{"id":35933,"date":"2021-09-30T15:55:38","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T20:55:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=35933"},"modified":"2021-10-04T11:56:46","modified_gmt":"2021-10-04T16:56:46","slug":"nascar-weekend-preview-talladega-superspeedway-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/30\/nascar-weekend-preview-talladega-superspeedway-4\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR Weekend Preview: Talladega Superspeedway"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Ford drivers look to extend domination in Talladega Playoff race<\/b><\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway may be the great unknown for most competitors, but for those driving Fords, it could be a welcome opportunity.<\/p>\n

Led by Team Penske, Ford drivers have dominated the recent action at NASCAR\u2019s longest closed course, and that\u2019s sufficient cause for optimism entering the YellaWood 500 (2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards\/Sylvania Ford, leads the field during the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, 2021 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Fords have won 10 of the last 12 races at the 2.66-mile track, with Team Penske drivers Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney accounting for eight of those victories. Blaney has won two of the last four events.<\/p>\n

Over the last dozen races, the only cracks in the mastery of the Ford drivers have been Chase Elliott\u2019s victory in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 2019 and Denny Hamlin\u2019s triumph in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in last year\u2019s Playoff race.<\/p>\n

Though Talladega is a track many drivers dread because of the close-quarters drafting and potential for multicar accidents, Keselowski and Logano in particular may well relish the chance to improve their relative positions in the Playoff standings.<\/p>\n

Coming off a workmanlike seventh-place finish in last Sunday\u2019s Round of 12 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Keselowski is eighth in the standings, a mere four points ahead of William Byron, the first driver below the current cutline for the Round of 8.<\/p>\n

Keselowski can point to six victories at Talladega, most among active drivers. He has led laps in 10 of the last 11 races there and has suffered only four DNFs (three for crashes) in 25 career starts.<\/p>\n

Logano has three Talladega wins to his credit but has crashed out of the last two events. Given his current seventh-place position in the standings\u2014just six points above the cutline \u2014 that\u2019s a trend he hopes to end on Sunday.<\/p>\n

In Logano\u2019s view, the best way to accomplish that is for the Ford drivers to work together, whether they\u2019re in the Playoff or not.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s a Ford in the Playoffs or a Ford out of the Playoffs, I think you\u2019re going to see the Blue Ovals stick together and try to work out the best race possible,\u201d Logano said. \u201cI think that\u2019s not only the best way to get yourself to the front, but it\u2019s the safest way.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have people that are on your side, and they\u2019re not putting you in horrible positions, those are probably the cars you want to have around you. Most likely, that\u2019s going to be a teammate or a Ford teammate\u2014or maybe there\u2019s just a few you can count on one hand that you can trust outside of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamlin is the only driver who can view the YellaWood 500 with relative comfort. With his victory last Sunday at Las Vegas, Hamlin already has earned a spot in the Round of 8 without having to sweat out the final two races in the Round of 12 at Talladega and the Charlotte ROVAL.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a huge source of relief to the driver of the No. 11 Toyota, who doesn\u2019t have a top 10 to show for his three starts at the Roval.<\/p>\n

\u201cDefinitely\u2014especially with the rest of this crazy round coming up,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cTalladega and the ROVAL are places where you don\u2019t always have control over your own result, so it\u2019s good to know we don\u2019t have to worry about what might happen these next two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Series leader Kyle Larson is 57 points clear of the current cutline, but in 13 starts at Talladega, he has no top fives, only two top 10s and an average finish of 23.5.<\/p>\n

Kaulig Racing has the cars to watch in Talladega Xfinity race<\/b><\/p>\n

In sharp contrast to Ford\u2019s domination of recent NASCAR Cup Series racing at Talladega Superspeedway, Chevrolet drivers have won the last five NASCAR Xfinity Series events at the 2.66-mile track.<\/p>\n

Kaulig Racing drivers have taken the checkered flag in the last three Xfinity races at Talladega, and that organization will bring its formidable superspeedway package to Saturday\u2019s Sparks 300 at Talladega, the second race in the series\u2019 Round of 12 (4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/p>\n

\u201cKaulig Racing is always fast at superspeedways, and this is one of my favorite tracks to go to,\u201d said Justin Haley, who swept the two Xfinity races at Talladega in 2020 and has won two of the last three events at Daytona.<\/p>\n

Headed for full-time Cup racing as Kaulig moves up to NASCAR\u2019s top division next year, Haley will drive the No. 16 Chevrolet in Sunday\u2019s Cup event.<\/p>\n

