Tandem Plate Racing a Refreshing Change of Pace

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Loving the two car tandem racing more and more (Getty)

The first seven races of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season has given all types of racing in one nice little gift wrapped for all the fans to enjoy. Even though the final 10-races on the schedule are supposed to matter more because they are the Chase for the Championship races, we’ll be hard pressed to match what we have seen already, and what’s about to happen in the next two at Richmond and Darlington.

NASCAR makes a lot of knee-jerk changes and most of the time get ridiculed for it, but the changes made to the front and rears of the cars this season have kind of backed them unknowingly into a marvelous display of racing for restrictor-plate races. Of course, I am in the minority with my thoughts as quite a few disagree.

Several people I regularly talk with about NASCAR -- who know it well -- have said they liked the older style of pack racing at Daytona and Talladega. Some don’t like the sick speeds obtained for a half-a-lap by the two-car tandems, while others just liked edge of your seat racing with the packs.

But since this is my forum, I’ll just explain why I like what happened at both Daytona and Talladega this season. We have 32 other races a year where it’s pretty clear cut among 8 to 10 driver who is going to win. In the four plate races, all 43 drivers have a chance. I’m not sure if I would like it for 36 races, but giving David Gilliland, Trevor Bayne and Dave Blaney a legitimate chance with all cars really being equal seems fair enough.

Johnson's win was still a surprise ending (Getty)

Even when Jimmie Johnson won Sunday it didn’t seem like a favorite won. Sure, he was only 15-to-1 in Las Vegas -- still much higher than the 6-to-1 he is for most other tracks -- but it was unexpected. Who wants to go see a movie when you know how it’s going to end, and that’s how most of the races are.

In Johnson’s case, he only had one career Talladega win and that was only because of Hendrick’s dominance at the time in plate races. For the last five seasons, he essentially only raced hard in the spring race while just trying to stay out of trouble in the fall race while points racing for the title. His win Sunday was an upset of sorts considering he hadn’t even won in 2011 yet.

NASCAR has created a different dimension of racing that is refreshing where we see two superstars teaming with each other for the duration of the race, relying and depending on each other. Usually it’s always been about just the driver and his team or manufacturer, but this type of racing becomes more about alliances created and broken throughout a race that is absolutely gripping.

Why do we like a tag-team wrestling where two stars unite as one, or doubles tennis where you combined all the strengths and weaknesses of each player into one unit? Who doesn’t love the superstar duet at the top of the billboard charts?

And now NASCAR, with their own tag-team, where we get to see the Busch brothers team up together on a united front instead of the lasting image of Kyle wrecking Kurt in the All-Star race. Isn’t the alliance factor why shows like ‘Survivor’ are so popular with the American public?

Another welcomed aspect is having drivers communicating with one another during the race with it all being there for everyone to listen to. It makes long green flag runs more tolerable than ever just to hear the strategy and then see it unfold with the pusher switches to the front. It’s definitely not the NASCAR we’ve all been accustomed to, but it is one of the most unique things NASCAR has done for it's racing in years.

For four races a year, I love it and can’t wait until the Firecracker 400 at Daytona.

Johnson Beats Bowyer to the Line at Talladega

Associated Press

Johnson by an inch over Bowyer (Getty)

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Jimmie Johnson won a Talladega two-step Sunday, edging Clint Bowyer by about a foot with a big push from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The official margin was 0.002 seconds, tied for the closest finish in NASCAR Sprint Cup history.

The tag-team race came down to an eight-car sprint -- actually, four pairs of cars -- with only the guys at the front of the duos having a chance to win the Aaron's 499.

After laying back most of the day, five-time series champion Johnson came on strong at the end for his 54th career victory and first of the season.

"We were just the lucky guy at the end with a good run," Johnson said. "We had some big mo on our side, and off we went."

"What a bummer," said Bowyer, who led a race-high 38 laps. "I saw him coming."

Earnhardt, the fourth Hendrick driver, finished fourth and essentially gave up a chance to claim his first win since 2008 by deciding he was more comfortable pushing Johnson than getting pushed.

"I can't thank Junior enough," said Johnson, who gave Earnhardt the checkered flag as a reward for being such a team player. "He made the decision that my car was faster leading. And the way these things are finishing up, the lead car's going to get the win. In some respects, he was more worried about the team having a good performance than anything."

Kevin Harvick, who was Bowyer's pusher, wound up fifth. Carl Edwards almost got into the mix as well, going right up against the outside wall with Greg Biffle on his bumper but didn't have enough room to pull it off, finishing sixth.

Biffle was seventh, while Martin dropped back to eighth.

The finish matched the closest since NASCAR went to electronic timing -- Ricky Craven edging Kurt Busch in 2003 at Darlington -- and made up for a day of lackluster racing with this new tandem style, which the drivers began using at the season-opening Daytona 500 and really perfected at this 2.66-mile trioval.

Twenty-six leaders swapped the top spot 88 times, tying the record set in last year's spring race at Talladega. Many of those changes were carefully choreographed by pairs who were merely trying to stay out of trouble, conserve their cars and give themselves a chance at the end.

"If you didn't like that finish and forget about the race, there's something wrong with you," Bowyer said. "It always seems to fix itself at the end of these restrictor-plate races. We always have a hell of a finish."

Hendrick Motorsports claimed the first four spots in qualifying, only the third team in NASCAR history to sweep the first two rows in a Cup race. They were all right there at the end.

"With as crazy as it gets in these closing laps, sometimes a third is almost like a victory at these type of race tracks," Gordon said.

The finish overshadowed the mundane riding-around that came before it.

Of all races for Johnson to win, Talladega? (Getty)

Rather than run together in huge drafting packs, which used to be the norm at the restrictor-plate tracks, the drivers figured out they can run even faster in pairs. So, everyone cut deals before the race, usually with teammates, and swapped radio frequencies so they could make changes on the fly if needed once the green flag dropped.

One guy in the pairing would run out front for a while, then they'd switch positions before the driver doing the pushing overheated his car.

The most important thing was staying together. During an early pit stop, Johnson stayed in a little longer to make some adjustments on his car. Earnhardt just idled in his box, waiting to go back out with his partner.

Of course, bumping cars from behind and pulling off choreographed switches at 190 mph didn't always go smoothly -- especially when the second driver in a tandem can't see a thing.

Busch can attest to that. He twice got into cars while pushing, totally blind to what was going on in front of him.

First, the No. 22 car nudged the rear bumper of Landon Cassill's machine on lap 28, sending him into Brian Vickers, whose car smashed into the outer wall at the start of the backstretch. Fortunately, Vickers entirely missed a wave of cars bearing down on his sliding vehicle.

Busch was at the center of things again on the second crash of the day. He appeared to clip Brad Keselowski from behind when the lead car slowed, sparking a five-car melee that also took out Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne, David Ragan, Marcus Ambrose and Kasey Kahne.

"Just one of those deals here at Talladega," Keselowski said. "I just got on the wrong end of it."

Kahne tried to nurse his smoking car back to pit road, but finally had to bring it to a stop and hustle out.

"The car just got some flames in the back because of the oil, I guess," he said. "I sucked up a little bit of black smoke, but that was it. I stink, too."

The 20-year-old Bayne had another disappointing finish since his improbable Daytona win in just his second Cup start. The youngster hasn't finished higher than 17th since then.

He certainly had a car that was strong enough to contend at Talladega, qualifying a career-best 11th and running up front three times for five laps.

"I thought we were kind of out of harm's way there but, obviously, we weren't far enough back out of it," Bayne said.

Another Busch, Kurt's little brother Kyle, was taken out in a third wreck that was a virtual copy of the first two. Joey Logano bumped the No. 18 car, sending it spinning hard into Matt Kenseth and taking out two other cars, as well.

"So much is out of your hands here," Kenseth said. "It's a frustrating type of racing, to say the least. It would be nice to be able to see and control your own destiny a little more."

