Kyle Larson finally broke through for his first win in two seasons Sunday at the Monster Mile and now he is in control of the Cup Series playoffs heading into the second week of the second round at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday.
Larson sits in front of Martin Truex Jr. who won two races in the first round of the playoffs, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch who were some of the winningest drivers on tour all season long.
But anyone can win this week at Talladega as the restrictor-plate track is one of the biggest wild cards throughout the playoffs. Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are the only two drivers to win at the track multiple times since 2015 and no one has won the race back to back since Jeff Gordon in 2007.
The wide-open, 2.66-mile track though has favored Fords in recent years as the cars won seven races in a row from the second race of 2015 to the final race of 2018. Chase Elliott broke that streak earlier this year, but considering the difficulties of repeating at the track, that does not bode well for the young driver this week.
Keselowski has to be seen as a good contender to win as does Logano as the two have combined for eight wins (Keselowski five, Logano three) in their careers at the track. Both could use the victories as well as Keselowski sits in sixth in the playoff standings right on the bubble and Logano is currently the first driver out in ninth with two races to go in this round.
NASCAR at Talladega: What time does the race start?
The 1000Bulbs.com 500 will take place Sunday, Oct. 13. Live coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET.
What channel is NASCAR on today?
The 1000Bulbs.com 500 will be broadcast nationally on NBC. The race also can be live-streamed on the NBC Sports App.
NASCAR at Talladega schedule, how to watch
Here's a daily schedule of events leading up to the 1000Bulbs.com 500.
(All times Eastern)
Friday, Oct. 11
| Time | Event | Channel |
| 12:35 p.m. | Truck Series first practice | No TV |
| 1:35 p.m. | Cup Series first practice | NBCSN/NBC Sports App/MRN |
| 3:35 p.m. | Truck Series final practice | No TV |
| 4:35 p.m. | Cup Series final practice | NBCSN/NBC Sports App/MRN |
Saturday, Oct. 12
| Time | Event | Channel |
| 10:35 a.m. | Truck Series qualifying | FS1 |
| 1:30 p.m. | Truck Series Sugarlands Shine 250 | FS1/MRN |
| 4:35 p.m. | Cup Series qualifying | NBCSN/NBC Sports App/MRN |
Sunday, Oct. 13
| Time | Event | Channel |
| 2 p.m. | Cup Series 1000Bulbs.com 500 | NBC/NBC Sports App/MRN |
NASCAR at Talladega starting lineup
Below is the entry list for the 1000Bulbs.com 500.
| Starting | Driver | Number |
| TBD | Landon Cassill | 00 |
| TBD | Kurt Busch | 1 |
| TBD | Brad Keselowski | 2 |
| TBD | Austin Dillon | 3 |
| TBD | Kevin Harvick | 4 |
| TBD | Ryan Newman | 6 |
| TBD | Daniel Hemric | 8 |
| TBD | Chase Elliott | 9 |
| TBD | Aric Almirola | 10 |
| TBD | Denny Hamlin | 11 |
| TBD | Ryan Blaney | 12 |
| TBD | Ty Dillon | 13 |
| TBD | Clint Bowyer | 14 |
| TBD | Ross Chastain | 15 |
| TBD | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 17 |
| TBD | Kyle Busch | 18 |
| TBD | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 |
| TBD | Erik Jones | 20 |
| TBD | Paul Menard | 21 |
| TBD | Joey Logano | 22 |
| TBD | William Byron | 24 |
| TBD | Reed Sorenson | 27 |
| TBD | Corey Lajoie | 32 |
| TBD | Michael McDowell | 34 |
| TBD | Matt Tifft | 36 |
| TBD | Chris Buescher | 37 |
| TBD | David Ragan | 38 |
| TBD | Daniel Suarez | 41 |
| TBD | Kyle Larson | 42 |
| TBD | Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. | 43 |
| TBD | Ryan Preece | 47 |
| TBD | Jimmie Johnson | 48 |
| TBD | Austin Theriault | 51 |
| TBD | Spencer Boyd | 52 |
| TBD | Brendan Gaughan | 62 |
| TBD | Joey Gase | 66 |
| TBD | Blake Jones | 77 |
| TBD | Alex Bowman | 88 |
| TBD | Matt DiBenedetto | 95 |
| TBD | Parker Kligerman | 96 |