NASCAR races at the longest track on its schedule this weekend, the high banking of the Talladega Superspeedway, in the Aaron’s 499.
Talladega is fast. Even with restrictor plates, the fastest lap at Talladega (191.712 mph set by David Gilland in 2006) is only five mph slower than the fastest lap on track this century (Brian Vickers, 196.235 mph at Texas Motor Speedway.)
What Talladega has that the non-plate superspeedways lack, is high-tension pack racing, where the whole field can be jammed together 3-wide and 14-deep, where the slightest bobble can mean a massive pileup.
Multicar wrecks can happen at any track—last week’s race in Texas showed that. But wrecks at restrictor-plate tracks tend to be a lot bigger and a lot scarier, sometimes taking out half the field, and sometimes sending cars flying through the air (as Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman can attest to.)
A large part of watching a race at Talladega is anticipating the “Big One.” It is coming, it is inevitable, but it is avoidable—some drivers will sneak by. The question is, will your favorite driver get caught up or get by?
The last Talladega race almost wasn’t a race, as drivers, rebelling against NASCAR’s rule banning bump drafting, circled the track at a leisurely pace for four-fifths of the race. When the racing really started, there were two major wrecks, which between them eliminated half the field.
Talladega is basically a crapshoot—whoever leads at whatever point is irrelevant. Whoever leads after the wrecking has stopped will win the race, and that is entirely a matter of luck.
Jimmie Johnson seemed unstoppable at the start of the season with three wins in the first five races. But Johnson hasn’t won since, though he came close with a second in Texas, and a third in Phoenix. His points lead is down to 108, with three drivers—Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, and Kevin Harvick—ready to replace him if he gets caught up in any kind of incident.
The once-dominant Hendrick Motorsports team finds itself threatened—while Hendrick has four drivers in the top 12 (Johnson, Martin, Gordon, and Earnhardt) only three of them are reliable (sorry Junior fans, but Dale is good when he’s good and mid-pack the rest of the time.)
Joe Gibbs Racing is represented by Denny Hamlin, the season’s only multiple winner besides Johnson, along with Kyle Busch, and Joey Logano.
Roush Fenway driver Matt Kennseth is in second despite not having won a race, and Greg Biffle is third, also on the strength of consistency (six and seven top-five finishes for the pair, respectively.)
Penske driver Kurt Busch is the only other driver in the top 10 with a win. He is too far back to threaten the leaders in one race, but Penske looks strong this year, and a win at Talladega would get Busch a lot closer.
Richard Childress Racing started fast this season, and the cars have stayed near the front, but haven’t won yet.
Only 12 drivers get into the Chase, and anyone in the top 20 now has a chance, but who will win Talladega? Depends on the wrecks.
Talladega is fast. Even with restrictor plates, the fastest lap at Talladega (191.712 mph set by David Gilland in 2006) is only five mph slower than the fastest lap on track this century (Brian Vickers, 196.235 mph at Texas Motor Speedway.)
What Talladega has that the non-plate superspeedways lack, is high-tension pack racing, where the whole field can be jammed together 3-wide and 14-deep, where the slightest bobble can mean a massive pileup.
Multicar wrecks can happen at any track—last week’s race in Texas showed that. But wrecks at restrictor-plate tracks tend to be a lot bigger and a lot scarier, sometimes taking out half the field, and sometimes sending cars flying through the air (as Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman can attest to.)
A large part of watching a race at Talladega is anticipating the “Big One.” It is coming, it is inevitable, but it is avoidable—some drivers will sneak by. The question is, will your favorite driver get caught up or get by?
The last Talladega race almost wasn’t a race, as drivers, rebelling against NASCAR’s rule banning bump drafting, circled the track at a leisurely pace for four-fifths of the race. When the racing really started, there were two major wrecks, which between them eliminated half the field.
Talladega is basically a crapshoot—whoever leads at whatever point is irrelevant. Whoever leads after the wrecking has stopped will win the race, and that is entirely a matter of luck.
Jimmie Johnson seemed unstoppable at the start of the season with three wins in the first five races. But Johnson hasn’t won since, though he came close with a second in Texas, and a third in Phoenix. His points lead is down to 108, with three drivers—Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, and Kevin Harvick—ready to replace him if he gets caught up in any kind of incident.
The once-dominant Hendrick Motorsports team finds itself threatened—while Hendrick has four drivers in the top 12 (Johnson, Martin, Gordon, and Earnhardt) only three of them are reliable (sorry Junior fans, but Dale is good when he’s good and mid-pack the rest of the time.)
Joe Gibbs Racing is represented by Denny Hamlin, the season’s only multiple winner besides Johnson, along with Kyle Busch, and Joey Logano.
Roush Fenway driver Matt Kennseth is in second despite not having won a race, and Greg Biffle is third, also on the strength of consistency (six and seven top-five finishes for the pair, respectively.)
Penske driver Kurt Busch is the only other driver in the top 10 with a win. He is too far back to threaten the leaders in one race, but Penske looks strong this year, and a win at Talladega would get Busch a lot closer.
Richard Childress Racing started fast this season, and the cars have stayed near the front, but haven’t won yet.
Only 12 drivers get into the Chase, and anyone in the top 20 now has a chance, but who will win Talladega? Depends on the wrecks.
