The 2023 YellaWood 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on October 1, 2023, at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 188 laps on the 2.66 mi (4.28 km) asphalt superspeedway, it was the 31st race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, fifth race of the Playoffs, and second race of the Round of 12.

2023 YellaWood 500
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Race 31 of 36 in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series
Date October 1, 2023 (2023-10-01)
Location Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama
Course Permanent racing facility
2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Distance 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km)
Average speed 160.097 miles per hour (257.651 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Stewart-Haas Racing
Time 52.715
Most laps led
Driver Joey Logano Team Penske
Laps 48
Winner
No. 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske
Television in the United States
Network NBC
Announcers Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace
Turn Announcers Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Kurt Becker (3 & 4)

Report

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Background

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Talladega Superspeedway, the track where the race was held.

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
  • (P) denotes playoff driver.
  • (OP) denotes owner’s playoffs car.
No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 Ross Chastain (P) Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
5 Kyle Larson (P) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Brad Keselowski (P) RFK Racing Ford
7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8 Kyle Busch (P) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9 Chase Elliott (OP) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
11 Denny Hamlin (P) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 Ryan Blaney (P) Team Penske Ford
13 Chandler Smith (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
15 Brennan Poole (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford
16 A. J. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
17 Chris Buescher (P) RFK Racing Ford
19 Martin Truex Jr. (P) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Christopher Bell (P) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Bubba Wallace (P) 23XI Racing Toyota
24 William Byron (P) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
36 Riley Herbst (i) Front Row Motorsports Ford
38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
42 Carson Hocevar (i) Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
45 Tyler Reddick (P) 23XI Racing Toyota
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford
54 Ty Gibbs (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
77 Ty Dillon Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Official entry list

Qualifying

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Aric Almirola scored the pole for the race with a time of 52.715 and a speed of 181.656 mph (292.347 km/h).[9]

Qualifying results

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer R1 R2
1 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 52.944 52.715
2 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 52.761 52.719
3 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 52.949 52.724
4 5 Kyle Larson (P) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 52.867 52.746
5 6 Brad Keselowski (P) RFK Racing Ford 52.951 52.757
6 36 Riley Herbst (i) Front Row Motorsports Ford 52.716 52.790
7 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 52.721 52.823
8 24 William Byron (P) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 52.984 52.926
9 23 Bubba Wallace (P) 23XI Racing Toyota 52.942 52.934
10 12 Ryan Blaney (P) Team Penske Ford 52.933 52.968
11 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 52.992
12 11 Denny Hamlin (P) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 53.021
13 45 Tyler Reddick (P) 23XI Racing Toyota 53.039
14 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 53.048
15 20 Christopher Bell (P) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 53.052
16 19 Martin Truex Jr. (P) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 53.073
17 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 53.085
18 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 53.100
19 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 53.105
20 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 53.121
21 21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford 53.128
22 54 Ty Gibbs (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 53.129
23 9 Chase Elliott (OP) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 53.142
24 17 Chris Buescher (P) RFK Racing Ford 53.143
25 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 53.216
26 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet 53.232
27 51 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 53.242
28 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 53.266
29 15 Brennan Poole (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 53.281
30 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 53.281
31 16 A. J. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 53.341
32 1 Ross Chastain (P) Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 53.365
33 77 Ty Dillon Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 53.449
34 13 Chandler Smith (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 53.470
35 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 53.505
36 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 53.731
37 78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet 53.841
38 42 Carson Hocevar (i) Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet 0.000
Official qualifying results

Race

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Race results

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Stage results

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Stage One Laps: 60

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 12 Ryan Blaney (P) Team Penske Ford 10
2 24 William Byron (P) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 9
3 5 Kyle Larson (P) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 8
4 9 Chase Elliott (OP) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 7
5 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6
6 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 5
7 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 4
8 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 3
9 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 2
10 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 60

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 6 Brad Keselowski (P) RFK Racing Ford 10
2 24 William Byron (P) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 9
3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 8
4 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 7
5 9 Chase Elliott (OP) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6
6 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 5
7 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 4
8 5 Kyle Larson (P) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3
9 77 Ty Dillon Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 2
10 45 Tyler Reddick (P) 23XI Racing Toyota 1
Official stage two results

