2019 GEICO 500
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 10 of 36 in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | April 28, 2019 | ||
| Location | Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.66 mi (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.64 km) | ||
| Average speed | 161.331 miles per hour (259.637 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Richard Childress Racing | ||
| Time | 49.734 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 44 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 4.521 million[9] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Dale Jarrett | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Kurt Becker (3 & 4) | ||
The 2019 GEICO 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on April 28, 2019, at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 188 laps on the 2.66 mile (4.28 km) superspeedway, it was the 10th race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
Report
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 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Gander Outdoors 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 a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km).
Entry list
Practice
First practice
Kurt Busch was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 47.249 seconds and a speed of 202.671 mph (326.167 km/h).[10]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 47.249 | 202.671 |
| 2 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 47.253 | 202.654 |
| 3 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 47.253 | 202.654 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
Ryan Newman was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 46.905 seconds and a speed of 204.157 mph (328.559 km/h).[11]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 46.905 | 204.157 |
| 2 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 46.912 | 204.127 |
| 3 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 46.915 | 204.114 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
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Austin Dillon scored the pole for the race with a time of 49.734 and a speed of 192.544 mph (309.870 km/h).[12]
Qualifying results
- Tyler Reddick practiced and qualified the No. 62 for Brendan Gaughan, who was attending his son’s first communion.
- Eight cars failed post-qualifying inspection and would be forced to drop to the rear at the start (Nos. 6, 11, 17, 18, 19, 20, 27, 51)[13]
Race
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 55
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 55
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 8 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
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Stage Three Laps: 78
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 57 |
| 2 | 9 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 53 |
| 3 | 30 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 34 |
| 4 | 8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 188 | 35 |
| 5 | 5 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 35 |
| 6 | 14 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 36 |
| 7 | 24 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 188 | 35 |
| 8 | 29 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 |
| 9 | 2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 188 | 28 |
| 10 | 22 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 188 | 30 |
| 11 | 36 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 188 | 26 |
| 12 | 16 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 188 | 31 |
| 13 | 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 188 | 24 |
| 14 | 1 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 37 |
| 15 | 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 188 | 29 |
| 16 | 17 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 188 | 21 |
| 17 | 13 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 30 |
| 18 | 37 | 27 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 19 |
| 19 | 27 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 188 | 18 |
| 20 | 20 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 188 | 17 |
| 21 | 25 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 28 |
| 22 | 33 | 81 | Jeffrey Earnhardt (i) | XCI Racing | Toyota | 187 | 0 |
| 23 | 15 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 187 | 14 |
| 24 | 10 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 187 | 17 |
| 25 | 6 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 187 | 15 |
| 26 | 34 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 |
| 27 | 35 | 96 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 186 | 0 |
| 28 | 40 | 51 | Cody Ware (R) | Petty Ware Racing | Ford | 184 | 9 |
| 29 | 3 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 182 | 8 |
| 30 | 31 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 181 | 7 |
| 31 | 26 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 181 | 7 |
| 32 | 38 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 180 | 0 |
| 33 | 21 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 178 | 4 |
| 34 | 32 | 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 154 | 0 |
| 35 | 39 | 52 | Stanton Barrett | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 132 | 2 |
| 36 | 23 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 80 | 1 |
| 37 | 18 | 36 | Matt Tifft (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 11 | 1 |
| 38 | 19 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 11 | 1 |
| 39 | 28 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 | 1 |
| 40 | 12 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 10 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 37 among 15 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 6 for 21
- Red flags: 1 for 8 minutes and 47 seconds
- Time of race: 3 hours, 5 minutes and 59 seconds
- Average speed: 161.331 miles per hour (259.637 km/h)
Media
Television
Fox Sports covered their 19th race at the Talladega Superspeedway. Mike Joy, six-time Talladega winner – and all-time restrictor plate race wins record holder – Jeff Gordon and four-time Talladega winner Darrell Waltrip called the race in the booth for the race. Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum handled the action on pit road for the television side.
| Fox Television | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip |
Jamie Little Vince Welch Matt Yocum |
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and two-time Talladega winner Dale Jarrett called the race in the booth when the field raced through the tri-oval. Dave Moody called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 2 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley called the race from a platform inside the backstretch when the field raced down the backstretch. Kurt Becker called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 4 when the field raced through turns 3 and 4. Winston Kelley, Kim Coon, Steve Post, and Dillon Welch worked pit road for the radio side.
| MRN Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Dale Jarrett |
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Kurt Becker |
Winston Kelley Kim Coon Steve Post Dillon Welch |
Standings after the race
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References
- ^ "2019 schedule". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. May 5, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ "Talladega Superspeedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 26, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 26, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ "GEICO 500 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ^ "GEICO 500 ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Utter, Jim (April 26, 2019). "Kurt Busch tops first Cup practice at Talladega at over 202 mph". Motorsport.com. Lincoln, Alabama: Motorsport Network. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ Utter, Jim (April 26, 2019). "Despite rule changes, Ryan Newman tops 204 mph at Talladega". Motorsport.com. Lincoln, Alabama: Motorsport Network. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ Utter, Jim (April 27, 2019). "Austin Dillon tops Almirola to win Cup pole at Talladega". Motorsport.com. Lincoln, Alabama: Motorsport Network. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ "Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway cars to the rear at Talladega | NASCAR.com". Official Site Of NASCAR. 2019-04-28. Retrieved 2019-04-28.