The final race for the Contender Round of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series should be a good one, alright. With Joey Logano winning both in Charlotte and Kansas, the rest of the drivers are hanging on for dear life in the standings.
A win at the CampingWorld.com 500 in Talladega this Sunday will guarantee one last racer a spot in the Eliminator 8, but the rest would have need a solid finish to still be a part of the Chase for the Cup.
Let’s take a look at the favorites that are primed for success in the Big One, plus some dark horses that could come away with a surprise finish. Afterwards, get revved up for the return of the NBA regular season with our futures preview and sleepers predictions right after this.
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CampingWorld.com 500 Preview
Where: Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln
When: Sunday, October 25, 2:30 PM ET
TV Broadcast: NBC
Favorites
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
[sc:Other240banner ]There’s only a small window left in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s career, but he’s still far from over in pulling off quality races on any track. But currently being in 11th place in the standings has the 41-year-old on the cusp of elimination from The Chase if he doesn’t finish strong this Sunday.
Luckily for Earnhardt, he’s had a fantastic record at Talladega. Good ol’ number 88 has won on this track six times – the most of any active racers heading into the event (tied with Jeff Gordon). Finishes outside of the top 20 over his past two races has Earnhardt holding on for dear life, but his history in Dega – he won here just this past May, by the way – have the bookies sold on him as the +450 overall favorite to take the checkered flag.
Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski’s in a better situation that Earnhardt; he’s barely through to the Eliminator round as the seventh racer in the standings, but cannot falter even the slightest this Sunday and miss out on qualifying for Homestead.
Keselowski will welcome the return to Talladega, where he won this exact event last year, giving him three career wins at the famed superspeedway. Working for him as well is his consistency; Keselowski has eight top 10 finishes over the past 10 races, meaning that he will certainly be in the hunt this weekend until the final lap.
Kevin Harvick
At the early stages of this season, it seems as if Kevin Harvick was the man to beat. However, his polarizing results have gotten the better of him to end up currently fifth in the standings.
Harvick has six top ten finishes over the last 10 races, including a win at the AAA 400 this may, at third-place finish at the Cheez-It 355 and three other races where he ended as the runner-up. But as for those four other events outside of the top ten? They were abysmal outings, counting a 42nd place showing at the MyAFibRisk.com 400.
A top 10 finish at Talladega will all but secure Harvick a slot into the final eight, but a win on Sunday is not far from impossible, and will also prove that he’s back into his early season top form heading into the home stretch of the season.
Sleepers
Kyle Busch
Older brother Kurt may be faring much better right now, but Kyle Busch has a better track record at Dega than his elder sibling. Number 18 has three top 5 finishes on the track over the last six races, and even has a win here from back in 2008.
And although his outings of late have been hot-and-cold, he’s only one of three racers in the contender round that has four or more wins in the season (with four; Logano and Matt Kenseth have five wins apiece), meaning that his experience could very well shine through this Sunday once again in ‘Bama.
Matt Kenseth
Speaking of Matt Kenseth, a late push for The Chase has him right on the bubble at 12th place in the driver’s standings. But in order for him to qualify for the Eliminator 8, he’ll need to find his extra gear. Kenseth certainly found it three of his wins over the past nine races, but he’ll need to avoid another no-show like his showings from the Bank of America 500 and the IRWIN Tools Night Race.
Number 20 will certainly relish his opportunity at this Sunday’s race in Dega. He has won here before, and has also led on this track for 324 laps over the last ten races – by far the most out of all the active drivers. Given his propensity to shock the racing world, Kenseth’s price of +900 to win this Sunday is definitely worth taking into consideration.
Long Shot
Jimmie Johnson
Boy, how the mighty have fallen. Jimmie Johnson was the early season favorite to raise the Sprint Cup, but his subpar stints after a scorching start ended his hopes of adding another accolade to his decorated career.
Having said that, Johnson still has a chance to turn some heads by playing spoiler to the rest of the drivers that are still in contention for the Cup. He’s won at Dega twice already and also finished as a runner-up here this spring. The 40-year-old has also held the lead for 199 laps over his past five races on the track, which gives him enough of an experiential edge over the rest of the field for a surprise win.
Writer’s Prediction
A determined Harvick pulls away with the victory to cement a spot in the Eliminator Round.
Create a betting account now to cash in on all the fast-paced NASCAR action as the Chase for the Sprint Cup gets more and more intense by each race.
