It’s NASCAR race day at Kansas Speedway, and we’ve got some essential information you need to get ready for Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400, the Round of 12 elimination race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs: START TIME: 50 Penn National Gaming VIPs will instruct drivers to start their engines at 2:28 p.m. ET (1:28 p.m. local), followed by the green flag at 2:37 p.m. ET (1:37 p.m. local). RACE DISTANCE: The Hollywood Casino 400 is 267 laps around the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway, or 400.5 miles. RACE STAGES: After a successful run last season, NASCAR will once again be dividing races into stages and handing out points. Here are the segments for tonight's Cup race: Stage 1: 80 laps, Stage 2: 80 laps, Stage 3: 107 laps. More:Clint Bowyer looks to book spot in NASCAR Round of 8 at hometown Kansas track More:Playoff drivers on brink of elimination see Kansas as chance to score big finish PLAYOFFS: Today's race is the sixth of 10 playoff races and the final one of the three-race second round. Four drivers will be eliminated from championship contention following today's race as the field is cut from 12 to eight drivers. NATIONAL ANTHEM: Danon Vaughn, a Master Detective with the Kansas City (Kan.) Police Department, will perform the national anthem at 2:21 p.m. ET (1:21 p.m. local), followed by a flyover by a B2 Bomber from the 393rd Bomb Squadron of the Whiteman Air Force Base in Johnson County, Mo. TV RADIO SCHEDULE: The race will be broadcast on NBC starting at 2:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. local), with a pre-show beginning at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local). Radio calls can be found on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius/XM NASCAR Radio. LIVE STREAMING: NBCSports.com will live-stream the race for those who sign in with their cable/satellite provider's credentials. WEATHER: Clear and cool. The Weather Channel is calling for sunny skies with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 50s and no chance of rain. LAST TIME: Kevin Harvick led 79 laps and held off Martin Truex Jr. to earn his fifth win of the season by mid-May. And one year ago in the playoff race, Truex led 91 laps to complete a sweep of the 2017 Kansas races en route to his first Cup Series championship. LINEUP: Joey Logano roared to his first pole of the season and the 20th of his Cup career, besting Harvick who will start alongside on the front row. Playoff driver Kyle Larson, who faces a must-win situation Sunday, will start from the rear of the field after clipping the wall during Friday's practice and going to a backup car before qualifying. Here's the starting lineup for today's Hollywood Casino 400 (car number in parentheses): 1. (22) Joey Logano, Ford 2. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford 3. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford 4. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford 5. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford 6. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota 7. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota 8. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota 9. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota 10. (88) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet 11. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford 12. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota 13. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet 14. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford 15. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford 16. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet 17. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet 18. (21) Paul Menard, Ford 19. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford 20. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet 21. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet 22. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet 23. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet 24. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford 25. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet 26. (95) Regan Smith, Chevrolet 27. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet 28. (38) David Ragan, Ford 29. (43) Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet 30. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet 31. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford 32. (15) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet 33. (96) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Toyota 34. (72) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet 35. (00) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet 36. (23) JJ Yeley, Toyota 37. (99) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet 38. (51) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet 39. (7) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet 40. (66) Timmy Hill, Toyota Follow Horrow on Twitter @EllenJHorrow<doc-sep>TALLADEGA, Ala. – In a sport easily perceived as individual, teamwork for more than 500 miles around Talladega Superspeedway was the crucial factor in Aric Almirola’s win Sunday in the 1000Bulbs.com 500. He and his Stewart-Haas racing teammates — pole winner-Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer — started on the front two rows as the fastest qualifying cars, and they worked in unison throughout the whole 193-lap race around NASCAR’s longest track. With five laps remaining, they had pulled away to 20 car lengths ahead of everyone else. A caution flag with three laps left threatened their likelihood of winning, and when then-leader Busch ran out of fuel on the final lap in overtime, Almirola took control to get his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win of the season. “That is so awesome! I’ve been so close so many times this year. Four or five times this year I thought we had a shot to win but haven’t been able to seal the deal,” an ecstatic Almirola said upon