The Talladega Geico 500 is just around the corner, and it promises plenty of high-octane, adrenaline-pumping NASCAR action. All eyes will be on the Talladega Superspeedway when the best stock car drivers in the world take the track for another Sprint Cup Series race.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been dominant at Talladega, but can he add another title with some big dogs right behind him? Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson are no slouches when it comes to the Sprint Cup Series. Meanwhile, plenty of other drivers should not be slept on especially when they can swoop by and steal this race from the favorites.
Read on as we take a look at the Talladega Geico 500. For more on this race, check out our experts picks feature here.
There’s no question that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is favored to win the Talladega Geico 500. He’s an elite plate racer with a penchant for big performances at Talladega. Earnhardt has been to victory lane six times and has finished in the top 10 in 50 percent of his appearances at the track. He had quite a year at Talladega last season with a 1.5 average finish and led 128 laps in two races.
Earnhardt has a great chance of continuing his excellence at Talladega. He has an excellent car with standout speed, which could lead him to another visit to victory lane.
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick continues to be one of the drivers to beat race-after-race in the Sprint Cup Series. He’s an excellent plate driver and has been one of the best at this type of track. He’s tied for the best average finish (10.2) over the last five races at Talladega. He’s finished in the top fifteen in each of those races.
Harvick has been pretty good the past few weeks. While he hasn’t won since March 3 at Phoenix, he has finished in the top 10 in four of the past five races. He has two top fives over that stretch, a second-place finish at California and a fifth-place finish last Sunday at Richmond.
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson barely missed out on a win at the Geico 500 last year. He finished second, and earned the second best driver rating and led 50 laps. A very strong car helped Johnson to his excellent performance. The only driver with a better car than he did was eventual race winner, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Johnson is entering this race red hot. He already has two wins this season at Atlanta and California and has finished in the top five in two of his last three races. He placed third at Richmond last Sunday and fourth at Texas on April 9. Expect Johnson to have another excellent race when he takes the track at Talladega.
Sleepers
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin won Dayton 500 this year and has a fast car which could help him to some big performances. He hasn’t won since then but has a trio of big performances. He finished third at Phoenix and California earlier in the season. He also had a sixth-place finish last Sunday at Richmond.
Expect Hamlin to have another good outing at Talladega. After all, his team, Joe Gibbs Racing, has won four-straight races. If they win a fifth straight this coming Sunday, Hamlin may be the one leading the charge.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has only five races at Talladega in his young career, but he’s already had some big finishes. Stenhouse has three top 10 finishes in his career at Talledega. Expect him to shine as he leads some laps in the race, making him a viable sleeper heading into this week’s race.
Long Shot
Landon Cassill
Landon Cassill cannot be overlooked at Talladega. He has a chance to sneak in and swoop away into victory lane. He’s had success at plate tracks in his career. He had a pretty good run at Talladega last spring, running around 12th before an accident had him falling all the way to 39th. Cassill already has some big performances at this track with fourth and 11th place finishes in 2014. If there’s a long shot to bet on, it’s Cassill.
