Thursday, April 30, 2015

Talladega Driver Quotes: 2015 Geico 500

Everyone feels they have a chance to win this week at Talladega
MATT KENSETH on whether things change year-to-year in SuperSpeedway racing:
“I think there are certain things you learn and certain situations you remember. Things actually do change just a little bit even though the rules haven’t really changed for a while, but it doesn’t change a lot. The biggest thing every time you go back is you get in practice and you get around other cars and you see who is fast and who is slow, who your car goes fast with and who it doesn’t, and you always want to be with your teammates or with your manufacturer, but your sometimes your car just won’t go fast with theirs, so you have to figure that out and try to get yourself in the right position during the race.”

MICHAEL WALTRIP on having David Ragan join Michael Waltrip Racing after Talladega:
“It feels good to have David Ragan aboard. His experience, his knowledge about the cars, his competitiveness this year in 2015 driving the 18 Camry in a tough situation has really been admirable with what he’s been able to accomplish. I know he’s going to come here and be able to support Clint (Bowyer, teammate), shareinformation, bounce things off Clint back and forth to improve our cars and continue to make progress as we race toward the Chase. It puts us in a position where the Aaron’s car and the 55 Toyota team become a realistic Chase contender now and we’ve got our direction, our future and we’re looking forward to watching David get immersed into all the activities that go on here at Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR). Not only is he a really talented, experienced, winning race car driver, he’s also just a great person and I know he’s going to do a wonderful job representing Aaron’s and he’s a Georgia boy just like Aaron’s is from Georgia – they have some synergy there – and he’s looking forward to wearing the Aaron’s colors and being a part of their family as well. We want to thank Brett Moffitt for the great job he did filing in for (Brian) Vickers and we’re looking forward to watching Brett’s continued development as well – he’s still part of the MWR family and we’re looking forward to him getting some more experience and developing his career as well.”

DENNY HAMLIN on starting position at Talladega dictating how he approaches race:
“It will for sure. I think that if we are able to get a good qualifying spot it will allow me to try to stay up front, but if we get mauled in the center to back of the pack for qualifying, it will probably set the tone for how we run the first part of the race or at least until the first pit stop where we can kind of shuffle ourselves to the front through pit strategy or getting on and off pit road pretty quick and getting up to the front. I think that’s the one thing that will dictate for qualifying for us is our early race strategy.”

DAVID RAGAN on looking forward to Talladega knowing he has such a good record there:
“I love going to Talladega. I wouldn’t enjoy the racing there if it was 36 times a year but, a couple times a year, it’s just a different strategy and mindset the entire weekend. You have to do different things with strategy for the whole weekend. You have to do different things with your racecar to make it fast. And you have to work well with others. It’s a fun weekend. Always a great crowd and close to home and I went there a few times as a kid. Any time you’ve won at a track, it’s always fun to go back because you know you can do some of the right things to win there. Obviously, going to Talladega this year and driving for JGR in the Pedigree Toyota, it’s going to be another new experience with a different group of guys and seeing what their strategy is. Also, you get to see the strengths and weaknesses of their cars on the superspeedway. I know the Toyotas ran really well at Daytona, and it’s going to be fun to strap into one at Talladega and see what we can do.”

CARL EDWARDS on Talladega:
“Alright, we head to Talladega. Our superspeedway program has been really good here at JGR. We feel like it’s an opportunity for us to go out and grab a win. We didn’t run the way we wanted to at Richmond, but we never quit. We never gave up and I’m really proud of my guys for that. With Matt (Kenseth) and Denny (Hamlin) already in the Chase, it’s really up to our 19 team to take any opportunity we can to get a victory. I really feel like the format of the restrictor plate races gives us just as good an opportunity as anyone. So we’re going to Talladega and try to be there for that final lap and the run to the finish and maybe we can put ourselves in a good position. At the same time we have to be conscious that we’ve lost some points this year due to some mistakes and some bad luck and we can’t put ourselves in a bad position early. It’ll be an interesting race to see how it develops and we’ll try to make good decisions the entire time.”

KEVIN HARVICK
“I think a lot of the approach depends on where you qualify. A lot of these tracks, if you can qualify decent and race up front with the current rules package, I think it’s better to stay up front and try to keep yourself there throughout the day. Obviously, if you don’t qualify well, you go with the opposite strategy. For us, having a couple of wins in the bank, I think you race as hard as you can all day to try and keep yourself up front and have a complete day of hopefully keeping the car rolling when it’s time to be around at the end.”

MARTIN TRUEX, JR.
“I think we can go to Talladega, line up by points and go racing. I don’t think we need to practice there. We could show up, maybe have a 20-30 minute session to check for oil leaks or any rubbing or dragging. That’s essentially all we do there anymore. We’re ready for another superspeedway race. We had so much speed with our car in Daytona and feel we had the car to beat in the 500. We were sitting there leading with a handful of laps to go. We ran up front throughout Speedweeks. All this means is that we’ll have another fast superspeedway car in Talladega. But staying out of trouble and being in contention at the end is what it’s really about when we go to Talladega. It has always been a very unpredictable race.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON
“We have had some solid finishes lately and I’m so proud of this Lowe’s team, but we have to get better on Fridays – we practice fast and then have a bad qualifying session. Qualifying poorly hurts us for race day – we’ve had fast cars, we just need to qualify better so we don’t have so much work cut out for us on Sunday.”

