Advice for Talladega? Some Newcomers Are Takers While Others Fend for Themselves

By:
On:
In: Speedway News

Tackling Talladega Superspeedway is no small feat. Challenging, tricky, unpredictable and fast are words that several Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have used to describe the 2.66-mile venue that is the biggest and baddest on the planet.

Some drivers have received beneficial advice prior to their early-career Talladega Superspeedway starts, while others have had to figure it out on their own. In advance of the GEICO 500 next Sunday (May 7), the drivers below were willing to listen to veteran guidance during their early Talladega Superspeedway starts:

  • Ryan Newman (No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet): “I actually received advice from Buddy Baker (four-time Talladega Superspeedway winner and International Motorsports Hall of Fame member). We went there and tested and I got to draft with him. He taught me things to keep an eye on, the simple things like running your tires back and forth to keep debris off.”
  • Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota): “Jeff Gordon told me to keep the confidence of the veterans on my side.”
  • Aric Almirola (No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford): “I received words of wisdom from Talladega winner Tony Stewart. He told me to concentrate on finishing. When you have the ‘big one,’ it’s tough. It was great advice and obviously coming from Tony, I listened.”
  • Kurt Busch (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford): “It was a unique situation because I had no restrictor plate racing experience. My teammates at Roush Fenway Racing gave me great advice to stay behind them and that I would do well. They were right.”
  • Ryan Blaney (No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford): “Dad (15-year MENCS veteran Dave Blaney) said to have lots of patience because the race at Talladega is a long one.”
  • Bubba Wallace, Mobile, Al. native (No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in NASCAR XFINITY Series): “Several drivers said, ‘Hey rookie, don’t make a rookie mistake today.’”

While some drivers have been fortunate to receive a helpful word when first learning to handle the mammoth 33-degree banked facility, others have had to learn for themselves and some just like giving helpful hints to the young guns:

  • Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota): “I never really got a lot of great advice on how to run at Talladega. It was more you have to do it on your own and learn as you go.”
  • Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford). “Nobody really gave me any great advice prior to my first start. It was more of just a hodge podge of information.”
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet): “You gotta be in the car to feel how the draft’s working and understand what going to be the move for that day. Nothing can replicate being in the car and understanding and learning what’s happening on the race track.”
  • Paul Menard (No. 27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet): “You’re always searching for the lane that’s moving. You have to plan it all out to be up front at the end.”
  • David Ragan (No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford): “Talladega’s the biggest, fastest, meanest race track. In order to win there you’ve got to have a great 500 miles, a fast car, and a little bit of luck.”

Whether a driver has been given advice or had to discover Talladega Superspeedway’s intricacies on their own, it’s a known fact that anything can happen at the historical venue. To find out who will end up in Gatorade Victory Lane in the GEICO 500, tune into FOX at 1:00 PM (CDT) on Sunday, May 7. 

TSS PR

Speedway Digest Staff
Follow Me
Latest posts by Speedway Digest Staff (see all)
Post Views: 76