Aaron`s 499 Race Preview

Talladega Superspeedway -- 04/26/2009

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Tuesday Apr 21 2009 10:19pm

If you’re wondering what a restrictor plate race at Talladega is like from a driver’s perspective, here’s a descriptive quote from Richard Petty Motorsports driver Elliott Sadler: “Talladega is a 200-mile-per-hour chess match. It’s crazy to think that we have 43 drivers out there running wide open at three- and four-wide for almost four hours. Everyone has to be perfect. One person’s small mistake turns into ‘The Big One.’ The trick is to make sure that you are nowhere near the person that makes the mistake. My goal has always been to be going forward and not backward when I cross the finish line. If I can cross the finish line with little or no damage and heading in the right direction, I know I’ve had a good day.`

And you can believe that coming from Sadler, who had one of the most memorable ‘Dega wrecks ever in the fall 2004 race when his car flipped end-over-end at least five times. Thankfully, he was unhurt.

Although Talladega can be a wreckfest, it’s a track that some drivers delight in while others detest. The 2.66-mile tri-oval is one of just two restrictor plate tracks on the circuit (Daytona is the other) with 33-degrees of banking in the turns and 18 degrees in the tri-oval. Speeds routinely reach 200 miles per hour on the straights.

Perhaps the testing ban this year is part of the reason so many Cup drivers will be doing ‘double duty’ this weekend – 14 in fact – competing in both the Cup and Nationwide races. That list includes Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, David Reutimann, David Ragan, Joey Logano, Michael Waltrip, Joe Nemechek and Brian Vickers.

There have been 79 Cup races at Talladega dating back to 1969, and current Cup series points leader Jeff Gordon leads all drivers in wins here with six, including the sweep in 2007 and four of the last ten ‘Dega races. Last year, however, Gordon finished 19th in the spring race and 38th in the fall.

Alongside Gordon in the win column is Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. with five wins, though all five were between 2001-2004 when Earnhardt was with former team DEI. He finished 10th and 28th here last year.

Another HMS driver, last week’s Phoenix winner Mark Martin, has two wins at Talladega (’95, ’97). Single race winners include the fourth HMS teammate, Jimmie Johnson, along with Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch, Michael Waltrip, Bobby Labonte, and the fall winner last year, Tony Stewart.

Talladega has traditionally been considered a Chevy-dominated track, with all but one race from 1999-2007 going to something other than a Chevy team – a Ford in the fall of 2005. After that, it was another four straight for the manufacturer, but the streak was disrupted last year when Kyle Busch won the spring race and Stewart the fall, both in Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas.

Of course, Stewart is now back in a Chevy and finished a strong second to Mark Martin in Phoenix last week.

Looking just at the April race, Hendrick drivers won four straight here prior to last year - three by Jeff Gordon and one by Jimmie Johnson.

A driver we haven’t mentioned yet, Kurt Busch, who finished third in Phoenix last week, leads all drivers in the average finish category at Talladega with a 12.5. Although he hasn’t won a ‘Dega race, Busch has six top 5s and 11 top 10s in 16 starts, including four third-place finishes. Last year, though, Busch finished 39th in the spring race and 21st in the fall.

Following Busch in the average finish category are Tony Stewart, David Ragan, Kevin Harvick, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

With regard to total points accumulated at Talladega over the last five races (both spring and fall), the driver with the most points including bonus points is Jimmie Johnson. He had two second-place finishes here in 2007, and a 13th and 9th in 2008.

When looking at Talladega stats, it’s important to remember that some drivers tend to do better here in the spring or the fall, but not necessarily both. Tony Stewart, for example, finished 28th and 38th in the past two spring races, but 8th and 1st in the fall races – though he will be driving for a different team (his own) this year.

Current odds for select drivers for the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway:

Kyle Busch +500

Tony Stewart +800

Jeff Gordon +800

Dale Earnhardt Jr. +800

Jimmie Johnson +900

Denny Hamlin +1000

Carl Edwards +1200

Kurt Busch +1200

Kevin Harvick +1500

Mark Martin +1500

Matt Kenseth +1500

Brian Vickers +2500

Please check back before the race for our practice and qualifying update.

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