Saturday’s single-car qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway is complete, setting the starting lineup for this Sunday’s GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at the 2.66-mile track (1:30 p.m. ET on FOX).
See who will be starting where based on how they performed in qualifying, where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. led the way and won the pole in his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.
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1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Stenhouse continues to have a solid season and backed up being fastest in Round 1 of qualifying by edging Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the pole on the last run of the day in the final round.
This is the second pole of Stenhouse’s career as he continues to seek his first career Cup win.
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2
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt Jr. was on the pole until Stenhouse’s final run Saturday — much to the delight, and then the disappointment, of the pro-Dale Jr. Talladega crowd.
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3
Brad Keselowski
Keselowski owns four career wins at Talladega, where he’s always a threat.
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4
Matt Kenseth
Kenseth’s effort in qualifying was encouraging as the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas continues to seek more speed this season.
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5
Trevor Bayne
Bayne’s claim to fame is his 2011 upset win in the Daytona 500, but his average finish in 12 career start at ‘Dega, NASCAR’s only other restrictor-plate track, is 26th.
6
Kevin Harvick
Harvick appears to be one of the fastest this weekend in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.
7
Daniel Suárez
The Monster Energy rookie has had an up-and-down first season in Cup. But he made the final round of qualifying Saturday.
8
Chase Elliott
Elliott, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, is driving the iconic Hooters-sponsored car this weekend.
9
Paul Menard
Menard has not done much this season, but was fast in qualifying.
10
Kyle Busch
Like his JGR teammates, Kyle Busch was fast in qualifying Saturday, which is encouraging for his No. 18 Toyota team.
11
Denny Hamlin
Hamlin and his JGR teammates are looking to break out of what, for them, has been a discernible slump. But all of them were quick in qualifying at ‘Dega
12
Joey Logano
Logano won last Sunday at Richmond, but is trying to shake off the fact that it was tainted by a hefty post-race penalty assessed to his No. 22 Ford team by NASCAR.
13
Martin Truex Jr.
Truex was the first car to miss the cutoff for the final round of qualifying.
14
Erik Jones
The Monster Energy Cup rookie is looking to shake off a tough finish last Sunday at Richmond.
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15
Kurt Busch
Since winning the Daytona 500 to start the season, Kurt Busch’s 2017 season has not gone as well as he’d like.
16
Ryan Blaney
Blaney, a huge Star Wars fan, hopes the Force is with him Sunday.
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17
Clint Bowyer
Bowyer continues to enjoy himself immensely in his first season driving the No. 14 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing.
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18
Austin Dillon
Dillon will roll off 18th Sunday.
19
Kasey Kahne
Kahne will start Sunday from the 19th spoton the grid.
20
Ryan Newman
Newman is set to roll off 20th in his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
21
Kyle Larson
Don’t count points leader Larson out in Sunday’s race despite his disappointing starting positon. He’s a threat to win everywhere.
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22
Aric Almirola
Almirola hopes to build on the momentum of his win in Saturday’s XFINITY race.
23
Jamie McMurray
McMurray is one of the best restrictor-plate racers in NASCAR.
24
Michael McDowell
McDowell is quietly putting together a solid season for an underfunded team.
25
Landon Cassill
Cassill hopes the Talladega track shows him some love in his Love’s-sponsored car on Sunday.
26
Matt DiBenedetto
DiBenedetto is OK with earning the 26th starting position in his No. 32 Ford.
27
AJ Allmendinger
Allmendinger’s disappointing season continued with a sub-par qualifying result Saturday.
, LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Russell LaBounty
28
Ty Dillon
Dillon actually has pieced together a pretty decent rookie Cup season thus far.
29
David Ragan
Ragan is a skilled restrictor-plate racer, but probably lacks the speed to do much with it Sunday.
30
Jimmie Johnson
The only explanation for Johnson’s poor qualifying run is that the seven-time Cup champion and two-time winner already this season is saving everything for Sunday.
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31
Danica Patrick
Patrick will start 31st Sunday.
32
Brendan Gaughan
Gaughan, an XFINITY Series regular who got wrecked out ouf Saturday’s Sparks Energy 300, is making a rare Cup start.
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33
Reed Sorenson
Sorenson will start 33rd.
34
Chris Buescher
Buescher, Allmendinger’s teammate at JTG Daugherty Racing, also was disappointed with the lack of speed in his car.
35
Elliott Sadler
The former Cup regular who now drives full time in the XFINITY Series and currently leads in points there is making a rare Cup start.
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36
Corey LaJoie
LaJoie will roll off 36th and try to stay out of trouble, which won’t be easy.
37
Gray Gaulding
Gaulding will start 37th — and try to do the same at LaJoie.
38
Cole Whitt
Whitt will roll off 38th and actually has a little more restrictor-plate experience than some of the other backmarkers.
39
Joey Gase
Gase will start at the back of the field Sunday.
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40
Jeffrey Earnhardt
Earnhardt will start last Sunday, and will be hard pressed to move forward from there in his current equipment.
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