The NASCAR playoffs move to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend where 11 of the 12 remaining Chase Grid drivers will be in fear of the “Big One.”
When the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competes on the super speedways on the circuit it means there will be pack racing. When there is pack racing the cars run at 200 plus mph just inches apart. When the cars run that fast that close somebody is bound to make a mistake, even a very small mistake. When even a very small mistake is made in a large pack of cars racing in the draft it typically leads to a chain reaction crash that collects multiple cars. When these multi-car crashes reach double digits (which happens often in pack racing) for the number of cars involved the name given to the accident is the “Big One.” The “Big One” happened earlier this year in the season’s first race at the track commonly just called “Dega.”
The obvious negative to being caught in the “Big One” is that it eliminates your chance at winning the race. The bigger issue for those drivers that are still championship contenders is that being caught in the “Big One” could also cause the loss of many valuable points that will be needed to advance to the next round of The Chase. Some playoff drivers, like Kyle Busch, had disastrous finishes in last week’s race and cannot afford to have another one this week if they hope to advance in the playoffs.
The drivers will have to constantly balance the risk versus reward factor in their mind as they rocket around the 2.66-mile track each and every lap. Stage racing has changed the bonus points structure and added the coveted playoff points to the equation, adding even more for the drivers to consider. This weekend’s Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will feature 55 laps of racing for stages one and two and end with a third and final stage of 78 laps to total 188 laps (500 miles) of racing while calculating if a maneuver is worth the risk.
Which active drivers have done the best at competing and calculating at “Dega” over their careers? Here is a look at those stats.
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Talladega
- Chase Elliott – 91.4
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 91.0
- Brad Keselowski – 88.7
- Kurt Busch – 88.4
- Jimmie Johnson – 88.1
- Matt Kenseth – 87.1
- Joey Logano – 84.6
- Ryan Blaney – 84.3
- Denny Hamlin – 84.2
- Kevin Harvick – 81.5
Driver names in red are current championship contenders.
NOTE: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2017 races (25 total) among active drivers at Talladega Superspeedway.
When it comes to winning at “Dega” Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the best among active drivers. He cannot win the championship in his final season as a full-time NASCAR driver, but Dale Jr. could add to his six career wins at Talladega. You know he will be trying to do just that to move him out of a tie at number two on the all-time winners at the track with Jeff Gordon. Playing the role of spoiler to the Chase Grid drivers this weekend with a win would make the only driver to have won more times than him at the track in NASCAR’s top division his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr. with 10 wins.
Brad Keselowski will be looking to add to his four career Talladega wins and earn an automatic advance to the next round on the Chase Grid.
Chase Grid drivers Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray each have two wins at “Dega” and will have the same goal as Brad, earning the automatic advance by winning the race.
Clint Bowyer and last year’s winner of this race Joey Logano also have two wins apiece. They are not in the playoffs so playing spoiler is in their minds.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. earned his first win in the Cup Series by winning the first race of the 2017 season at Talladega back in May. He added his name to the list of championship contending drivers that also have a single win at the track that includes Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch. All of these drivers would love to grab their second win at the track that would come with that automatic advance on the Chase Grid as a bonus.
David Regan is the only other active driver that has a win at Talladega and will be looking to play spoiler by getting win number two at the track this weekend.
NASCAR is the only sport that features championship contenders competing with non-championship contenders during the playoffs. It adds an extra element of calculation that those with a chance at the title have to factor in week to win, lap by lap and minute by minute in the race. When the playoffs is at Talladega Superspeedway, with the threat of the “Big One” the potential for disaster has to be added to that factoring.
The NASCAR drama will all unfold starting at 1:00 PM central time (2:00 PM eastern time) this Sunday, October 15th when the green flag waives to start the Alabama 500.
By: Buck Stevens
