Final Talladega Driver Ratings Following All Practice & Qualifying Sessions

Micah Roberts Top 10 Driver Ratings
Good Sam Club 500
Talladega Superspeedway
Sunday, October 23, 2011 - 11:16 pm (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds       Practice 1    Practice 2    Qualified    Talladega 1*

 1. Kevin Harvick 10/1            17th           DNP           13th            5th
2010 winner with two additional plate race wins at Daytona; tandem racing w/Paul Menard
 2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12/1     21st             6th              6th             4th
Five-time winner, the last time in 2004, runner-up in 2009; tandem racing w/Jimmie Johnson
 3. Jeff Gordon 12/1                4th             10th             5th             3rd
Six-time winner, the last in 2007, inches away from winning in April; tandem racing w/Mark Martin
 4. Jimmie Johnson 12/1        22nd            5th              2nd            1st
Two-time winner, has never been so desperate for points in fall race; using winning car from April.
 5. Clint Bowyer 20/1              13th           DNP            3rd             2nd
2010 fall winner will be using teammate Paul Menard’s chassis; tandem racing w/Jeff Burton
 6. Kurt Busch 12/1                 12th            15th           14th           18th
No wins in any point plate races. Using winning Bud Shootout car; tandem racing w/Regan Smith.
 7. Kyle Busch 12/1                 26th             4th            34th           35th
2008 winner, his only top-five finish. Debuts new chassis; tandem racing w/Joey Logano.
 8. Mark Martin 30/1                 3rd             9th              1st             8th
Two-time winner, the last coming in 1997. Solid candidate because of owner and tandem partner.
 9. David Ragan 20/1              15th            12th            8th            39th  
Using winning Daytona chassis from July, also will have same driver (Kenseth) pushing him again.
10. Matt Kenseth 20/1             16th            11th           11th           36th
No top-10s since 2006, but is using same chassis that pushed Ragan to win at Daytona

* Results from the season’s first race held at Talladega on April 17, 2011. This is the fourth and final restrictor-plate race of the season.

Note: The fastest way around restrictor-plate races this season has been with drivers teaming up together forming a two-car draft train. Most drivers already know who they’ll be tandem racing with on Sunday.
     
Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former race and sports Director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights and post-practice analysis on the race, go to VegasInsider.com or follow MicahRoberts7 on Twitter.