Aaron's 499 Race Preview

Talladega Superspeedway -- 04/27/08

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Tuesday Apr 22 2008 11:20pm

Talladega Superspeedway - the name immediately evokes images of wicked fast restrictor plate racing, multi-car drafting packs, and spectacular wrecks.

Dega humbly bills itself as the biggest, fastest, and most competitive motorsports facility in the world. It's a 2.66-mile, high-banked tri-oval course. The north and south turns are banked at 33 degrees, with 16.5 degrees of banking in the tri-oval.

There have been a total of 77 Cup races at Talladega dating back to the first one in 1969, but in recent years this has arguably been the House of Chevy. Over the past 36 races going back to the spring of 1990, 28 of them (77%) have been one by GM, with the remaining won by six Fords, a Pontiac, and even an Oldsmobile.

Statistically, Talladega has never favored Dodges, at least in terms of wins. You'd have to go all the way back to Dave Marcis in 1976 to find a Dodge driver in Victory Lane.

Among active drivers, Jeff Gordon (+525) has the most wins here with six in 30 Cup starts, including four wins in the past eight races and the sweep in 2007.

Other multi-race winners include Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+485) with five wins in 16 starts, and Mark Martin with two in 42 starts.

Although Dale Jr. won four straight here between 2001 and 2003, his last win came in the fall of 2004, and he's had only one top-10 finish in his past six Talladega starts.

Single race winners at Talladega include Brian Vickers, Bobby Labonte, Jimmie Johnson (+785), and Michael Waltrip.

Three drivers who've yet to win here lead the average finish category: Kurt Busch (+1400) at 10.0, Tony Stewart (+625) at 12.6, and Kevin Harvick (+1825) at 13.6.

Kurt Busch is arguably one of the best drivers here in recent years, with seven straight top-10 finishes and 11 overall in 14 starts, covering both his Roush and Penske years. "The truth is that I really enjoy plate racing," said Kurt in reference to both the Talladega and Daytona tracks. "It’s a different kind of challenge than what we do during the other 32 races of the season. There’s a big mental demand and it’ll wear you out, but the biggest thing about that type of racing is it truly is a total team effort. I’ve heard plate racing referred to as a high-speed chess match on wheels and that’s a pretty good description, I think. But at the same time, I have enough experience at the track and respect for the other competitors that I realize it can also turn into a scene that could be depicted as 190-mile-per-hour Russian roulette."

Tony Stewart, meanwhile, has been something of a perennial bridesmaid here at Dega, finishing second six times in 18 starts.

Current points leader Jeff Burton (+2850) has 28 Talladega starts with just two top-5 finishes. He ran 34th and 41st in his two appearances last season. Carl Edwards (+2350), who's won three times in eight races this season, has made seven Dega starts and with one top 5.

Kyle Busch (+645), the driver that all the buzz is about this year, has four DNF's at Talladega in six starts - three for wrecks and one for an engine. The fall 2006 race was the only one where he finished on the lead lap, starting sixth and coming in 11th.

Looking at total points earned here over the past five races including bonus points, Kurt Busch leads all drivers, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth (+2850), Tony Stewart, and Ryan Newman (+1950). Johnson won this race in 2006 and finished second in both races last year which were won by his Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon.

This is the first of five impound races in the 2008 season, meaning both practice sessions will be held on Friday followed by qualifying on Saturday. After qualifying, NASCAR will "impound" the cars, and teams will not be permitted to work on them again until the first pit stop on Sunday.

If the race happens to go green for any length of time at the beginning, cars that need work early may be forced to pit under green, though cars can quickly move from the back to the front and vice versa as a result of the draft.