Talladega Superspeedway could be the true turning point in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series does battle at the Alabama speedway on Sunday. Photo by NASCAR Via Getty Images
TALLADEGA, AL – Jimmie Johnson (six) and Brad Keselowski (one) have accounted for seven of the last eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships.
The two drivers better hurry if either hopes to increase that figure to eight-of-nine.
With one race left in the in the Contender Round, Keselowski (-19 points below the cutoff) and Johnson (-26) rank 10th and 11th respectively on the Chase Grid and are in danger of failing to make the eight-man Eliminator Round. Each competitor only controls his destiny by winning Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Otherwise, they must hope for colossal misfortune to the drivers ahead of them and record their own strong performances in the process to vault into the top eight.
Two factors are working in Keselowski and Johnson’s favor, but both come with major disclaimers:
1. The duo knows what it takes to clinch victory at the 2.66-mile restrictor plate track. Both Keselowski and Johnson have won twice at Talladega (Johnson in the spring 2006 and spring 2011; Keselowski in the spring of 2009 and spring of 2012). Their problem is that no one in the Chase era has won consistently at the Alabama track, which has seen different victors in its last seven races.
2. Talladega has a knack for treachery and unpredictability. It is a tough track to finish a race unscathed for even the most talented of drivers. Take Gordon for example – he leads all active drivers with six wins at Talladega, but has failed to finish nine times in 43 starts at the track. Johnson and Keselowski can gain huge chunks of ground with the high likelihood that someone currently ranked ahead of them suffers a rough day. Their problem? They have to avoid turmoil as well.
Keselowski ranks tied for the series lead with five victories this season and entered the Chase as the No. 1 seed. Johnson earned the fourth seed in the Chase with three wins and is the defending NSCS champion. He is attempting to win his seventh overall NSCS title, which would tie him with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for the most all-time.
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Three Races Remain, Three Points Separate Three Drivers Battling For Third
While Chase Elliott’s lead in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver standings has grown to a hefty 42 points over second-place Regan Smith, the battle between third, fourth and fifth is separated by a mere three points with three races remaining.
Richard Childress Racing’s Brian Scott, currently third in the standings, is just two points ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Elliott Sadler in fourth. Scott’s RCR teammate, Ty Dillon, resides in fifth just one point back from Sadler as the season nears its end.
The series is coming off a 19 consecutive race stretch in the schedule. During that span Brian Scott had the second-best average finish (8.6) behind points leader Chase Elliott (7.0). Scott has posted six top fives and 20 top 10s this season – a NNS career high. His season-to-date Driver Rating of 101.4 and Average Running Position of 7.4 both rank second among series championship contenders.
Just outside of third-place Brian Scott’s quarter panel, sits Elliott Sadler two points back in fourth. Sadler has posted one win (Talladega), six top fives, 22 top 10s and an average finish of 9.7 this season. Sadler moved to fourth in the standings following his ninth-place finish at Charlotte last weekend.
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Ty Dillon’s streak of seven consecutive top-10 finishes ended this past weekend at Charlotte when he was caught in a multi-car accident relegating him to a 30th-place finish and his first DNF of the season. The uncharacteristic result dropped Dillon from third to fifth in the standings, ultimately extinguishing his championship hopes. Despite the recent misfortune, Dillon’s rookie season has been quite impressive. In 30 starts, he has posted one win (Indianapolis), six top fives, 22 top 10s and an average finish of 9.6.
With so few points separating the three drivers, their performances at the final three races will be pivotal to their success. Dillon (11.5) has the best combined average finish at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead; followed by Sadler (14.7) and then Scott (16.3).
The NASCAR Nationwide Series action returns at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 1.
NASCAR Camping World Trucks: Darrell Wallace, Jr. Returns To Sweet Home Alabama
Darrell Wallace, Jr. hopes the “skies are so blue” this weekend as the Alabama native returns to his home track of Talladega Superspeedway for the Fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola.
Fourth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings, the 20-year-old currently rides a streak of consecutive runner-up finishes in his last two starts at Las Vegas and New Hampshire. Even with those results, Wallace has barely been able to gain ground on standings leader Matt Crafton, who finished third behind him in both races.
Wallace trails Crafton by 33 points in the standings and expressed his frustration with catching him in the Las Vegas post-race press conference when Crafton was asked about his outlook for Talladega.
“Don’t worry. (Crafton will) finish right behind the guy who’s trying to beat him in points,” Wallace jokingly interjected.
The No. 54 Kyle Busch Motorsports driver will make his second-career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Talladega after finishing 17th in his first appearance there last year.
On the season, Wallace owns two wins, seven top fives and 10 top 10s in 17 starts. He boasts a season-to-date 106.8 Driver Rating – the highest in the NCWTS.
Fun fact: Despite hailing from Mobile, Alabama, Wallace does not support the Alabama or Auburn football teams. Instead he is a huge fan of the University of Tennessee, where his mother, Desiree (Gillispie) Wallace ran track from 1983-84.
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