- Mar 19, 2006
- 38,411
- 458
- 83
- 74
some cut and paste from Yahoo Sports
may help ........
Track Facts
Venue: Talladega Superspeedway
Race length: 500 miles
No. of laps: 188
Qualifying: Sat., 11:40 a.m. ET
Race: Sun., 2:10 p.m. ET (Fox
Stat of the Week
Affording victory Dale Jarrett, driving a Ford, snapped Chevrolet's 13-race winning streak at Talladega last October
Last Year's Race
Top 5
Jeff Gordon
Tony Stewart
Michael Waltrip
Jeremy Mayfield
Jamie McMurray
Recent Winners
Recent Winners
2005: Jeff Gordon
2004: Jeff Gordon
2003: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2002: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2001: Bobby Hamilton
2000: Jeff Gordon
1999: Dale Earnhardt
1998: Bobby Labonte
1997: Terry Labonte
1996: Jeff Gordon
Who Will Win?
Jerry Bonkowski: It's hard to pick against any of the four Hendrick Motorsports entries in Sunday's Aaron's 499 at the super-fast Talladega Superspeedway. Jeff Gordon won there last spring, while Jimmie Johnson won this year's season-opening Daytona 500. Kyle Busch is knocking on the door of a restrictor plate win, and even Brian Vickers has the potential to do well. Perhaps more than any other track on the circuit, Talladega lends itself to team-based racing, with plenty of chances for blocking, team drafting and you-get-my-back-I'll-get-yours style racing. My pick to win is Johnson, but if he doesn't do it, Gordon or one of the other HMS drivers will wind up in victory lane.
Bob Margolis: Ah, restrictor plate racing. Talladega-style restrictor plate racing is unique in itself. This track's 2.66 miles is the perfect stage for flat-out running. Teams better show up with tons of horsepower and sleek aerodynamics. The right combination will have them flying along at 190 mph until someone makes a small mistake and causes a 22-car wreck. It's very difficult to pick a winner at this race track because the good cars can be just as much a victim of being wrecked as the bad ones. Nevertheless, after five times a bridesmaid here, it's time for Tony Stewart to become even more like Dale Earnhardt by starting to win races at Talladega.
Jon Baum: Johnson should be strong, and it will be fun to watch Junior in his black No. 8, but Gordon and Stewart could be the drivers to beat on Sunday. Stewart has been as good as or better than anyone this season, and he did lead 20 laps at Daytona in February. Gordon, of course, is one of the masters at Talladega, though he's had tough luck during his last two plate races and finished well but failed to lead last summer's Pepsi 400 after winning at Talladega a couple months earlier. My gut tells me that barring wrecks and mechanical woes, Sunday should belong to Stewart ? though don't be shocked to see the No. 20 help the black No. 8 to a dramatic victory. Still, Gordon is the defending winner and is due for and somewhat in need of a trip to victory lane. The 24 finds a way on Sunday.
Thomas Hocker: Stewart is dominating right now and fared very well with two second-place finishes at Talladega Superspeedway in 2005. His car is so fast, he should be able to get out front quickly and get ahead of the big wrecks that can end the day for a bunch of cars quickly. Expect Kevin Harvick, Earnhardt Jr. and Gordon also to be strong and in contention if they can avoid the Big One.
Dan Beaver: Jeff Gordon goes for three spring races in a row and Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a great shot at getting back to the top spot after wrecking in both Talladega races last year ? which was the only thing keeping him from continuing a long streak of finishing second or better. But this week, momentum will rule. The driver with the big mo is Tony Stewart. He finished second five times on restrictor plate superspeedways before winning last year's Pepsi 400 at Daytona, and he added another second-place finish at 'Dega last fall. Even with a crash-damaged Chevrolet, he came home fifth in this year's Daytona 500. If you're looking for a dark horse, they don't get much duskier than Brent Sherman, but this team earned a pair of superspeedway top-10s last year with Ken Schrader behind the wheel, and Sherman has finished in the top 15 five times in six ARCA and Busch races on the big tracks. His best result in 2006 came in the 500, when he finished 21st.
