NASCAR Talladega 2014: Lineup, starting grid for GEICO 500

We’re just hours away from the sixth race in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup at Talladega Superspeedway. Four drivers will be eliminated from contention once the GEICO 500 concludes. Guys like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson are all three guys who desperately need a win to keep their Chase hopes alive.

None of the three wound up winning the pole position for the race, however. Johnson came just short of doing so, but he was beaten out by Brian Vickers, who gets his first pole of the season. His average lap speed was 196.129 mph, and he’ll start opposite Johnson in the front row. Keselowski managed to come in fifth place and would start next to Michael McDowell in the third row if not for the fact that he’ll need to change his alternator and will therefore start at the back of the pack. The second row consists of AJ Allmendinger and Ryan Blaney.

Earnhardt will start all the way back at No. 29. Only four of the 12 drivers currently in the Chase managed to qualify in the top 12. That includes Johnson, Keselowski, Kasey Kahne (eighth) and Ryan Newman (11th), though again, Keselowski will have to start from the back thanks to an alternator change. Vickers is 22nd in points heading into the race.