Rain-Threatened Talladega Pushes Out Nearly $10 Million in Purses Across Both NASCAR Series

Next up on NASCAR’s schedule is on one of the toughest tracks—Talladega Superspeedway—out there. But drivers could also win from any position on that track. However, it looks like the weather might throw a wrench into the works. We might see some hit-or-miss showers on Saturday, but Sunday’s looking a bit soggy with more widespread rain. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be a washout all day, so fingers crossed they can still run the Geico 500. Even if it gets a bit nippy out there, the juicy purse of nearly $10 million should heat things up for the drivers and their teams. Fans hope the weather gods play nice and let the race go down without a hitch!

With Sunday expected to be a cool one, with highs barely hitting 60 degrees and a brisk north wind, there won’t be any severe storms, just some light rain totaling less than half an inch. Despite the chill, NASCAR’s doling out a nice, warm boost in prize money compared to last year.

Last year, the GEICO 500 Cup race had $7,857,314 up for grabs, while the Ag-Pro 300 Xfinity race was sitting pretty with $1,438,641. This year, they’ve upped the ante. According to the latest update by senior motorsports journalist, Bob Pockrass on Twitter, the Cup race purse has ballooned to $8,234,125, a solid $376,811 bump. As for the Xfinity drivers, they’re seeing a nice little increase too, with their total purse rising to $1,479,274, up $40,633 from last year.

While the gap in payouts between the Xfinity and Cup series may spark some heated chats since the Xfinity payout is nearly just 18% of what Cup teams would get, for now, everyone’s gearing up for what’s set to be a nail-biter of a race at Talladega—weather permitting, of course. Since 2014, history shows that the weather hindered three races, although only one spring race in 2020 was heavily impacted when rain forced the race to be rescheduled for another day.

But what’s the big deal with Talladega? Why does it get drivers and fans so pumped? What’s with this track that has everyone marking their calendars for the Talladega race?

You could win from any position at the Talladega Superspeedway

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series has already seen six winners in its first nine races, and this weekend’s GEICO 500 at Talladega could easily make it seven. Talladega Superspeedway is famous for its surprises, with the last seven races crowning seven different victors, including last year’s champ, Kyle Busch, who’s gunning for his first win this season. The winning streak kicked off with Denny Hamlin in 2020, followed by Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, and most recently, Ryan Blaney.

Talladega’s known for its wild ride where anyone, regardless of their starting position, can surge to the front, making every lap as unpredictable as the last. In fact, eight times a driver has snagged the win from beyond the top 20, with the record for the furthest back being set by Jeff Gordon, who won from P36 back in 2000. The farthest back a current driver has won? That’d be the one who beat your favorite driver. Yes, it is Denny Hamlin, who took the checkered flag starting with P34 in 2014. And that’s why this weekend promises to dial up the intensity and keep us all on the edge of our seats.

Chevy has clinched 3 out of the last 7 races at the superspeedway, while Ford and Toyota each bagged a couple. However, Toyota’s still hunting for that first Next Gen car win at this track. The drivers who have the potential to win the race are:

• Brad Keselowski could really shine at Talladega, given his track record: thirty starts, six wins, ten top-fives, and fourteen top-10s, with his latest win in 2021. He’s had one top-five in the Next Gen era.
• Last year, in 2023, Kyle Busch won the April Talladega race, starting from P17. If he can get past his pit crew woes this time around, he might just pull off another win.
• Then there’s Ryan Blaney, who nearly nabbed a win in Atlanta this season, and could be a contender too. With nineteen starts at Talladega, he’s clocked three wins, six top-fives, and eight top-10s, finishing second in his last two races here before taking the top spot.
• Don’t count out Joey Logano either, with three wins in 2015, 2016, and 2018, or Chase Elliott, who’s bagged two wins in 2019 and 2022.

The Talladega race could really shake things up in the standings, and anyone from the list [or even outside of it] could end up celebrating in victory lane.