NASCAR at Talladega: Live Results and Analysis From The GEICO 500

Follow along with the Beyond The Flag crew for live news, opinions and analysis from Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race (GEICO 500) from Talladega.

When the green flag waves for the 2016 GEICO 500 it will be the 10th race of the NASCAR season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. NASCAR is coming off of a weekend where Carl Edwards won his second consecutive race of the 2016 season. The win for Edwards made it four wins in a row for Joe Gibbs Racing, two for Edwards and two for Kyle Busch. The win also means that JGR has won five of the first nine races, Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500. Be sure to keep an eye on Tony Stewart on Sunday. Ty Dillon qualified the No. 14 machine and the plan is for Dillon to take over for Stewart on the first caution. This is being done to avoid Stewart possibly being involved in a big wreck given that’s what Talladega is known for.

Below is some information that you will find useful heading into Sunday.

The Schedule

• 12:30 PM ET – GEICO 500 pre-race coverage on Fox.
• 1:00 PM ET – GEICO 500 race coverage on Fox.
• 1:04 PM ET – National Anthem
• 1:07 PM ET – Command To Start Engines
• 1:17 PM ET (approx.) – Green Flag and live race coverage on Fox.

Predictions and Insights

• Power Rankings Heading Into Talladega
• Five Drivers Most Likely To Win In Talladega
• Five Storylines Worth Watching In Talladega

CAUTION: Keselowski wins Talladega!

2 Laps To Go: Busch and Keselowski fighting for the lead.

GREEN FLAG!

CAUTION: Danica Patrick and Matt Kenseth get together and Kenseth goes airborne. Almirola, Harvick, McDowell and Labonte involved also.

12 Laps To Go: Kenseth almost wrecked by Logano, Kes leads the race.

16 Laps To Go: Kes and Logano side by side for the lead as the laps are winding down.

GREEN FLAG!

18Laps To Go: Still under caution, feels like the calm before the storm.

CAUTION: Debris turn two.

20 Laps To Go:Keselowski leads the field, will there be another wreck?

GREEN FLAG!

After that wreck Bobby Labonte, Clint Bowyer, Ty Dillon, Danica Patrick, Michael Waltrip, Cole Whitt, Landon Cassill and Trevor Bayne are all inside of the top-15.

CAUTION: THE BIG ONE happens – more than a dozen cars involved.

30 Laps To Go: Kenseth continues to lead.

GREEN FLAG!

34 Laps To Go: RUNNING ORDER: 20, 6, 42, 2, and 4.

CAUTION: Ragan blows up with 37 laps to go. Should be some interesting pit stop decisions coming up.

42 Laps To Go: RUNNING ORDER: 20, 4, 2, 42 and 1.

45 Laps To Go: Larson leads the pack with Bayne on his side. Chase Elliott has faded to 26th.

54 Laps To Go: Bayne leads the field.

GREEN FLAG!

CAUTION: Kahne Wrecks

Lap 121 – RUNNING ORDER: 6, 4, 2, 41 and 20.

Lap 117 – Bayne leads but Harvick is there on the outside.

GREEN FLAG!

Lap 114 – RUNNING ORDER: 6, 4, 2, 41, 20, 15, 48, 22, 95 and 18.

COMMERCIAL BREAK: Why is KFC asking for another chance? Did they have a chicken mishap?

Lap 112 – Trevor Bayne leads under caution, Austin Dillon with the free pass, pit road still closed.

RAIN UPDATE: Looks like the rain is going to miss the track completely. Big cells are about two hours away from the track.

CAUTION – Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrecks again and this time his car is destroyed. Edwards appears to have cut a tire and he slid up the track into the No. 88 machine.

Lap 108 – Kurt Busch just outplayed Chase Elliott who was shuffled back as a result.

Lap 106 – Chris Buescher solemn after being released from the infield care center.

Lap 104 – Harvick and Elliott battle for the lead and Elliott goes to the front.

GREEN FLAG!

34 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 102 – Running Order: 4, 24, 6, 41, 2, 20, 11, 18, 78 and 42. Green next time by.

