Five Drivers To Watch For At Talladega
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The NASCAR Cup Series is in the midst of its 10 race playoff push, as the world’s best stock car drivers head to Alabama to take on the high banks of Talladega Superspeedway. While the fall Talladega race has been one of the most unpredictable events on the schedule the past few years, a few drivers do enter this weekend as favorites to come out on top. Of course, it takes more than just skill and a fast car to win at Talladega; Lady Luck must always be on your side if you want to avoid getting caught up in a wreck before the checkered flag. However, a few names stand out as talented and consistent superspeedway racers, and barring any unfortunate crashes that aren’t their fault, these five drivers will likely be mixing it up at the front when all is said and done.
Chris Buescher
(Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP)
Let’s start with the man who won the most recent superspeedway race just a couple of weeks ago in Daytona. While it was Chris Buescher’s first career win at a drafting track, the driver of the RFK #17 Ford has been strong at this style of racing for a couple of years now, especially in 2023. Even back before Brad Keselowski joined the fold, Jack Roush’s team was known for running well at Daytona and Talladega, especially after Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won a pair of superspeedway races for them back in 2017. This season has been more of the same for Roush, and more often than not, Chris Buescher is up front in the final few laps. He and Keselowski were the cars to beat in the summer Daytona race, and it would not surprise anyone to see Chris Buescher successfully defend his drafting track crown this weekend at Talladega.
Brad Keselowski
(Nigel Kinrade Photography) (Getty Images)
On the other side of the RFK garage sits owner-driver Brad Keselowski, who unlike his teammate Buescher has a storied resume at Talladega. He has won at the track a whopping six times in his career, which ties him for the second most Talladega wins along with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon. He won the fall race in both 2014 and 2017, and his most recent career victory came in the 2021 spring race. While Brad is yet to win in the next-gen car, his performances at drafting tracks have been off the charts, highlighted by two second place finishes at Atlanta and Daytona this year, respectively. He finished fifth at Talladega in the spring, and he will be keen to improve upon that result this time around.
Bubba Wallace
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Bubba Wallace’s first career Cup Series victory came at this race two years ago, when he held off the field lap after lap with weather approaching, before rain finally started to fall and the race was deemed official. While Bubba’s first ever victory did come from out of the blue, it shouldn’t have surprised people that it came at a superspeedway. Wallace has always been good at this style of racing; he even finished second in the 2018 Daytona 500 in only his fifth Cup start. Since then, he has continuously put his #23 Toyota up front at the end of superspeedway races. He was one lap away from taking victory in this race during the spring, but a couple of late blocks on Ryan Blaney sent him spinning into the wall, and down to 28th position. If Bubba can keep it clean and avoid any mistakes, he will almost certainly be a factor in the closing laps.
Denny Hamlin:
(John Bazemore/AP)
Denny Hamlin is one of the heavy favorites every time the Cup Series visits a superspeedway, and for good reason. Hamlin is one of the best superspeedway racers of this generation, having racked up five wins in his career across Daytona and Talladega, three of them being victories in the Daytona 500. The 42 year-old from Chesterfield, Virginia is one of the best at avoiding the chaos of plate racing and making his way to the front when the money is on the line. Sometimes, Denny hangs at the back all race and carves through the field when it’s go time. Other times, he stays up front for the entire event and puts a beatdown on the competition. Denny is yet to win at a drafting track in the next-gen era, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t capable of changing that. He is one of the hottest drivers in the Cup Series right now, and a motivated, confident Denny Hamlin is typically bad news for the rest of the field.
Ryan Blaney:
(Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire)
The final driver on this list, and my pick to win this weekend’s race at Talladega, is none other than 29 year-old Ryan Blaney. Since joining Team Penske back in 2018, Blaney has made a habit of putting on clinics at superspeedways. Three of his eight career wins have come on drafting tracks, but that doesn’t tell the full story of his prowess at plate racing. Blaney leads laps in most superspeedway races, and he has led at least one lap in nine of the last ten Talladega events. He won the fall race in 2019, and then followed it up with another win the following spring. Had Bubba Wallace not pulled a couple of late blocks on him, Blaney would likely be entering this weekend as the defending Talladega winner. He has been solid thus far through the playoffs, and strong on drafting tracks all season long, having finished in the top 10 in four of the five events. When all is said and done on Sunday, I think it will be Ryan Blaney taking the checkered flag first, and punching his ticket into the next round of the Cup Series playoffs.
Who do you have your eye on this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway?