climbing out of his No. 10 Ford. “I came in with the mind-set that we were going to give ’em hell, we were going to go for the win, and if we wrecked, we wrecked.” Almirola snapped a 149-race winless streak to earn his second career victory. His last win was at Daytona International Speedway in July 2014. The 34-year-old driver joined SHR this year, taking over the No. 10 from Danica Patrick. Bowyer finished second to increase his chance of playoff advancement, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Denny Hamlin and playoff driver Joey Logano. AJ Allmendinger, Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones, Paul Menard and Regan Smith rounded out the top 10. “(The SHR cars) were so committed to each other, and they did a great job,” Logano said. “They probably would have finished 1, 2, 3, 4 if they didn’t run out of gas.” Even off the restarts, the on-track work by SHR’s four Ford drivers — all of whom are still in the playoffs — was often precisely calculated and choreographed, as they shifted themselves together and formed single-file lines on the inside of the 2.66-mile track. “This was an incredible race,” Almirola said. “The four of us were so organized. It was us against the field. What an incredible run by Stewart-Haas Racing. We finally did it!” They controlled the pace with their incomparable speed, fending off Team Penske’s traditionally dominant drivers Brad Keselowski and Logano, who have won six of the last nine Talladega races. “That was the easiest Talladega I’ve ever had in my life, and it was because of the speed we had in our race cars,” Bowyer said afterward. “What happened today was just cooperation. We all talked about it in the meeting and everything else. Like I said in the meeting, I think we owe it to each other to pit with one another, to try to help one another.” Their teamwork led to dominance, made them impossible to catch — much less pass — and allowed Almirola to take the checkered flag when Busch couldn’t hang on. Busch finished 14th, while Harvick, who was forced to pit seconds before overtime started because he ran out of gas, came home 28th — directly behind fellow playoff drivers Keselowski (27th) and Kyle Busch (26th). “I really enjoyed leading the race, working with my teammates,” Kurt Busch said. “I’m really happy a Stewart-Haas car won, but the four of us — I’ve never seen so much synergy.” Almirola joins Chase Elliott, who won last weekend at Dover International Speedway, as the only drivers locked into the next playoff round. As for the other playoff drivers, Kyle Larson finished in 11th, Martin Truex Jr. 23rd, Ryan Blaney 29th, Elliott 31st and Alex Bowman 33rd. 1000Bulbs.com 500 Results Sunday from the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway (starting position in parentheses): 1. (4) Aric Almirola, Ford, 193. 2. (2) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 193. 3. (12) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 193. 4. (10) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 193. 5. (20) Joey Logano, Ford, 193. 6. (23) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 193. 7. (6) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 193. 8. (15) Erik Jones, Toyota, 193. 9. (30) Paul Menard, Ford, 193. 10. (25) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 193. 11. (34) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 193. 12. (28) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 193. 13. (24) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 193. 14. (1) Kurt Busch, Ford, 193. 15. (29) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 193. 16. (13) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 193. 17. (21) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 193. 18. (37) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 193. 19. (17) Darrell Wallace Jr., Chevrolet, 193. 20. (8) William Byron, Chevrolet, 193. 21. (26) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 193. 22. (38) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 193. 23. (11) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 193. 24. (36) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 193. 25. (22) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 193. 26. (9) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 193. 27. (18) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 193. 28. (3) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 193. 29. (19) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 193. 30. (27) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 192. 31. (5) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 192. 32. (40) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 191. 33. (7) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 191. 34. (33) DJ Kennington, Chevrolet, 190. 35. (31) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 186. 36. (32) JJ Yeley, Ford, Accident, 185. 37. (35) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Toyota, 185. 38. (39) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 185. 39. (16) David Ragan, Ford, 173. 40. (14) Michael McDowell, Ford, 155. Race Statistics Average Speed of Race Winner: 153.707 mph. Time of Race: 3 hours, 20 minutes, 24 seconds. Margin of Victory: 0.105 seconds. Caution Flags: 8 for 32 laps. Lead Changes: 15 among 11 drivers. Lap Leaders: Kurt Busch 1-11; A. Allmendinger 12; Kurt Busch 13-56; M. DiBenedetto 57; R. Blaney 58-63; R. Chastain 64; K. Harvick 65-68; Kyle Busch 69; K. Harvick 70-111; B. Keselowski 112-121; W. Byron 122-126; B. Keselowski 127-137; M. DiBenedetto 138; B. Gaughan 139; Kurt Busch 140-192; A. Almirola 193;.<doc-sep>With Aric Almirola’s last-lap pass for the win Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, Stewart-Haas Racing drivers have racked up 11 wins through 31 races. Almirola is locked into the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs, while Kevin Harvick is as close as possible to advancing to the next round. Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch are above the cutline and in position to advance. Should all four Stewart-Haas Racing drivers advance, they will be the first to see its entire four-car organization move into the Round of 8 under the elimination format since Joe Gibbs Racing did so in 2016. That begs the question: Is the 2018 edition of Stewart-Haas Racing with past champions in Harvick (2014), Busch (2004) and resurgent seasons from Bowyer and Almirola among the best single-season organizations of all time? NASCAR.com’s RJ Kraft and Zack Albert debate the possibility. MORE: Where do all SHR drivers stand in playoffs? | SHR just short of ‘Dega perfection KRAFT: SHR certainly is in the conversation for the most successful single season by an organization, and how the end of the season plays out remains to be seen. A season capped off with a championship for one of their drivers and an additional driver reaching the Championship 4 would certainly elevate their status in the conversation — frankly, it is a must to reach the same heights as the best single season for an organization in my view, the 2007 Hendrick Motorsports quartet. The Hendrick group of Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Casey Mears — a fleet that included a 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee and two sure-fire Hall of Famers when their careers end — saw all four drivers win races, and the organization as a whole won half of the season’s races (18 of 36). Johnson and Gordon were in a season-long battle for the championship that would result in Jimmie’s second of five straight titles while the driver of the No. 24 came home second in the standings. Busch finished fifth in his final season with the organization before moving to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008. That Hendrick group was a little more top heavy with Johnson and Gordon, while this SHR has a clear-cut favorite in Harvick. The big difference is this SHR squad is deeper as a whole since its remaining drivers reached the postseason and are still alive in the postseason hunt. ALBERT: Not to diminish what Stewart-Haas Racing has been able to do this season, but let’s feather the brakes just a little before making an all-time comparison. Five races remain in an unpredictable playoff format with no guarantees. Should another driver break through in the championship finale (Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. raise their hands), SHR’s season of dominance would be missing its coronation, a glaring omission that would stick out like a typo on a job application. The 2007 Hendrick example RJ provides is an apt one, but here’s a tip of the cap to the 2015 Joe Gibbs Racing lineup. That roster was stacked with four future NASCAR Hall of Famers in Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth. Each driver scored multiple victories that year, and Busch sped to his first series title at Homestead. And if we’re truly talking “all time,” there’s an argument to be made for the revolutionary vision of Raymond Parks and Carl Kiekhaefer, who were ahead of their time with successful multi-car teams in NASCAR’s pioneer days. This is a discussion worth having, but the full context for Stewart-Haas Racing won’t be revealed until the final checkered flag at Homestead. If SHR manages to make a four-car march to the championship round, such a sweep would make it safe to include them on a very short list.<doc-sep>Welcome to the final race of the second round of the NASCAR playoffs. Before each playoff race we’re taking a look at how each of the playoff drivers have done at the track hosting the upcoming race. Let’s look at the stats from Kansas. Alex Bowman 6 starts 1 top 10 Average finish: 27.7 3,015 points (12th) Bowman has two starts at Kansas for Hendrick Motorsports. He was seventh in the fall of 2016 and 18th earlier this year. Aric Almirola 13 starts 5 top 10s Average finish: 19.8 3,087 points (clinched third-round berth with Talladega win) Almirola is on a run of two straight top-10 finishes at Kansas. He was ninth in his final race at the track for Richard Petty Motorsports and ninth in the spring race. He crashed out in the previous two races, including a nasty crash in the 2017 spring race that sidelined him with a fractured vertebra. Kyle Larson 9 starts 2 top 5s, 3 top 10s Average finish: 19.1 3,047 points (11th) Larson was 39th a year ago at Kansas because of a blown engine. That engine failure knocked him out of the playoffs. The fall race has bedeviled him; he finished 30th and 29th in the previous two fall races after he was second in 2014. He’s had better luck in the spring recently, finishing sixth and fourth in each of the past two seasons. Joey Logano 18 starts 2 wins, 7 top 5s, 7 top 10s Average finish: 18.1 3,104 points (3rd) Logano had five straight top-five finishes at Kansas from the fall of 2013 through the fall of 2015. In the five races since he’s been 38th, third, 37th, 21st and third. He needs to be closer to third to advance safely to the third round of the playoffs. Chase Elliott 5 starts 1 top 5, 2 top 10s Average finish: 17.0 3,066 points (clinched third-round berth with Dover win) Elliott has finished 12th and fourth in the last two races at Kansas. Kyle Busch 21 starts 1 win, 5 top 5s, 9 top 10s Average finish: 17.0 3,111 points (2nd) You used to be able to say Kansas was Busch’s worst track. He’s reversed that trend since a third-place finish in the fall of 2015. Busch has been fifth, first, fifth, fifth, 10th and 10th in the six races since. Story continues Clint Bowyer 20 starts 2 top 5s, 6 top 10s Average finish: 16.8 3,086 points (6th) Bowyer’s home track hasn’t been too kind for him. Lots of mediocrity. He’s finished ninth, 19th and, most recently, 15th in his three races at Kansas for Stewart-Haas Racing. Kurt Busch 25 starts 3 top 5s, 9 top 10s Average finish: 16.0 3,095 points (4th) Busch has finished outside the top 15 just once in the last seven races at Kansas. He was second in the fall race of 2017. Martin Truex Jr. 20 starts 2 wins, 7 top 5s, 8 top 10s Average finish: 14.4 3,083 points (7th) Truex swept both