NASCAR Power Rankings Week 9 – Talladega
After a beautiful weather weekend at Richmond, we head to Lincoln, Alabama for a 500 mile race on the longest track (2.66 miles) in NASCAR. It’s time for superspeedway racing at Talladega. I looked it up and the track is located in Lincoln but that just doesn’t have the same ring to it as “Tall-a-dega.” Racing at Talladega is very similar to racing at Daytona. Both tracks have high banking and high speeds, formerly known as “restrictor plate” racing. They now use a tapered spacer instead of a restrictor plate, but it has a similar effect of reducing horsepower and top end speed.
The two superspeedways produce the same kind of pack racing. These tracks reward drivers for drafting well and being aggressive in doing so. No one has ever won a superspeedway race by being conservative. The aggressiveness needed to win here has rewarded drivers like Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. However, over-aggressiveness, or plain bad luck, can ruin a driver’s day in a hurry. We’re almost guaranteed to have a “Big One” or two, which means someone at the front of the pack crashes and collects numerous cars, likely ending their day.
While there is plenty of luck involved in driving at superspeedways, there is some inherent skill as well. Let’s take a look at who the best drivers have been so far this season, with a slight bump to those who tend to finish well at superspeedways. Keep an eye out for a betting article later this week. As always, follow me on Twitter for more bad takes. On to the Power Rankings.
1) (Last week 1, Avg Finish 4.2) Denny Hamlin – Another impressive run for Hamlin, finishing 3rd. He led 207 laps and posted an impressive 138.5 driver rating at Richmond. That’s his sixth consecutive Top 4 finish and his eighth Top 5 in nine races. Oh by the way, he’s probably the best superspeedway driver in the series.
2) (2, 9.0) Martin Truex Jr. – The two JGR boys continue to be the class of the field. Truex led 107 laps and was running in the Top 3 all day until he was caught speeding on pit road during the final stage. He was still able to rally to a 5th place finish.
3) (4, 8.3) Joey Logano – Logano had one of the best cars at Richmond, but he couldn’t capitalize on a late restart and finished 3rd. He is an excellent superspeedway racer, so he should have another good race at Talladega. As long as he can avoid excessive blocking on the last lap like he did in the Daytona 500, he should contend for the win.
4) (3, 11.2) William Byron – Byron secured his seventh consecutive Top 8 at Richmond. He has been an absolute beast since his win at Miami. He has the second best average finish since Miami, trailing only Hamlin. Byron finished 11th and 4th at Talladega last season and got his first Cup win at Daytona in the fall of 2020. He knows how to drive out front if he can stay out of trouble.
5) (10, 13.2) Christopher Bell – Bell had an impressive 4th place finish at Richmond after running in the Top 10 all day. He continues to impress driving in JGR equipment, which is a major upgrade from the #95 car he drove last year. Christopher now has five Top 10s on the season. He also has four results of 16th or worse. If he can improve his consistency, he can be a Championship contender.
6) (6, 11.0) Kevin Harvick – Harvick had another great run on Sunday. Unfortunately he blew a tire late while running in eighth position, causing him to finish 24th. Kevin was fast and Almirola had a good day finishing sixth, but the rest of SHR continued to lack pace. Kevin isn’t a great superspeedway racer, but look for him to find his normal spot in the Top 10 this weekend.
7) (11, 13.3) Ryan Blaney – Blaney started well at Richmond, but he still cannot find success there. He took a late wave around and finished 11th, but was a lap or two down most of the race. That 11th place is his best result in ten races at the “Action Track.” He will be looking forward to getting to Talladega where he won last summer.
8) (7, 11.8) Kyle Larson – Larson was nowhere to be seen last Sunday. He was well off the pace and finished two laps down. The #5 car was slow from the start and the team could not get it figured out. Kyle has finished 10th in his last two Daytona 500s. Unfortunately, he hasn’t raced at Talladega since 2019 because of his suspension last year.
9) (5, 13.0) Chase Elliott – Chase had a very quiet day at Richmond. He started in third, didn’t finish in the Top 10 of either stage and finished the race in 12th place. It was strange that Bowman and Byron were so good but Elliott and Larson were nowhere close. Elliott has finished Top 5 in his last three superspeedway races.
10) (12, 14.1) Kyle Busch – Kyle had a good run at Richmond finishing in 8th place. He now has four Top 10s in his last six races this season. If we remove Daytona RC and Phoenix, Kyle has the fourth best average finish in the Cup Series.
11) (9, 13.1) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Stenhouse’s streak of finishing 18th or better in every race this season continues. He had a respectable 17th place finish at Richmond. Now he looks forward to his favorite type of track this week at Talladega. Look for him to make bold moves early and often. I will likely bet him to win if the odds aren’t too short.
12) (NR, 17.1) Alex Bowman – Bowman has had an extremely inconsistent year. He now has four Top 10s but also four results outside the Top 20. He was one of my most disappointing drivers, just last week. After his win, I’ll give him a slot in the Power Rankings near the bottom tier playoff drivers.
13) (8, 14.0) Brad Keselowski – Jeremy Bullins tried some bold pit strategy with only one pit stop in stage 2 and it cost Keselowski a decent finish. Kes had good speed but got lapped on old tires just before stage 2 ended. With the lack of cautions, he couldn’t get that lap back until 12 to go. After finishing Top 5 in three of the first five races of the season, Brad hasn’t seen the Top 10 since.
14) (NR, 19.3) Matt DiBenedetto – DiBenedetto has now finished 14th or better in his last five races and secured his first Top 10 of the season at Richmond. He has the 7th best average finish over that span. He still sits two spots out of the playoffs, but will find his way in if he continues this momentum.
15) (NR, 14.3) Austin Dillon – Dillon continues to run well at Richmond, finishing in the Top 10 for the third time this season. He sits one spot above the playoff cut line, so he needs to continue finding good results before we hit a string of road courses, where we know he doesn’t run well.