KEITH RODDEN, KASEY KAHNE'S CREW CHIEF
We had a great car for the Daytona 500 in February, and earned a solid top-10 finish so I’m looking forward to going to Talladega this weekend to see how we can improve the car and our results. Talladega is a track I have always liked and look forward to. At times, you can’t control everything and that is something that will be the same for all of us there but it’s always an exciting race.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.
“The guy that’s leading the race really is the guy controlling everything. He can block and he can do whatever he needs to do as far as getting in front of the line that’s coming to be able to get the push to maintain his speed. He can do so much more than everyone else in the field. And that’s just the best place to be.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY
“Talladega is a pretty relaxed weekend. Practice is extremely laid back, you run your 10 laps and if your car doesn’t have any tire rubs, that’s pretty much it for practice. Qualifying is going to be different than what we have done in the past and it will be much more laid back than what we had for the past two or three plate races. The race itself is really all about surviving and getting to the end, trying to put yourself in a good position in the last 25-30 laps to have a chance to win.”

JEFF GORDON
“Restrictor-plate racing is a white-knuckle experience where we race in big packs while trying to avoid the ‘big one’ – the big wreck that collects a lot of race cars. It’s hectic. It’s physical. It’s mental.”

PAUL MENARD
“Talladega is the biggest, fastest track on the circuit. Unfortunately we run small restrictor plates there so we can’t get away from each other, which makes the racing unique. It’s like being bottled up on the interstate during rush hour but at 200 mph, inches away from each other. It’s not very physical racing, but extremely mental. There is a lot of anticipation as to what people are doing around you and trying to put your car in position to stay one step ahead.”

RYAN NEWMAN
“The hardest part about restrictor-plate racing as a driver, you are a smaller part of the equation. You are holding it wide open and you are obviously steering the car, you still have very little influence on making the car go faster.”

DANICA PATRICK
“The fans really make that place. The campgrounds – all that stuff makes it one, big party. You see how much fun the fans are having and that makes it fun for us as drivers. It’s just a unique place. The sheer size of the facility is amazing. I liked it from the first time I went there and, hopefully, we can have a good run and a good finish. The cool thing about superspeedways is that anybody can win. It’s a toss-up, what’s going to happen. So, that’s why it’s fun for me because somebody like me has a chance. On top of that, SHR’s superspeedway cars are really good.”

KURT BUSCH
“Talladega has been the same for me the last 15 years. Not much with handling, it’s full throttle all the way around. Pit road is an easy place to get in a fender-bender. The race track itself when you are in the draft it is so easy to get caught up in somebody else’s mistake or your mistake. It takes out a lot of cars when you have that big wreck. Hopefully, things will be smooth. The way that Daytona was so exciting because of all the different wrecks that happened. Maybe Talladega will be calm this time.”

KYLE LARSON
“After a pretty good race last weekend, we’re looking for another solid run on Sunday with the Target Chevy. I thought everyone did a good job executing last weekend, and even though Talladega is one of those tracks where it’s not as easy to make your own luck, we’ll look to get a solid finish and keep working our way back up in the points. With two previous starts at Talladega I’m getting a little better at plate racing, but it’s not my strong suit yet. I’m sure I’ll lean on Jamie a bit this weekend to get some tips.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER
“Talladega Superspeedway is one of those races where mentally you are just hoping to get through it and finish because anything can happen. You try to put yourself in the best position possible. There’s no real perfect way for strategy to miss the big one. I think the best thing you can do as a driver is just go out there, have a fast race car and stay up front all race and hope luck is on your side. Being up front, you can miss some of the wrecks and get all your sponsors and manufacturer some TV time. So, that’s my deal, is to run up front at Talladega.”

CASEY MEARS
“The GEICO 500 weekend at Talladega Superspeedway is definitely an exciting weekend for Germain Racing and the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS team. GEICO has such a huge involvement. It’s great to be a part of that and interact with the GEICO fans and customers. We want to win every race and any race at Talladega fits that criteria! As far as racing at Talladega, I enjoy working the draft and working through the pack. You’ll see I seem to like the middle in three-wide situations. As a team, we’ve had a strategy there that’s worked well for us and we’ve had great speed with our GEICO Chevy – two critical keys you need at Talladega. I’ve found as far as finding cars to race with, it’s better to basically do your own thing. If it ends up working out to work with someone, it does, but, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

AUSTIN DILLON
“I feel like you can’t be conservative. You have to stay up front. You have to know what the car needs to stay up front. I really like running up front in these speedway races because, I think, if you’re ahead of that big pack it makes it easier to avoid the big wreck.”

