It will be all about acceleration and elimination this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, as drivers attempt to stay in contention for championships in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CampingWorld.com 500 and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola.
There will be a full day of fast-paced action at the 2.66-mile Tri-Oval on Saturday. It starts at 9:30 am CDT with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying for the fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola, followed by the race itself at noon. Then the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will hit the track at 3:15 pm CDT to begin Foodland/Food Giant qualifying for Sunday’s running of the CampingWorld.com 500.
The weekend culminates with the tension of Sunday’s CampingWorld.com 500, set to start at 1:30 pm CDT. This will be the final race of the Contender Round in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The number of drivers eligible to win the championship will be trimmed from 12 to eight following the race, and Joey Logano is the only driver guaranteed of advancing to the next round.
“More people now have to win than have ever had to win (in order to be assured of advancing), so that’s certainly compelling,” said Brad Keselowski, who won this race last year for his third career victory at Talladega Superspeedway. “The risk vs. reward changes dramatically. There are more teams willing to take chances, and those teams are going to take more chances than usual.”
Logano secured his place in the next round with victories each of the past two weeks at Charlotte and Kansas. That leaves seven remaining spots being pursued by 11 drivers: Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth.
“The Chase format heightens the intensity of each race, especially this race,” said Gordon, a six-time Talladega winner who is retiring after this season and is making his final appearance at the track. “When you know what’s on the line, what could go wrong and what that could cost you – and on the flip side, what you get if everything goes right – it’s a huge race. That just adds intensity and pressure on everyone.”
Needing a win to be in: While most drivers can still advance to the next round based on points, Earnhardt and Kenseth are far enough back in the standings that probably the only way they can avoid elimination is by winning the race. Keselowski faced that same situation here last year, and he responded with an emotional victory.
A win at Talladega Superspeedway certainly is possible for Earnhardt, Jr., who has six career NASCAR Sprint Cup victories at the track, including this past May in the GEICO 500. Earnhardt also won the restrictor-plate race at Daytona in July, giving him the opportunity to become the first driver to win three plate races in a single season since his father did it 25 years ago.
“When we come to the plate tracks, we feel confident we can do well and feel confident in the car,” Earnhardt said. “When you feel like you have a dominant car like we’ve had over the last several years, you definitely come into the race with confidence.
“But (because of the Chase), it’s also real intense. There’s no denying the intensity and the pressure it puts on drivers like myself to be in a cutoff situation where you’re eliminated if things don’t go perfectly. But for the fans, I’m sure it’s exciting and amazing to watch.”
Three drivers in contention for Truck Series title: The championship battle is also tight in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Erik Jones has a slim four-point lead over two-time defending champion Matt Crafton, with Tyler Reddick lurking a mere 16 points off the pace.
“It’s going to be a battle all the way to (the season-finale at) Homestead,” Jones said. “I don’t see anybody really pulling away.”
The experience edge definitely goes to Crafton, who is the only active driver to have competed in all nine NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Talladega Superspeedway. Crafton holds the record among NCWTS drivers for the most laps completed (793) and the most lead-lap finishes (8) at the track.
“Talladega is definitely an exciting race, without a doubt,” Crafton said. “You never know what will happen here. It’s just hard racing. You can’t drive in the corners any deeper, and you can’t pick up the throttle any sooner. You’re three-wide, even four-wide, and you can’t do anything about it. It puts on a good show.”
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