each in the spring race (2016, 2021) and two each in the fall race (2014, 2017). He’s coming off a fifth-place finish this spring.
- Keselowski won his first-ever start at Talladega back in 2009 in the No. 09 car, and again won the spring race three years later in 2012.
- He has an average starting position of 12.3 with 13 starts inside the top-10.
- Keselowski also made five Xfinity Series starts at Talladega with one win (2010).
Buescher at Talladega
Starts: 16
Wins: —
Top-10s: 3
Poles: —
- Buescher makes his 17th Cup start on the high banks of Talladega this weekend where he has three top-10s. He’s coming off his best finish to date at Talladega, a P3 result this spring. He finished sixth twice, first in the 2020 spring race, and again in the 2021 fall event.
- Buescher has an average starting position of 25.6 with a career-best 10th starting spot this spring.
- He also made a pair of NXS starts in the No. 60 with finishes of second (2014) and sixth (2015).
RFK Historically at Talladega
Cup Wins: 5 (Mark Martin, 1995, 1997; Jamie McMurray, 2009; Matt Kenseth, 2012; Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2017)
- Running Clear Across Alabama: RFK has seen its fair share of success at the Alabama track, amassing 283 starts, eight wins, 46 top-fives and 97 top-10s across NASCAR’s three major touring series. Roush machines have also tallied seven poles, including three in cup action, and have led more than 1500 laps.
- Winning in Greenbow: RFK has won in all three of NASCAR’s major series at Talladega. The team won its first race at Talladega in the NCS event in the spring of 1995. Former RFK driver Mark Martin won for the organization in all three series at the 2.66-mile oval. Most recently, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. piloted his Fifth Third Bank Ford to victory lane four years ago when the NCS rolled through Talladega for the organization’s eighth win at the historic track.
- Fastest Chicken in the South: Former RFK driver Mark Martin won the fastest Cup race ever recorded on May 10, 1997 at Talladega piloting the No. 6 Ford. Martin, who held off NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, started from the 18th position and led 47 laps en route to the victory. The race saw 26 lead changes and had an average speed of 188.354 mph.
- Tale of the Tape: RFK has started 224 NCS races at Talladega with 80 top-10 and 39 top-five finishes along with three poles. Former drivers Mark Martin (1995, 1997), Jamie McMurray (2009), Matt Kenseth (2012) and Stenhouse are responsible for RFK’s combined five Cup wins and overall a Jack Roush Ford has led 1529 laps at the 2.66-mile track.
RFK Talladega Wins
1995-1 Martin Cup
1997-1 Martin Cup
1997 Martin NXS
2006 Martin Truck
2009 Ragan NXS
2009-2 McMurray Cup
2012-2 Kenseth Cup
2017-1 Stenhouse Cup
Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Texas: Keselowski earned his fourth-straight top-10 Sunday at Texas, finishing seventh. Buescher earned the fourth-most points of any driver in the field, but was stuck in the middle of the pack in late-race chaos to finish 14th.
Points Standings (17: 3rd, 6: 7th): Buescher sits third in the playoff standings, 22 points to the good, while Keselowski is seventh, +8 to the cut line.
By the Numbers at Talladega
Race Win T5 T10 Pole Laps Led AvSt AvFn Miles
224 5 39 80 3 38350 1160 18.2 18.3 102011
49 2 5 14 1 4634 245 12.5 12.4 12326.4
10 1 2 3 3 865 124 3.0 15.9 2300.9
283 8 46 97 7 43849 1529 16.8 17.4 116638.3
