2023 NASCAR GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway: Full Weekend Race Schedule

The last three weeks featured an exciting variety of short track racing. From the D-shaped oval at Richmond, to the dirt at Bristol, to today's race on the paperclip at Martinsville, there was no shortage of storylines or drama. Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell won those three races, but now there is a whole new race on the horizon.

With so much action on the short tracks, drivers will now get a chance to stretch their legs on the longest oval circuit on the schedule. The racing at Talladega is always tense, and this year will be no different. It may not be the playoff round, but a spot in the postseason will be up for grabs as 36 drivers compete for a shot at victory.

There have been 107 Cup races on the 2.5-mile superspeedway, and the last six have all been won by different drivers representing six different teams. Chase Elliott enters as the defending race winner, as he took the checkered flag in the playoff race last Fall. The 2021 series champion returned to his No. 9 Chevrolet today at Martinsville after missing the last six races.

Qualifying will be the first time the cars see the track, as there is no scheduled practice next weekend. The single-car qualifying runs will still feature a final round, where the ten fastest drivers will compete for a shot at pole position. Brad Keselowski leads all active drivers with six victories at Talladega, followed by Joey Logano and his three wins.

Race weekend schedule (Eastern Standard Time)

Saturday April 22

10:30 am - Qualifying

Sunday April 23

3:00 pm - Race