Teammate Jeb Burton is the most recent winner at Talladega, as Kaulig extended its streak at the track in this year\u2019s spring race. Burton could use another victory after falling 27 points below the current Round of 8 cutoff, thanks to a 36th-place finish last Saturday at Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur last trip to Talladega resulted in my first-ever Xfinity Series win, so I\u2019m looking forward to getting back there,\u201d Burton said. \u201cThe Kaulig Racing Chevys are always great at the superspeedways, so we know we\u2019ll have some speed this weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got ourselves into a little bit of a hole at Las Vegas, so I\u2019m looking forward to getting back on track this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teammate AJ Allmendinger, the Regular Season Champion, enters Saturday\u2019s race with a 59-point cushion over ninth-place Myatt Snider, but Allmendinger surrendered the series lead to reigning Xfinity champion Austin Cindric with a seventh-place Las Vegas finish to Cindric\u2019s fourth.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, our goal for this weekend is to try and survive, get good points and make sure we don\u2019t have to fight to make it to the next round the following week in Charlotte,\u201d Allmendinger said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Kaulig Racing cars will be hard to beat if we can all get up front and run together.\u201d<\/p>\n

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoff contenders look to rebound at Talladega<\/b><\/p>\n

Last Friday\u2019s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway turned the Playoff race upside-down.<\/p>\n

Defending series champion Sheldon Creed is among those who will try to climb back onto the right side of the cutline when the series visits Talladega Superspeedway for Saturday\u2019s Chevrolet Silverado 250 (1 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/p>\n

Creed was wiped out in a late crash at Vegas that also eliminated Playoff driver Chandler Smith. Creed was credited with a 36th-place result and fell five points behind Matt Crafton\u2014part of a 1-2-3-4 ThorSport Racing finish\u2014in battle for the final position in the Championship 4.<\/p>\n

Creed has one top 10 in two Talladega starts in the Truck Series, but he views Saturday\u2019s race with optimism.<\/p>\n

“I think we have a good opportunity to overcome last weekend’s mistakes,\u201d Creed said. \u201cStatistically, I’m not that great of a superspeedway racer, but I always enjoy racing on these types of tracks. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think that in order to be competitive on Saturday, we need to race aggressive from the start, but we can’t afford to get ourselves in trouble. If we can walk away with some solid stage points and a good finish, I’ll be a pretty happy guy as we look forward to inching our way closer to Phoenix.”  <\/p>\n

Regular Season Champion John Hunter Nemechek also had a rough night in Vegas, finishing 33rd after experiencing electrical issues on his No. 4 Toyota. Thanks to a large Playoff point cushion, however, Nemechek remains second in the standings, just six points behind current leader Ben Rhodes, who rose to the top of the grid with a runner-up result last Friday.<\/p>\n

NASCAR Cup Series<\/b><\/p>\n

Next Race: YellaWood 500<\/b><\/p>\n

The Place: Talladega Superspeedway<\/b><\/p>\n

The Date: Sunday, October 3<\/b><\/p>\n

The Time: 2 p.m. ET<\/b><\/p>\n

TV: NBC, 1 p.m. ET<\/b><\/p>\n

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)<\/b><\/p>\n

Distance: 500 miles (188 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60),<\/b><\/p>\n

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 120), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 188)<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/b><\/p>\n

NASCAR Xfinity Series<\/b><\/p>\n

Next Race: Sparks 300 at Talladega<\/b><\/p>\n

The Place: Talladega Superspeedway<\/b><\/p>\n

The Date: Saturday, October 2<\/b><\/p>\n

The Time: 4:30 p.m. ET<\/b><\/p>\n

TV: NBCSN, 4 p.m. ET<\/b><\/p>\n

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)<\/b><\/p>\n

Distance: 300.58 miles (113 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 25),<\/b><\/p>\n

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 50), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 113)<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/b><\/p>\n

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series<\/b><\/p>\n

Next Race: Chevrolet Silverado 250<\/b><\/p>\n

The Place: Talladega Superspeedway<\/b><\/p>\n

The Date: Saturday, October 2<\/b><\/p>\n

The Time: 1 p.m. ET<\/b><\/p>\n

TV: FS1, 12 p.m. ET<\/b><\/p>\n

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)<\/b><\/p>\n

Distance: 250.04 miles (94 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 20),<\/b><\/p>\n

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 40), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 94)<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Ford drivers look to extend domination in Talladega Playoff race Sunday\u2019s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway may be the great unknown for most competitors, but for those driving Fords, it could be a welcome opportunity. Led by Team Penske, Ford drivers have dominated the recent action […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":33455,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[16,208],"class_list":["post-35933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-nascar","tag-talladega-superspeedway"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/GettyImages-1314392421-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-9lz","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35933"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35933\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35935,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35933\/revisions\/35935"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}