Geico 500 Starting Lineup and Stats for NASCAR Cup Series Race

After three straight weeks of short-track racing, the NASCAR Cup Series will be doing anything but this weekend. Sunday’s running of the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway sees the drivers go from running on track less than a mile in length to one that spans over two and a half. As is the case for all superspeedway races, the tapered engine spacer package that NASCAR deploys at these tracks lead to plenty of shuffling over the course of 500 miles between the Geico 500 starting lineup and the eventual race results.

This article contains all kinds of vital information necessary to get you ready for the tenth race of the NASCAR Cup Series season. Read on for the Geico 500 starting lineup, start time, fast facts and NASCAR betting stats.

NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway

51st Geico 500
Date: Sunday, April 25, 2021
Start Time: 2 p.m. EST
Track: Talladega Superspeedway — Lincoln, AL
Coverage: FOX
Pole Sitter: Denny Hamlin
Defending Champion: Ryan Blaney

Geico 500 Race Details

Distance: 500.08 miles
Laps: 188
Lap Length: 2.66 miles
Stages: Three (Laps 1-60; Laps 61-120; Laps 121-188)
Surface: Asphalt
Turns: 4

Geico 500 Starting Grid

See below for a breakdown of qualifying.

Starting Position	Driver	Car Number	Team	Manufacturer
1	Kyle Larson	5	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
2	Chase Elliott	9	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
3	William Byron	24	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
4	Denny Hamlin	11	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
5	Kyle Busch	18	Joe Gibbs Racing	Ford
6	Austin Dillon	3	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
7	Alex Bowman	48	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
8	Kevin Harvick	4	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
9	Brad Keselowski	2	Team Penske	Ford
10	Tyler Reddick	8	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
11	Ryan Blaney	12	Team Penske	Ford
12	Chris Buescher	17	Roush Fenway Racing	Ford
13	Joey Logano	22	Team Penske	Ford
14	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	47	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet
15	Bubba Wallace	23	23XI Racing	Toyota
16	Daniel Suarez	99	Trackhouse Racing	Chevrolet
17	Matt DiBenedetto	21	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford
18	Erik Jones	43	Richard Petty Motorsports	Chevrolet
19	Martin Truex Jr.	19	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
20	Christopher Bell	20	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
21	Michael McDowell	34	Front Row Motorsports	Ford
22	Corey LaJoie	7	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet
23	Cole Custer	41	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
24	Ryan Newman	6	Roush Fenway Racing	Ford
25	Chase Briscoe	14	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
26	Aric Almirola	10	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
27	Ryan Preece	37	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet
28	Anthony Alfredo	38	Front Row Motorsports	Ford
29	Ross Chastain	42	Chip Ganassi Racing	Chevrolet
30	Kurt Busch	1	Chip Ganassi Racing	Chevrolet
31	Ben Rhodes	77	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet
32	James Davison	15	Rick Ware Racing	Chevrolet
33	Quin Houff	00	StarCom Racing	Chevrolet
34	Garrett Smithley	53	Petty Ware Racing	Ford
35	Scott Heckert	78	Live Fast Motorsports	Ford
36	Josh Billicki	52	Rick Ware Racing	Ford
37	Cody Ware	51	Rick Ware Racing	Chevrolet

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying Overview

Following the virus-caused interruption to racing last season, NASCAR did away with practice and qualifying runs at the majority of races. A combination of grouped draws and a performance-metrics formula were used to determine starting grids. That same formula remains in place for the majority of races on the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, including this weekend’s Geico 500 starting lienup.

So, what exactly is involved in the performance-metrics formula? Well, it draws on a number of factors including individual race performances and seaosn-long results. The following breakdown illustrates the weighted grades associated with each component of NASCAR’s metrics formula:

NASCAR Cup Series Metrics Formula Breakdown

• 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
• 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
• 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
• 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

Geico 500 Stats and NASCAR Betting Facts

• The 1987 edition of the Geico 500 still stands today as the fastest NASCAR race ever run with an average speed of 188.354 mph.
• Many consider this race to be the “fifth crown jewel” of the NASCAR Cup Series season. Given the decision to move the Brickyard 400 from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval to the road course this season, perhaps you could say this Talladega Superspeedway race rounds out NASCAR’s four crown jewels in 2021.
• The race has set and then broken its own records for the most lead changes numerous times over the years.
• The 2011 edition of the race tied the record for the closest margin of victory in a NASCAR Cup Series race. Jimmie Johnson beat Clint Bowyer to the line by 0.002 seconds.
• Jeff Gordon leads drivers all-time with four wins in this race.
• Brad Keselowski tops all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with three victories (2009, ’12 and ’16). He is also the only active driver with multiple wins in this race.
• Hendrick Motorsports leads all teams with eight victories in the race with the most recent coming in 2019.
• Team Penske drivers have combined to win three of the last five editions of the race.
• Chevrolet tops all manufacturers with 20 all-time Geico 500 wins. Ford is a fairly distant second with 14.
• Ford manufacturer has won four of the last five editions of the race.

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