The Monster Energy Cup Series moves to the biggest track on the NASCAR circuit with the 2.66 mill super speedway of Talladega Motor Speedway for the Gieco 500. After several weekends of battling bad weather, the elements are perfect for a day of racing in Talladega.

At a track that is at best unpredictable, Kyle Busch is looking to make it four in a row after winning the past three races. No driver who came to Talladega carrying a winning streak has been able to maintain the streak at Talladega.

Even before the race got started, the drivers were reminded of how dangerous and unpredictable Talladega can be when Jamie McMurray cut a tire, got loose and was broadsided by Ryan Newman; resulting in McMurray’s car barrel rolling across the track over six times and catching up other drivers. Luckily McMurray walked away from the maylee unharmed but he, Ryan Newman, Ty Dillon, and Daniel Suarez have all had to move to a backup car and will have to start the race in the back of the field.

After two rounds of single car qualifying Kevin Harvick puts his plaid number four car on the pole even after running over some debris that caused some damage to the car when Aric Almirola’s car had an issue on the track.

The starting lineup for the Geico 500:
Kevin Harvick
Kurt Busch
Martin Truex Jr
Denny Hamlin
Chase Elliott – moved to the back of the field for a tire change
Erik Jones
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Clint Bowyer
Joey Logano
Brad Keselowski
Alex Bowman
David Ragan
Paul Menard
Daniel Suarez – moved to the back of the field in a backup car
Darrell Wallace Jr
Jimmie Johnson
William Byron
Ryan Newman – moved to the back of the field in a backup car
Kyle Busch
Michael McDowell
Revor Bayne
Kyle Larson
Ryan Blaney
Austin Dillon
Chris Buescher
Kasey Kahne
Jamie McMurray – moved to the back of the field in a backup car
AJ Allmendinger
Ty Dillon – moved to the back of the field in a backup car
Brendan Gaughan
D.J. Kennington
Timothy Peters
Matt DiBenedetto
Joey Gase
Ross Chastain
Cole Whitt
Gray Gaulding
Reed Sorenson
Timmy Hill
Aric Almirola

Stages one and two of the race are 55 laps each with stage three lasting 78 laps for a total of 188 laps around the 2.66 mile track.

Kurt Busch’s team is having radio issues and is late in rolling off of pit road while the issue is repaired.

Kevin Harvick brings his plaid car down for the green flag start of the race from the outside lane and edges out Kurt Busch to lead the race.

Lap three Kevin Harvick is in the lead with Kurt Busch in second, Martin Truex Jr in third, Joey Logano in fourth, and Ale Bowman in fifth.

Lap five the field has divided into two packs. In the first pack Kevin Harvick leads the field with a tenth of a second lead on Kurt Busch. With the draft, drivers are hitting speeds of 202mph.

After starting last, Aric Almirola has moved up 16 spots to 25th.

Lap eight Kevin Harvick holds on to the lead by a tenth of a second on Kurt Busch; Martin Truex Jr, Joey Logano, and Alex Bowman round out the top five.

Lap 10, the drivers have gotten single file with little movement.

With the stage lasting 55 laps, the drivers cannot make it to the end of the stage without a pit stop. On lap 14 the drivers begin making green flag pit stops.

Kurt Busch was caught speeding on pit road and will have to serve a drive through penalty at pit road speed.

David Ragan was also caught speeding on pit road.

Amidst pit stops, the 88 car of Alex Bowman is in the lead with Bubba Wallace in second; William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Jimmie Johnson round out the top five.

Lap 22 Alex Bowman continues to lead the race with William Byron in second, Kyle Larson in third, Bubba Wallace in fourth, and Jimmie Johnson in fifth. There are 33 cars in the lead lap.

Several drivers are reporting overheating issues.

Lap 25, Kevin Harvick is running in 25th after making his pit stop, Alex Bowman continues to lead the race and has yet to pit.

Lap 27 Alex Bowman continues to lead the race with 30 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 30 Alex Bowman continues to lead the race by two tenths of a second over William Byron; Bubba Wallace, Jimmie Johnson, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.

Lap 33 there are 28 cars on the lead lap as more drivers make green flag pit stops. Sixteen drivers have yet to make a pit stop.

Lap 35 Alex Bowman is in the lead. After flipping over six times and running in a backup car, Jamie McMurray is in seventh place.

Lap 39 Bubba Wallace has passed Alex Bowman to take over the lead of the race with Jimmie Johnson in third.

