Top NASCAR veterans Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer comprise a trio set to partake in the Pre-Race Fan Question & Answer Session prior to Talladega Superspeedway’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) event on Sunday, Oct. 14.
Held at Talladega’s famous start-finish line, race fans will get the opportunity to ask drivers questions in advance of the critical second race in the Round of 12 in the MENCS Playoffs. With a victory in the 1000Bulbs.com 500, a playoff driver can clinch a spot in the Round of 8. Fans who purchase Talladega’s Pre-Race Pit Pass Upgrade will have access to the exclusive session. Additional drivers/personalities who will join the Fan Q&A line-up will be announced at a later date.
Along with interacting with some of NASCAR’s brightest stars with the Pre-Race Pit Pass Upgrade, fans will also have the chance to walk down pit road and gain access to watch their favorite drivers make their way down the red carpet to the Drivers Meeting as well as numerous exhilarating festivities at the pre-race stage, including Driver Introductions for the 1000Bulbs.com 500. Below is a run-down on the trio headlining this fall’s Fan Q&A:
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing, has competed in 35 MENCS races at Alabama’s 2.66-mile tri-oval. The 2014 MENCS Champion captured his sole series track victory in the 2010 GEICO 500, and has also racked up three runner-up finishes along with seven top-five and 15 top-10 results in his Cup career at Talladega. He has also started on the pole twice at the superspeedway in the MENCS, including in the GEICO 500 earlier this season. It has been an historic year in the MENCS for “The Closer” so far, including a career-high seven victories and a series-best 12 stage wins.
Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 78 Toyota for Furniture Row Racing, will be making his 28th MENCS start at Talladega this fall. The reigning MENCS Champion has finished in the top 10 eight times, and earned the pole in the 2016 1000Bulbs.com 500. But more than a decade ago, Truex dominated NASCAR’s biggest track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he took three straight trips to Gatorade Victory Lane from 2004 to 2006. A victory at Talladega this fall for Truex, who already has four wins this season, would also give car owner Barney Visser his first triumph in his 27th start at the track.
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing, has grabbed two wins (2010 and 2011 fall races) in his 25 MENCS starts at the “biggest & baddest” track in NASCAR. Bowyer has tallied six top fives and 12 top 10s in the MENCS at Talladega, as well as one pole and two top-10 finishes in eight NASCAR Xfinity Series races at the 33-degree banked venue. The 39-year-old is having his best season since he finished runner-up in the MENCS championship in 2012, earning a drive to victory lane twice along with six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in the first 25 races of the season.
To purchase the Pre-Race Pit Pass Upgrade, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/pitpass or call 855-518-RACE (7223). The doubleheader NASCAR Playoff weekend kicks off on Friday, Oct. 12, with qualifying for the Talladega 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event. It, too, has playoff implications as the final race in the Round of 8 where the field of title contenders will be trimmed from eight to six. The Talladega 250 is set for a noon CDT start on Saturday, Oct. 13. Sunday’s (Oct. 14) 1000Bulbs.com 500 gets the green flag at 1 p.m. CDT. Anyone holding a Sunday ticket will also have access to the traditional Saturday Night Infield Concert presented by Wind Creek Casino and Hotel, located in the famous infield, featuring country music artist Chris Janson.
*Driver availability for the TSS Pre-Race Fan Question & Answer Session is subject to change and without notice. Neither NASCAR nor any of its affiliates are responsible for this event*
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