Denny Hamlin will look to score his first win of the 2020 NASCAR CUP Series in Talladega this weekend and at the same time, defend his GEICO 500 crown. It’s going to be easier said than done for Hamlin, though, as he’ll be up against a stacked field, as usual. Check out our preview of some of the race’s favorites, sleepers, and a long shot below.
Hamlin is still chasing his first win of the season, but he doesn’t need to show a checkered flag to prove he’s been racing great this season. All he needs to show is the total of eight top 5s in nine starts he has had so far. Hamlin came close to a win last week at the TOYOTA OWNERS 400, but he settled for a still-admirable second-place finish. Hamlin remains among the favorites to win in the next race, as he’s not only been doing well this season but also because he won the last time he was at the Talladega Superspeedway, which was when he topped the field at the 2020 YellaWood 500. He has finished inside the top five in four of his last five starts there, too.
Joey Logano (+900)
Logano extended his streak of top-six finishes to three when he finished third in lsat Sunday’s TOYOTA OWNERS 400 race in Richmond. That came after a sixth-place campaign in Martinsville and a win at Bristol (Dirt). Logano has registered three wins, eight top 10s, and 14 top 20s in his 24 career appearances at the Talladega Superspeedway. His last win there was at the 2018 GEICO 500. Since then, he’s had four top 17s in five appearances at that track.
Ryan Blaney (+1000)
Blaney has got to be a part of the conversation of top drivers to watch out for in Talladega. Remember, he has won in two of his last three appearances at the Talladega Superspeedway and has a career average finish of 18.08 in 13 races there. Blaney secured a spot in the playoffs this season with a win at the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 in Atlanta.
SLEEPERS
Ryan Newman (+3000)
Newman has 38 starts in his career at Talladega Superspeedway but not once has he emerged victorious there. That being said, he’s got seven top 5s and 16 top 10s there to go along with an 18.53 career average finish in Talladega.
Daniel Suarez (+6600)
Suarez is looking to regain his decent form in Talladega during the earlier visits there. He’s never finished better than 28th in any of his last three appearances at the Talladega Superspeedway but had three top 15s in three of his first five starts there.
LONG SHOT
Timmy Hill (+30000)
In six races this season, Hill has finished outside of the top 28 five times. He’s also finished 33rd or worse in his four career starts in Talladega. However, he finished 15th the last time he was at the Talladega Superspeedway, which was during the 2020 YellaWood 500.