With 14 laps remaining in stage one, there are 24 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 42 Bubba Wallace leads the race with Alex Bowman, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott rounding out the top five.

Lap 43 the remaining drivers make their pit stops. Brad Keselowski is in the lead with Joey Logano in second.

Lap 45 the top five are Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin.

Lap 48 Brad Keselowski is in the lead with Joey Logano in second, Martin Truex Jr in third, Kyle Busch in fourth, and Denny Hamlin in fifth.

Lap 50, Brad Keselowski continues to lead with 26 cars on the lead lap.

Brad Keselowski wins stage one.

The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Brad Keselowski
Joey Logano
Martin Truex Jr
Kyle Busch
Paul Menard
Denny Hamlin
Ryan Blaney
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Kevin Harvick
Jimmie Johnson

With several drivers taking only two tires, Brad Keselowski wins the race off of pit road on a two tire change.

Kevin Harvick had an extended pit stop making adjustments to his car. Martin Truex Jr’s team had issues changing a tire and caused a long pit stop.

Brad Keselowski brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 62 and edges out Joey Logano for the lead of the race.

Lap 62 the top five are Brad Keselowski, William Byron, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, and Denny Hamlin.

Lap 62 William Byron passed Brad Keselowski for the lead.

Lap 63 rookie William Byron leads the race with Jamie McMurray in second and Brad Keselowski in third.

Lap 64 Brad Keselowski passes William Byron to retake the lead.

Lap 65 the top five are Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, William Byron, Paul Menard, and Jamie McMurray. There are 29 cars on the lead lap.

The drivers are getting three wide across the track.

Lap 67 Brad Keselowski holds on to the lead with Joey Logano in second, Paul Menard in third, William Byron in fourth, and Kyle Busch in fifth.

Several drivers come down pit road for green flag pit stops on lap 68.

Brad Keselowski, Daniel Suarez, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr were all caught speeding on pit road.

Chris Buescher is in the lead with Matt DiBenedetto in second; Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Jamie McMurray round out the top five.

Alex Bowman was also caught speeding on pit road.

Lap 70 Matt DiBenedetto is in the lead with Joey Logano in second.

Lap 71 the top five are Matt DiBenedetto, Joey Logano, Paul Menard, Chase Elliott, and Kurt Busch.

The caution flag comes out on lap 72 for a big crash on the back stretch. Martin Truex Jr, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Larson, Trevor Bayne, and Erik Jones were all involved in the crash and are now on the crash clock. The teams have six minutes to make repairs and get the car up to minimum speeds on the track.

Kyle Larson’s team could not meet the crash clock limit and are out of the race.

Chase Elliott’s team is charged with having too many crew members over the wall.

Lap 78, Joey Logano is leading the field with Paul Menard in second; Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.

Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 79 and holds on to the lead of the race.

Lap 80 the top five are Joey Logano, Paul Menard, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney. There are 26 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 82 Joey Logano continues to lead the race with Paul Menard in second. Pole sitter Kevin Harvick has moved into the top 10.

With 23 laps remaining in stage two, Joey Logano holds on to the lead with Paul Menard in second; Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five with 26 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 90 Joey Logano has a tenth of a second lead on Paul Menard with Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Jimmie Johnson rounding out the top five. Chasing his fourth win in a row, Kyle Busch is in eighth place.

Lap 91 Denny Hamlin takes over the lead with Paul Menard in second, Joey Logano in third, Jimmie Johnson in fourth, and Kurt Busch in fifth.

Lap 100 the top five are Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney.

Lap 104 Paul Menard and Denny Hamlin battle for the lead, swapping it back and forth with Paul Menard finally getting out in front on lap 106 leading the pack in the outside lane.

Paul Menard wins stage two for his first career stage win.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Paul Menard
Joey Logano
Rayn Blaney
Kevin Harvick
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
David Ragan
Jimmie Johnson|
Kurt Busch
William Byron
Kyle Busch

Taking only two tires, William Byron wins the race off of pit road.

Kyle Busch was caught speeding on pit road.

William Byron brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 116 and edges out Ryan Blaney for the lead.

Lap 119 the top five are William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Paul Menard, Joey Logano, and Rick Stenhouse Jr.

Lap 124 Kurt Busch uses some side drafting to shoot past William Byron to take over the lead of the race.

