This Weekend in NASCAR – Talladega Superspeedway

It’s Talladega baby! High banks, high speed, and hold your breath action.

Talladega Superspeedway is located just north of the rural town of Talladega, Alabama not far from the metropolis of Birmingham. The track is a 2.66-mile trioval and was constructed in the early 60s by International Speedway Corporation under the watchful eye of Bill France. It is the only track on the NASCAR schedule that sees the start/finish line located past the mid-section of the front stretch – about midway between there and turn one. It is the longest track NASCAR races on.

This weekend sees races for both the NASCAR XFINITY Series (Saturday) and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (Sunday).

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off and returns to action May 8 at Kansas Speedway.

Weekend storylines follow…

Busch-Gibson Combo Morphing Into Championship Contenders

Many predicted this. Dating all the way back to his championship season of 2004, Richmond winner Kurt Busch had excelled with a crew chief who could be defined as “old school” – one who made decisions with a healthy mix of modern engineering smarts and plain old gut.

Busch won his title with a professor in old school ideals – Jimmy Fennig – calling the shots. Now, 11 years later, Tony Gibson — himself a ‘racer’s crew chief’ – takes his perch atop Busch’s pit box. And the resulting success is astounding.

Since Gibson joined the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing team with three races remaining in the 2014 season, Busch has rattled off some of the best numbers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Here are a few, and their relation to the competition (Note: Due to his suspension to open the 2015 season, Busch’s stats span nine races, compared to 12 for other drivers)…

His average finish with Gibson is 8.7, which ranks second only to Kevin Harvick’s 5.2
Busch’s driver rating with Gibson is 111.8, second to Harvick’s 130.6
His average running position is 7.0, second to Harvick’s 4.5
Despite three fewer races, he ranks fourth in fastest laps run (217) and second in laps led (536)

Gordon Building Top 10 Streak

After a tumultuous start to his farewell season, Jeff Gordon has strung together a streak of six consecutive top-10 finishes. The run has vaulted him from a season low points position of 36th after race No. 2 at Atlanta to his current position of 10th.

He has a long way to go to reach his personal best for consecutive top 10s, however. That mark, set over the course of the 1998-99 seasons, was 21. Gordon closed out his championship winning 1998 season with 20 consecutive top 10s (19 of which were top fives).

It’s fair to expect a seventh consecutive top 10 this weekend at Talladega. He’s the all-time winner at restrictor plate races, and leads all active drivers with 19 top 10s at the series’ largest track.

Moving On Up: Kahne And Johnson Turn Rough Starts Into Strong Finishes

Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson produced uncharacteristic qualifying efforts at Richmond over the weekend, earning starting spots of 40th and 36th, respectively. In Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400, the Hendrick Motorsports drivers outplayed the hands they were dealt. Kahne moved up a race-high 34 spots to finish sixth, while Johnson ascended 33 positions to register a third-place showing. Turning weak starts into strong finishes has been a pattern for Johnson this season. He won at Atlanta after starting the race 37th and finished second at Bristol following a qualifying effort of 28th.

McMurray Closing In On First Chase Appearance

Going into the season, much of the spotlight focused on Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson. It has been Jamie McMurray though, who has shined for the two-car team through the first nine races. McMurray placed fourth at Richmond for his fourth top-10 finish of the season and looked like the only driver who could challenge Kurt Busch for the victory with his abundance of long-run speed.

McMurray is known for winning big races (Daytona 500, 2010; Brickyard 400, 2010; NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, 2014), but has never earned a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup berth in his 12 previous full-time NSCS seasons. The No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet driver seems poised to make his first appearance in NASCAR’s playoffs this year with high finishes of second (Phoenix), fourth (Richmond) and sixth (Texas). A win at Talladega – the site of his last victory (Oct. 20, 2013) – would virtually qualify him for the Chase under the new “win and you’re in” format.

McMurray ranks ninth in the NSCS points standings.

Keeping Up With Keselowski: A Tough Task At Talladega

Brad Keselowski is no stranger to drama – in or out of the car.

