Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports GEICO 500 Race Preview

“I like Talladega because it’s our chance to shine. As a smaller team, you love the big tracks because the draft is the great equalizer. At the same time, as a driver, I dislike the fact that it takes a lot of things out of our own hands. Anything can happen. A guy can take you three-wide and slip and dump you, or you can make a wrong move and take out yourself and everybody else. You’re playing with inches at 200 miles an hour. It can be easy for anyone to make a mistake. It’s fun because we have an opportunity to race for a win. But I hate getting wrecked out for no reason. But that’s just part of it. We’ll just go for it and try to get the best finish for our Speed Stick Ford that we can.

“I tend to lay back a little more early in the race, sit in that little pocket between the back pack and the big group up front. Typically, if they stay three-wide up front, you can sit four car lengths behind them or even further, and still suck up to them really easily. So, I tend to lay back there, keep my mind fresh, keep my car good, and then try to avoid the wrecks. Then at the end, you can race the last 50 laps hard.”

JUST THE FACTS: Whitt has four Sprint Cup career starts at Talladega Superspeedway … His top Sprint Cup finish at the 2.66-mile oval is 15th (2014) … Speed Stick returns to the No. 35 as primary sponsor … Whitt will sign autographs for Speed Stick at the Talladega Rite-Aid (101 Asbury Street) from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday.

FRM PR