{"id":16764,"date":"2018-04-27T16:05:21","date_gmt":"2018-04-27T21:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=16764"},"modified":"2018-04-28T13:32:26","modified_gmt":"2018-04-28T18:32:26","slug":"nascar-friday-talladega-notebook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/04\/27\/nascar-friday-talladega-notebook\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR: Friday Talladega Notebook"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/b><\/p>\n

Talladega \u2013 the track where winning streaks come to die<\/b><\/p>\n

TALLADEGA, Ala. \u2013 Riding the crest of a three-race winning streak, Kyle Busch<\/strong> comes to Talladega<\/strong> with a chance to join elite company.<\/p>\n

In NASCAR\u2019s modern era (1972 to present), only eight drivers have managed to win four straight events in what is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Flavor Vote Toyota, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2018 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

With a victory in Sunday\u2019s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Busch would equal the four-victory streaks of Cale Yarborough (1976), Darrell Waltrip (1981), Dale Earnhardt Sr. (1987), Harry Gant (1991), Bill Elliott (1992), Mark Martin (1993), Jeff Gordon (1998) and Jimmie Johnson (2007).<\/p>\n

Given the random nature of restrictor-plate racing, however, Busch faces a formidable challenge. And he\u2019s also fighting history.<\/p>\n

Only three times in the modern era has a driver come to Talladega on a streak of three straight victories or more. Bobby Allison had won at Bristol, Trenton and Atlanta in 1972, but he finished third behind race winner James Hylton at NASCAR\u2019s longest oval.<\/p>\n

Earnhardt had a four-race string intact \u2013 with victories at Darlington, North Wilkesboro, Bristol and Martinsville \u2013 when he came to Talladega in 1987. There, the streak ended when Davey Allison won the race, with Earnhardt finishing fourth.<\/p>\n

Rusty Wallace had three straight short-track wins under his belt, at Bristol, North Wilkesboro and Martinsville, when he came to Talladega in 1993. But Wallace had to settle for sixth place in a race won by Ernie Irvan.<\/p>\n

Busch, who won at Talladega in 2008, will be the next to try.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s obviously a great opportunity to try to go race for four in a row, but definitely a different circumstance that we\u2019re coming to Talladega,\u201d Busch said on Friday between practices. \u201cI\u2019ve kind of heard some of the rumblings through the week about some of the guys that have been on streaks of three in a row or four in a row \u2013 whatever they\u2019ve been on, they\u2019ve never gone through a plate race, to the best of my knowledge.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes for a more challenging time to be able to get that fourth in a row, but also we\u2019ll know how much more rewarding it is when we do get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

DID TREVOR BAYNE JUST CALL HIS SHOT AT TALLADEGA?<\/b><\/p>\n

In the wake of the biggest NASCAR news of the past week, Trevor Bayne is dealing with disappointment.<\/p>\n

The announcement that veteran Matt Kenseth would return to Roush Fenway Racing for select races in the No. 6 Ford means that Bayne will have to share his ride for the rest of the season. When Kenseth gets behind the wheel at Kansas two weeks from now, Bayne will be on the sidelines.<\/p>\n

Behind his team transporter at Talladega Superspeedway, Bayne addressed the dramatic change in the plans for the No. 6 car. Bayne was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2013, but he said categorically on Friday that health issues had nothing to do with the addition of Kenseth to the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to get you all together to let you know that, first of all, my health is 100 percent,\u201d said Bayne, who did not take questions from reporters after his statement. \u201cI am as fit physically, mentally and spiritually as I have ever been to do my job well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second part is that my desire is still as it has always been since I was five-years-old, to come to the track every weekend to contend for wins and championships and be a driver at the top level in the Cup Series. Nothing there has changed. I am still going to pursue that, because I feel I have the ability to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roush Fenway believes Kenseth can help identify areas where the teams of Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. can improve performance. Bayne is currently 26th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings with a season-best finish of 12th at Texas.<\/p>\n

Bayne\u2019s only victory at NASCAR\u2019s highest level came in his second career start \u2013 in the 2011 Daytona 500, but the ride-sharing situation with Kenseth hasn\u2019t blunted his determination.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am here to win Talladega, as I had planned to do before any of this,\u201d Bayne said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clearly, though, Bayne now has a bit more motivation to fulfill that prophecy.<\/p>\n

JAMIE MCMURRAY BARREL-ROLLS DOWN TALLADEGA\u2019S BACKSTRETCH<\/b><\/p>\n

Roughly 10 minutes into Friday\u2019s final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Talladega Superspeedway, with lap speeds approaching 204 mph, a cut left-rear tire sent Jamie McMurray\u2019s No. 1 Chevrolet turning sideways in front of Ryan Newman\u2019s No. 31 Chevy.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jamie McMurray, driver of the #1 DC Solar Chevrolet, is interviewed in the garage area after an on track incident during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2018 in Talladega, Alabama. Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n

The impact from the nose of Newman\u2019s car launched McMurray\u2019s machine into the air. The car barrel-rolled down the backstretch, clipping the inside fencing as it rotated. Fortunately, the car landed upright, and McMurray emerged unhurt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard the tire start to come apart, and you\u2019re kind of along for the ride,\u201d said McMurray, who had set the fastest lap of the session at 204.975 mph two laps before the wreck. \u201cThe car, I think it turned to the right and then kind of back to the left, and I obviously was in the front of that draft. And then, once it starts rolling, you don\u2019t have any control.  You can\u2019t tell what\u2019s up and what\u2019s down\u2014you\u2019re spinning so fast. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was just thankful. Honestly, the whole time it\u2019s flipping I was like, \u2018Just please land the right way up so I can get out.\u2019 You just never know if there is going to be a fire. We literally had only run four or five laps, so you know you have a full tank of fuel. And so to get out upside down\u2014I\u2019ve never done that\u2014but it\u2019s a challenge when you watch guys try to do that. So I was just thankful that the car landed on all fours.\u201d<\/p>\n

McMurray and Newman both will resort to backup cars for Sunday\u2019s GEICO 500 and will start from the rear of the field according to NASCAR rules. So will Ty Dillon and Daniel Suarez, who also were involved in the chain-reaction accident as the trailing cars checked up behind McMurray and Newman.<\/p>\n

Dillon was fastest in Friday\u2019s opening practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hate that we don\u2019t get to take that car that had so much speed in practice to the race, but I think we can duplicate it with our back-up car,\u201d Dillon said. \u201cI think that our setup was really good, and I think we can be just fine going to the race. <\/p>\n

\u201cJust unfortunate to tear up a race car. Nobody\u2019s fault really. Jamie had a flat left rear and kind of a scary ride there.\u201d<\/p>\n