For the first time in the 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup, there are more than 40 cars entered in a race. One driver will fail to make the field at Talladega.
Which is kind of fitting, considering this is a Chase elimination race.
MORE: Chase qualifying scenarios | Talladega schedule | Crashes
There were 42 cars entered for Sunday's Hellmann's 500, but by Saturday's qualifying one car had dropped out. The last time entries outnumbered the starting positions was Sept. 10 at Richmond, the final race before the Chase began.
Here's the explanation for why the field fell to 41.
@jayski no fault to Cole Whitt but the sponsor was way behind on their payments making it difficult to race.
— PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS (@premiummotrspts) October 22, 2016
After Talladega, the Chase field will be reduced to eight drivers for the next three-race segment. Jimmie Johnson at Charlotte and Kevin Harvick at Kansas advance to the Round of 8 because of their race victories. For 10 other drivers, points advancement is possible, if improbably. Several drivers must win at Talladega to advance.
Good luck with that.
After Talladega, the Chase goes to Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix. Four more drivers will be eliminated at that point, leaving four to compete for the Cup in the Chase championship race.
Here are the Talladega entries. Chase drivers are in bold.
| No. | Driver/ Hometown | Brand/ Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie McMurray Fairfax, Iowa | Chevy Cessna |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski Rochester Hills, Mich. | Ford Miller Lite |
| 3 | Austin Dillon Welcome, N.C. | Chevy American Ethanol |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick Bakersfield, Calif. | Chevy Jimmy John's Chevrolet SS |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne Enumclaw, Wash. | Chevy UniFirst |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne Knoxville, Tenn. | Ford Advocare Ford Fusion |
| 7 | Regan Smith Cato, N.Y. | Chevy Golden Corral Chevrolet |
| 10 | Danica Patrick Roscoe, Ill. | Chevy Nature's Bakery Chevrolet SS |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin Chesterfield, Va. | Toyota FedEx Ground |
| 13 | Casey Mears Bakersfield, Calif. | Chevy Geico |
| 14 | Tony Stewart Columbus, Ind. | Chevy Rush Truck Centers / Mobil 1Chevrolet SS |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer Emporia, Kans. | Chevy 5-Hour Energy |
| 16 | Greg Biffle Vancouver, Wash. | Ford Cheez-It Ford Fusion |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr Olive Branch, Miss. | Ford Zest Ford Fusion |
| 18 | Kyle Busch Las Vegas, Nev. | Toyota Snickers Halloween |
| 19 | Carl Edwards Columbia, Mo. | Toyota Subway |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth Cambridge, Wis. | Toyota DeWalt Flexvolt |
| 21 | Ryan Blaney High Point, N.C. | Ford Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center |
| 22 | Joey Logano Middletown, Conn. | Ford Shell Pennzoil |
| 23 | David Ragan Unadilla, Ga. | Toyota Dr Pepper |
| 24 | Chase Elliott Dawsonville, Ga. | Chevy NAPA Auto Parts |
| 27 | Paul Menard Eau Claire, Wis. | Chevy Sylvania / Menards |
| 31 | Ryan Newman South Bend, Ind. | Chevy Caterpillar |
| 32 | Bobby Labonte Corpus Christi, Texas | Ford TBD |
| 34 | Chris Buescher Prosper, Texas | Ford Love’s Travel Stops |
| 35 | David Gilliland Riverside, Calif. | Ford Dockside Logistics |
| 38 | Landon Cassill Fairfax, Iowa | Ford FR8 Auctions |
| 41 | Kurt Busch Las Vegas, Nev. | Chevy Haas Automation / Monster Energy Chevrolet SS |
| 42 | Kyle Larson Elk Grove, Calif. | Chevy Energizer |
| 43 | Aric Almirola Tampa, Fla. | Ford Smithfield |
| 44 | Brian Scott Boise, Idaho | Ford Goody's Ford |
| 46 | Michael Annett Des Moines, Iowa | Chevy Pilot Flying J |
| 47 | AJ Allmendinger Los Gatos, Calif. | Chevy Kroger/Scott Products |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson El Cajon, Calif. | Chevy Lowe's Pro Services |
| 55 | Reed Sorenson Peachtree City, Ga. | Chevy TBD |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. Mayetta, N.J. | Ford Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats |
| 83 | Jeffrey Earnhardt Mooresville, N.C. | Toyota Starter |
| 88 | Alex Bowman Tucson, Ariz. | Chevy Mountain Dew |
| 93 | Matt DiBenedetto Grass Valley, Calif. | Toyota Dustless Blasting |
| 95 | Michael McDowell Glendale, Ariz. | Chevy KLOVE Radio |
| 99 | Ryan Reed Bakersfield, Calif. | Ford Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford Fusion |