JUSTIN ALLGAIER
“I like racing at Talladega [Superspeedway]. There’s just a different atmosphere there with the fans and the type of racing. There’s really not a whole lot for us to do in the practice sessions. How the BRANDT Chevy feels when we unload it off of the truck, that’s what we’ll have for the race. We are on a good roll as team, so if we can avoid all of the accidents during the race, we’ll have as good of a shot as anybody at winning the race on Sunday.”

TONY STEWART
“They’re different tracks with their own characteristics, but it’s plate racing and that really doesn’t change. Daytona has always been billed as being more of the handling track, but we’re still drafting and we’ll be in a pack where you’ve got cars on top of each other. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time, and that’s the same whether we’re racing at Daytona or Talladega.”

BRIAN SCOTT
“Superspeedway racing is Superspeedway racing. Those races were a thorn in our side last year and Daytona got started kind of the same way this year. I just can’t seem to be in the right place at the right time or get good finishes lately at superspeedways. Hopefully we can go and get the monkey off our back at Talladega and just get a top-10 finish. That’s all I really care about. NASCAR issued that qualifying procedures have changed so we can go back to a little bit of old school qualifying. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. It seems like we were taking a lot of unnecessary risks and situations were happening when race cars were being tore up in qualifying and that doesn’t need to be the case at a place like Talladega. Talladega and Daytona claim enough race cars as it is so you don’t want to add another event in the weekend that’s going to tear up more race cars. It will probably benefit us with getting a better starting position. Hopefully we can get the monkey off our back and get a decent finish.”

GREG BIFFLE
“I finished second in this race last year and I’m excited to go back. Talladega is a good opportunity for us to win a race, its pure speed and we have fast Speedway cars, so I’m looking forward to this weekend.”

- compiled from manufacturer press releases

Talladega Driver Chassis Selections: 2015 Geico 500

Earnhardt Jr. using third-place Daytona 500 chassis this week
#3-Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 493 in the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. This Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Boats Chevy was built new for the 2015 season and was utilized earlier this season at Daytona International Speedway, where Dillon finished 14th in the Daytona 500 and 15th in the Duel at Daytona.

#4-Kevin Harvick: will pilot the #4 Outback Steakhouse Chevrolet SS built on Chassis No. 4-814 in the Geico 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday at Talladega. Built in 2014, Chassis No. 814 finished fifth in the 2014 Sprint Unlimited and served as the backup for both races at Talladega in 2014. Chassis No. 814 finished second in the 2015 Daytona 500 at Daytona and fifth in the 2015 Budweiser Duel at Daytona.

#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Keith Rodden has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-856 for Sunday's race at Talladega. Notably in 2014, Kahne drove the car to finishes of eighth place and 12th place in two races at Talladega. Most recently, Kahne raced the chassis in the Daytona 500 in February, where he finished ninth.

#15-Clint Bowyer: Chassis No. 790 serves as the primary chassis for Clint Bowyer at Talladega. Bowyer drove the chassis at the Sprint Unlimited in February where he finished 20th. Chassis No. 811 serves as the back-up. The chassis served as primary for Bowyer at the season opening Daytona 500 where he finished seventh and last year at Talladega in October where finished third.

#24-Jeff Gordon: Crew chief Alan Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-916 for this Sunday's race. The chassis has been raced once to a seventh-place finish in this year's Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway. Gordon will drive the #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy in this Sunday's race, and AARP's "Real Possibilities" will again be featured on the car. AARP and its Foundation are helping to combat hunger by coordinating with local agencies and food banks and sponsoring innovative teaching programs and more.

#27-Paul Menard will utilize chassis No. 492 this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. This Quaker State/Menards Chevy was utilized earlier this year at the Sprint Unlimited event in Daytona where Menard started first and finished 21st after being collected in a late-race incident.

#31-Ryan Newman will drive chassis No. 494 on Sunday at Talladega. This Chevy was utilized earlier this season at Daytona International Speedway for the Duels (Start: 12/Finish: 12) and the Daytona 500 (Start: 22/Finish: 38). Thompson Tractor Company, Inc., Puckett Machinery Company and Louisiana Catwill be featured on the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

#33-Brian Scott is scheduled to pilot chassis No. 495 in Sunday's GEICO 500. This is a new chassis that was utilized for the first time during Daytona 500 practice sessions and the Duels at Daytona International Speedway in February.

#41-Kurt Busch will pilot Chassis No. 758 in Sunday's Geico 500 at Talladega. Formerly a #10 chassis for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Danica Patrick, Chassis No. 758 made its debut during 2013 Budweiser Speedweeks at Daytona, where Patrick qualified the car on the pole for the Daytona 500 with a speed of 196.434 mph. She led five laps in the "Great American Race" before finishing eighth - the best finish ever for a woman in the Daytona 500. Patrick next drove Chassis 758 in May 2013 at Talladega, where she started 23rd and finished 33rd after being involved in a late-race accident. The car was rebuilt and wind-tunnel tested before returning to Talladega in October, when she again finished 33rd after a pit-road speeding penalty took her out of contention. Chassis No. 758 was then raced in the 2014 Sprint Unlimited at Daytona, when Patrick was caught in a multicar accident and finished a disappointing 16th. In its next outing, Patrick led six laps early at Talladega in May 2014 before finishing 22nd. She then finished eighth in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona in July, driving Chassis No. 758 to her third-career top-10 finish to date. In the final restrictor-plate race of the 2014 season, Patrick again led laps at Talladega but was shuffled back in the draft and was credited with a 19th-place finish. Since then, the car's body was updated for 2015. It was wind-tunnel tested Jan. 15 in preparation for the season-opening Daytona 500 in February and was driven to a 16th-place finish by Regan Smith.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: For this weekend's event, crew chief Chad Knaus has selected chassis No. 48-915 which is a brand new car. The backup car is 48-853, which last raced in the Sprint Unlimited in Daytona.

