The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Talladega for the Geico 500 on Sunday, April 21. The race will be live streamed on Sling (half off first month), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and fuboTV (free trial).

The Rick Hendrick Express rolls into Talladega Superspeedway, with Joe Gibbs Racing nipping at their bumpers.

Good luck to everyone else in the NASCAR Cup series.

Even at this high-banked madhouse in rural Alabama, which is usually as much of a crapshoot as any track on the circuit, there’s already a sense that 2024 is shaking out as a two-team sprint to the championship.

Through nine races, the top six spots in the standings are split evenly between the Hendrick and Gibbs powerhouses. They’ve hoarded nearly all the wins, too, with Daniel Suarez’s pulsating Atlanta victory being the only race that prevented a clean sweep.

William Byron already has three wins for Hendrick Motorsports, while teammate Chase Elliott took the checkered flag a week ago at Texas Motor Speedway. A third Hendrick driver, Kyle Larson, leads the standings and had won three straight poles until he was booted from qualifying Saturday because of an unauthorized change to his car.

Denny Hamlin, who has two wins for JGR and sits third in the points, doesn’t see anyone rising up to challenge the front-runners.

Brad Keselowski, among the multitudes who are lagging behind, shrugged his shoulders when asked if Hamlin’s assessment was on point.

The 2.66-mile Talladega trioval does provide a better opportunity for the also-rans to make their mark — especially the struggling Ford teams that have yet to win a race.

The Mustang showed impressive speed at both Daytona and Atlanta, which require similar setups to Talladega, and Michael McDowell of Front Row Motorsports added to that optimism by earning the pole position for the race Sunday at 182.022 mph.

He was followed by two more Ford drivers, Team Penske’s Austin Cindric (181.739) and McDowell’s Front Row teammate, Todd Gilliland (181.401).

Talladega is known for its huge wrecks and chaotic finishes, but McDowell said the Next Gen car has taken away some of the randomness at this place. The idea that one can take the checkered flag merely by avoiding the big crash no longer applies.

When is NASCAR race today?

The Geico 500 in Talladega is set for 2 p.m. (3 p.m. ET) on Sunday, April 21.

Will it be live streamed?

Sling

Sling Orange is $40 a month (half off the first month) and offers ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.

DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial.

There are four options of DirecTV Stream:

The Entertainment Package, which consists of 65+ channels, is $69.99 until the promotion runs out April 30. It’s the basic package for can’t-miss entertainment – including ESPN, TNT, Nickelodeon and HGTV.

The Choice Package has more than 90 channels and is $84.99 during the promotion. The channels in ENTERTAINMENT, plus MLB Network, NBA TV, college sports networks, and more. Enjoy Regional Sports Networks with no additional fees.

The Ultimate Package has more than 130 channels and is $114.99 during the promotion. Everything in CHOICE, plus Oxygen, Golf Channel, NHL Network, Universal Kids and more.

The Premier Package has more than 140 channels and is $159.99 during the promotion. Everything in ULTIMATE, plus HBO Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax and more.

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial that doesn’t require much effort.

To sign up, enter a phone number, email address and credit card, and you’ll receive five days of the service without charge.

In addition, enhance your experience with the DirecTV Stream device. While it doesn’t include a free trial, it give you access to thousands of apps like Netflix and more on Google Play. You can search using the voice remote with Google Assistant, and you can enjoy a traditional live TV channel guide. It is sold separately.

FuboTV

The game will be live streamed on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. The most basic of plans is the “fubo pro” package, which comprises 146-plus channels for $74.99 per month. Like all cord-cutting alternatives, there are plenty of options, especially for sports. It comes with more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

There is also the “fubo elite” package, which comprises 205-plus channels for $84.99 per month. It comes with fuboExtra (48 more channels) and News Plus (11 more channels). Plus, more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

The “fubo premiere” package is “fubo elite” with the addition of Showtime for $94.99 per month.

Will it be televised?

The Geico 500 will be televised on Fox.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.