2021 GEICO 500
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 10 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | April 25, 2021 | ||
| Location | Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.28 km (2.66 miles) | ||
| Distance | 191 laps, 508.06 mi (817.48 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.64 km) | ||
| Average speed | 147.62 miles per hour (237.57 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Grid positions set by competition-based formula | |||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 44 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer | ||
| Nielsen ratings | 2.8/4.7 million | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth announcers | Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle | ||
| Turn announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Kurt Becker (3 & 4) | ||
The 2021 GEICO 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race was held on April 25, 2021, at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 191 laps – extended from 188 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.66 mile (4.28 km) superspeedway, it was the 10th race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, as well as the second of the four crown jewel races. Brad Keselowski won the race, his 35th career victory, sixth win at Talladega (which tied Jeff Gordon for the second-most victories at the track), and his last win with Team Penske in the No. 2 as he moved to co-own RFK Racing, as well as drive the No. 6 in 2022.
Background
Talladega Superspeedway, formerly known as Alabama International Motor Speedway, 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. A tri-oval, the track was constructed in 1969 by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking. The track currently hosts NASCAR's Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Camping World 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 is 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km).
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
Qualifying
Denny Hamlin was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.[4]
Starting Lineup
Race
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 60
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 60
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 96 | Harrison Burton (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 68
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 191 | 49 |
| 2 | 4 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 191 | 41 |
| 3 | 23 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 191 | 45 |
| 4 | 16 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 191 | 35 |
| 5 | 13 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 191 | 42 |
| 6 | 38 | 16 | Kaz Grala | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 191 | 31 |
| 7 | 20 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 191 | 30 |
| 8 | 11 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 191 | 29 |
| 9 | 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 191 | 42 |
| 10 | 27 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 191 | 27 |
| 11 | 25 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 191 | 26 |
| 12 | 30 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 191 | 25 |
| 13 | 28 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 191 | 24 |
| 14 | 29 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 191 | 29 |
| 15 | 14 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 191 | 22 |
| 16 | 18 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 191 | 21 |
| 17 | 6 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 191 | 23 |
| 18 | 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 191 | 26 |
| 19 | 24 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 191 | 28 |
| 20 | 39 | 96 | Harrison Burton (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 191 | 0 |
| 21 | 21 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 191 | 25 |
| 22 | 26 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 191 | 15 |
| 23 | 19 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 191 | 14 |
| 24 | 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 191 | 21 |
| 25 | 31 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 191 | 0 |
| 26 | 37 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 191 | 0 |
| 27 | 22 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 190 | 10 |
| 28 | 33 | 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 190 | 0 |
| 29 | 40 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 190 | 0 |
| 30 | 34 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 190 | 0 |
| 31 | 3 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 189 | 6 |
| 32 | 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 188 | 12 |
| 33 | 17 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 186 | 7 |
| 34 | 35 | 28 | Joey Gase (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 186 | 0 |
| 35 | 15 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 185 | 2 |
| 36 | 36 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 180 | 1 |
| 37 | 32 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 168 | 1 |
| 38 | 5 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 123 | 5 |
| 39 | 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 59 | 1 |
| 40 | 12 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 35 among 17 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 7 for 34
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 26 minutes and 30 seconds
- Average speed: 147.62 miles per hour (237.57 km/h)
