Weather Forecast for NASCAR Cup Series 2021 GEICO 500 at Talladega: Will Rain Affect the Race?

Published 04/23/2021, 7:30 AM EDT

After the Richmond race, the NASCAR Cup Series paddock visits the Talladega Superspeedway. Denny Hamlin starts on pole position for this race ahead of Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr.

As always, many have to keep an eye on the heavens to ensure that there is no rainfall during the race. On the bright side, the weather forecast suggests that fans can expect mixed conditions for much of the weekend.

Climate-wise, the Talladega Superspeedway will bear witness to 75°F temperatures. There is also be a minimum of 51°F and frequent storms on Saturday when the Xfinity race is scheduled.

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Meanwhile, Sunday will experience cloudy weather with temperatures ranging between 47°F and 74°F.

Around race time, conditions are expected to be much better this weekend with clear skies for the most part of it.

What to expect at the NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega?

The race will be interesting, and there will be drivers who are considered the favorites. This includes Brad Keselowski, who has won 3 races at the track.

However, he has a mountain to climb, starting in 10th place, with plenty of top drivers in front of him. Other GEICO 500 winners include Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Logano.

Blaney won last year’s GEICO 500 and will definitely be a strong contender to win. The #12 Penske driver starts in 7th place on the grid, alongside Elliott.

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Of course, it would be presumptuous to rule out Martin Truex Jr, who notched up two wins in this unpredictable 2021 season. He is the only driver to have won 2 races this season, as the last 9 races have given fans 8 different winners.

NASCAR Cup Series 2021 Race at Talladega: What Time is the Race? Where to Watch it?

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It is also worth mentioning that the drivers just wrapped up an iRacing event at Talladega. Brad Keselowski won the virtual race, which will definitely boost his confidence ahead of this weekend’s race.

However, Hamlin, Logano, Truex Jr, and the rest of the pack are no slouches, but stranger things have happened this season.

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Written by:

Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.