NASCAR At Talladega Superspeedway: Start Time, Starting Lineup, TV/Radio Listings And More

It’s NASCAR race day at Talladega Superspeedway, and we’ve got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about the Aaron’s 499 race for you below.

Start time: The command to start engines will be given by national championship college football coach Gene Chizik (Auburn) at 1:08 p.m. Eastern time (12:08 local). That might be interesting, since the ‘Dega stands will have many Alabama fans as well as Auburn fans. The actual start time of the race will be 1:20 p.m. Eastern. So if you want to skip the pre-race show and just tune in for the race itself, turn on your TV set at 1:20. Waving the green flag today is the winner of an Aaron’s contest.

Race name/distance: The race is called the Aaron’s 499 because the furniture rental chain offers some deals for $99 a month. Get it? “For” “99?” Actually, though, the race isn’t 499 miles. It’s 188 laps around the 2.66-mile track, which is 500.8 miles. But who’s counting?

TV and radio: As for all of the races through May, FOX is televising the Aaron’s 499. The radio broadcast can be found on your local Motor Racing Network (MRN) affiliate. Click here to see a list of MRN stations where you can listen.

National anthem: Someone named Ashton Sheppard is singing the anthem today. We’re not familiar with Ashton, but Google tells us she’s a country music singer.

Last time: In an amazing race that will be hard to top, Kevin Harvick beat Jamie McMurray to the line in last year’s Aaron’s 499. The race featured the all-time NASCAR records for both lead changes and different leaders. Last fall, Clint Bowyer beat Harvick in a Talladega race that ended under caution.

Starting lineup for today’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway: