Jeff Gordon won here in April - can he again Sunday?

Talladega Superspeedway – over two-and-a-half miles of fast racing at close quarters. Even in the old ‘Cars of Yesterday’, racing here meant racing on the edge, mere inches away from the ‘big one’.

This Sunday we will see the debut of the Car of Tomorrow on a track that is over 1.33 miles long. This is also a superspeedway and a restrictor plate race. How will the new car affect the way the boys race this weekend?

The restrictor plate will be bigger this weekend, which means a little more horsepower. We will also have the rear spoiler wing that NASCAR gives to the teams when they get to the track. This new wing is set a different angle and will end up blocking the view through the back window.

According to the drivers and crew chiefs, this means they will have to reposition the rear view mirror. This doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you are traveling nose-to-tail at nearly 200 miles per hour, it can make a difference. Instead of using your peripheral vision to see out the back, you now may need to take your eyes off of the cars in front of you. Kurt Busch also stated that the wing keeps you from being able to see through the front window of the car in front of you, so you can’t see what the line of cars in front of you is doing.

Talladega is a superspeedway, so we will see a lot of drafting going on. The more cars in a line, the faster that line goes and the closer they can run together, the better draft they will be able to get off of each other.

It sounds like the racing will be even more of a challenge this weekend. Forty-three cars racing at high speeds, all nose-to-tail with limited vision in front of and behind them, the wildcard in the chase should live up to its name.

The cars may be on an even playing field, but the drivers are not. With all of the obstacles that are going to be causing problems this weekend, experience may be the deciding factor in picking a winner. But even that doesn’t guarantee you a win. You are going to need a lot of luck in order to make it to the end of the race and more than that to be in the winner’s circle when the day is over.

You can’t talk about restrictor plate racing and not mention Dale Earnhardt, Jr.He has five wins at this track alone.  At a track where you need teamwork to get to the front, and cars behind you will push you there, he usually doesn’t need to look far for help. He’s a strong racer here and shouldn’t have any problem hooking up with other drivers such as Tony Stewart in order to get the lead.

Jeff Gordon won here in April and is another driver who shouldn’t have a hard time finding other drivers to run with.

Tony Stewart usually teams up with Dale Jr., and while this has not netted him any wins here, it has gotten him a lot of seconds. He was fastest in practice, which bodes well for his chances on Sunday. If he has the horsepower to do it, I can see him making a run for it on the final lap and trying to pull away from his drafting partner, no matter who it is.

Jamie McMurray is a driver whom I picked often in the beginning of the year, and with good reason – he was running well. Lately this has not been the case, but he may turn it around this weekend. He usually does well in the car of tomorrow and was in the top five in practice. He comes from a five car stable, Roush-Fenway, so there shouldn’t be any problems finding drafting partners.

Kyle Busch or Kurt Busch seems to be a decision I have been making a lot lately. They both did well in practice, running third and fourth respectively. Neither one of them has a win at a superspeedway, so it may come down to luck and who gets the best drafting partners. I can’t help but think Kyle is going to be able to be closer to the front when the checker falls.

DEI has an excellent track record when it comes to superspeedways, so I feel safe going to their garage for my dark horse pick. Paul Menard was running well in practice and should be fast enough to stick with the pack in order to make a run for it in the final laps.

Qualifying Positions

Questions and comments may be sent to jenniferpatterson@sportsgrumblings.com