Final Stage results

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Stage Three Laps: 68

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 10 12 Ryan Blaney (P) Team Penske Ford 188 50
2 8 24 William Byron (P) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 188 53
3 12 11 Denny Hamlin (P) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 188 34
4 36 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 188 34
5 7 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 188 37
6 30 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 188 35
7 23 9 Chase Elliott (OP) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 188 43
8 19 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 188 31
9 6 36 Riley Herbst (i) Front Row Motorsports Ford 188 0
10 28 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 188 32
11 34 13 Chandler Smith (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 188 0
12 17 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 188 25
13 3 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 188 28
14 15 20 Christopher Bell (P) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 188 23
15 4 5 Kyle Larson (P) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 188 33
16 13 45 Tyler Reddick (P) 23XI Racing Toyota 188 22
17 1 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 188 20
18 16 19 Martin Truex Jr. (P) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 188 19
19 24 17 Chris Buescher (P) RFK Racing Ford 188 18
20 31 16 A. J. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 188 17
21 18 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 188 16
22 35 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 188 15
23 9 23 Bubba Wallace (P) 23XI Racing Toyota 188 14
24 2 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 188 24
25 25 8 Kyle Busch (P) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 188 12
26 26 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet 188 11
27 33 77 Ty Dillon Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 188 12
28 20 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 188 15
29 37 78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet 187 0
30 29 15 Brennan Poole (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 186 0
31 21 21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford 175 6
32 5 6 Brad Keselowski (P) RFK Racing Ford 161 15
33 14 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 161 11
34 22 54 Ty Gibbs (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 161 3
35 38 42 Carson Hocevar (i) Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet 161 0
36 27 51 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 83 0
37 32 1 Ross Chastain (P) Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 59 1
DSQ 11 4 Kevin Harvick [a] Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 188 1
Official race results

Race statistics

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  • Lead changes: 70 among 24 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 4 for 19 laps
  • Red flags: 1 for 9 minutes and 57 seconds
  • Time of race: 3 hours, 7 minutes, and 25 seconds
  • Average speed: 160.097 miles per hour (257.651 km/h)
  • Margin of victory: 0.012 seconds

Media

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Television

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NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and six-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Dave Burns, Kim Coon, Dillon Welch, and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties from pit lane.

NBC
Booth announcers Pit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen
Color-commentator: Jeff Burton
Color-commentator: Steve Letarte
Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dave Burns
Kim Coon
Dillon Welch
Marty Snider

Radio

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MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace called the race for MRN when the field races thru the tri-oval. Dave Moody called the action from turn 1, Mike Bagley called the action for MRN when the field races down the backstraightaway, and Kurt Becker called the race from the Sunoco tower just outside of turn 4. Steve Post, Georgia Henneberry, Brienne Pedigo, and Jason Toy called the action for MRN from pit lane.

MRN
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Announcer: Rusty Wallace
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody
Backstretch: Mike Bagley
Turns 3 & 4: Kurt Becker
Steve Post
Georgia Henneberry
Brienne Pedigo
Jason Toy

Standings after the race

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Notes

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  1. ^ Harvick originally finished second, but was disqualified after failing post-race inspection as it was discovered that his car's windshield fasteners was not securely installed.

References

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  1. ^ "2023 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  2. ^ "Talladega Superspeedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  3. ^ Taranto, Steven (September 14, 2022). "NASCAR releases 2023 Cup Series schedule highlighted by new Chicago, All-Star race stops". CBS Broadcasting Inc. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  4. ^ "NASCAR unveils 2023 schedule for its national series". National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC. September 14, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  5. ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  6. ^ "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 30, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  7. ^ "YellaWood 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. October 1, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  8. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 1, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  9. ^ DeGroot, Nick (September 30, 2023). "Aric Almirola earns pole position for Talladega Cup race". Motorsport.com. Lincoln, Alabama: Motorsport Network. Retrieved September 30, 2023.


Previous race:
2023 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400
NASCAR Cup Series
2023 season
Next race:
2023 Bank of America Roval 400