Aaron's 499 Results

Final Talladega Driver Ratings Following All Practice Sessions

Micah Roberts Top 10 Driver Ratings
Aaron’s 499
Talladega Superspeedway
Sunday, April 17, 2011 - 10:16 am (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds            Practice 1  Qualified  ‘Dega ’10*  Daytona 500**

 1. Kevin Harvick 13/2              11th            36th           2nd             42nd   
2010 spring winner with three runner-up finishes. Using same car from Daytona that led 22 laps.
 2. Clint Bowyer 15/1                18th            10th           1st              17th    
2010 fall winner with five of last six finishes inside top-12. Using winning car from last year.                            
 3. Kurt Busch 12/1                   13th            8th            30th             5th                                
Finished third on four occasions, 13.7 average finish in 20 starts. Using winning Bud Shootout car.
 4. Jeff Gordon 15/1                 15th             1st             8th              28th                          
Leads all active drivers with six wins, the last coming in 2007 when he swept the season.
 5. Jeff Burton 15/1                    6th             26th          41st             36th                            
Lots of bad luck in recent plate races, despite great cars. Using winning Gatorade Duel car.
 6. Jamie McMurray 15/1         36th           20th          36th             18th                                
2009 fall winner; three of his six career wins have come in plate races. Using Daytona chassis.
 7. Juan Montoya 30/1              38th            12th           3rd               6th                            
Finished third in both 2010 races; using his sixth-place Daytona 500 car from February.
 8. Kyle Busch 9/1                     3rd             32nd          25th              8th                      
His 2008 spring win remains his only top-five on the track in 12 starts. Using Daytona chassis.    
 9. Dale Earnhardt Jr 10/1        29th            4th            39th             24th                          
Five-time winner, the last coming in 2004. Runner-up in 2009, his only top-five since last win.
10. Denny Hamlin 15/1              8th             28th           9th               21st                              
Finished in top-10 of both 2010 races; career average finish of 18.3 in 10 starts.
                
 * Results from the February 20, 2011 race, a restrictor-plate race that featured two-car tandem racing as expected Sunday.

** Results from the October 31, 2010 Talladega race, the last race run there.

Note: The final practice session was cut short due to rain with only eight drivers attempting a lap.

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. 

Rain Shortened Final Talladega Practice, Stewart Fastest in First Session

It'll be windy Saturday, but racing should be good Sunday

Rains came early for the final NSCS Aaron’s 499 practice session at Talladega Superspeedway, as only 4 laps were run with Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin (both with 190.412 mph) posting the fastest lap.

Travis Kvapil was third fastest with a lap speed of 175.102 mph, followed by Denny Hamlin (158.344) fourth fastest, Joey Logano (156.786) fifth Michael McDowell (156.215) sixth, Brad Keselowski (153.649) seventh and Matt Kenseth rounding out the drivers accredited with timing/scoring before the rains fell.

Greg Biffle, Dave Blaney and Michael Waltrip were listed as getting on the track, but didn’t record any timing and scoring.

In the first practice session, Tony Stewart, with a lap speed of 194.239 mph, posted the fastest speed. Second fastest on the speed chart was Stewart’s SHR teammate, Ryan Newman, with a lap speed of 194.235 mph, and was followed by Jimmie Johnson (193.713) who was third fastest, Kyle Busch (193.713) fourth fastest and A.J. Allmendinger (193.080) who was the fifth fastest.

Rounding out the top-ten fastest were Jeff Burton (193.076) who was sixth fastest, Joey Logano (192.692) seventh, Denny Hamlin (192.684) eighth, David Gilliland and Landon Cassill both with 192.544 mph, are ninth and tenth fastest respectively.

The teams will return to the track on Saturday for their 11:30 AM (EST) scheduled qualifying session, and then won’t return again until Sunday for the Aaron’s 499, which is scheduled to get underway a little after 1:00 PM (EST).

Happy Hour practice: Rain started just minutes after the session ended. Only 8 drivers made it on track:
#24-Gordon 190.412
#5-Martin 190.412
#38-Kvapil 175.012
#11-Hamlin 158.344
#20-Logano 156.786
#66-McDowell 156.215
#2-Keselowski 153.649
#17-Kenseth 126.201

Top-5 First Friday practice:
#14-Stewart 194.239
#39-Newman 194.235
#48-Johnson 193.713
#18-Busch 193.713
#43-Allmendinger 193.080
slowest: #71-Lally 174.490 & #37-Raines 173.027. no speed: #66-McDowell.
notes: There was a brief caution 15 minutes in because of some rain showers. The session was extended for 10 minutes becuase of the threat of rain in the area. (Jayski.com)

Practice Speeds Page - Jayski.com


Driver Quotes From Friday Morning at Talladega

Who will be Bowyer's dancing partner Sunday?

CLINT BOWYER ON HOW WEATHER WILL AFFECT HIS PLANS ON WHO TO WORK WITH IF LOSING TIME IN PRACTICE? “You know, now that they have re-paved both of these racetracks, Talladega and Daytona, they are so smooth and the track surface is so perfect that now its just shape the best bullet you can and make it as fast as possible. Build as much horsepower that you can and the fastest car is going to be the right way to go. And it wasn’t always that way because you always had to handle and you had to suck up and do things and now all the wind tunnel time, the proving grounds time, all the testing that goes into these cars, they know where they need to be.

“You do need to go out and make sure your splitter is not on the ground and you are not dragging anything and other than that there is not much you do anyway so we will just get a few laps to get things going good and then its go-cat-go. We are ready to go and in Nationwide practice I went out and ran probably ten laps probably of pushing Kevin around and its the same car we ran at Daytona and this is the same car that we won with at Talladega so it certainly knows its way around here.”

CLINT BOWYER ON HOW EASY IT IS TO BE DISTRACTED BY ALL THE ADDITIONAL RADIO CHATTER AT A RACE LIKE THIS? “Well, in the past you were yelling at your spotter saying ‘go down to the 14 spotter and see if he will work with me or go down there……’ and you are at his mercy now. You can be able to flip over.

“To start the race and throughout the race the best case scenario is that I want one of my three RCR teammates working with me. But like in Daytona, my dancing partner was Jeff Burton all day and three quarters through the race he blew up and I find myself like, ‘what am I going to do now, and who am I going to find’. And I had to finish the race off of Kyle and we couldn’t communicate as good with one another the way we would have liked, and if we could have, the outcome could have been a lot better.”

“Its hard, but hopefully at the end of the day, you will have a restart or whatever else if that situation happens you will have time to find him on the radio. I guess you just go through and say, ‘is this Kyle?’ and they say, ‘No, get off my radio’. And you say, ‘hello, is this Kyle?’ and you just keep switching till you find him. But like I said, its going to be interesting at the end of this thing. I would say, it will be quite humorous.”

CLINT BOWYER ON HOW MANY DRIVERS WILL BE ON HIS RADIO: “I don’t know, I haven’t seen it. Like I said, I wish I could have everybody. Obviously your teammates are the most important, but it doesn’t matter who it is, if you find yourself with whoever, you need to be able to communicate with them and I wish there was a way they could make that happen for us.”

JEFF GORDON ON THE TWO CAR TANDEMS INSTEAD OF RACING IN PACKS: “Yeah, we saw a little bit of it the last time we were here but you are going to see it to the extreme now based on what we saw in Daytona. Talladega just has so much more room to race on and to draft on and to do these two-car drafts. I think it’s going to be fun. I’m excited but I know everybody has mixed emotions on the two-car draft but at a track like here at Talladega I think with everybody doing the two-car draft it ought to make it pretty exciting.”

KURT BUSCH ON POSSIBLE VISUAL PROBLEMS FROM THE TWO CAR DRAFT AT TALLADEGA COMPARED TO DAYTONA:“I think that it will be more difficult here because we’re going to have that many more lanes of traffic. When you’re pushing and you can’t see what’s in front of you. There’s now going to be five lanes of choices and you don’t know if you’re going to shoot for the middle hole or two-thirds of the way up or two-fifths of the way up. With five lanes to choose from, you really have to trust the guy in front of you to guide you through the different holes and not close in too quickly and make an abrupt move.”

