Hurricane Helene: NASCAR insider shares update on Talladega plans

Everything remains on schedule as it pertains to next Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 race at Talladega Superspeedway with Hurricane Helene running through the southeastern United States this week, according to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports.

Outside campgrounds will open Monday and infield/superstretch campgrounds will open Wednesday morning, as planned.

Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane. The fast-moving storm quickly made its way into Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and the surrounding states, leaving a devastating impact in its path.

This Sunday’s race at Kansas, however, faces no impact from Helene. The Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN BET, the first Round of 12 race in the Cup Series playoffs, is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.

Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin co-favorites in NASCAR Round of 12 race at Kansas

Kyle Larson, who dominated the field at Bristol leading 462-of-500 laps, is the favorite to take the checkered flag at Kansas. The Hendrick Motorsports star has won twice at Kansas and finished inside the top 10 in each of his last six starts at the 1.5-mile track.

Another driver expected to be in contention is Denny Hamlin. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver deployed a conservative strategy in the Round of 16 but did just enough at Bristol this past Saturday to advance. He finished P4 at The Last Great Colosseum, and now heads to a track which he has won at four times and compiled six consecutive top five finishes.

With the unknown of Talladega looming, expect Hamlin to be on the offense at Kansas.

“Certainly, yeah. It’s all offense from this point forward,” Hamlin said. “So yeah, we’re going to Kansas, a track we’ve been really good at, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the run.”