races at Kansas in 2017. He was second in the spring. Another second-place finish means he moves on to the third round. Ryan Blaney 7 starts 3 top 5s, 4 top 10s Average finish: 13.9 3,061 points (10th) Blaney was 37th in the spring after leading 54 laps but getting caught up in a crash. He finished third in the fall in 2017 and was fourth in the spring of 2017. Brad Keselowski 17 starts 1 win, 3 top 5s, 8 top 10s Average finish: 13.2 3,065 points (9th) Keselowski’s lone Kansas win came all the way back in 2011 in his third start at the track. He’s finished 10th, 38th, second, 13th and 14th in his last five starts. Kevin Harvick 25 starts 3 wins, 8 top 5s, 14 top 10s Average finish: 9.6 3,128 points (1st) Harvick led 79 laps as he won the spring race earlier this season. He’s led laps in each of the last four races and won the fall race in 2016. Harvick hasn’t finished any lower than 16th since the 2010 fall race. – – – – – – – Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports. More from Yahoo Sports: • 2003 rape allegations cost Kobe spot on film festival jury • Controversial call wipes out Astros home run • NFL owners take a knee in waning anthem controversy • Dan Wetzel: Gymnastics scandal secrets may finally go public<doc-sep>
It’s NASCAR race day at Talladega Superspeedway, and we’ve got some essential information you need to get ready for Sunday's 1000Bulbs.com 500, the second race of the Round of 12 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs: START TIME: Kim Pederson, CEO of 1000Bulbs.com, will instruct drivers to start their engines at 1:53 p.m. ET (12:53 p.m. local), followed by the green flag at 2:05 p.m. ET (1:05 p.m.) local. RACE DISTANCE: The 1000Bulbs.com 500 is 188 laps around the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway. That's 500.08 miles. RACE STAGES: After a successful run last season, NASCAR will once again be dividing races into stages and handing out points. Here are the segments for tonight's Cup race: Stage 1: 55 laps, Stage 2: 55 laps, Stage 3: 78 laps. PLAYOFFS: Today's race is the fifth of 10 playoff races and the second of the three-race second round, which concludes next weekend at Kansas Speedway. Twelve drivers advanced from the first round and remain in contention for the championship. NATIONAL ANTHEM: The 313th United States Army Band out of Birmingham, Ala., will perform the national anthem at 1:47 p.m. ET (12:47 p.m. local), followed by a flyover by four F-18s from The World-Famous Fighting Blacklions of VFA-213 of the U.S. Navy. TV RADIO SCHEDULE: The race will be broadcast on NBC starting at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local), with a pre-show beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. local). Radio calls can be found on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius/XM NASCAR Radio. LIVE STREAMING: NBCSports.com will live-stream the race for those who sign in with their cable/satellite provider's credentials. PREVIEW:Playoff drivers face daunting challenge at volatile Talladega ELLIOTT:Not sweating Talladega playoff race TALLADEGA:Inside NASCAR's wildest and biggest infield party WEATHER: Ideal conditions. The Weather Channel is calling for sunny skies with temperatures in the low 80s with no chance of rain. LAST TIME: Team Penske's Joey Logano led 70 laps, including the final 42, to earn his third career Cup win at Talladega. And one year ago in the playoff race, teammate Brad Keselowski passed Ryan Newman on the final lap to score his fifth Talladega Cup Series win. LINEUP: Kurt Busch led a 1-2-3-4 sweep of the top qualifying spots on Saturday for Stewart-Haas Racing, taking his fifth pole of the season. Clint Bowyer will start alongside Busch, while Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola will start on row 2. Here's the starting lineup for today's 1000Bulbs.com 500 (car number in parentheses): 1. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford 2. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford 3. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford 4. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford 5. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet 6. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet 7. (88) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet 8. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet 9. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota 10. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota 11. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota 12. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford 13. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota 14. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford 15. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota 16. (38) David Ragan, Ford 17. (43) Darrell Wallace Jr., Chevrolet 18. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford 19. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford 20. (22) Joey Logano, Ford 21. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet 22. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet 23. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet 24. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford 25. (95) Regan Smith, Chevrolet 26. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet 27. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford 28. (62) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet 29. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet 30. (21) Paul Menard, Ford 31. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet 32. (23) JJ Yeley, Ford 33. (7) DJ Kennington, Chevrolet 34. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet 35. (96) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Toyota 36. (15) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet 37. (00) Joey Gase, Chevrolet 38. (99) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet 39. (51) Cody Ware, Chevrolet 40. (72) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet Follow Horrow on Twitter @EllenJHorrow