TOP FIVE DRIVERS

TOP FIVE DRIVERS

The #5 driver to watch is the first driver to win here in the NexGen car, #1 Ross Chastain. Ross won here in the spring race last year one of two Top 5’s in the new car. In the last ten races he has eight starts, that win and the two NexGen Top 5’s, 25%. He is 10^th hottest and #9 rated here.

My #4 driver to watch is a two-time winner here, #12 Ryan Blaney. Ryan won in this fall race in 2019 and then again, the in the spring of 2020. In the last ten starts he has those two wins and four Top 5’s, 40%.  He rolls in here #15 hottest but he is my #1 rated driver on tracks like this. The most consistent driver where consistency is so hard to find.

At #3 we find the defending champion of this race, #9 Chase Elliott. In his last ten starts he has that win and another in the spring of 2019, also three total Top 5’s, 30%. He is #2 rated on tracks like this but also 14^th hottest.

My #2 driver is another two-time winner here, #11 Denny Hamlin. His last win came in this race in 2020. In the last 10 races, he has one win and five Top 5’s, 50%. Here in Alabama, he is #8 rated on tracks like this and #2 hottest over the last six races.

The #1 driver to watch is the #1 current winning-est driver here, #6 Brad Keselowski. Brad has six wins in 29 career starts. He got his very first win here in the spring of 2009 and his most recent career win in the spring of 2021. In the last ten races he has that 2021 win and three Top 5’s, 30%. Brad is #4 hottest over the last six weeks and #3 ranked on tracks like Talladega.

Monday look for the preview for the Bank of America Roval 400 from Charlotte Motor Speedway.

TOP 30 DRIVERS: TALLADEGA

TOP 30 DRIVERS YellaWood 500

1. BRAD KESELOWSKI #6
2. DENNY HAMLIN #11
3. CHASE ELLIOTT #9
4. RYAN BLANEY #12
5. ROSS CHASTAIN #1
6. WILLIAM BYRON #24
7. ERIK JONES #43
8. KYLE BUSCH #8
9. KEVIN HARVICK #4
10. CHRISTOPHER BELL #20
11. BUBBA WALLACE #23
12. CHRIS BUESCHER #17
13. MICHAEL MCDOWELL #34
14. AUSTIN DILLON #3
15. MARTIN TRUEX JR #19
16. AUSTIN CINDRIC #2
17. TYLER REDDICK #45
18. CHASE BRISCOE #14
19. JUSTIN HALEY #31
20. ALEX BOWMAN #48
21. DANIEL SUAREZ #99
22. ARIC ALMIROLA #10
23. TODD GILLILAND #38
24. KYLE LARSON #5
25. JOEY LOGANO #22
26. TY DILLON #77
27. RYAN PREECE #41
28. RICKY STENHOUSE #47
29. AJ ALLMENDINGER #16
30. COREY LAJOIE #7

Friday we break down the Top 5 drivers in the YellaWood 500.

TOP TEN TEAMS

TOP TEN TEAMS

1. HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS (Last Week #1)
2. JOE GIBBS RACING (Last Week #2)
3. RFK RACING (Last Week #3)
4. 23XI RACING (Last Week #4)
5. TRACKHOUSE RACING TEAM (Last Week #5)
6. JTG DAUGHERTY (Last Week #7)
7. TEAM PENSKE (Last Week #8)
8. RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING (Last Week #6)
9. STEWART HAAS RACING (Last Week #10)
10. FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS (Last Week #9)

The fourth week of Playoffs is here and we have two different halves in the Top 10. Last week we saw four teams change place, this week we see no changes in the Top half. All the teams in the last half change places this week. Hendrick Motorsports get the win from #24 William Byron and they have an average finish of 13.75 so they stay at #1. Joe Gibbs Racing have an average finish of 14.75 and they stay at #2. RFK Racing have an average finish of 10.5 and they stay at #3. 23XI Racing have an average finish of 14 and they stay at #4. Trackhouse Racing Team have an average finish of 5, the lowest average in the Top 10 and they stay in the Top 5 at #5.

JTG Daugherty Racing’s #47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished 9th and the team move up a place to #6. Team Penske has an average finish of 25.33 and they move up a place #7. Richard Childress Racing had an average finish of 35, the highest average in the Top 10 and they move back two places to #8. Stewart Haas Racing had an average finish of 14.25 and they move up a spot to #9. Front Row Motorsports had an average finish of 19.5 and they back up a place to #10.

Thursday morning look for the Top 30 drivers in the YellaWood 500 from Talladega.

