Denny Hamlin took care of business last Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as he earned his third win of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series. That’s also his second since May. Hamlin is definitely a driver to watch at the upcoming 2020 GEICO 500 at Talladega Speedway, but he’s not the only one. Read on for two other favorites, sleepers, and a long shot for that race.
Keselowski sustained his solid form this season, as he finished 10th overall at Homestead-Miami last Sunday. After finishing a disappointing 36th at the 2020 Daytona 500, Keselowski woke up and stitched together 11-straight top 13 finishes, eight of which were top 9s. It’s fair to expect Keselowski to keep that trend going this coming weekend, as he’s always done well at Talladega Superspeedway, where he’s won five times in 22 career appearances. His most recent win there was at the 2017 Alabama 500. Keselowski is currently listed at +700 to win the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
Logano’s trip to Homestead-Miami over the weekend was nothing to write home about, as he ended up taking just the 27th place. If anything, he appeared to have played a crucial role in Denny Hamlin winning the race when he seemingly made things harder for Chase Elliott, who was toe to toe with Hamlin. Logano hasn’t won a race since last March’s race at Phoenix Raceway, but even with that and his poor performance at the 2020 Dixie Vodka 400, he’s still worth pricing as a favorite at the upcoming 2020 GEICO 500. Logano has three wins and eight top 5s in 22 career starts at Talladega Speedway. Logano is currently listed at +650 to win the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
Hamlin added to his lead atop the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series standings with a win last Sunday at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, his third victory of the season. By winning that race, Hamlin has continued his recent trend of alternating solid performances with mediocre ones. Since winning the 2020 Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway, Hamlin has not gone back-to-back top 10s over the next six races, a stretch in which he collected three top 5s. Hamlin, who finished third in his most recent visit — 2019 1000Bulbs.com 500 — at Talladega Speedway, has 11 top 10s, including a win, in 28 career starts at the said track. Hamlin is currently priced at +550 to win the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
Still in search for this first win of the season, Johnson is hoping that he’ll get that elusive checkered flag at Talladega Speedway, where he’s collected a pair of wins and seven top 5s in 36 career starts there, dating back to 2002. JJ is currently priced at +1200 to win the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
Bowyer has finished better than the last in each of his previous three races. After finishing 20th at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he went 17th and 11th at Martinsville Motor Speedway and at Homestead-Miami Speedway, respectively. Bowyer has two wins and in 28 career starts at Talladega Speedway. Bowyer is currently priced at +4000 to win the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
LaJoie has cracked the top 10 just once this season. He’s also coming off a forgettable 29th-place performance at Homestead-Miami. But here’s what makes him a fantastic punt play: LaJoie has finished inside the top 11 in his two races at Talladega Speedway last year.