Lap 100 – Danica Patrick is the leader, what if the sky opens up now?

Lap 97 – Dale Jr. is back in the race, so is Mears and Kahne.

The rain cell approaching the track is shifting to the west, it could miss the speedway.

CAUTION: Chris Buescher goes tumbling, Johnson spins to the infield off the nose of Logano, Dillon got into the wall.

Lap 94 – Halfway with rain in the area, Keselowski leads.

Lap 89 – Drivers are without question running hard as the rain approaches. Hamlin leads Keselowski and McMurray.

Lap 83 – Rain is about five miles away from the track with the halfway point coming.

Lap 80 – Keselowski in control right now as the inside line fades away a bit.

Lap 76 – Keselowski to the lead with Elliott and Kenseth in tow.

Lap 71 – The closest threat of rain looks like it will miss the track. More showers in the area though.

Lap 70 – Larson running well but his teammate Jamie McMurray has major debris on his grill.

Lap 66 – Running Order: 20, 18, 20, 41 and 24.

GREEN FLAG!

Lap 62 – 34 cars will be on the lead lap when we go back to green.

Free Pass: Danica Patrick

Lap 60 – CAUTION – Truex Jr. gets a run on Waltrip and bends him out of shape. Waltrip slides back onto the track and Mears and Almirola are involved as well.

GREEN FLAG!

Lap 58 – Waltrip will lead them to green.

Lap 56 – Kahne got in with the Gibbs guys because they “stick to their plan.” So what are you saying Kasey? Still under caution at Talladega.

Lap 55 – Driver swap complete in the No. 14 machine.

Commercial Break – This new Sprint “stuff” commercial is begging Verizon and Ricky Gervais to make a commercial with Gervais taking all of the Sprint guys stuff.

Lap 54 – Lots of different strategies on pit road. Five cars did not pit, Kenseth takes fuel only, Hamlin and Biffle make contact.

Lap 52 – Stewart will get the free pass which means Ty Dillon will be on the lead lap when we go back to green.

Lap 50 – CAUTION: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne wreck when Jr. gets sideways.

Lap 48 – Running Order: 18, 78, 20, 11 and 41. Annett, Patrick, Stewart and Cassill all went down a lap.

Lap 44 – Eight cars are now more than 20 seconds off of the lead. Patrick, Stewart and Cassill in danger of going down a lap soon.

Lap 42 – Penalties in the pits on Bayne and Stewart. Jeff Gordon and Waltrip going back and forth about whether or not Chase Elliott has an issue.

Lap 39 – Danica and Menard get into each other on pit road, lots of damage to the No. 10 machine. Leaders are in on pit road.

Lap 37 – Green flag stops have begun.

Lap 33 – Dillion’s car is “too good” to go with Earnhardt Jr. so let’s see if that’s the case in a couple of hours.

Lap 31 – Drivers off the pace: Cole Whitt and Michael Annett, both almost six seconds off the lead.

Lap 29 – Drivers of note running in the back: Kyle Larson (25), Jimmie Johnson (31), Ryan Newman (33), Carl Edwards (34), Tony Stewart (38)

Lap 26 – Running Order: 20, 11, 78, 5 and 18

Lap 22 – JGR bunch is in the front and David Gilliland is just outside of the top-10. Elliott leading the outside land trying to push back to the front.

Lap 17 – Kenseth to the lead.

Lap 16 – Matt Kenseth and Chase Elliott side by side for the lead, Ty Dillon waiting on pit road to get into the No. 14 machine.

Lap 11 – Brad Keselowski to the lead but the No. 24 comes back.

Lap 9 – Chase Elliott leads the field

Lap 2 – Chase Elliott is your leader.

GREEN FLAG

11:45 AM ET – The buzz is beginning to pick up at the track, rain is in the forecast today so keep that in mind.

12:20 PM ET – Dale Earnhardt Jr. is easily one of the favorites today but his HMS teammates should not be counted out.

12:33 PM ET – Pre-Race coverage is underway.

1:00 PM ET – Green Flag is almost here.