TOP TEN DRIVERS BY TRACK TYPE

TOP TEN DRIVERS BY TRACK TYPE

1. CHASE ELLIOTT #9
2. CHRIS BUESCHER #17
3. TYLER REDDICK #45
4. KYLE LARSON #5
5. DENNY HAMLIN #11
6. JOEY LOGANO #22
7. CHRISTOPHER BELL #20
8. MARTIN TRUEX JR #19
9. AUSTIN CINDRIC #2
10. ALEX BOWMAN #48

Top Ten drivers on Tracks like the ROVAL, Thursday look for our Top 30 drivers at Charlotte.

   

RACE PREVIEW: TALLADEGA

Stages end after laps 60/120/188

YELLAWOOD 500

TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

October 1st, 2:30 PM Charlotte NBC TV

2.66 Miles 33 Degrees of Banking

Stages end after laps 60/120/188

 Playoff Race #5

Ever since the last lap of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, drivers have had this date circled on their calendars and etched in their minds. Talladega is the fifth Playoff race and last of the Superspeedway races for the year. The rules package here, Atlanta and Daytona has reduced horsepower and quite a bit of down force. The end result is very tightly packed racing. Team Penkse is the team with the most wins in the last ten years, nine races, 45%! Team Penske partner Ford has 11 wins here in the last ten years, 55%. With #24 William “Lord” Byron getting a win at Texas another/ Playoff/Raceoff driver is guaranteed to stay in the Playoffs all the way to race #9 at Martinsville. After this race there is a wild card race on the Roval at Charlotte. Drivers are a little apprehensive here because they are forced to race very close together because speeds are limited and they are all racing full out every lap. This is the biggest oval on the circuit and that often leads to the biggest wrecks on any track. Drivers are waiting on “The Big One” a wreck that can take out not one or two cars but maybe ten or more cars. When the cars get bunched up here, in two or three lines of cars. It only takes one or two cars to get loose a start chain reaction pile up. With only five races left in the Playoffs no one wants to get caught up in someone else’s mistake or misfortune. Many times drivers team up with a team mate or driver with a car from a similar manufacturer and move thru traffic on the track together, nose to tail, “drafting”. With a championship just five races away it will be interesting to see if old alliances stay intact from loyalty or if new alliances form with drivers they think can take them farther faster. Keep in mind a win here takes you all the way to Race #9 in Martinsville. Ford has 11 wins, nine from Team Penske, in the last 20 races but Chevy has won the last three. Can Ford stay dominant, will Chevy keep the streak going or will Toyota get a win here where they have only won three times in the last ten years? We’ll know on Sunday.

Tuesday the Top Ten drivers on tracks like this will be posted and Thursday the Top 30 drivers ranked for the YELLAWOOD 500 here at Talladega.

TOP FIVE DRIVERS: TEXAS

TOP FIVE DRIVERS

The #5 driver to watch is a driver who has been pretty consistent here, #20 Christopher Bell. In Texas Christopher has four starts, no wins and two 3^rd place finishes. 50% Top 5! His team Joe Gibbs Racing is tied for winning-est team over the last ten years with six wins, 33%! He is #5 hottest over the last six weeks.

My #4 driver won here two years ago, #5 Kyle Larson. Kyle won on his way to the Championship. He has eight starts in the last ten races, that win and three Top 5’s, 38%. He #6 ranked on this type of track and is #4 hottest.

At #3 we have a three-time winner here, #11 Denny Hamlin. In the last ten races here, Denny has a win in the spring of 2019 and two Top 5’s, 20%. It should be noted he has not had a Top 5 in his last five races. Is this the year? He is #4 ranked on tracks like this and #1 hottest over the last six weeks including his win Saturday night at Bristol! It’s looking like Denny time.

My #2 driver to watch only has one Top 5 here, #24 William Byron. William might only have one Top 5 in his eight starts but he is my #1 driver on tracks like this. He finished 2^nd here in 2021. His team Hendrick motorsports is tied with JGR for the most wins in the last ten years with six wins each. In addition to being #1 rated here William is #3 hottest over the last six weeks.

The #1 driver is another former winner here, #45 Tyler Reddick. In fact, Tyler is the most recent winner here. He has four starts here, the win in 2022 and two total Top 5’s, 50%.  He comes in here as the #2 rated driver on tracks like this AND #2 hottest.

Monday look for the preview of the YellaWood 500 from Talladega Superspeedway.

