We’ve hit the quarter pole on the season, had our last off week of the year already, and we’re right back into the thick of it with 500 miles at Talladega!
Here’s what to look for:
–Zane Smith got his first career Pole yesterday, starting 1st in one of NASCAR’s most hectic races. While it feels pretty random, it should be noted that the car he’s driving has been pretty stout on these types of venues in recent years. In any event, he’s the pilot today, and he’ll be one to watch.
–Tyler Reddick was our winner of this event last year, but hasn’t had too much success here otherwise. Nevertheless, a Win is a Win, and he’s in the recordbooks with a positive performance!
-Our most recent winner at this track is Ricky Stenhouse Jr, the victor in the Fall Talladega race. This type of race is his jam, and as much as other drivers like to knock on him, he’s usually in position to do something great when the time is right. Today he starts 35th.
-Over the last ten races here, William Byron has more points than any driver and is also operating at a 9.9 average finish, the best of anyone on the Cup circuit. Byron has been hot to start the year, has he cooled off at all through the break?
-They say its more important to be lucky than good sometimes, and I’m not sure what category this goes in…but Erik Jones has seven Top 10s in those last ten races, when plenty of marquee drivers have three or less. Whatever the case, stats are stats and that is pretty impressive! That Jones Boy starts 34th today.
Coverage of the race starts on FOX at 3:00pm, green flag scheduled for 3:20pm.
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