Top Storyline
Junior Jerry Bonkowski: Win or lose, the biggest story of the weekend will revolve around Dale Earnhardt Jr. His No. 8 Chevrolet, as well as the cars of teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Paul Menard, will wear matching black retro paint schemes to honor the memory of Earnhardt's father Dale Sr., who would have turned 55 on April 29. This weekend also marks the induction of Dale Earnhardt into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega. If Junior manages to win, it could potentially be the most emotional weekend the sport has seen since his father's death in the 2001 season-opening Daytona 500.
Bob Margolis: There are two distinct storylines for this weekend. The first is the potential for the Big One, especially with seven Cup rookies in the field. Not that it will take a rookie to make the mistake that causes one, but the odds are higher that it will be one of the seven. Of course, with the continuation of bump/slam drafting (did you actually think that changing the bumpers would eliminate the practice?) who knows who will be the cause of one or more Big Ones? The second storyline is the weather. Forecasters call for a 70 percent chance of rain Saturday night into Sunday morning. Not to worry, I packed an extra day's worth of clothes for this trip.
Jon Baum: The softer bumpers. Some drivers believe they'll make no difference, some think just a small difference, and some think the race action won't be as exciting. If bump drafting is taken out of the equation, will drivers be anxious to find new ways to pass? Prepare yourself for a 500-mile experiment ? and, of course, to hold your breath for four hours.
Thomas Hocker: For fantasy players who want to play it safe on the restrictor tracks, get on Dale Jarrett. He probably won't win this race, but a top-15 is very likely. His strategy is to sit in the very back and let the aggressive drivers whittle half the field down in wrecks, then swoop in the last 50 laps with a clean car and a solid finish. He has eight consecutive finishes inside the top 20 at Talladega, with five of those inside the top 10.
Dan Beaver: It's got to be the Big One crash. Drivers are more likely to trigger the massive melee in the spring than the fall race. On average, at Talladega since the start of 2000, 17.2 cars have been consumed in a Big One during the track's first race of the season. On three occasions (2002, 2003 and 2005), 24 or more cars were damaged in a single incident on the track. A spring 'Dega race has been run without a crash of 10 or more cars only once this century, when they went error-free in the 2001 Talladega 500.
From The Source
Michael Waltrip: "People are used to running into people and bump drafting, so they're not going to learn immediately not to do it. [The softer bumpers] should calm it down some. It might not change the racing at all, but it might cause one less wreck. And if it does, it was worth it."
glta............
may help ........
Track Facts
Venue: Talladega Superspeedway
Race length: 500 miles
No. of laps: 188
Qualifying: Sat., 11:40 a.m. ET
Race: Sun., 2:10 p.m. ET (Fox
Stat of the Week
Affording victory Dale Jarrett, driving a Ford, snapped Chevrolet's 13-race winning streak at Talladega last October
Last Year's Race
Top 5
Jeff Gordon
Tony Stewart
Michael Waltrip
Jeremy Mayfield
Jamie McMurray
Recent Winners
Recent Winners
2005: Jeff Gordon
2004: Jeff Gordon
2003: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2002: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2001: Bobby Hamilton
2000: Jeff Gordon
1999: Dale Earnhardt
1998: Bobby Labonte
1997: Terry Labonte
1996: Jeff Gordon
Who Will Win?
Jerry Bonkowski: It's hard to pick against any of the four Hendrick Motorsports entries in Sunday's Aaron's 499 at the super-fast Talladega Superspeedway. Jeff Gordon won there last spring, while Jimmie Johnson won this year's season-opening Daytona 500. Kyle Busch is knocking on the door of a restrictor plate win, and even Brian Vickers has the potential to do well. Perhaps more than any other track on the circuit, Talladega lends itself to team-based racing, with plenty of chances for blocking, team drafting and you-get-my-back-I'll-get-yours style racing. My pick to win is Johnson, but if he doesn't do it, Gordon or one of the other HMS drivers will wind up in victory lane.
Bob Margolis: Ah, restrictor plate racing. Talladega-style restrictor plate racing is unique in itself. This track's 2.66 miles is the perfect stage for flat-out running. Teams better show up with tons of horsepower and sleek aerodynamics. The right combination will have them flying along at 190 mph until someone makes a small mistake and causes a 22-car wreck. It's very difficult to pick a winner at this race track because the good cars can be just as much a victim of being wrecked as the bad ones. Nevertheless, after five times a bridesmaid here, it's time for Tony Stewart to become even more like Dale Earnhardt by starting to win races at Talladega.