Johnson adjusting to style of racing like everyone else.

JIMMIE JOHNSON ON ISSUES WITH TANDEM RACING: “It’s a totally different dynamic for us and we’re all adjusting as we can and filling our radios with other frequencies, trying to talk to guys in the garage area and seeing if someone will work with you. At the end of the day I think a lot of it just kind of takes care of itself because we all are aware of the fact that we need a partner and it really boils down to a restart and what lane you are in. In most cases the guy you’re pushing if you don’t come to pit road you’re gonna be in separate lanes and you might have built some type of report with the driver and now you’re lining up in different spots. It’s really tough to stick together and you can try and do some things maybe on restarts to get down in front of someone you want to work with but in general we all know the game. We all know it will be easier than it was in Daytona and from the minute practice opens up until the checkered falls we’ll be focused on pushing each other around the track. We’ll just work with it and see how we can do a better job as a team and make sure we miss the big wreck and try to win this thing.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA OF WHO HE WANTS TO TALK TO DURING THE RACE ON SUNDAY: “I get along ok with everybody. I have a really good relationship with Todd, my spotter and Brian (Pattie, crew chief). Sometimes it is funny because sometimes after a pit stop I will ask a question and they are looking at the tires and I get on the radio ‘Heeelllloooo, I’m here. Can somebody answer me?’ Generally its pretty good.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA ON TALKING WITH OTHER DRIVERS AND OTHER TEAMS DURING THE RACE? “Hell no! (LAUGHS) We did that with McMurray. The only person I really wanted to have on the radio is Jamie because that was focus, in the 500 that was the focus. I would assume as a team, we are going to do the same here. I’m not 100% sure. You plan so much and everything and I end up pushing Kurt Busch at the of the race. I don’t know. You plan everything and you get to a restart and the guy in front of you is a different guy. You can either go, there is always choices. You make a decision and sometimes you make the right ones and sometimes you make the wrong one. But, I always try to be very loyal. When I tell somebody I am going to be with them, I will be with them all the time. It seems to pay off because that way they know. You have to have a partner to work together.”

Driver Chassis Selections for Aaron's 499 at Talladega

Note: Not all teams post their chassis information in their press releases 

Who will team up with who? That may be the biggest key (Getty)

1. Carl Edwards: 21.3 average finish in the seven races with the COT; 14.0 average finish in last two events; Three top-10s in 13 starts came in the 2005 fall race through the 2006 fall race; Fifth-best average finish (16.4) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races); Will return in the same car (chassis No. 677) that he finished 21st with in the Budweiser Shootout.

2. Kyle Busch: Finished ninth in this event last year for second top 10 in 12 starts; Other top 10 was a win in the 2008 spring race; Fourth in laps led in the seven races with the COT with 121; Eighth-best average finish (18.3) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races); Will return in the same car (chassis No. 292) that he finished eighth with in the Daytona 500.

3. Matt Kenseth: Coming off best finish (16th) in his last seven starts; Finish lowered average in the races with the COT to 25.4; Last of six top-10s came in the 2006 Fall race; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 713) that he finished 34th with in the Daytona 500.

4. Jimmie Johnson: Coming off eighth top 10 (seventh) in 18 starts: Recorded seventh DNF in this event last year in 31st; Won the 2006 spring race; Finished second in both races in 2007; Fourth-best average finish (14.0) among the drivers that have competed in all seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 628) that he finished 27th with at Daytona International Speedway.

Kurt Busch is using strong Bud Shootout car (Getty)

5. Kurt Busch: 13.7 average finish in 20 starts; 10th-best average finish (20.1) among the drivers that have competed in all seven races with the COT; Eighth-place finish in this event last year was 13th top 10; Best average finish (14.4) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races); Will return in the same car (chassis No. 640) that he won the Budweiser Shootout with at Daytona in February.

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Five-time winner; Second-place finish in the 2009 spring race is best in six starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Recorded worst finish with Hendrick last fall in 39th; 696 laps led in 22 starts.

7. Ryan Newman: Finished third in first track start with Stewart-Haas in the 2009 spring race; Finish was seventh top 10 in 18 starts; 31.3 average finish in last three starts; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 606) that he finished 23rd with at Talladega Superspeedway last fall.

8. Juan Pablo Montoya: Finished third in both events last year; Best finish came in this event in 2008 in second; Seventh-best driver rating in the past 12 races; Seventh-best average finish (17.9) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races); Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1101) that he finished sixth with in the Daytona 500.

9. Kevin Harvick: Defending race winner; Finished second last fall for ninth top 10 in 20 starts; Eighth-best average finish (18.0) among the drivers that have competed in all seven races with the COT; Fourth-best average finish (15.9) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races); Will return in the same car (chassis No. 343) that he led 22 laps with in the Daytona 500 before the engine expired.

10. Tony Stewart: 26.3 average finish in four starts with Stewart-Haas Racing; Won the 2008 fall race in last track start with Joe Gibbs Racing; Posted six second-place finishes in previous 18 starts with JGR; Only two of his 125 laps led with the COT have come with SHR; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 634) that he finished 13th with in the Daytona 500.

11. Paul Menard: Only top 10 in nine starts came with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. in the 2008 fall race; Finished 25th and 13th, respectively, in 2010 with Richard Petty Motorsports; Will make track debut with Richard Childress Racing driving a new car (chassis No. 338) in the Aaron's 499.

Bowyer using a proven winner this week (Getty)

12. Clint Bowyer: Coming off first win in 10 starts; Finished seventh in this event last year; Best average finish (12.0) among all drivers that have raced in all seven events with the COT; Second-best average finish (14.6) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races); Will return in the same car (chassis No. 294) that he scored the victory with at Talladega Superspeedway last fall.

13. AJ Allmendinger: Has yet to finish inside the top 15 in four starts; Finished 19th in this event last year in track debut in a Ford; 26.4 average finish in 11 starts on restrictor-plate tracks; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 722) that he finished 11th with in the Daytona 500.

14. Jeff Gordon: Leads all active drivers with six wins and laps led (822); 24.0 average finish since sweeping both events in 2007; Eighth-place finish last fall was 17th top 10 in 36 starts.

15. Mark Martin: Posted a 8.0 average finish in 2010; Fifth-place finish in this event last year was 23rd top 10 in 46 starts; 21.8 average finish in four starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Posted two wins and 20 top 10s in previous 38 starts with Roush Racing; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 632) that he finished 10th with in the Daytona 500 after coming back from three laps down.

16. Kasey Kahne: Finished 26th last fall in first track start with Team Red Bull; Two runner-up finishes are only top-10s in previous 13 starts; Sixth-best average finish (17.8) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races).

17. David Ragan: Best track on the circuit based on 14.2 average finish; Third-best average finish (13.9) among the drivers that have competed in all seven races with the COT; Third-best average finish (15.6) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races); Will return in the same car (chassis No. 723) that he finished 14th with in the Daytona 500.

18. Greg Biffle: Fourth-place finish in the 2009 fall race is best in 16 starts; Only other top 10 came in the 2009 spring race; Fifth-best average finish (16.0) among the drivers that have competed in all seven races with the COT; Ninth-best average finish (18.9) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races); Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 689) that he finished fifth with in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.

19. Marcos Ambrose: Only top 10 (fourth) in four starts came in this event in 2009; 35.0 average finish in last three starts; Will make first track start with Richard Petty Motorsports driving the same car (chassis No. 715) that he finished 37th with in the Daytona 500.

20. Denny Hamlin: Coming off fourth top 10 (ninth) in 10 starts; Led 17 laps and finished fourth in this event last year; Leads all drivers with a 93.0 driver rating; Second in laps led (146) in the seven races with the COT.

compiled by Jeff Wackerlin, MotorRacingNetwork.com 

Aaron's 499 Preview: Earnhardt Jr. Should Contend For His Sixth Talladega Win

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Two-car tandems will be on display again this week at Talladega (Getty)

This weeks race at the monster 2.66-mile high banked track of Talladega Superspeedway will be quite different from what we have seen in the last six weeks of NASCAR races. Even though we’ve had a few surprises like Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick winning while the likes of Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin haven’t, restrictor-plate racing levels the playing field for everyone, especially the modern 2011 type of restrictor-plate racing.

The Daytona 500 was the last plate race run and was won by Trevor Bayne who was driving an underfunded Wood Brothers car. In the last six races, there has been no better example of just how underfunded the car Bayne drives is, but all of sudden, this week he’s a contender again, as are the 42 other drivers who start Sunday’s race.

Bayne wasn’t the only surprise finisher at Daytona. We also saw David Gilliland finish third, Bobby Labonte fourth and Regan Smith seventh; all drivers who don’t fit into many betting strategies.

The new style of plate racing that featured two-car tandems is likely to be the quickest way around the track again, meaning that although many of the drivers don't like that type of racing, they also want to win and have to play the game. I may get worn out with this type of racing as a fan after this week, but at Daytona I kind of liked it just because it was different and unique. After having a nice mixture of differing tracks the last six races, I'm very eager to jump back into tag-team tandem racing.

The top contenders to win this week all have the ECR engines and won every plate race in 2010. They also combined to have some of the best practice sessions during Daytona speed weeks. Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, Harvick, Juan Montoya and Jamie McMurray will all be good once again this week.

The next wave of contenders begins with Kurt Busch who won the Bud Shootout and one of the Gatorade Duel races at Daytona. He finished fifth in the Daytona 500 and will be looking for his first plate win in a NASCAR points race. He’s come so close at both Talladega and Daytona and I think I have bet on him in each and every one of those losses, so there’s no point in stopping now.

Maybe Junior's turn this week?

The driver that could surprise everyone is Dale Earnhardt Jr. who comes in on his best stretch while driving for Hendrick Motorsports. In his last six starts, Junior’s worst finish position was 11th. He came a few laps from winning at Martinsville and now has gone 100 straight races without a win after finishing ninth at Texas. He is a five-time winner at Talladega who has been runner-up three times. Based on the way his season is going, there may be no better time to bet on Earnhardt Jr. to win than this week.

Jeff Gordon is a six-time winner at Talladega who should find himself in the mix of things late in the race. The Roush Ford’s are also on the rise in plate races the last three years. The little guy of the group, David Ragan, has had some of his best career finishes at Talladega with a fourth, third and sixth place finish.

I’m going with the epic return of Junior to the winners circle. It's pretty stupid betting on a driver who hasn't won in 100 races, let alone the fact that his odds are 12-to-1, which is even more rediculous. But I guess I'm stubborn that way in the same sense that I keep betting on Kurt Busch in these races. However, my stupidity and stubbornness does pay off once in a while. I had Kevin Harvick for eight straight races at Bristol -- regardless of how he practiced -- until he finally won in 2005.

I can actually visualize Kurt Busch or Junior winning this week, which is scary, because that means I'm actually living too much in fantasy-land, which of course doesn't have sports books that pay out real cash.

I'm also going to take a small poke at a driver like David Gilliland or Trevor Bayne at odds of 100-to-1 or higher, which isn't as crazy or far-fetched as maybe Junior winning. In eight plate races dating back to 2009 we have had two drivers pay out odds higher than 100-to-1; Bayne this year and Brad Keselowski at Talladega in 2009. Gilliland's team is actually bringing their same third-place car from Daytona and are talking like contenders this week. Bayne's car, unfortunately, is in the Daytona USA museum.

With this type of racing, anything can happen. Even your wildest dream can come true where no bet is a bad bet until it loses.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:
1) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (12/1)
2) #22 Kurt Busch (14/1)
3) #29 Kevin Harvick (8/1)
4) #1 Jamie McMurray (12/1)
5) #33 Clint Bowyer (14/1)

Driver Notes & Quotes For Talladega: Most Expect To Race Like Daytona

Earnhardt Jr. could stop 100 race winless streak this week for win No. 6

DALE EARNHARDT JR. ON TALLADEGA: “Well, I don’t know really (if the racing at Talladega will be similar to the Daytona 500). The track surface is a little bit more worn out than Daytona so I’m not sure exactly how similar it will be to the Daytona 500. I feel pretty good about Hendrick cars, Hendrick motors anytime you go to a track like that, I mean, you have to feel real confident. I don’t particularly like that style of racing (new era of two-car drafting). I’d rather have control of just what I’ve got to do and having to have responsibility for someone else is a little bit more than I care to deal with. But, that is the way the racing is. But, I don’t know if it will be like that at Talladega.

"Talladega is just a lottery, especially with the smaller (restrictor) plate now; it will be anybody’s game. That was really disappointing to hear that the plate is going to be smaller, but that is just how it is going to be so hopefully we will do what we need to do in that race to try to be toward the front near the end. Definitely don’t want to have the same issues we had at Daytona where we had a really good car and didn’t take advantage of that and get the finish that we deserved. I haven’t really finished well there (at Talladega) in the last several trips. I’ll probably try to take care of my car a little better during the race. It is a very long race. Try to make better decisions; better judgment calls to have my car there at the end when I need to be able to be around to get a good finish. I haven’t been able to do that in the last several trips there.

"Yes, there is definitely an obligation, I guess (to please his fans), that I feel to try to do the best I can to put the car out front all the time at that place for obvious reasons. But, you try to let the reality of the situation and the job you are doing to do override that, but sometimes, you just go all out and want to be in the lead all the time, which is not a bad way to go. It has won races for me there in the past. And, I don’t know if that’s exactly what’s gotten me in trouble in the last couple of events, but, we just haven’t made good choices toward the end of those races. Hopefully I can go back with a better sense of what I need to do and make better judgment calls when it comes down to it.”

It wouldn't be surprising to see another Bayne-type win 

TREVOR BAYNE ON THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE TWO-CAR DRAFT LEVELED THE FIELD AT DAYTONA AND NOW TALLADEGA: “I would agree with that, saying some of these guys don’t have more experience. At first, when I saw the two-car draft happening I was worried about it because I’m a rookie there, I’ve got a yellow stripe and we saw the effects of that for the first hour of practice when nobody would draft with us. At least when it’s a big pack, you can kind of tag along and then just be along for the ride, but then once you get confidence from other people in you, then it’s actually better because you have that partner that is gonna stick with you and you’re not gonna be in the big pack and get shuffled out as a rookie. So I think the two-car draft is a great thing for us because we do know how to do it now, there is confidence in us and it is more level because there isn’t a lot of experience. Donnie Allison got mad at me when I said that, though. I’m like, ‘Man, this is the first time this has happened.’ And he’s like, ‘Are you crazy? Look at 20 years ago when we were doing the same thing.’ So he wanted some credit for that and I’m gonna give it to him here.”

RYAN NEWMAN ON WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEK: “Before the race, I said to expect the unexpected, and I think that was entirely what we saw from the drop of the green flag at Daytona. To be honest, I’m expecting the same type of racing at Talladega this weekend, unless of course, NASCAR tells us not to expect it. The way you raced the race and the way you had to work with other partners, who you partnered up with at some point during the night – everything was different and unexpected. The racing in pairs deal and how you raced was really unique. If you were out front, you could be pretty aggressive about it. If you were in the back you had to really watch your gauges because the air flow was down due to track position. It was demanding. Honestly, I probably spent more time watching my gauges on the straightaway than I did my mirrors at times just because that was more important.

"I think I had like 11 or 12 different drivers on my radio and didn’t use it once like a lot of the other drivers did. I didn’t need to because my spotter did a really good job of communicating with other spotters. It was just better for me to keep my hands on the wheel and watch the mirrors than it was to reach down and turn the radio knob. Switching was one of the toughest parts of it. Getting that switch timed right and not losing the time that other teams were was – when you can gain a second doing that, that’s sometimes better than what you could gain by having a different drafting partner. You did what you had to do was what it amounted to. Sometimes you had to switch, sometimes you didn’t have to switch depending on where you were in traffic. You had to have a lot of confidence in who you were working with. So, it was more a matter of making sure that your partner knew and trusted what you were doing and the way the cars worked together. You’re relying on a very high percentage of somebody else’s talent to keep you out of trouble.

"The way the cars get back together, not getting turned around. It was very difficult trusting a teammate – let alone trusting someone who wasn’t a teammate when you’re going for the biggest race of the year. There’s a lot of trust that goes on, and there’s more trust than ever before when you’re doing those tandem drafts. It used to be you trusted somebody not to make a mistake so you were involved in the Big One. Now, you’re still worried about that in conjunction with who is the best person and most respectful to work with that your car will work good with. It’s what we do to get to the end of the day. It is different from every other sport, and I hope that’s one of the reasons that the fans enjoy it.”

Montoya using 6th-place Daytona chassis

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA ON TALLADEGA: “You know it is a fact now for over a year now that two-car packs are faster than anything else. At Talladega I think you have to do the same thing as always, just ride for a little bit and at the right time try to come to the front and hopefully stay out of wrecks. The big thing is when you get to like…early in the race, people get excited and then it gets calm. Then people are in the back and trying to get to the front when they feel they are at the time to start making brave, aggressive moves. Some of them don’t come out and when they don’t come out, they hit the fence and it causes a hell of a wreck. We have to make sure we are in the right place at the right time and go from there. I think we have a good chance of winning there. Talladega has always been really good for us so pretty excited.”

MONTOYA CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew Chief Brian Pattie and team will bring Chassis #1101 to Talladega Superspeedway. This is the same chassis the No. 42 used at Daytona International Speedway during the season-opening Daytona 500 where Montoya finished sixth.

BRAD KESELOWSKI ON HIS 2009 WIN: “A lot has happened to me since my Cup win at Talladega in 2009 – so much so that it seems like it has been much longer than two years. I’ve been able to win the Nationwide Series championship and have moved over to drive the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge. Would any of that have happened without the Talladega win? Probably not. It is, obviously, the biggest win in my career and it validated all my beliefs that I could win at this level, but I’m not one to rest on my laurels. I want to win now and I feel like (crew chief) Paul Wolfe and I are starting to hit on a few things that could put us in position to do just that.”

KESELOWSKI ON HIS APPROACH TO TALLADEGA: “You really have to pay attention to how the race unfolds at Talladega. There are times when you need to be patient. There are times when you need to keep your head about you and race smart. But you are going to have to be aggressive at the end. Those are three elements of restrictor-plate racing that I work on throughout the race. I learned that from Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. He gets a lot of the credit for the kind of racer that I am on the plate tracks.”

KESELOWSKI CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-634 during Sunday’s Aaron 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. This is a brand-new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.

Using 13th-place Daytona chassis

TONY STEWART ON WHAT IS IN STORE THIS WEEK AT TALLADEGA: “I think it (the racing at Talladega) will be identical to Daytona actually. Maybe even more guys being wider — it’s a wider track so instead of just three wide you might be able to get guys four wide even there pretty comfortable. We’ve had a lot of success at restrictor-plate tracks, especially Talladega. We’ve run in the top-two there a gazillion times. I’m glad we’re halfway decent at it, but it’s still always frustrating when you have to rely on what everybody else does. It’s not what you do. It’s what you do along with somebody else who decides that they’re going to follow you and help you. That’s the part that frustrates you as a driver.”

STEWART CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis No. 14-634 - This car debuted during Daytona (Fla.) Speedweeks. It set the 10th fastest time in Daytona 500 qualifying, which slotted it fifth for the Gatorade Duel. In that race, Stewart drove Chassis No. 14-634 to a 12th-place finish, which gave him a 25th-place starting spot for the Daytona 500. While he never led a lap in the season-opening race, Stewart was a top-10 mainstay – that is until the final lap, when he was shuffled out of the draft en route to a 13th-place finish. It has had numerous sessions in the wind tunnel since its return from Daytona, and the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway will mark Chassis No. 14-634’s third career start.

MARTIN TRUEX JR ON TALLADEGA: “I’ve got mixed feelings about Talladega especially after the last two weeks. Talladega is a tough place to try and snap a crash streak that’s for sure. The likelihood of getting out of there unscathed is about 50-50. My overall track record hasn’t been the best, however the last two races driving the No. 56 have been OK. MWR’s superspeedway program is pretty strong. I had a good run last fall. Of course we had a really good run going earlier this year in the Daytona 500, but got crashed at the end. Plate racing is what it is. All you can do is hope you are ahead of the wreck when it happens so you don’t get caught up in it.”

JEFF GORDON ON WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN AT TALLADEGA: “Horsepower I don’t think has anything to do with it (success at Talladega). But I don’t think luck has anything to do with it either. I think that Talladega is a much wider race track, there’s a lot more racing lines and grooves and room to race on. We should be able to do the two-car drafts a lot easier than we did at Daytona. Hopefully we’re not hooking and spinning one another like we were in Daytona. I think that there’s no doubt that it will come down to two-car drafts, but it’s more of two cars that can stay hooked up together and not have to put air to the nose to the car in back — the ones that can do the best job of that and the switch over — those are the ones that are going to go fast. Not horsepower.

"I kind of like to be the guy seeing where I’m going (in the two-car draft). To me, it just seemed like in Daytona there were some cars that were better at or just had their cooling systems working better than others and I think at Talladega the car is going to drive so good that I don’t think it’s really going to matter. It’s really going to be more about the spotters and getting the spotters in sync and trying to communicate well with what’s coming up. That’s going to be intense in the final laps. It’s about being there at the end and then just how intense it’s going to be and hopefully you make good decisions.”

DAVID REUTIMANN ON WHAT TO EXPECT AT TALLADEGA THIS WEEK: “It’s hard to say. We saw a little bit of the two car packs last year at Talladega and a lot of it at Daytona this year. Talladega and Daytona are different tracks, even though they are far more similar now since the Daytona resurfacing. I think it’ll be interesting to see now that we’ve worked on communication and have more experience in the two-car packs. I can say it’ll be intense and it’ll be interesting.”

MARK MARTIN ON TALLADEGA: “Everybody’s got horsepower. I want some luck (at Talladega). You can’t see where you’re going if you’re the pusher (in the two-car draft). If you’re in front, sometimes you wish you couldn’t see where you were going. Sometimes you run up on stuff — it’s pretty tough on you sometimes when you’re running up traffic and you have a guy pushing you that doesn’t really see that. It’s something else. It’s about equal either way. We have to trust each other — we have to. Like them or not, you have to. Everyone knows I’m not a huge fan of this type of racing.

"But, I will say, that I actually enjoyed it a lot more at Daytona this year than I have in a long time. I’d rather do those two-car tandems all day than run in one big 35-car pack like we used to. There’s a lot that goes into this now. There’s a lot of trust that factors in with your partner. A lot of strategy on who to work with. Then you have your spotters working together because one of them will spot for both cars. And you have that team on your team’s radio. It’s a whole new deal out there that everyone is still sorting out and getting used to. It’s interesting for sure. I loved it.”

McMurray is one of the best in restrictor plate races 

JAMIE MCMURRAY ON RACING AT TALLADEGA: ”It’s always good to go somewhere that you think you have a chance to win. Talladega is one of those places where if you stay out of trouble and get lucky, I think we have as good a chance as anyone. The most important part there is having the luck go your way. Things happen really fast at Talladega and you can become a victim in the blink of an eye. I am looking forward to having Johnny Morris from Bass Pro Shops at the track this weekend to cheer us on. He is a huge fan of the restrictor plate tracks and I hope we can put our Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet up front.”

McMURRAY CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion has elected to bring Chassis #1009. This chassis raced in both races at Talladega last season where it finished second and 36th. This chassis also ran in this year’s Daytona 500 where it came home 18th.

REGAN SMITH ON TALLADEGA: “We like the superspeedways and our Furniture Row Chevrolet had plenty of success in Daytona. We understand that so many things can happen at Talladega, but we’re going into the race knowing that we can contend for the win, just as we did in the Daytona 500. I am really proud of our superspeedway program and the power we get from our ECR engines. Not sure how the racing will shake out at Talladega compared to Daytona. My guess is that it’s going to be similar. But you never know. What I do know is that we need to be patient and put ourselves in position at the end to win the race.”


OTHER DRIVER NOTES & QUOTES FOR TALLADEGA:

Two-car tandems, or back to traditional packs? Drivers believe tandems.

Jimmie Johnson: No Top-5's at Talladega since 2007

RCR Drivers: Childress Looking for 12th 'Dega Win

Roush Racing: No Talladega Wins Since 1997

Jeff Gordon: Big Day for the Spotter

Kyle Busch: Using Same Car from Daytona

David Gilliland: Hope to Push to the Front Again

Denny Hamlin: Surprisingly Good at Talladega

Roush Fenway Racing Driver Preview: Looking for First Talladega Win Since 1997

Edwards has had some great runs in plate races, even in this one.

Carl Edwards 
Team: No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Bob Osborne

Chassis: RK-677 Last raced at Budweiser Shootout, Feb. ‘11

Carl Edwards on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “It’s great to go into Talladega with a point lead and a little cushion because anything can happen there. The Fords finished 1-2-3 in Daytona and I don’t know why we can’t do that again this weekend in Talladega. That gives me a lot of confidence going into this race. I just have to find a good drafting partner to run with all day and avoid the trouble that tends to happen there.”

Crew Chief Bob Osborne on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “Talladega is challenging for a crew chief because so much of it is out of our control. We do the best we can to get the car handling well and create a smart pit strategy, but most of this race depends on the driver and the spotter. It’s always a tense race for everyone involved. We’re taking the same car we raced at the Shootout at Daytona in February so we know it’s a pretty good car. We just have to hope to avoid the inevitable wrecks to be there at the end to contend for the win.”

Fast Facts
Carl Edwards currently leads the Sprint Cup point standings by nine points. He has achieved one win, four top-five and five top-10 finishes, along with two poles this season.

FOR THE RECORD… In his previous 13 starts at Talladega, Edwards has one top-five and three top-10 finishes. Edwards’ average start at Talladega is 16.2, his average finish is 22.1. Edwards has completed 87.4 percent of his laps attempted at Talladega, and led 16 laps.

ON THE TRACK… The No. 99 Aflac team will be unloading chassis RK-677 this weekend at Talladega. This car raced in the Budweiser Shootout in February where Edwards finished 21st after an early accident.

REWIND, TALLADEGA APRIL 2010… Carl Edwards played it safe most of the race running single file in a smaller draft behind the big pack. He was 20th with 20 laps to go and began to work his way toward the front of the pack. He got as high as seventh in the final laps, but finished the race 11th.

Biffle's 4th-place finish in 2009 is his only top-5 at Talladega (Getty)

Greg Biffle
Team: No. 16 3M Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Greg Erwin

Biffle on Talladega: “Talladega should be exciting this weekend. The Fords were the class of the field in Daytona and I expect the same thing this weekend. You’ll obviously need a good drafting partner like you did in Daytona to run well on Sunday. If we can find a good partner and stay out of the wrecks, I think we should have a good race. We’re slowly making our way back up in the points and we need to finish well this weekend to keep the momentum going.”

Erwin on Talladega: “The superspeedway races are obviously unique races in that even if you have the best driver, the best pit crew and the fastest racecar, you can very easily get caught up in someone else’s accident and take the car home in pieces. Talladega is wider than Daytona which should allow for more three-wide racing and hopefully less wrecks. We do anticipate the same two-by-two racing that we saw at Daytona in February. We are taking the car that we finished fifth with in the Shootout so we’ll just go and try to get out of there with a top-10 finish.”

Talladega Notes
• Biffle is currently 18th in the Sprint Cup point standings following his fourth-place finish in Texas.
• Biffle has an average finish of 21.5 from an average starting position of 17.8 at Talladega Superspeedway.
• The No. 16 3M Ford Fusion will have a special Scotch Blue Painter’s Tape paint scheme this weekend in Talladega. Fans can visit www.ScotchBlue.com for painting tips and additional information.
• Last fall at Talladega Biffle restarted eighth with four laps to go but finished 19th after getting shuffled out of the draft.

Ragan has had some of his best career runs at Talladega (Getty)

David Ragan 
Team: No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Chassis: Primary: RK-723 Last ran Daytona – finished 14th; Backup: RK-717 Brand new chassis

Ragan on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “Going to Talladega we all think the racing will be similar to Daytona, so that will be a second opportunity to take what we learned from the two-car packs. Talladega is bigger and wider than Daytona, but there will be a lot of the same type strategy that we saw at the 500. I’m excited about our Fords since they were all fast in Daytona, which is a good sign going into Talladega.”

Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “We are heading to Talladega with the same car we almost won Daytona with, so we know we have a good UPS Ford going into this weekend. David is a really good restrictor plate driver and we are looking forward to get to the track and continue the momentum we have built the last few weeks.”

FAST FACTS
* UPS employee, Steven Demery, will be an honorary crew member of the UPS team this weekend in Talladega, and will also have his named featured on the C-Post of the UPS Ford.
* Ragan has his best average finish of all the tracks on the circuit at Talladega with a 14.2.
* Ragan has visited Talladega Superspeedway eight times in his Sprint Cup Series career and in his eight starts has earned two top-five and three top-10 finishes, while also leading for a total of 22 laps.
* In the spring of 2009 Ragan earned his first Nationwide Series victory at Talladega.

Kenseth worked well in the two-car draft at Daytona (Getty)

Matt Kenseth 
Team: No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig


Chassis: Primary: RK-713 (Last run at Daytona)

Kenseth on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “Racing at Talladega is challenging. You never truly know what to expect, but I don’t see it being a lot different this weekend since there aren’t any rule changes or changes to the cars. People compare Daytona and Talladega and I think that Talladega is a little more forgiving, but we’ll see what happens this weekend. You never know what’s going to happen as far as wrecks are concerned, but certainly Talladega always has the potential to be an accident waiting to happen. You never know where it’s going to occur, when it’s going to happen, or who it’s going to take out, so that’s one race that you’re never sure where everybody is going to end up finishing until the race is over.”

Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “Talladega is a tough track to really have a plan for because you never know when wrecks are going to happen. Accidents can happen early on and they’re just very unpredictable so you just never know what to expect. A lot of teams opt to hang out in the back of the field to try to avoid wrecks, but that doesn’t always work. We plan to race the best we can at Talladega and hope to avoid whatever happens on the track.”

FAST FACTS:
• In 22 Cup starts at Talladega, Kenseth has completed 3,921 of 4,165 laps (94.1 percent) and led for 159 laps
• Kenseth has an average starting position of 22.5 and an average finishing position of 18.6 at TSS
• Kenseth has achieved three top-five and six top-10 finishes at Talladega in the Cup series
• This weekend at Talladega, Kenseth will pilot the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion
• Entering the weekend at Talladega, Kenseth is currently third in the NSCS driver point standings

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Releases

Johnson Searching For First Top-5 at Talladega Since 2007

Johnson still looking for first 2011 win

JIMMIE JOHNSON 2011
STARTS: 7   WINS: 0   TOP 5: 3   TOP 10: 4
CURRENT DRIVER POINT STANDINGS: 4th
POINTS BEHIND 1st: 13
FINISH IN TEXAS: 8th
SPRING 2010 FINISH AT TALLADEGA: 31st

RACE NOTES
Talladega Superspeedway
• Johnson has made 18 Sprint Cup Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway, where he has earned one win, four top-five and eight top-10 finishes.
• Johnson has completed 96.1% (3280 of 3413) of competition laps and has led 203.
• He has an average start and finish of 10.2 and 17.2.

