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NASCAR Playoffs at Talladega: 1000Bulbs.com 500 starting grid, lineup — Stewart-Haas Racing sweep

By Nick Tylwalk

TALLADEGA, AL - OCTOBER 13: Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford, and Aric Almirola, driver of the #10 Smithfield Bacon for Life Ford, talk during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 13, 2018 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Getty Images)
TALLADEGA, AL - OCTOBER 13: Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford, and Aric Almirola, driver of the #10 Smithfield Bacon for Life Ford, talk during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 13, 2018 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Getty Images) /
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One of the top teams in NASCAR will start the typically unpredictable fall Talladega race from the best possible spots.

At Talladega Superspeedway, there are often cars that want to work together in the draft but need to find their way together first. That won’t be an issue for the four Stewart-Haas Racing entries during the 1000Bulbs.com 500 on Sunday.

An already intense NASCAR Playoffs figures to get another shake-up, but with Kurt Busch starting from the pole and his teammates Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola right behind him, SHR is in fairly good shape to weather any early race chaos. That’s key since all four of the team’s drivers are still in championship contention.

That isn’t the case for Hendrick Motorsports, where only Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman are still in the hunt. Yet that team also qualified in a pack, taking all the spots in Rows 3 and 4.

Yet another pair of teammates, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, will start the day in Row 5, so there should be no problem in the early going with drivers finding someone to work with in the draft. After that, however, all bets are off, and there is a playoff driver (Kyle Larson) starting as far back as 34th.

Next. Peek behind the scenes at Rutledge Wood and his custom NASCAR on NBC Air Jordans. dark

Coverage of the 1000Bulbs.com 500 from Talladega is scheduled to get underway at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC, with the green flag expected around 2:05 p.m.  Be sure to check back here at FanSided.com for highlights, stage results and much more throughout the afternoon.

2018 1000Bulbs.com 500 starting grid for Talladega Superspeedway

  1. Kurt Busch – No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford
  2. Clint Bowyer – No. 14 Cummins/Rush Truck Centers Ford
  3. Kevin Harvick – No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford
  4. Aric Almirola – No. 10 Smithfield Bacon for Life Ford
  5. Chase Elliott – No. 9 NAPA NIGHTVISION LAMPS Chevrolet
  6. Jimmie Johnson – No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet
  7. Alex Bowman – No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet
  8. William Byron – No. 24 Hertz Chevrolet
  9. Kyle Busch – No. 18 M&M’S Toyota
  10. Denny Hamlin – No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota
  11. Martin Truex Jr. – No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/5-hour ENERGY Toyota
  12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – No. 17 SunnyD Ford
  13. Daniel Suarez – No. 19 STANLEY Toyota
  14. Michael McDowell – No. 34 Speedco/Rotella Ford
  15. Erik Jones – No. 20 Craftsman Toyota
  16. David Ragan – No. 38 1000Bulbs.Com Ford
  17. Bubba Wallace – No. 43 Medallion Bank/Petty’s Garage Chevrolet
  18. Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Ford
  19. Ryan Blaney – No. 12 REV Ford
  20. Joey Logano – No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford
  21. Austin Dillon – No. 3 American Ethanol e15 Chevrolet
  22. Ryan Newman – No. 31 Liberty National Chevrolet
  23. AJ Allmendinger – No. 47 Kroger ClickList Chevrolet
  24. Trevor Bayne – No. 6 AdvoCare Rehydrate Ford
  25. Regan Smith – No. 95 Procore Chevrolet
  26. Chris Buescher – No. 37 Bush’s Chili Beans Chevrolet
  27. Matt DiBenedetto – No. 32 Dude Wipes Ford
  28. Brendan Gaughan – No. 62 Beard Oil Distributing/South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet
  29. Ty Dillon – No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet
  30. Paul Menard – No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford
  31. Jamie McMurray – No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet
  32. JJ Yeley – No. 23 Steakhouse Elite Toyota
  33. D.J. Kennington – No. 7 WILRIDE Transport LTD Chevrolet
  34. Kyle Larson – No. 42 Credit One Bank Chevrolet
  35. Jeffrey Earnhardt – No. 96 Xtreme Concepts/iK9 Toyota
  36. Ross Chastain – No. 15 Xchange of America/Solomon Plumbing Chevrolet
  37. Joey Gase – No. 00 PFK Foundation Chevrolet
  38. Landon Cassill – No. 99 StarCom Fiber Chevrolet
  39. Cody Ware – No. 51 Jacob Companies Ford
  40. Corey LaJoie – No. 72 Winn Dixie Chevrolet
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