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Talladega: NASCAR Sprint Cup Starting Line-Up & Race Preview
By Mike Sulka
Fine! You want us to admit it, We'll admit it. We blew the NASCAR Sprint Cup call last week again last week. But can you blame us... Jimmie Johnson had won five of the last six races at Martinsville and has been hotter than hades in the 'Chase'. But did anyone else actually choose Denny Hamlin's upset victory ?
So.. This week we are going get back to business, and try to get things right.
Ahead of us is a track that has raced at 122 times, but is rarely kind to the Polesitter, and has the roll-of-the-dice angle attached to the Big One, and sometimes many Big Ones.
Historically, Talladega Superspeedway and its 2.66-mile tri-oval has been friendly ground for Chevrolet. In fact, Chevy drivers have won 34 times in the 80 previous races at Talladega Superspeedway (TSS), more than any other manufacturer.
But in the Spring race Ford was set to grab its first win coming to the checkers, but then Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards made contact, and we all know how that turned out!
But let's follow this line of thought...
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Did you know.... A Chevrolet driver has won 18 of the last 21 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega for a whopping 85.7% win percentage over the last decade.
Former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet has been lurking around for his first oval victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. He even started from Pole in the Spring, but his best finish in five tries at Talladega has been second (Spring 2008), but the other four times he's finished 15th or much worse.
So we aren't picking Montoya, despite his appeal to us. Sorry Juan. At least he'll have the Chevy on his side today.
Thus, our pick will have to come down to one of two drivers who have dominated Talladega over that last decade. Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Jeff Gordon.
Poor Dale. He's had a remarkably tough season, and in many ways things just haven't been working, but he is due for a break-through. Junior and his No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Impala SS have five victories at Talladega, but they youngster hasn't won at the track since October of 2004 nearly five years ago. While we'd love for today to be a win for Dale Jr ... We aren't picking him.
Instead, we are going to go with Jeff Gordon who is third in his quest for a fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, and is second on the all-time win list at the famed Alabama track. Gordon has six wins at Talladega and last won back in 2007 (twice).
But should that result fail, keep an eye on Tony Stewart. He won last the Talladega race in Fall of 2008. Plus he has the right powerplant.
Enjoy the race today, its sure to be a big one as we decide this 2009's NASCAR Sprint Cup champion!
Starting Line Up by Row
Talladega Superspeedway
AMP Energy 500
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Sat, October 31, 2009 @ 10:50 AM Central
Track Race Record: Mark Martin 05/10/97 02:39:18 188.354
| Row |
Pos |
Car |
Driver |
Team |
Reason |
| 1 |
1 |
48 |
Jimmie Johnson |
Lowe's Chevrolet |
2009 Owner Points 1st |
|
2 |
5 |
Mark Martin |
Pop-Tarts / CARQUEST Chevrolet |
2009 Owner Points 2nd |
| 2 |
3 |
24 |
Jeff Gordon |
DuPont Chevrolet |
2009 Owner Points 3rd |
|
4 |
14 |
Tony Stewart |
Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet |
2009 Owner Points 4th |
| 3 |
5 |
42 |
Juan Pablo Montoya |
Target Chevrolet |
2009 Owner Points 5th |
|
6 |
2 |
Kurt Busch |
Miller Lite Dodge |
2009 Owner Points 6th |
| 4 |
7 |
39 |
Ryan Newman |
U.S. Army Chevrolet |
2009 Owner Points 7th |
|
8 |
16 |
Greg Biffle |
3M / Filterete Ford |
2009 Owner Points 8th |
| 5 |
9 |
11 |
Denny Hamlin |
FedEx Express Toyota |
2009 Owner Points 9th |
|
10 |
99 |
Carl Edwards |
SUBWAY Ford |
2009 Owner Points 10th |
| 6 |
11 |
9 |
Kasey Kahne |
Budweiser Dodge |
2009 Owner Points 11th |
|
12 |
83 |
Brian Vickers |
Red Bull Toyota |
2009 Owner Points 12th |
| 7 |
13 |
18 |
Kyle Busch |
M&M's Toyota |
2009 Owner Points 13th |
|
14 |
17 |
Matt Kenseth |
DEWALT Ford |
2009 Owner Points 14th |
| 8 |
15 |
33 |
Clint Bowyer |
BB&T Chevrolet |
2009 Owner Points 15th |
|
16 |
00 |
David Reutimann |
Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota |
2009 Owner Points 16th |
| 9 |
17 |
47 |
Marcos Ambrose |
Clorox / Kingsford / Little Debbie Toyota |
2009 Owner Points 17th |
|
18 |
31 |
Jeff Burton |
Caterpillar Chevrolet |
2009 Owner Points 18th |
| 10 |
19 |
07 |
Casey Mears |
Jack Daniel's Chevrolet |
2009 Owner Points 19th |
|
20 |
20 |
Joey Logano # |
The Home Depot Toyota |
2009 Owner Points 20th |
| 11 |
21 |
29 |
Kevin Harvick |
Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet |
2009 Owner Points 21st |
|
22 |
26 |
Jamie McMurray |
IRWIN Marathon Ford |
2009 Owner Points 22nd |
| 12 |
23 |
1 |
Martin Truex Jr. |
Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet |
2009 Owner Points 23rd |
|
24 |
88 |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
AMP Energy Get on the 88/Ntnl Guard Chev |
2009 Owner Points 24th |
| 13 |
25 |
44 |
A J Allmendinger |
Hunt Brothers Pizza Dodge |
2009 Owner Points 25th |
|
26 |
19 |
Elliott Sadler |
Stanley Ford |
2009 Owner Points 26th |
| 14 |
27 |
77 |
Sam Hornish Jr. |
Mobil 1 Dodge |
2009 Owner Points 27th |
|
28 |
6 |
David Ragan |
UPS Ford |
2009 Owner Points 28th |
| 15 |
29 |
43 |
Reed Sorenson |
Liberty Medical Dodge |
2009 Owner Points 29th |
|
30 |
12 |
David Stremme |
No. 12 Penske Dodge |
2009 Owner Points 30th |
| 16 |
31 |
96 |
Erik Darnell |
Academy Sports & Outdoors Ford |
2009 Owner Points 31st |
|
32 |
98 |
Paul Menard |
Zecol / Menards Ford |
2009 Owner Points 32nd |
| 17 |
33 |
55 |
Michael Waltrip |
NAPA Auto Parts Toyota |
2009 Owner Points 33rd |
|
34 |
7 |
Robby Gordon |
Jim Beam Toyota |
2009 Owner Points 34th |
| 18 |
35 |
34 |
John Andretti |
WindowWorld.com Chevrolet |
2009 Owner Points 35th |
|
36 |
09 |
* Brad Keselowski |
Micco. Indian Gaming & Resort Chevrolet |
2009 Owner Winner |
| 19 |
37 |
71 |
* Bobby Labonte |
TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet |
Past Champion - 2000 |
|
38 |
82 |
* Scott Speed # |
Red Bull Toyota |
32 Owner Attempts - 36th |
| 20 |
39 |
87 |
* Joe Nemechek |
NEMCO Motorsports Toyota |
32 Owner Attempts - 39th |
|
40 |
66 |
* Dave Blaney |
PRISM Motorsports Toyota |
32 Owner Attempts - 40th |
| 21 |
41 |
36 |
* Robert Richardson, Jr |
Mahindra Tractors Toyota |
32 Owner Attempts - 42nd |
|
42 |
13 |
* Max Papis # |
GEICO Toyota |
17 Owner Attempts - 44th |
| 22 |
43 |
78 |
* Regan Smith |
Furniture Row Chevrolet |
16 Owner Attempts - 41st |
|
16 |
0 |
Ford |
8 |
0 |
|
6 |
0 |
Toyota |
13 |
0 |
Did Not Qualify: None.
Manufacturer Starting Lineup DNQs Manufacturer Starting Lineup DNQs
PaddockTalk Perspective
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