The Super Low Tier – Talladega
Justin Haley – At Talladega, Justin Haley will be piloting the Kaulig Racing #16. This ride is a step up from his typical #77. At superspeedways, Haley has been solid. Haley of course snuck in a win at Daytona in summer 2019, but overall his superspeedway average finish is 15.6 and in 4 of his 6 races he’s finished in the top 13. I’ll note, Daytona has been his more successful of the two superspeedways and he just recently finished 7th there. At Talladega, Haley finished 30th this spring, and in his two prior starts he had finishes of 11th (2020) and 32nd (2019). This spring at Talladega when Kaz Grala drove the #16, he finished 6th.
BJ McLeod – BJ McLeod has only had one DNF due to an accident this year (Bristol), so lets hope he can keep the good times going at Talladega. This spring at Talladega, McLeod came home 25th. In June 2020, in his one other Talladega start he came home 31st. At Daytona this year, McLeod finished 10th in August and 23rd in the Daytona 500.
Justin Allgaier – At Talladega, Justin Allgaier will be driving the #77 which is typically piloted by Justin Haley. The #77 car is capable of doing good things on this track type, and with Haley behind the wheel of it he’s finished in the top 13 in 3 of his 5 starts at superspeedways (One of Haley’s superspeedway starts was in the 16). That said, Haley is also a better driver on this track type. In the Xfinity series this year, Allgaier finished 3rd at Daytona in August, but in his other two superspeedway races this season he’s crashed and has results of 28th (Daytona) and 29th (Talladega). In 2020 in the lower series at Talladega he had results of 28th and 29th.
Landon Cassill – Landon Cassill will be making his second start of the season at Talladega and he’ll once again be driving the Gaunt Brothers #96. At Daytona in August, Cassill also piloted this ride and in that event he started 39th but finished 36th after crashing. At Talladega, Cassill made his most recent start in fall 2019 and in that event he finished 14th. In spring 2019 in his next most recent race he finished 34th. In his four starts prior to that he finished in the 20’s and had results of 22nd, 28th, 29th and 21st.
Cody Ware – At Talladega, Cody Ware has finished 28th or worse in 3 of his 4 starts. This spring he finished 28th. In 2020, he only raced at Talladega once and in that event he finished 19th. In his other two starts he’s come home with results of 28th and 38th. At Daytona this year, Ware finished 29th in the summer and then 21st in the Daytona 500.
Garrett Smithley – Garrett Smithley only has two starts at superspeedways on his resume and he’s 2 for 2 at finishing in the 30’s. In spring 2020 when he made his lone start here he finished 34th. At Daytona in August when he made his only career start there he finished 31st.
Josh Bilicki – This spring at Talladega, Josh Bilicki made his lone cup start here and finished eleven laps down in 36th. At Daytona in August, Ware had the best race of his career and finished 11th. That’s also his only top 15 over 67 career starts. In this years Daytona 500, Bilicki once again finished unusually well for himself and finished 24th. Last summer at Daytona in his one other superspeedway start he finished 38th.
Joey Gase – Talladega ranks as Joey Gase’s 3rd best track courtesy of his 27.75 average finish. Over his eight starts, he has three finishes between 17th and 21st, and his other five are 27th or worse. Overall at Talladega, Gase has had a DNF in half his starts and in 3 of the last 4 he’s finished 34th or worse. This spring he finished 34th. In 2020 his finishes were 17th and 37th.
Quin Houff – It’s OK to pick super low tier guys at Talladega, but I’m pretty certain you can do better then Quin Houff. This year at superspeedways he’s 3 for 3 at finishing 29th or worse and his average finish is 35th! At Talladega, Quin Houff has three races under his belt and his combined average finish is 25.7. This spring, Houff crashed and finished 37th. In 2020, Houff had results of 13th and 27th. At Daytona this year, Houff had results of 29th and 39th.
James Davison – James Davison will be piloting the #66 in place of David Starr. This is is the least competitive in the field and you almost have to be concerned he won’t be able to stick with the draft. The only thing he has going for him is attrition. I think a high-twenties day would be great for him.
David Starr – NOT RACING
