RFK Advance | Talladega I

Talladega I Event Info:
Track Info: Talladega Superspeedway, 2.66-mile Superspeedway
Date: Sunday, April 23
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Lincoln, Alabama
Format: 188 laps, 500 miles, Stages: 60-60-68
TV: FOX
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 10:30 a.m. ET, Qualifying (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3 p.m. ET, Race (FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: Castrol Edge

• April is designated as Month of the Military Child (MOMC), a time to celebrate the resiliency and strength of children within military families. Brad Keselowski and the Checkered Flag Foundation (CFF) will recognize MOMC by featuring the name of military children in purple letters – the official color of MOMC – above the passenger side door on the No. 6 Ford.
• Names will appear on the name rail for each of the April races – Richmond, Bristol, Martinsville, Talladega and Dover. Part of CFF’s mission is to honor military members and their families who all make sacrifices.
• This week’s featured names are Johnathan and Sean Howell.

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Fastenal

Pace Laps:

• The NASCAR Cup Series schedule heads to the high banks of Talladega this weekend as RFK takes its highly-successful Superspeedway program to the track where Jack Roush has eight wins all-time.
• Thus far in Speedway racing in 2023, RFK has shined as Keselowski and Buescher led a combined 74 laps in the season-opening Daytona 500. Buescher finished fourth in that race as Keselowski was caught up in a late crash. In the Atlanta race just last month, Keselowski was he leader at the white flag and finished second after leading 47 laps.

Keselowski at Talladega
Starts: 28
Wins: 6 (2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021)
Top-10s: 13
Poles: —

• Keselowski enters the weekend as the winningest active driver at Talladega with six wins in the NCS, tied for second all-time with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon.
• Since 2014 Keselowski has four wins – two each in the spring race (2016, 2021) and two each in the fall race (2014, 2017). Last season he finished 23^rd in the spring event, and 24^th last fall.
• Keselowski won his first-ever start at Talladega back in 2009 in the No. 09 car, and again won the spring race three years later in 2012.
• He has an average starting position of 12.1 with 13 starts inside the top-10.
• Keselowski also made five NCS starts at Talladega with one win (2010).

Buescher at Talladega
Starts: 15
Wins: —
Top-10s: 2
Poles: —

• Buescher makes his 16^th Cup start on the high banks of Talladega this weekend where he has two top-10s and an average finish of 21^st. His best finish all-time stands as sixth, which he accomplished twice – 2020 and 2021.
• Buescher has an average starting position of 26.6 with a career-best 15^th starting spot in the 2020 fall event.
• He also made a pair of NXS starts in the No. 60 with finishes of second (2014) and sixth (2015).

RFK Historically at Talladega
Cup Wins: 5 (Mark Martin, 1995, 1997; Jamie McMurray, 2009; Matt Kenseth, 2012; Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2017)

• Running Clear Across Alabama: RFK has seen its fair share of success at the Alabama track, amassing 281 starts, eight wins, 44 top-fives and 95 top-10s across NASCAR’s three major touring series. Roush machines have also tallied seven poles, including three in cup action, and have led more than 1500 laps.
• Winning in Greenbow: RFK has won in all three of NASCAR’s major series at Talladega. The team won its first race at Talladega in the NCS event in the spring of 1995. Former RFK driver Mark Martin won for the organization in all three series at the 2.66-mile oval. Most recently, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. piloted his Fifth Third Bank Ford to victory lane four years ago when the NCS rolled through Talladega for the organization’s eighth win at the historic track.
• Fastest Chicken in the South: Former RFK driver Mark Martin won the fastest Cup race ever recorded on May 10, 1997 at Talladega piloting the No. 6 Ford. Martin, who held off NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, started from the 18th position and led 47 laps en route to the victory. The race saw 26 lead changes and had an average speed of 188.354 mph.
• Tale of the Tape: RFK has started 222 NCS races at Talladega with 78 top-10 and 37 top-five finishes along with three poles. Former drivers Mark Martin (1995, 1997), Jamie McMurray (2009), Matt Kenseth (2012) and Stenhouse are responsible for RFK’s combined five Cup wins and overall a Jack Roush Ford has led 1527 laps at the 2.66-mile track.

RFK Talladega Wins

1995-1   Martin                  Cup
1997-1   Martin                  Cup
1997       Martin                  NXS
2006       Martin               Truck
2009       Ragan                    NXS
2009-2   McMurray           Cup
2012-2   Kenseth               Cup
2017-1   Stenhouse          Cup

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Martinsville: Keselowski ran inside the top five for the middle portion of Sunday’s race from Martinsville, but a late yellow proved untimely for the No. 6 as he finished 24^th. Buescher battled back from an early mishap to finish 14^th.

Points Standings (6: 12^th, 17: 16^th): Keselowski sits 12^th entering the weekend with just six points separating positions 10-12, while Buescher is 16^th, but four points within 14^th.

By the Numbers at Talladega

Race      Win       T5           T10         Pole       Laps       Led        AvSt      AvFn     Miles

222         5              37           78           3              37958    1158       18.3        18.4        100968.2

49           2              5              14           1              4634       245         12.5        12.4        12326.4

10           1              2              3              3              865         124         3.0          15.9        2300.9

281         8              44           95           7              43457    1527       16.8        17.4        115595.5