Johnson Chassis Choice
• Johnson will pilot chassis No. 628 in Sunday’s restrictor-plate event. He crossed the finish line 27th with that chassis at the Daytona 500 in February.
• Johnson finished fourth in backup chassis No. 618 during February’s Budweiser Shootout.

JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTES
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE HEADING TO TALLADEGA?: “A driver goes to a plate track on Friday for qualifying or whenever qualifying is and qualifies and practices – it’s pretty easy for the driver and there’s no pressure on the driver so it’s nice to go to the track and be relaxed. You don’t have to get inside your head and drive your line or worry about your reference points. But when you get in drafting practice and you’re still kind of reserved because you don’t want to be in a wreck and then the race takes off and it’s such a dynamic all to itself. Plate races are pretty easy to prepare for from a driver’s standpoint, but on the flip side, especially in qualifying, that’s all the speed depends on the work that’s done at the shop. It’s somewhat of an off weekend for the drivers from a work standpoint, but for the crews it’s one of the most difficult weeks.”

WILL THE TANDEM DRAFTING STILL RESULT IN A BIG DRAFT PACK?: “That possibility is definitely there. We’re all learning a lot about the push drafting and how it works. It just depends on how close together we can all stay. If we’re all in a big pack, regardless of the tandem pushing or not, your chances of a big crash are there. Then if we get into a spread out situation where cars are separated, you might have a single car spin or something like that. It just depends on where the pack is.”

SPRINT CUP SERIES CAREER NOTES
Career Wins
• Johnson has 53 wins in his Sprint Cup Series career, his most recent coming at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 26, 2010.
• The El Cajon, Calif.-native is currently 10th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list, one victory behind Lee Petty.
• He is second in total wins among active drivers, behind Jeff Gordon (82).
• Johnson needed only 296 starts to hit the 50 mark. Only three drivers have reached 50 victories quicker – Gordon (232), Darrell Waltrip (278) and David Pearson (293).
• Johnson has won at least three Cup races a season since he posted his first victory in 2002. He is the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first eight full-time seasons.
• Johnson has won Sprint Cup Series races at all but four (Michigan, Chicago, Watkins Glen, Homestead) of the 22 tracks on which the series competes.
• Johnson’s 10 wins in 2007 was the highest number recorded in a single season since Jeff Gordon posted 13 victories in 1998.
• The four-consecutive wins scored by the No. 48 team in the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ties a modern-era NASCAR record.

Career Poles
• Johnson has collected 25 poles in his Sprint Cup career.
• The championship driver has earned at least one pole a year since his first full-time season in 2002.
• He had a career-high six poles in 2008.
• Johnson’s most recent pole position was at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 24, 2010.

Career Starts
• Johnson has finished in the top five in the Sprint Cup Series point standings each year since his first full season in 2002.
• Johnson is the only driver to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup every year since the format was adopted in 2004.
• In 334 Sprint Cup Series starts, Johnson has posted 137 top-five and 207 top-10 finishes.
• He has a top-five finish at every track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.
• Johnson has led a total of 11,247 laps (of 96,530) in his Sprint Cup career, covering over 128,872 miles.
• He has finished on the lead lap 259 times.

Jimmie Johnson – Talladega Superspeedway

Race	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Led
04/21/2002	1	7	188/188	Running	8
10/06/2002	1	37	173/188	Engine	0
04/06/2003	7	15	188/188	Running	65
09/28/2003	3	34	157/188	Engine	15
04/25/2004	8	4	188/188	Running	25
10/03/2004	16	37	157/188	Engine	35
05/01/2005	6	20	186/194	Accident	8
10/02/2005	9	31	158/190	Running	3
05/01/2006	16	1	188/188	Running	3
10/08/2006	3	24	187/188	Accident	6
04/29/2007	8	2	192/192	Running	12
10/07/2007	19	2	188/188	Running	6
04/27/2008	10	13	188/188	Running	1
10/05/2008	20	9	190/190	Running	3
04/26/2009	36	30	179/188	Accident	2
11/01/2009	1	6	191/191	Running	0
04/25/2010	1	31	194/200	Accident	9
10/31/2010	19	7	188/188	Running	2

- GMR Live Marketing for Team Lowe’s Racing, Press Release

RCR Driver Previews: Childress Looking for 12th Talladega Win

Richard Childress Racing
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Notes:

Richard Childress raced in the first Talladega race in 1969

RCR at ‘Dega … Richard Childress Racing boasts 11 victories at the storied Alabama race track amongst three drivers, the most by any car owner in Sprint Cup Series history. Dale Earnhardt captured nine wins while Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer allowed RCR to sweep both events in 2010. Additionally, in 126 starts, RCR boasts four poles, 33 top-five, 53 top-10 finishes and have led 1,654 laps of competition.

The Collective RCR … Over the season’s first seven races, RCR’s four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entries have notched two wins, six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. The No. 31 team kicked off the 2011 season with a non-points win in the second Duel 150 qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway. Most recently, the No. 29 team visited Victory Lane at Auto Club Speedway in March and backed that up with a win the following weekend at Martinsville Speedway. RCR-prepared Chevrolets have also completed 8,601 out of 9,284 total laps (92.6 percent) with drivers Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Harvick and Paul Menard, who have led a combined 272 laps. At least one RCR driver has led laps in each of the season’s first seven events.

Get to the Points … Following last weekend’s race at Texas, Harvick moved to ninth in the point standings where he is 28 markers in arrears to the top spot. Menard and Bowyer advanced to 11th and 12th, respectively, after their top-five runs, placing Menard four points and Bowyer 12 points behind Tony Stewart’s 10th-place tally. Burton gained three spots, to 25th, in the rundown and is now 18 markers from cracking the top 20.

Did You Know … Chevrolet holds the record as the manufacturer with the most success at the 2.66-mile superspeedway with 36 victories. RCR contributed 11 of Chevy’s wins.

Bowyer is using the same chassis this week that won at Talladega last fall

Clint Bowyer
No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet
Race Notes and Quotes


This Week’s BB&T Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway … Clint Bowyer will pilot chassis No. 294 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 33 Chevrolet Impala has significant restrictor-plate track success, including a top-five finish (fourth) in the 2010 Daytona 500 and a trip to Victory Lane in last October’s Talladega 500 after starting from the front row.

* In 10 NSCS starts at Talladega, Bowyer owns one win, two top-five and four top-10 finishes.
* He has completed 78.2 percent (1,487 of 1,901) of the total laps contested at TSS during his career.
* The Emporia, Kan., native has led 25 laps at the 2.66-mile oval.
* Bowyer owns a 22.2 average starting position and a 19.4 average finishing position.

Winner, Winner … Bowyer and RCR teammate Kevin Harvick finished 1-2 in last October’s Talladega 500. The trip to Victory Lane with Bowyer gave car owner Richard Childress his 11th victory at Talladega, the most by any car owner at the track. Bowyer led nine times for 19 laps on the way to his fourth career NSCS victory.

Top-Five in The Lone Star State … Bowyer and the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet team, riding momentum from two straight top-10 finishes, led 44 laps en route to a second-place result in the Samsung Mobile 500 under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway.

Points Racing … After his third top-10 finish in as many weeks, Bowyer jumped four more positions, to 12th, in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES:
You won in Talladega the last race in October. Are you pumped to go back? "Yeah, I am. We were really, really fast in Daytona, and basically, got destroyed there at the end. Our cars and engines are really good. I look forward to getting to Talladega and having a chance at winning. That’s what it’s all about when you go to a race track. It’s such a good feeling. It’s now up to us to make it happen.”