Jon Baum: Johnson should be strong, and it will be fun to watch Junior in his black No. 8, but Gordon and Stewart could be the drivers to beat on Sunday. Stewart has been as good as or better than anyone this season, and he did lead 20 laps at Daytona in February. Gordon, of course, is one of the masters at Talladega, though he's had tough luck during his last two plate races and finished well but failed to lead last summer's Pepsi 400 after winning at Talladega a couple months earlier. My gut tells me that barring wrecks and mechanical woes, Sunday should belong to Stewart ? though don't be shocked to see the No. 20 help the black No. 8 to a dramatic victory. Still, Gordon is the defending winner and is due for and somewhat in need of a trip to victory lane. The 24 finds a way on Sunday.
Thomas Hocker: Stewart is dominating right now and fared very well with two second-place finishes at Talladega Superspeedway in 2005. His car is so fast, he should be able to get out front quickly and get ahead of the big wrecks that can end the day for a bunch of cars quickly. Expect Kevin Harvick, Earnhardt Jr. and Gordon also to be strong and in contention if they can avoid the Big One.
Dan Beaver: Jeff Gordon goes for three spring races in a row and Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a great shot at getting back to the top spot after wrecking in both Talladega races last year ? which was the only thing keeping him from continuing a long streak of finishing second or better. But this week, momentum will rule. The driver with the big mo is Tony Stewart. He finished second five times on restrictor plate superspeedways before winning last year's Pepsi 400 at Daytona, and he added another second-place finish at 'Dega last fall. Even with a crash-damaged Chevrolet, he came home fifth in this year's Daytona 500. If you're looking for a dark horse, they don't get much duskier than Brent Sherman, but this team earned a pair of superspeedway top-10s last year with Ken Schrader behind the wheel, and Sherman has finished in the top 15 five times in six ARCA and Busch races on the big tracks. His best result in 2006 came in the 500, when he finished 21st.
Top Storyline
Junior Jerry Bonkowski: Win or lose, the biggest story of the weekend will revolve around Dale Earnhardt Jr. His No. 8 Chevrolet, as well as the cars of teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Paul Menard, will wear matching black retro paint schemes to honor the memory of Earnhardt's father Dale Sr., who would have turned 55 on April 29. This weekend also marks the induction of Dale Earnhardt into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega. If Junior manages to win, it could potentially be the most emotional weekend the sport has seen since his father's death in the 2001 season-opening Daytona 500.
Bob Margolis: There are two distinct storylines for this weekend. The first is the potential for the Big One, especially with seven Cup rookies in the field. Not that it will take a rookie to make the mistake that causes one, but the odds are higher that it will be one of the seven. Of course, with the continuation of bump/slam drafting (did you actually think that changing the bumpers would eliminate the practice?) who knows who will be the cause of one or more Big Ones? The second storyline is the weather. Forecasters call for a 70 percent chance of rain Saturday night into Sunday morning. Not to worry, I packed an extra day's worth of clothes for this trip.
Jon Baum: The softer bumpers. Some drivers believe they'll make no difference, some think just a small difference, and some think the race action won't be as exciting. If bump drafting is taken out of the equation, will drivers be anxious to find new ways to pass? Prepare yourself for a 500-mile experiment ? and, of course, to hold your breath for four hours.
Thomas Hocker: For fantasy players who want to play it safe on the restrictor tracks, get on Dale Jarrett. He probably won't win this race, but a top-15 is very likely. His strategy is to sit in the very back and let the aggressive drivers whittle half the field down in wrecks, then swoop in the last 50 laps with a clean car and a solid finish. He has eight consecutive finishes inside the top 20 at Talladega, with five of those inside the top 10.
Dan Beaver: It's got to be the Big One crash. Drivers are more likely to trigger the massive melee in the spring than the fall race. On average, at Talladega since the start of 2000, 17.2 cars have been consumed in a Big One during the track's first race of the season. On three occasions (2002, 2003 and 2005), 24 or more cars were damaged in a single incident on the track. A spring 'Dega race has been run without a crash of 10 or more cars only once this century, when they went error-free in the 2001 Talladega 500.
From The Source
Michael Waltrip: "People are used to running into people and bump drafting, so they're not going to learn immediately not to do it. [The softer bumpers] should calm it down some. It might not change the racing at all, but it might cause one less wreck. And if it does, it was worth it."
glta............
