It’s time for another round of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The Chase for the Sprint Cup continues this coming Sunday in Talladega, where we’ll know which drivers will get enough points to book seats in the next round. Meanwhile, let’s look at three sleepers you should be paying more attention below.
Elliott’s back is against the wall, as he is currently in 12th place of the standings. He’s 25 points back of making it to the next round and is coming off a 31st-place finish in Kansas. He could be cooking up a victory in Talladega, however. The rookie only has one race under his belt in Talladega, but that was a top five finish back in May. He’s likely going to need to win this Sunday to get past the cutoff line so expect him to race hard.
Ryan Blaney
Speaking of racers with past success in Talladega, Blaney, who placed 14th in Kansas last week, is one of those. Of his four races in Talladega, he’s managed to finish inside the top five once and twice in the top 10. His body of work at the racetrack includes a fourth place finish back in 2015. Blaney has a lot of points to gain and needs help from other drivers to make it to reach the next round but if he’s going to win one before his season ends, this could be it.
Denny Hamlin
Unlike Blaney, Hamlin has a serious shot at the top eight. Hamlin is currently sitting 10th in the standings with 3,020 points—tied with Elliott—and will be racing next at the track in which he has already tasted success. Just two years ago, Hamlin won in Talladega, his only win thus far out of five career starts at the track. Also note that Hamlin has won the Daytona 500 this year so it’s no secret that he can come up with fantastic performances in big races.
