The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will hope to WIN the “Big One” without being IN the “Big One” at Talladega Superspeedway in the Geico 500.
After two weeks of beating and banging on the short tracks, the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers will get the chance to race wide open at the track simply called “Dega” this Sunday afternoon. That means instead of having the field spread out in a conveyor belt of cars all the way around the short track as in Bristol and Richmond, the cars will be nose-to-tail in packs running 200 mph around the 2.66 mile track at Talladega.
The problem with pack racing is that if one driver gets loose, blows a tire or just simply makes a mistake with just inches between the cars; one car spinning turns into two, three, four and even more cars hitting the wall or spinning down to the inside of the track in the blink of an eye.
The teams will need to have the cars set for speed and handling to give their driver the best chance of not finding themselves in that situation. The best way to avoid being a part of a multi-car wreck is to be at the front of the pack.
The ultimate bad situation is when one or two cars wrecking have ten or more cars behind them and collect them all in the ensuing crash. This is what racing fans that watch races at the super speedways call the “Big One” since it can include cars being involved into the double digits, even half the field of 43 cars.
Friends are important when racing at Talladega in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Sometimes those friends can be from your own racing team, and other times it is a car that is near you that both cars can benefit from drafting together.
Which active drivers have been the best over the past ten years at finding friends and avoiding the “Big One” at Talladega? Here are the top ten in driver rating at “Dega.”
#1 – Kyle Larson – 95.6 driver rating – 0 wins
Kyle has only been in two Sprint Cup races at Talladega. He finished 9th and 17th.
#2 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 90.7 driver rating – 5 wins
#3 – Matt Kenseth – 89.9 driver rating – 1 win
#4 – Kurt Busch – 88.3 driver rating – 0 wins
#5 – Jimmie Johnson – 87.5 driver rating – 2 wins
#6 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 85.0 driver rating – 0 wins
Ricky has only been in three Sprint Cup races at Talladega. He finished 13th, 3rd and 10th and DNQ for the fall race of 2014.
#7 – Brian Vickers – 84.0 driver rating – 1 win
#8 – Brad Keselowski – 82.9 driver rating – 3 wins
#9 – Joey Logano – 82.2 driver rating – 0 wins
#10 – Denny Hamlin – 82.0 driver rating – 1 win
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has to be a favorite heading into Talladega this week. He has the highest driver rating among drivers who have been racing at “Dega” for more than just a couple of years. If he can avoid being collected by another driver’s mistake and doesn’t have any mechanical issues (like his shifter vibrating loose) he should have a solid chance at getting his sixth win at Talladega and first win of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.
I will also be keeping an eye on Kurt Busch this weekend. Kurt has been having an incredible 2015 NASCAR season when you consider he missed the first three races of the year and is STILL in the top 20 for driver points and all but locked on the Chase Grid after winning last week in Richmond. It would not surprise me to see Kurt get his first win at Talladega by capturing back-to-back wins.
Kevin Harvick will likely play a role in the finish at Talladega considering the championship-defending season he has already this year. He has one once at Talladega although the track is not his best nor the worst. With an average finish of 16.2 at “Dega” you should expect to see Kevin near the front at the end and possibly have a shot at the win.
My “dark horse” pick for this week is Jeff Gordon (if Jeff could really EVER be a “dark horse” in any race he’s in). While he is out of the top ten in driver rating for the track (79.1, 14th best), Jeff is the active driver with the most wins at Talladega with six trips to Victory Lane. Jeff has had a frustrating start to his final full-time Sprint Cup season and could get things headed the right way this weekend with a win.
Denny Hamlin won the spring race at Talladega last year and could also be one to watch this weekend.
With pack racing, drafting and avoiding the “Big One” the view of who COULD win at “Dega” may change several times before the end of the race this week. Veteran driver or rookie driver can be taken out in a flash by being in the wrong place at the wrong time; or could find themselves in position to go for the win by NOT being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
One thing is sure, NASCAR fans will be watching with anticipation for the “Big One” with fingers crossed that their favorite is not a part of it. That will make the Geico 500 a thrilling race to watch when NASCAR waives the green flag at Talladega Superspeedway at 12noon central time this Sunday, May 3rd.
By: Buck Stevens
