The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series is headed to Talladega this coming weekend for the 2022 GEICO 500. Most eyes will certainly be on the favorites like Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Austin Cindric, but here are three drivers who might be being undervalued a bit. Check out three sleepers in the upcoming 2022 GEICO 500.
Stenhouse is way out of the playoff picture after eight starts, as he’s still winless with just a single top 10 to show, thus far. However, he’s got some good results in his career at Talladega Superspeedway. For one, he’s already won there, taking the checkered flag in the 2017 iteration of the GEICO 500. That’s part of his six total top 5s and nine top 10s across 17 appearances at the said track, dating all the way back to 2013 when he debuted there with a 13th-place campaign in the Aaron’s 499.
Jones hasn’t won a NASCAR Cup Series race since 2018, but it can’t be denied that he’s been a solid driver at Talladega Superspeedway over his last few appearances there. In fact, he’s cracked the top 10 in three of his last four starts there, including a runner-up finish in the 2020 YellaWood 500. The last time he was in Talladega, Jones placed ninth in last year’s YellaWood 500. Overall, Jones has two top 5s, four top 10s, and five top 20s in 10 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway. And then of course, he’s won a superseedway race before when he topped the 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the Daytona International Speedway.
Ragan is a mere afterthought this season, with just two races so far. But he finished eighth at Daytona last February and is known to be a superspeedway specialist. In 55 career starts in a superspeedway events, Ragan has collected a pair of wins, right top 5s and 17 top 10s. He won the 2013 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega and the 2011 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