Lap 128 Kurt Busch is in the lead with Ricky Stenhouse Jr in second; Kevin Harvick, Michael McDowell, and Kasey Kahne round out the top five.

The caution flag come out on lap 129.

Taking fuel only Ricky Stenhouse Jr wins the race off of pit road.

Chase Elliott was charged with an outside tire violation and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.

Paul Menard’s team is reporting radio issues.

Rick Stenhouse Jr brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 133 but it is Denny Hamlin who gets out in front first; only to loose the lead to Stenhouse.

Lap 134 the top five are Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Daniel Suarez, and Joey Logano.

In a three wide battle for the lead Denny Hamlin takes over the top spot with Kasey Kahne in second.

Lap 138 Joey Logano passes Denny Hamin for the lead. Brad Keselowski is in second.

Lap 139 the top five are Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Kasey Kahne.

With 47 laps to go Brad Keselowski gets around Joey Logano for the lead but Logano battles back as the two swap the lead back and forth.

With 45 laps to go Joey Logano retakes the lead with Daniel Suarez in second.

Lap 144 Daniel Suarez is in the lead as the field begins to make green flag pit stops.

Denny Hamlin and Ricky Stenhouse Jr were caught speeding on pit road.

Lap 146 Kasey Kahne is in the lead.

Daniel Suarez was also caught speeding on pit road.

Serving his pass through penalty, Denny Hamlin was again caught speeding on pit road.

Lap 147 Joey Logano is in the lead with Brad Keselowski in second, Aric Almirola in third, Paul Menard in fourth, and Ryan Baney in fifth.

With 37 laps to go, Joey Logano leads the field with Brad Keselowski in second.

Joey Logano is reporting a vibration.

Thirty five to go; the top five are Joey Logano, Aric Almirola, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Alex Bowman.

The caution flag comes out when Timmy Hill has a badly smoking car and takes his car to the garage.

Leaders stay out, including Joey Logano despite reporting a vibration. D.J. Kennington is the lucky dog.

Martin Truex Jr was caught speeding on pit road.

Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 159 and holds on to the lead with Aric Almirola in second.

Aric Almirola and Joey Logano swap the lead back and forth with Joey Logano holding on to the lead.

The drivers are getting three and four wide across the track.

Lap 161 the top five are Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman, and Jimmie Johnson.

The drivers who made pit stops for fresh tires are driving through the field.

Lap 163 Joey Logano leads the race with pole sitter Kevin Harvick in second.

Crash on the track! The caution flag comes out on lap 165 for the big one. At least 13 cars were involved in the crash. Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Ryan Blaney, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Paul Menard, William Byron, Michael McDowell, Darrell Wallace Jr, AJ Allmendinger, Jimmie Johnson, Brendan Gaughan, Cole Whitt, and Kasey Kahne were all involved in the crash with a number of the them ending up in the garage.

All drivers sent to the infield care center are fine.

Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 170 and holds on to the lead.

The top five are Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Chase Elliott, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Lap 173 Joey Logano leads the pack with Kevin Harvick in second; Kurt Busch, Chae Elliott, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr round out the top five.

Lap 175 – only 10 to go – Joey Logano holds on to his tenth of a second lead on Kevin Harvick with Kurt Busch in third; Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Chase Elliott round out the top five.

Only seven laps to go and Joey Logano holds on to the lead with Kevin Harvick in second and Kurt Busch in third.

Four to go, Joey Logano continues to lead the field; followed by Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch.

Joey Logano takes the white flag. It has been a year since Logano has been to victory lane.

Joey Logano wins the race at Talladega!

The unofficial results of the Geico 500:
Joey Logano
Kurt Busch
Chase Elliott
Kevin Harvick
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
David Ragan
Aric Almirola
Alex Bowman
Ryan Newman
Daniel Suarez
Chris Buescher
Jimmie Johnson
Kyle Busch
Denny Hamlin
Ty Dillon
Darrell Wallace Jr
Kasey Kahne
Ryan Blaney
Matt DiBenedetto
D.J. Kennington
Cole Whitt
Brendan Gaughan
Timothy Peters
Gray Gaulding
Ross Chastain
Martin Truex Jr
Joey Gase
Jamie McMurray
William Byron
Paul Menard
Clint Bowyer
Michael McDowell
Brad Keselowski
AJ Allmendinger
Austin Dillon
Timmy Hill
Reed Sorenson
Trevor Bayne
Erik Jones
Kyle Larson