#55-Michael Waltrip: will drive primary chassis 789 won pole and finished 20th at Talladega in October with Brian Vickers behind the wheel. Finished 25th with Waltrip in Daytona. The backup: 748 chassis finished 41st in 2014 Daytona 500 & 25th at Talladega in May with Waltrip.

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: This weekend at Talladega, crew chief Greg Ives and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-872. Earnhardt most recently raced the chassis to a third-place finish in the Daytona 500.




- complied by Jayski.com

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Dale Earnhardt Jr. favored to win Talladega Geico 500

Dale Earnhardt Jr is a five-time Talladega winner - last time in 2004
LAS VEGAS-- Dale Earnhardt Jr. hasn't won at Talladega SuperSpeedway since a span of winning five of seven races from 2001-04, but he's still favored to win Sunday's Geico 500. Yes, it's hard to believe it's been 20 races since Junior last won on the beastly 2.66-mile high-banked layout; because of the volatile nature of the track and the 43 cars being somewhat equal, he gets the favorite label by default and popularity.

There really isn't a favorite from an oddsmaking standpoint at any of the four restrictor-plate races (two each at Talladega and Daytona). The edge power teams have on the other tracks don't apply. Since Daytona, Kevin Harvick's odds have been in the 9-to-2 range, and he's led 952 laps through nine races. He's one of the best plate-racers in the series, but he has still won only once over his career at Talladega (2010) and he's yet to win a plate race in five chances with Stewart Haas Racing. He opens at 12-to-1 odds this week.

As for Junior being the default favorite, it all rests with supply and demand. He is routinely voted as the most popular driver in NASCAR, and that translates to the bet windows in Las Vegas. Even though it's been over a decade since he won at Talladega, his legend precedes him with those five wins. He was strengthened last year when he won the Daytona 500, showing he could still read the air of the draft better than most. Because the books know they're going to have risk on him whether he's 12-to-1 or 8-to-1, they figure they might as well start low and adjust from there.

Based on probabilities, the favorites this week should actually be Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth. Despite leading plenty of laps in plate races since the two became teammates, the Joe Gibbs Racing team has only won once between Daytona and Talladega. They also don't have an expected high volume of betting tickets written on them like Junior does.

The best thing about the equality of each car on restrictor-plate tracks is that you get great odds on drivers you normally wouldn't. Up to 38 drivers have a chance to win, compared to last week at Richmond, for example, where only 13 legitimately had a shot. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has seven popular drivers listed at 12-to-1, following Junior at 8-to-1. They know a long shot can cash at Talladega, just like Jamie McMurray and David Ragan did in 2013.

Here's a look at all the Westgate's odds for this week’s race at Talladega:

DALE EARNHARDT JR 8/1: While Daytona and Talladega run much differently, the speeds and performance with plates on are still relevant to cross reference. In Junior's case, he led 32 laps and finished third in the Daytona 500. In 30 starts at Talladega, he has five wins and 10 top-five finishes with a very respectable 15.5 average finish. He finished second in the fall of 2013, as well as 2009, since his last win in 2004.

KEVIN HARVICK 12/1: He finished second in the Daytona 500, but surprisingly didn't lead a lap. What makes him so good in plate races is that he's got the respect of every driver out there.They want to work with him because they know he's going to pave a way to the front -- Junior has the same appeal. In 29 career starts at Talladega, he's got a 15.6 average finish, which is third best among active drivers with at least four starts.

DENNY HAMLIN 12/1: He won his first career plate race at Talladega last spring and has averaged a fourth-place finish in his past three Daytona starts. While JGR is still figuring things out on the cookie cutter tracks, they may very well be ahead of everyone in plate races with a package that is relatively the same from last year. Expect him to be up front with the lead pack for most of the race, which with two laps to go is about all you can ask for when making an odds to win wager on a driver.

JIMMIE JOHNSON 12/1: The thing that makes Johnson attractive this week is his strong Daytona 500 performance where he led four times for 39 laps and finished fifth. He's a two-time Talladega winner and two-time runner-up with a 17.5 average finish.

MATT KENSETH 12/1: He won for the first time at Talladega in 2012 in his final year with Roush Fenway Racing, but he looked just as strong in his first two years with JGR. He's led lots of laps in the nine plate races with JGR with a best finish of second last fall at Talladega.

BRAD KESELOWSKI 12/1: We should have known Keselowski would be a monster at Talladega when he took an underfunded part time team to victory lane in 2009 for his first career win. He's won two times since for Penske Racing, including last fall. He's got a 15.1 average finish in 12 starts, and it's usually all or nothing for him. He's only had four top-five finishes and three are wins.