Some of the best theater he’s provided has been with Talladega as his stage.

Most recently, the No. 2 Team Penske Ford driver delivered arguably the most riveting performance of 2014 at Talladega last fall. Heading into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Contender Round cutoff race at the behemoth track, Keselowski could only advance to the Eliminator 8 Round with a win. He had every reason to be flustered following on-track fisticuffs with Matt Kenseth and heavy criticism the week before, but the razor-focused Keselowski took the lead on a green-white checkered restart and held off several challengers for a breath-taking victory.

It wasn’t his first rodeo either.

Keselowski won at Talladega in spring of his 2012 NSCS championship season. In another dramatic finish, “Bad Brad” pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NASCAR history when he led only the last lap to park his Phoenix Racing Chevrolet in Victory Lane for his first career win (4/26/09).

Keselowski ranks fifth in the NSCS points standings on the basis of one win, three top fives and six top 10s.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“If you ain’t first, you’re last.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished first at Talladega in four consecutive races, a time period lasting from Oct. 21, 2001 to April 6, 2003. He took a two-race sojourn from Victory Lane with runner-ups in both events until he won his fifth and latest Talladega race on Oct. 3, 2004.

Ever since, as the great Ricky Bobby would say, Earnhardt’s “been last.”

Earnhardt has come close to winning Talladega over the last decade with runner-up finishes in spring of 2009 and fall of 2013. His statistics there are also still elite. The 12-time most popular driver claims the series-best average running position (14.5), the second-best driver rating (90.7) and the third- most quality passes (4,478). And, he’s led laps in 27 of his 30 Talladega starts.

For all of our fantasy readers, those numbers mean that the No. 88 Chevrolet driver is a solid pick this weekend.

Twice As Nice: Sadler Looking For Two In A Row At Talladega

Defending NASCAR XFINITY Series Talladega Superspeedway winner Elliott Sadler is looking to become the second driver in series history to win back-to-back series races at the famous 2.66-mile, high-banked, superspeedway this weekend in the Winn Dixie 300 (FOX at 3 p.m. ET) joining Martin Truex Jr. – who won three straight from 2004-2006.

Sadler is currently seventh in the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings, 49 points behind the series leader Ty Dillon. In 2015, Sadler has posted two top 10s and an average finish of 13.6.

Since 1992, when the NASCAR XFINITY Series debuted at Talladega, the series has produced 23 different winners but just two have won more than once – Martin Truex Jr. (three wins) and Joe Nemechek (two wins).

In his last four series starts at the 2.66-mile superspeedway he has an average finish of 6.8 and he ranks second in Driver Rating (110.1), and second in Average Running Position (8.405).

Sadler’s greatest attribute at Talladega has been ability to close out races at a high level. He leads the series in the loop data category ‘Closers’, averaging nine positions gained in the final 10% of races at Talladega – an average of 3.6 more spots gained than the next best competitor (Joey Logano, 6.4).

Points Battle Tension Rises As Series Heads To Talladega

A mere 11 points separate the top three in the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings following back-to-back short track races at Bristol and Richmond.

After two consecutive short-track races, the NASCAR XFINITY Series is jumping to the opposite end of the track spectrum for the second of three restrictor-plate races this season. At a track known for the unknown, Ty Dillon will try to hold on to his eight point lead over second-place Chase Elliott at Talladega Superspeedway.

Dillon retook the lead in the series standings following his ninth-place finish at Richmond. Dillon’s championship focus has translated well this season; he has posted three top fives, six top 10s and leads all series championship contenders in average finish with a 7.5.

But … Talladega is known to be a wild card. Dillon has struggled in his two starts there, posting an average finish of 19.5. Dillon’s nearest competitor in the standings, Chase Elliott, shares a similar average finish at Talladega with Dillon (19.0), but third-place Chris Buescher finished second in his series track debut at Talladega last season and also finished second in the 2015 season opener at Daytona. Buescher will also be getting extra seat time this weekend, as he is scheduled to run both the NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events.

