2021 GEICO 500
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 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing in 2022.
| 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 2.66 mi (4.28 km) | ||
| 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) | ||
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 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
Denny Hamlin was awarded the pole. Kyle Larson suffered a blown engine and fell out of the race on only the third lap. On the final lap of the first stage, Joey Logano spun and went airborne, flipping onto its roof. The car's spoiler scraped the roof of Bubba Wallace before rolling back onto all fours at the bottom of turn 3. Matt DiBenedetto was awarded the stage win. On the final lap of the second stage, Hamlin got turned into the wall and collected Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and Martin Truex Jr. while Wallace was awarded the stage win, the first of his career. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. would be spun off the bumper of Quin Houff and nose into the wall coming to pit road during green flag pit stops. Truex would suffer a flat tire, bringing out a caution and sending the race to overtime. Brad Keselowski would drive past DiBenedetto and hold off William Byron as several drivers crashed on the final lap to score his sixth career win at Talladega, tying Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon for second on the all-time Talladega win list behind Dale Earnhardt.
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)
Media
Television
Fox Sports covered their 21st race at the Talladega Superspeedway. Mike Joy, six-time Talladega winner – and all-time restrictor plate race wins record holder – Jeff Gordon and two-time Talladega winner Clint Bowyer called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled pit road for the television side. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.
| Fox | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer | Jamie Little Regan Smith | Larry McReynolds |
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle 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 races through turns 3 and 4. Steve Post, Dillon Welch and Kim Coon worked pit road for the radio side.
| MRN Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Kurt Becker | Steve Post Kim Coon Dillon Welch |
Standings after the race
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References
- "2021 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- "Talladega Superspeedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
- "Starting Lineup". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- "GEICO 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- Jennifer Jo Cobb was originally scheduled to make her Cup debut in the #15, but was not approved to race.