2017 Alabama 500
Motor car race
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The 2017 Alabama 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on October 15, 2017, at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 188 laps on the 2.66 miles (4.28 km) superspeedway, it was the 31st race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, the fifth race of the Playoffs, and the second race of the Round of 12. Brad Keselowski won the first stage and the race, and Ryan Blaney won the second stage.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 31 of 36 in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
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| Date | October 15, 2017 | ||
| Location | Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.66 miles (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.64 km) | ||
| Average speed | 131.677 miles per hour (211.914 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 50.256 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Joey Logano | Team Penske | |
| Laps | 59 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth announcers | Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Dillon Welch (3 & 4) | ||
Entry list
Practice
First practice
Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 48.398 seconds and a speed of 197.859 mph (318.423 km/h).[10] During practice, Jimmie Johnson spun in turn 4 after cutting down a left-rear tire from debris.[11]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 48.398 | 197.859 |
| 2 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 48.411 | 197.806 |
| 3 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 48.413 | 197.798 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
Kasey Kahne was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 50.078 seconds and a speed of 191.222 mph (307.742 km/h).[12]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.078 | 191.222 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.118 | 191.069 |
| 3 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 50.332 | 190.257 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying

Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored the pole for the race with a time of 50.256 and a speed of 190.544 mph (306.651 km/h).[13]
Qualifying results
Race results

Stage results
Stage 1 Laps: 55
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage 2 Laps: 55
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final stage results
Stage 3 Laps: 78
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 188 | 59 |
| 2 | 27 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 35 |
| 3 | 10 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 188 | 36 |
| 4 | 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 188 | 42 |
| 5 | 26 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 188 | 32 |
| 6 | 15 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 188 | 32 |
| 7 | 1 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 30 |
| 8 | 11 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 30 |
| 9 | 39 | 83 | Gray Gaulding (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 188 | 28 |
| 10 | 33 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 188 | 27 |
| 11 | 25 | 13 | Ty Dillon (R) | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 26 |
| 12 | 20 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 25 |
| 13 | 12 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 24 |
| 14 | 19 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 187 | 23 |
| 15 | 14 | 19 | Daniel Suárez (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 184 | 22 |
| 16 | 2 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 182 | 28 |
| 17 | 28 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 182 | 20 |
| 18 | 9 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 177 | 37 |
| 19 | 35 | 75 | Brendan Gaughan (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 177 | 0 |
| 20 | 22 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 176 | 20 |
| 21 | 13 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 175 | 16 |
| 22 | 24 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 172 | 15 |
| 23 | 21 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 171 | 14 |
| 24 | 8 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 171 | 23 |
| 25 | 4 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 171 | 21 |
| 26 | 5 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 171 | 18 |
| 27 | 16 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 171 | 12 |
| 28 | 30 | 34 | Landon Cassill | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 171 | 9 |
| 29 | 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 171 | 13 |
| 30 | 29 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 171 | 11 |
| 31 | 32 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 171 | 6 |
| 32 | 37 | 23 | Joey Gase (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 164 | 0 |
| 33 | 40 | 55 | D. J. Kennington | Premium Motorsports | Toyota | 164 | 4 |
| 34 | 38 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 155 | 3 |
| 35 | 7 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 155 | 15 |
| 36 | 23 | 77 | Erik Jones (R) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 26 | 1 |
| 37 | 17 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 25 | 1 |
| 38 | 34 | 33 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 25 | 1 |
| 39 | 36 | 15 | Mark Thompson (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 25 | 0 |
| 40 | 31 | 7 | Justin Marks (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 17 | 0 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 16 among different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 11 for 47
- Red flags: 3 for 35 minutes and 30 seconds
- Time of race: 3 hours, 47 minutes, 52 seconds
- Average speed: 131.677 miles per hour (211.914 km/h)
Media
Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte called the race in the booth. Dave Burns, Marty Snider, and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.
| NBC | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte | Dave Burns Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |
Radio
Motor Racing Network will cover the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe Moore Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Dan Hubbard | Alex Hayden Dillon Welch Kim Coon Steve Post |
Standings after the race
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