Most Sprint Cup drivers either love or hate restrictor plate races. While the high speeds and risk of “the big one” may raise safety concerns, this is rarely the reason they dread heading to Daytona or Talladega. Teams who normally run up front every week can’t seem to find the front at these tracks, and first time winners from unheard of teams seem to go to victory lane with some regularity. Based on statistics, here are the teams that are probably looking forward to this weekend’s visit to Talladega:
Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Jeff Gordon hasn’t won yet in 2015, but it’s been mostly due to bad luck. Talladega has been good to him in the past, however. Gordon is ranked first at the track among active drivers. He is second all time behind only Dale Earnhardt, who won an impressive 10 times at the track. Gordon has a 16.95 average finish at the Alabama superspeedway, with six wins in 44 races.
Dale Earnhardt Jr, No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Behind only his father and Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr is ranked third all time at Talladega Superspeedway. His lifetime average at the track is 15.53 in 30 races. He has five wins, and has finished half of the races he’s run in the top-10. In the last two seasons, Earnhardt Jr has one win and four top-5s in nine restrictor plate races. He finished third in the 2015 Daytona 500. While he won the 2014 Daytona 500, he didn’t finish in the top-25 at either Talladega race last season.
Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Brad Keselowski has three wins in 12 races at Talladega. He also has seven top-10s and a 15.08 average finish. His average finish in all restrictor plate tracks is 18.4. Keselowski is ranked in the top ten all time wins at Talladega, and third among active drivers. His most recent win at the track came last fall.
Other Possible Contenders
Clint Bowyer needs something to turn his season around, and Talladega may be the break he needs. He has an average finish of 14.97 in 37 restrictor plate tracks. This includes two wins and nine top-5s. So far this season, he has two top-10 finishes, including the Daytona 500 and last week at Richmond. Kevin Harvick has a 15.61 average finish at Talladega Superspeedway in 28 races. He won at the track in 2010, and finished in the top-10 both races last season. Jimmie Johnson has previously won twice at the track, but has managed to finish in the top-5 only six times in 26 races. His average finish is 17.46.
The Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will be run Sunday, May 3, 2015. Pre-race coverage will begin on Fox at 12:30 p.m. with the race following at 1:20.