KURT BUSCH 12/1: When he first came into the series I was shocked to see how adept he was in plate races. Seeing him run here in Las Vegas at the Bullring in his younger days, it was obvious he was going to be a terror on short tracks, but restrictor-plate racing was thought to be an entirely different story -- an acquired skill over time. All he did in his first Talladega race in 2001 was finish third, and then he finished third and fourth the next two years. At the time I was calling him the best driver to never have won a plate race and 13 years later that's still the case. He certainly could have been selfish in the 2008 Daytona 500 and not pushed teammate Ryan Newman to victory, but here we are in 2015 still with no plate wins. We didn't get to see him in the Daytona 500 this year because of being suspended by NASCAR, but Regan Smith drove his No. 41 to a respectable 16th-place finish. With a win in his back pocket already, look for Busch to go hard after another one.

JOEY LOGANO 12/1: His career best came in 2009 as a rookie with third-place, but he's finished 11th or worse in his past seven starts. He won the Daytona 500 in February, but there's no chance of him using that strong chassis since it's on display at Daytona USA. Most other drivers will be using either the primary or back-up chassis from Daytona.

Read More Here....Complete list of drivers odds

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Denny Hamlin looking to defend Talladega crown this week

Denny Hamlin is 12/1 to win again at Talladega
Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Express Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Race Info:

Race: GEICO 500
Date/Time: May 3/1:00 p.m. ET
Distance: 188 laps/500 miles
Track Length: 2.66 miles
Track Shape: Oval
Banking: 33 degrees
2014 Winner: Denny Hamlin

Express Notes:
Denny Defends:
Denny Hamlin and the FedEx Racing Team head to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway looking to defend the victory from one year ago in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the high-banked oval. One year ago, Hamlin led 12 of 188 laps en route to victory lane at Talladega, taking the lead on the final restart to capture his lone victory of the 2014 season, which propelled him into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Hamlin is making his 19th career Talladega start this weekend in the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, and has recorded six top-10 results and led 217 laps at the restrictor-plate track. In the Series’ most recent trip to Talladega last fall, Hamlin drove to an 18th-place finish, good enough to advance to the Eliminator Round of the Chase.

Richmond Recap: Hamlin finished 22nd in Sunday’s rain-postponed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway, battling a tight #11 FedEx Ground Toyota throughout the 400-lap event won by Kurt Busch. Hamlin started second but immediately began to fall in the running order due to an ill-handling race car. He reported the car lacked forward drive, was tight through the center of the corner and loose on corner exit. Crew chief Dave Rogers called for a variety of changes on pit road to try to help Hamlin on the track, but nothing seemed to bring the #11 machine to life. Hamlin eventually fell two laps down with less than 100 laps to go before a string of-late race cautions. The finish dropped Hamlin one spot to 12th in the NASCAR standings following Richmond, 112 points behind leader Kevin Harvick after nine of 26 regular season races.

Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Races: 18
Wins: 1
Top-5: 4
Top-10: 6
Average Start: 20.0
Average Finish: 19.0
Laps Led: 217

Hamlin Conversation — TALLADEGA:

How would you assess the team’s restrictor-plate track program heading into Talladega?

“Our (restrictor) plate program has really been our strong suit over the last few years on this FedEx team. I have learned some things over the last few plate races that have helped, and we have had really good cars in the draft. Last year at Talladega, we finally got our first plate win, and it was big for our team. It obviously gave us a Chase berth and a lot of momentum. This year, hopefully we can get another win there to get more bonus points. It’s all about winning for us.”

New York City Along for the Ride in Talladega: The FedEx Express ramp in New York City, which was temporarily relocated following Superstorm Sandy, will be recognized with its “FIDA” code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota this weekend at Talladega.

FedEx Office – Closest to Talladega Superspeedway: 117 Resource Center Pkwy, Birmingham, AL 35242, (205) 981-0077

          2015 FEDEX RACING TEAM – SEASON RESULTS
DATEEVENTLOCATIONSTARTFINISHLAPSSTATUSWINNINGSLEDPTSTREND
Feb. 22Daytona 500Daytona424203/203Running$680,48344th
March 1Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500Atlanta438284/325Running$111,1051419th
March 8Kobalt 400Las Vegas195267/267Running$162,3808th
March 15Camping World 500Phoenix2523312/312Running$92,85513th
March 22Auto Club 400Fontana628209/209Running$106.4855614th
March 29STP 500Martinsville151500/500Running$172,260917th
April 11Duck Commander 500Texas1811334/334Running$146,5258th
April 19Food City 500Bristol*526505/511Running$109,20011th
April 26Toyota Owners 400Richmond222398/400Running$95,35012th
Averages/Totals15.117.698.4% $1,676,643165  
* Drivers: Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones

- Weber Shandwick Worldwide for FedEx Racing

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. comes to Talladega with 8.7 average finish

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is 60/1 to win at Talladega Sunday
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Talladega Advance
Team: No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Nick Sandler
Twitter: @PR17RFR @stenhousejr @FifthThird and @roushfenway

ADVANCE NOTES

Stenhouse at Talladega Superspeedway

The two-time XFINITY champion has three NASCAR Sprint CupSeries (NSCS) career starts at Talladega with an average finishing position of 8.7.

