With just one race remaining before we whittle down the field of entrants to eight drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Talladega Motor Speedway will definitely bring a thrilling conclusion to the Round of 12 this Sunday at the Alabama 500, sponsored by Hellmann’s mayonnaise.
Who are the drivers that we should look out for in relation to our weekly NASCAR betting action? Let’s find out below.
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Being seven points behind the eighth and final spot of the Chase’s grid entering this Sunday’s race, Brad Keselowski is in grave danger of missing out on the rest of the NASCAR postseason. He’ll need to pull off a win in Talladega to keep his season alive, and the oddsmakers highly believe that he’s capable of doing so.
Keselowski is a four-time winner on the famed track, having won earlier this April and 2014’s installment of the Alabama 500 as well. His win at ‘Dega from a couple of seasons ago even vaulted him into the Round of 8 in NASCAR’s inaugural revamped playoff format.
Considering that Kez is arguably the best driver when it comes to restrictor-plate races – he leads all active drivers this 2016 with 162 laps led on such courses – there’s good reason to believe that he’ll earn a berth into the next playoff round indeed.
When it strictly comes down to consistency at Talladega, look no further than Matt Kenseth. The 44-year-old veteran leads all active drivers in laps led (512) and driver rating (89.2) at the track.
What’s got to worry Kenseth’s backers, though, is that the last time he won at Talladega was in 2012. He’s all but assured of a berth into the final eight as well given his comfortable second-place position in the overall drivers standings for the season, but that should really be a credit to his tenacity throughout this 2016 campaign as a proven Chase contender.
Currently in a crucial tie for the eighth spot in the Chase is Joey Logano, whose unfortunate crash in Charlotte two Sundays ago cost him great positioning in the Chase’s grid before finishing a solid third last week in Kansas.
Now’s about the time that the Team Penske standout should get into fifth gear. Last year, Logano swept all three races of the Contender Round of the playoffs, which included a third and final win here at Talladega. The 26-year-old sensation also has two wins in restrictor-plate races in his relatively short Sprint Cup career, and you can bet that he’ll put on another stellar performance on Sunday with his season hanging in the balance.
Care to know who’s tied with Logano for the final spot in the Round of 8? Yup, that would be North Carolina’s very own Austin Dillon.
Even though Lewisville native has yet to earn a victory in the Sprint Cup Series in his six years as a pro, recent trends have shown that he could very well clinch that first win at the Alabama 500 this Sunday. Dillon finished third at Talladega earlier this spring, and he has top-10 finishes in all three restrictor-plate races this season in total at that.
With that being said, Dillon could very well turn a lot of heads this weekend and prove that he’s more than just another weekly dark horse pick after all.
With six of his last top-10 finishes having been attained in Talladega across 27 lifetime starts, you’d be inclined to say that Greg Biffle should merit sleeper status this weekend. He even had a top-10 finish at another restrictor-plate race this season at Daytona, too.
However, top-10 finishes still do not amount to wins, and Biffle has not had a victory on any particular points-based races in the Sprint Cup Series since June of 2013. He also has just one top-five finish this entire season, and that should be enough for you to steer away from him as your pick to win at Talladega this Sunday.
Writer’s Prediction
Logano (+1,000) repeats as the winner of the Alabama 500.