Dillon finished third at Daytona earlier this season, his best restrictor-plate series career finish. If Dillon can win this weekend, it will be the first time in 22 years since the famous No. 3 car has visited Talladega’s Victory Lane in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt was the last to win at Talladega in the No. 3 in 1993.

Who’s Next? Superspeedways Are Super To First Time Winners

Earlier this season Ryan Reed became the seventh driver in series history to get his first NASCAR XFINITY Series career win at a superspeedway.

Who’s next?

Of the seven drivers who posted their first series career win at a superspeedway, only two have done it at Talladega – David Ragan (2009) and Greg Sacks (1996). The remaining five first-time winners all claimed their first victory at Daytona – Ryan Reed (2015), James Buescher (2012), Tony Stewart (2005), Chad Little (1995) and Dale Earnhardt (1982).

Three drivers currently in the top 10 in points are still looking for their first career NASCAR XFINITY Series win – Darrell Wallace Jr, Brian Scott and Daniel Suarez. Could these three be next on the list of NXS superspeedway first-time winners?

Roush Fenway Racing’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Darrell Wallace Jr. is currently fourth in series points, having posted two top-10 finishes this season. Wallace, an Alabama native, looked strong at Daytona earlier this season, leading 18 laps and finishing 12th in the season opener. Wallace made his series track debut last season at Talladega Superspeedway where he started third but was caught in a five car accident on Lap 45 that relegated him to a 31st-place finish. If Wallace can stay clear of trouble expect him to vie for the checkered flag on Saturday.

Richard Childress Racing’s Brian Scott is still looking for his first series career win. Scott is in his sixth full-time season and third with Richard Childress Racing. Scott has made five starts at Talladega posting one top 10 and an average finish of 23.4.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s latest wealth of talent comes from Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Daniel Suarez. Suarez took over the rookie standings lead from Darrell Wallace Jr. last weekend following his sixth-place finish at Richmond. Suarez is currently 10th in the series driver standings, 53 points behind points leader Ty Dillon. Suarez, who last season finished 15th at Talladega in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, will make his NXS debut at the 2.66-mile track on Saturday.

Chase Elliott Bouncing Back To Right Where He Wants To Be

Defending 2014 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott has climbed from 20th in the points to second in the seven races following the season opener at Daytona.

Just eight points separate Elliott and series standings leader Ty Dillon. On the strength of seven consecutive top-10 finishes, Elliott leads all series championship contenders in the following season-to-date categories: Average Running Position (8.147), Driver Rating (100.8) and Percentage of Laps Run in the Top 15 (94.1%).

In his lone Talladega start, Elliott started 37th and finished 19th last season.

Nine Drivers To Attempt Talladega Weekend Sweep

Nine drivers are scheduled to race in both the NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this weekend at Talladega: Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Austin Dillon, Aric Almirola, Brendan Gaughan, Chris Buescher, Landon Cassill, JJ Yeley and Brian Scott.

The ‘weekend sweep’ of both competing series (NSCS, NXS) at Talladega has happened three times – Ernie Irvan (1992), Dale Earnhardt (1993) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003).

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc…

Said Heads Unite: Boris Said will make his 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series debut with the first of seven scheduled starts in the No. 54 Monster Energy Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at Talladega this weekend. The 52-year old Carlsbad, California native will also compete at the following NASCAR XFINITY Series events in addition to Talladega: Iowa Speedway (May 17 and August 1), Chicagoland Speedway (June 20), the Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course (August 15), Road America (August 29) and Kentucky Speedway (September 26).

Drivers In The Booth: Fans will have the pleasure of two drivers contributing to the broadcasts of the Winn Dixie 300 at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. Ryan Blaney, driver of the Wood Brothers historic No. 21 Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be in the booth for the MRN radio race broadcast on Saturday. Also four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon will return to the FOX TV booth for his final appearance of this season.

Milestones Watch: Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher will make his 50th career NASCAR XFINITY Series start this weekend at Talladega. … TriStar Motorsport’s David Starr will also be making his 50th career NASCAR XFINITY Series start this weekend at Talladega.