TOP 30 DRIVERS DRIVERS: TEXAS

TOP 30 DRIVERS TEXAS

1. TYLER REDDICK #45
2. WILLIAM BYRON #24
3. DENNY HAMLIN #11
4. KYLE LARSON #5
5. CHRISTOPHER BELL #20
6. KYLE BUSCH #8
7. RYAN BLANEY #12
8. JOEY LOGANO #22
9. BRAD KESELOWSKI #6
10. KEVIN HARVICK #4
11. ERIK JONES #43
12. TY GIBBS #54
13. MARTIN TRUEX JR #19
14. DANIEL SUAREZ #99
15. CHASE ELLIOTT #9
16. AUSTIN DILLON #3
17. ARIC ALMIROLA #10
18. ALEX BOWMAN #48
19. CHRIS BUESCHER #17
20. MICHAEL MCDOWELL #34
21. CHASE BRISCOE #14
22. ROSS CHASTAIN #1
23. AJ ALLMENDINGER #16
24. BUBBA WALLACE #23
25. AUSTIN CINDRIC #2
26. JUSTIN HALEY #31
27. RICKY STENHOUSE #47
28. CARSON HOCEVAR #42
29. COREY LAJOIE #7
30. HARRISON BURTON #21

Friday we break down the Top 5 drivers in the AUTOTRADER ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE 500.

TOP TEN TEAMS: TEXAS

TOP TEN TEAMS

1. HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS (Last Week #1)
2. JOE GIBBS RACING (Last Week #3)
3. RFK RACING (Last Week #2)
4. 23XI RACING (Last Week #4)
5. TRACKHOUSE RACING TEAM (Last Week #5)
6. RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING (Last Week #8)
7. JTG DAUGHERTY (Last Week #7)
8. TEAM PENSKE (Last Week #6)
9. FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS (Last Week #10)
10. STEWART HAAS RACING (Last Week #9)

Third week of Playoffs and chaos is ramping up. Last week we saw four teams change place, this week we see six teams change place. Hendrick Motorsports have an average finish of 7.75 and they stay at #1. All four cars finished 13^th or above. Joe Gibbs Racing get the win from #11 Denny Hamlin and have an average finish of 7 and they move up a place to #2. RFK Racing have an average finish of 6, the lowest average in the Top 10, yet they drop a spot to #3. 23XI Racing have an average finish of 14.5 and they stay at #4. Trackhouse Racing Team have an average finish of 22 and they stay in the Top 5 at #5.

Richard Childress Racing had an average finish of 18.5 and they move up two places to #6. JTG Daugherty Racing’s #47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished 10th and the team stays at #7. Team Penske has an average finish of 29.33, the highest in the Top 10 and they drop two spots to #8. Front Row Motorsports had an average finish of 11 and they move up a place to #9. Stewart Haas Racing had an average finish of 21.5 and they drop back a spot to #10.

Thursday morning look for the Top 30 drivers in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 from Texas.

TOP DRIVERS BY TRACK TYPE: TEXAS

TOP TEN DRIVERS BY TRACK TYPE

1. WILLIAM BYRON #24
2. TYLER REDDICK #45
3. RYAN BLANEY #12
4. DENNY HAMLIN #11
5. KEVIN HARVICK #4
6. KYLE LARSON #5
7. KYLE BUSCH #8
8. CHRISTOPHER BELL #20
9. CHASE ELLIOTT #9
10. BRAD KESELOWSKI #6

Top Ten drivers on tracks like Texas Motor Speedway, Thursday look for our Top 30 drivers at Texas.

RACE PREVIEW: TEXAS

AUTO TRADER ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE 400

SEPTEMBER 24^th, 3:30 Charlotte time, USA TV

1 1/2 mile, 24 Degrees of Banking

Stages end after laps 80/160/267

Playoff Race #4

Just three races into the Playoffs we’ve had three different winners, all Playoff drivers. We just saw four drivers get eliminated: #22 Joey Logano, #4 Kevin Harvick, #47 Rickey Stenhouse Jr. and #34 Michael McDowell. That leaves with just four former champions of the 12 Playoff drivers. In the last ten years two teams have dominated here, Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing both with six wins each. Last year then Richard Childress Racing driver #8 Tyler Reddick won this race, the year before it was HMS driver #5 Kyle Larson in victory circle. Chevrolet has eight wins over the last ten years, Toyota six and Ford four. Four of the Playoff drivers have won here before: Kyle Busch 4 wins, Denny Hamlin 3 wins, Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch 1 win each. Will Hendrick Motorsports and Chevy continue to dominate? After seeing three Playoff drivers win in the first stage, will another Playoff driver lock into the Playoffs for the next five races? We’ll know on Sunday.

Tuesday you’ll find the Top Ten drivers on tracks like this and Thursday the Top 30 drivers at Texas Motor Speedway will be posted.