Stenhouse has been scored in the top-15 during 306 of the 568 laps raced at Talladega in the NSCS.

Last time at Talladega
After suffering damage on the right front fender from the spin by the No. 48 machine, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. linedup in the 19th-position for the green-white-checkered finish. With the inside lane having the momentum, the two-time XFINITY champion maneuvered his Ford into the 10th position before the field was frozen on the final lap due to debris in last year’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Raceday is Fifth Third Day
Every year Fifth Third celebrates 5/3 day on May 3rd by volunteering at local food banks and hosting food drives among other charitable acts.

Roush Fenway Racing will be participating in a food drive to support Fifth Third Bank’s “Feeding Our Communities” initiative. We will be joining them this year by hosting our own week-long food drive.

Stenhouse Jr. on racing at Talladega:
“I’m looking forward to Talladega after seeing the speed our cars had at Daytona earlier this season. We needa win to make the Chase and I think that Talladega is great opportunity for us to be able to get that win. If we can stay out of trouble and avoid the notorious ‘big one’, I think we can leave Talladega with a solid finish.”

Nick Sandler on racing at Talladega:
“We had a strong showing at Daytona earlier this year and I feel confident that will carry over to this weekend. Ricky is a really smart superspeedway racer and knows how to be there at the end to go for the win. This race has a lot of different pit strategies because tires don’t fall off too much. I think if we can stay out of trouble that we should leave Talladega scoring a solid finish.”

- Roush Fenway Racing

Talladega Betting Preview: 2015 Geico 500

Anyone can win at Talladega as David Ragan proved in 2013
We just had two consecutive rainy weeks of racing on short tracks, but now we get a power boost of adrenaline as the Sprint Cup series heads to the biggest, baddest track on the planet at Talladega SuperSpeedway where the Alabama weather is expected to absolutely beautiful this weekend.

This beast of a track is 2.66 miles of mean and nasty speeds up to 200 mph that creates edge of your seat viewing because when the ’Big One’ happens, the wrecks are scary spectacular.

What’s most enjoyable about Talladega is that 38 of the 43 drivers have a legitimate shot to win. Last week at Richmond, you could make a case for -- maybe -- 13 drivers.

Restrictor-plate racing levels the field to the point where all cars are pretty much equal which in theory lessens the chance for the power teams to win. Between the two road courses and the four-restrictor-plate races (Daytona also), there are six opportunities for smaller teams to win and get a ticket into the Chase like Aric Almirola (Daytona) and A.J. Allmeninder (Watkins Glen) did in 2014.

The one driver that comes to mind who could make a big splash is Danica Patrick. On a normal race scenario, Patrick is in the 500/1 odds to win range, but this week at Talladega she’ll be around 40/1. She has performed well in plate races -- she’s better at Daytona, but she’s having a career year in what is the final year on her contract with Stewart Haas Racing. She was 25th at Richmond last week, but had averaged a 10th-place finish over her previous three starts.

Patrick’s car has looked very similar to her SHR teammates Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch who seem to lead almost every lap of every race. One race where Harvick was shown to be mortal by not leading a lap was the Daytona 500 in February. Harvick still finished second. Patrick finished 21st and Kurt Busch was suspended, but Regan Smith brought home a 16th-place finish. The boss and teammate, Tony Stewart, was in an early accident and finished 42nd.

I’m not saying to go out and bet Danica to win, I’m merely stating that you can’t count her out. And that goes for David Gilliland , Sam Hornish Jr., Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Casey Mears. Those are all drivers we don’t talk about too much when wagering, but will be expected to run well and compete for top-10 finishes, and the time elapsed from first to 10th-place is about a tenth of a second. Anything can happen on that final turn.

Last season is applicable because the plate cars are basically the same. There were no major suprises as Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski won from power teams. But the year before it was Jamie McMurray at 25/1 odds and David Ragan at 100/1 odds winning.

For Keselowski, he has proven to love Talladega racing as his three wins attest to. He grabbed his first ever win in 2009 for a part-time team and also won for Penske Racing in 2012.

Stenhouse Jr. has three Talladega starts and an average of 8.7 with a best of third-place in 2013. You couldn’t be faulted by taking 50/1 on him.

The team that has really stood out over the past two seasons of plate racing has been Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin has the one win, but they’ve been dominant. They get out to the front and lead laps and then it‘s a gamble on the final few laps. Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Hamlin and Ragan should all be very good on Sunday. For Ragan, the onlytwo wins of his career have come in restrictor plate races.

Jeff Gordon is a six-time winner at Talladega, but doesn’t have any since winning back-to-back events in 2007-08. His farewell season isn’t quite going as planned. Jimmie Johnson has won twice there, the last coming in 2011. Both cars looked outstanding in the Daytona 500 combining to lead 10 times for 126 laps. Gordon started from the pole and led a race high 87 laps. The duo should be good again this week.

