Aaron's 499 Driver Rankings - Talladega Superspeedway
Track Info:
Length: 2.660 miles
Shape: Tri-oval
Type: Superspeedway
Location: Talladega, Alabama
Talladega, Alabama: the longest track on the NASCAR schedule and a restrictor plate track. That means it is virtually impossible to predict what is going to happen. For 188 laps the big one looms, ready to take out a good portion of the field. We also have the added complication of the new rear spoiler. We will get our first view of that on Monday from Texas, but it should affect the cars more at Talladega. We shall see which team can adjust to it best, but the thinking is it will give the guys who performed better in the old car an additional edge.
Jamie McMurray, #1 Bass Pro Shops, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing [Yahoo Class B]
This may seem a little silly, but this guy has won the last two restrictor plate races in the Cup series. On top of that, three of his four wins have come in these types of races, and he won here last fall. He should have a very good day.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., #88 National Guard/Amp Energy, Hendrick Motorsports [Yahoo Class B]
The great thing about this type of racing is I get to rank guys in a whole different light. If Dale is ever going to get his mojo back it will be at this kind of track. The Hendrick cars run well here, and Junior can see the air like his daddy could.
Brad Keselowski, #12 Penske Racing, Penske Racing [Yahoo Class B]
This is another one of those silly ones, but in two races here Brad has a win and an 8th place finish. That is pretty good, and he is in far better equipment than what he was in when he won here a year ago.
Joey Logano, #20 Home Depot, Joe Gibbs Racing [Yahoo Class B]
Joey finished third here last fall, and 9th in this race one year ago. He has a knack for avoiding trouble and letting his Gibbs powered race car get him toward the front.
Ryan Newman, #39 U.S. Army/All-American Bowl, Stewart-Haas Racing [Yahoo Class B]
The win at Phoenix seemed to knock the funk away from this team. Ryan is fast, always has been and he nearly won this race a year ago. His average finish here is 22.5 but that counts an ugly incident last fall where he landed upside down.
Jimmie Johnson, #48 Lowe's, Hendrick Motorsports [Yahoo Class A]
Even given the wackiness that usually surrounds this race, it is hard to pick against Jimmie. In the spring he tends to hang back, avoid trouble and not push for the win. His average finish of 14.5 seems to support that strategy.
Greg Biffle, #16 3M, Roush Fenway Racing [Yahoo Class A]
For whatever reason Greg seems to be one of the Roush cars who can keep himself out of trouble (that is when he is not being wrecked by his own teammate). He finished both 2009 races here in the top ten.
Kurt Busch, #2 Miller Lite, Penske Racing [Yahoo Class A]
Kurt has become a very good racer at these types of tracks over the years. The Penske cars look good, and they should be at the front of the field late in the race. That is the best way to score a good finish at Talladega.
David Ragan, #6 UPS, Roush Fenway Racing [Yahoo Class B]
Much like McMurray, David's real successes in Roush equipment have come at this track. His average finish here is 9th, and he won his first Nationwide series race here a year ago.
Tony Stewart, #14 Office Depot/Old Spice, Stewart-Haas Racing [Yahoo Class A]
Tony is hot, and very good at this kind of racing. I think the spoiler helps him the most, as he was not very happy in the car with that wing on the back.
Scott Speed, #82 Red Bull, Red Bull Racing Team [Yahoo Class C]
Man, Talladega... so let's get a little crazy. Scott is going to win a race soon, and he finished 5th here a year ago. His average finish here is 16th.
Kyle Busch, #18 M&M's, Joe Gibbs Racing [Yahoo Class A]
Kyle is a high risk, high reward kind of driver; this is a high risk, high chance to screw up kind of track. If he can avoid trouble, he may win, if he cannot......
| Next Page >> |