The best betting strategy this week is to lay off the matchups because there is no edge, unless a book dangles +115 on some driver, and it doesn't matter who. That's how random and volatile the track is. Take about five to six drivers at varied odds to win from a couple of favorites, to a middle of the pack odds guy and then a longer shot and stagger your wager amounts based on who like the most or would like the most return on overall investment.

There are no bad picks this week until it actually loses. So best of luck throwing darts to choose the winner. Here are my five numbers pulled from a hat:

Read More Here....Top-5 Finish Prediction

Monday, April 27, 2015

F-1 odds from Westgate Las Vegas: 2015 Spanish Grand Prix

And we thought Kevin Harvick was dominating his series.....

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
CIRCUIT DE-BARCELONA-CATALUNYA
SUNDAY, MAY 10, 2015


LEWIS HAMILTON 1-2
NICO ROSBERG 11-4
SEBASTIAN VETTEL 8
KIMI RAIKKONEN 8
VALTTERI BOTTAS 80
FELIPE MASSA 80
DANIEL RICCIARDO 300
DANIIL KVYAT 500
ROMAIN GROSJEAN 500
PASTOR MALDONADO 500
CARLOS SAINZ 1000
FELIPE NASR 1000
MARCUS ERICSSON 1000
MAX VERSTAPPEN 1000
FERNANDO ALONSO 500
JENSON BUTTON 500
NICO HULKENBERG 1000
SERGIO PEREZ 1000
ROBERTO MERHI 5000
WILL STEVENS 5000

Talladega SuperSpeedway Track Facts: 2015 Geico 500

Talladega means you can't count any driver out; everyone has a chance to win with cars that are pretty equal
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2015 Top 16 at Talladega Superspeedway
Rank
Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating
 
 
1
Kevin Harvick
28
1
1
6
12
2
15.6
78.8
 
2
Joey Logano
12
0
0
2
4
4
19.9
82.2
 
3
Martin Truex Jr.
20
0
0
1
6
9
21.3
78.6
 
4
Jimmie Johnson
26
1
2
6
10
8
17.5
87.5
 
5
Brad Keselowski
12
0
3
4
7
1
15.1
82.9
 
6
Kasey Kahne
22
1
0
3
5
3
21.1
71.7
 
7
Matt Kenseth
30
0
1
6
10
4
17.8
89.9
 
8
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
30
0
5
10
14
5
15.5
90.7
 
9
Jamie McMurray
25
0
2
6
7
4
20.4
79.8
 
10
Jeff Gordon
44
3
6
15
19
9
17.0
79.1
 
11
Aric Almirola
10
0
0
0
1
1
21.1
79.2
 
12
Denny Hamlin
18
0
1
4
6
3
19.0
82.0
 
13
Paul Menard
17
0
0
2
3
6
21.5
74.4
 
14
Clint Bowyer
18
0
2
6
10
3
14.4
78.5
 
15
Ryan Newman
26
0
0
5
10
8
20.9
68.6
 
16
Danica Patrick
4
0
0
0
0
1
26.8
71.7
 
* – Based on last 20 races at Talladega Superspeedway (2005 – 2014).

Talladega Superspeedway:
History
·         Construction began on what was then known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway on May 23, 1968.
·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on Sept. 14, 1969 – won by Richard Brickhouse.
·         The name changed to Talladega Superspeedway in 1989.
·         Fourth repaving completed on Sept. 19, 2006.
Notebook
·         There have been 91 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, one NSCS event in 1969 and two races per year since 1970.
·         Talladega Superspeedway is tied with Michigan International Speedway for holding the ninth most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points paying races (90).  
·         439 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega; 302 in more than one.
·         Dave Marcis and Terry Labonte lead the series in starts at Talladega with 61 each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 44 starts; followed by Tony Stewart with 31.
·         Bobby Isaac won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Talladega in 1969 with a speed of 199.466 mph.  Isaac won the first three poles at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.
·         38 drivers have Coors Light poles at Talladega, led by Bill Elliott with eight. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with three.
·         10 drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Talladega. Bill Elliott holds the record for most consecutive poles at Talladega with six (1985 - 1987).
·         Youngest Talladega pole winner: Brian Scott (05/04/2014 – 26 years, 3 months, 22 days).
·         Oldest Talladega pole winner: Mark Martin (10/23/2011 – 52 years, 9 months, 14 days).
·         44 different drivers have won at Talladega Superspeedway, led by Dale Earnhardt with 10. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with six.

·         Richard Childress Racing has the most wins at Talladega in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 12; followed by Hendrick Motorsports with 11.
·         Nine different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Talladega; led by Chevrolet with 39 victories; followed byFord with 21 and Toyota with three.
·         13 of the 91 (14.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from the Coors Light pole.Jeff Gordon (2007) is the only active driver to be able to accomplish the feat.  
·         The outside front row (second-place) starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position at Talladega. 
·         33 of the 91 (36.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from the front row: 13 from the pole and 20 from second-place.
·         63 of the 91 (69.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega have been won from a top-10 starting position.
·         8 of the 91 (8.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Talladega was 36th, by Jeff Gordon in the spring of 2000.
·         Youngest Talladega winner: Bobby Hillin Jr. (07/27/1986 – 22 years, 1 month, 22 days).
·         Oldest Talladega winner: Harry Gant (05/06/1991 – 51 years, 3 months, 26 days).
·         Buddy Baker and Tony Stewart are tied for the series’ most runner-up finishes at Talladega with six each.
·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-five finishes at Talladega with 23. Jeff Gordonleads all active drivers with 15. 
·         Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-10 finishes at Talladega with 27. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 19.
·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Talladega with a 10.192.
·         Clint Bowyer leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Talladega with a 14.444.
·         There have been eight NSCS races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Talladega Superspeedway: spring of 2005 (188/194), fall of 2005 (188/190), spring of 2007 (188/192), fall of 2008 (188/190) spring of 2010 (188/200), fall of 2012 (188/189), spring of 2013 (188/192) and fall of 2014 (188/194).
·         Only two of the 91 races at Talladega Superspeedway have been shortened due to weather conditions: spring of 1987 and fall of 1996.
·         Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway five times; most recently fall of 2013. 

·         Jamie McMurray (10/06/2002) made his series debut at Talladega Superspeedway.
·         Brian Scott (05/04/2014), David Gilliland (10/08/2006) and Travis Kvapil (10/05/2008) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Talladega.   
·         2012 series champion Brad Keselowski (04/26/2009) and Brian Vickers (10/08/2006) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Talladega.   
·         Nine drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Talladega; Dale Earnhardt Jr.leads the series in consecutive wins at Talladega after posting four straight from the fall of 2001 – 2003.  
·         Brad Keselowski is the only active series driver to win at Talladega in his first appearance.   
·         Matt Kenseth competed at Talladega Superspeedway 25 times before winning the fall of 2012; the longest span of any the 12 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.
·         Matt Kenseth (25), Tony Stewart (19), Kevin Harvick (18), and David Ragan (12) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Talladega.
·         Kurt Busch leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Talladega without visiting Victory Lane at 28; followed by Ryan Newman with 26.
·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway was the (04/17/2011) race won by Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.002 second – the MOV is tied with the 2003 Darlington race as the closest finishes in the NSCS using electronic scoring. 
·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Talladega with 847 laps led in 44 starts.
·         Three female drivers have competed at Talladega in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Patty Moise and Danica Patrick.

Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Date
Danica Patrick
27
19
10/19/2014
Danica Patrick
7
22
5/4/2014
Danica Patrick
23
33
10/20/2013
Danica Patrick
23
33
5/5/2013
Patty Moise
36
33
7/30/1989
Janet Guthrie
12
29
8/6/1978
Janet Guthrie
9
34
8/7/1977
Janet Guthrie
13
32
5/1/1977


NASCAR in Alabama
·         There have been 110 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races among seven different tracks in Alabama.
Track Name
City
NSCS
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega
91
Birmingham International Raceway
Birmingham
8
Montgomery Motor Speedway
Montgomery
6
Lakeview Speedway
Mobile
2
Chisholm Speedway
Montgomery
1
Dixie Speedway
Birmingham
1
Huntsville Speedway
Huntsville
1

·         70 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Alabama.
·         Nine drivers from Alabama have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; five have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Driver
NSCS
NXS
NCWTS
Bobby Allison
84
2
0
Davey Allison
19
0
0
Neil Bonnett
18
1
0
Donnie Allison
10
0
0
Red Byron
2
0
0
Steve Grissom
0
11
0
Rick Crawford
0
0
5
Darrell Wallace Jr
0
0
5
Cale Gale
0
0
1


 
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES MILESTONES – TALLADEGA

DRIVER
HAS
NEEDS
MILESTONE
David Ragan
299
1
300th NSCS Start - Ragan is 88th on the all-time NSCS starts list, one start behind Paul Menard in 87th (300).
Carl Edwards
374
1
375th Consecutive NSCS Start - Edwards is tied with Bobby Allison (374) for 25th on the all-time NSCS consecutive starts list, one start away from being the sole driver in the 25th position (375).
Matt Kenseth
32
1
33rd NSCS Win - Kenseth is tied with Dale Jarrett for 22nd on the all-time NSCS wins list, one win behind Fireball Roberts in 21st (33 wins).
Jimmie Johnson
198
2
200th NSCS Top-Five Finish - Johnson is 14th on the all-time NSCS top fives list. With two more top fives, he’ll be one of 12 drivers with 200 top fives (NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Benny Parsons is 13th, with 199).
Jeff Gordon
24,778
222
25,000 NSCS Laps Led - Gordon can become the sixth driver in NSCS history to lead 25,000 laps.
Kevin Harvick
952
48
1,000 Laps Led In First 10 Races - Harvick can become the ninth driver in series history to lead 1,000 laps or more in the first 10 races of a season.
#43 car
199
1
200 NSCS Wins - The No. 43 car is second on the all-time NSCS wins list, five wins behind the No. 11 car in first (204).