Bowyer by an inch last fall over his teammate (Getty) 

Do you ever rag on Harvick about beating him by a couple inches there? “No, not really. It just came down to the wire. When you’re sitting in the equipment that we get to sit in at those superspeedways, it doesn’t surprise me that I was racing a teammate for the win.”

That was kind of a weird ending to that race. What were you thinking when the yellow light came on? Did you think you had it won? “I really did think when the caution came out that I was ahead of him, and I was. I didn’t know it was that close, but I really did think that I won.”

Do you have to be more lucky than good to stay out of trouble at Talladega? “Not really. You have to be conscious of your surroundings. You can’t put yourself in a bad situation. If they’re racing hard in front of you and you don’t think you should be around, get out of there! Get out of it and just don’t stay there and hope it’s going to change because nine times out of 10, that’s when it’s going to bite you.”

So, you have to have like a spider sense that something’s about to happen? “Well, usually it’s pretty apparent when things are going to happen believe it or not. There might be someone up there that’s not used to being up there and they are racing pretty wild and erratic. That’s the thing, you get used to racing around people. It doesn’t matter if you’re a 20th place team or a top-10 team. You get used to racing around those people. You get comfortable. It’s when those two collide and are racing against one another. That’s when things happen. I hate to say that, but that’s how it is.”

Do you feel like Daytona sets you up for Talladega? “I think it definitely does. Obviously, we have a lot of work to do, body work and stuff like that, but we’ll be alright.”

You led 31 laps at Daytona. Was it disappointing to not get something more out of that? “Absolutely. Anytime you run up front as much as we did, we had a shot to win that thing. We really did, with four laps to go; we were one of the six cars in the hunt. We just got wiped out.”

Burton has had some troubles at Talladega, 32nd and 41st last year

Jeff Burton
No. 31 Cat Financial Chevrolet Impala
Race Notes and Quotes


This Week’s Cat Financial Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway … Jeff Burton will race Chassis No. 331 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend’s Aaron’s 499. Built new for the 2011 season, this No. 31 racer first competed in the second Duel 150 qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway where Burton drove it to victory. He then raced this Caterpillar Chevrolet in the 53rd running of the Daytona 500 that ended eight laps shy of the halfway mark for the Todd Berrier-led team when the engine suddenly expired, crediting them with a 36th-place finish.

Unfinished Business … In 34 Sprint Cup Series starts at Talladega, Burton owns four top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. Although he has yet to visit Victory Lane at the storied race track, his best finish of third came in October 2001. The South Boston, Va., native also boasts a 24.3 starting average to go along with a 19th-place finishing average and has led 115 laps of competition.

Loopy at ‘Dega … The 21-time Sprint Cup Series race winner is the series’ best green-flag passer. Over the past 12 races at the larger-than-life oval, Burton has made 4,634 passes under green-flag conditions, 553 more passes than Martin Truex Jr. in second place. At the same time, the 43-year-old driver leads all drivers as the sport’s best quality passer. Of his 3,822 passes, 3,202 were made while running in the top 15. Other notable loop data statistics for Burton at Talladega Superspeedway are: Driver Rating (fifth), Fastest Drivers in an Early Run (10th), Fastest Drivers in a Late Run (third), Green-Flag Speed (fifth), Laps in Top 15 (fourth) and Speed in Traffic (first).

A Streak Looking to End … Burton currently owns an 84-race winless streak that he hopes to break in this weekend’s 188-lap showdown. The Caterpillar driver’s last visit to Winner’s Circle was in October 2008 when he led the final 57 laps en route to his 21st Sprint Cup Series career win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
Last year, you had good cars but bad finishes at Talladega. That must have been disappointing. “Our (restrictor) plate season last year was less than desirable. We had really fast cars. I am grateful for that. I feel like we have cars that can win races, run in the front and lead a lot of laps. We have to miss the wreck. What happened in both of last year’s races was me minding my own business and the next thing you know, I’m in a wreck. That’s kind of the way Talladega has been for everyone. It seems like you go through spurts where you miss the wrecks and, all of sudden, you go through a spurt where you can’t do anything right. That’s kind of what happened to us last year. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It makes you think about what your strategy should be going back.”

Burton using winning Gatorade car this week (Getty)

Given how you ran in Daytona, how does that set you up for Talladega? “We were really fast at Daytona. I was real excited about our car in Daytona. I think the two-car draft is something that everyone is going to try to use at Talladega – there’s no question about that. A lot of people have worked on their cooling packages. It’ll be interesting to see how long people can push each other now. A couple of our cars had engine problems, including us. Those guys work really hard and I’m sure we have that remedied. But, certainly, that will be in the back of our mind.”

What do you think of the two-car draft and do you think we’ll see it again? “We’ll definitely see it again, there’s no way around it. The doors open, and the only way to shut it is to change some rules. I don’t even know how you can change the rules to make it so you can shut it. You would have to do something pretty radical. You’re going to see a lot of that. There’s just no way around it. Two cars can go faster than three. You’ll without a question see a lot of it.”

How uncomfortable was it to be the pusher? “Well, there were times when it was uncomfortable to be both. The thing about being the pusher is you can’t see. If you’re not communicating with the guy that you’re pushing, or the spotter isn’t working well, its very nerve racking because you can’t see what’s going on. A lot of communication is required. You really have to be talking a lot. You spend a lot of time explaining to the guy behind you what’s going on. The guy pushing has to have full trust. If he’s not fully committed, fully dedicated, to pushing the guy in front, a lot of speed will be lost by not being committed. It takes some trust, and it’s an interesting way to race for sure.”

Harvick hoping Daytona engine problem is fixed

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet Impala
Race Notes and Quotes


This Week’s Budweiser Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway … Kevin Harvick will race chassis No. 343 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Harvick led twice for five laps in February’s Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway before exiting the race at lap 22 when the car’s engine expired.

Last Time Around … Harvick and RCR’s No. 29 team went to Victory Lane after last year’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. He started from the fourth position and led two laps during the race – laps five and 200. Harvick took the checkered flag with a 0.011-second margin of victory over Jamie McMurray in the No. 1 Chevrolet.

So Close … Harvick nearly swept both races at Talladega Superspeedway last year. He started 14th in the October race and moved all the way up to first by lap two. He led a total of 12 laps and was passed for the top spot as the caution flag waved on the final lap of the race by his RCR teammate Clint Bowyer.

Talladega Notes … In 20 starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Harvick has earned one win, five top-five and nine top-10 finishes. He has completed 97.8 percent (3,706 of 3,789) total laps and has led 120 laps at the 2.66-mile track. Harvick has an average starting position of 21.8 and an average finishing position of 14.8 at Talladega.

In the Loop … Harvick owns several notable loop data statistics at Talladega Superspeedway as he enters this weekend’s Aaron’s 499: fourth in Closers, fourth in Green-Flag Passes (3,980), sixth in Fastest Laps Run (50) and eighth in Laps Led (84).

Double Duty … In addition to his duties in the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, Harvick is also scheduled to compete in the No. 4 NASCAR Nationwide Series entry for Kevin Harvick Incorporated at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday. He has made six previous NNS starts at Talladega, earning two top-five and three top-10 finishes. ESPN2 will broadcast Saturday’s Aaron’s 312 starting with the pre-race show at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will also be broadcast live on MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
You hardly got to run at Daytona since your car’s engine expired just 22 laps into the race, but did you get a feel for your car and say “We’re going to smoke them in Talladega?” “I don’t know if anyone’s going to smoke anybody at Talladega. In all of the practices and races leading up to the race in Daytona, the cars were really fast. We had a good Speedweeks all the way up until the (Daytona) 500. Then, the bottom fell out and we had a little problem with the engine. Those things are going to happen. I think we should be good at Talladega. We’ll see where all the rules fall as far as where NASCAR thinks we need to be with our car package and cooling packages and things like that. That will affect how we race. Based on everything we did in Speedweeks and the first 20 laps of the Daytona 500, everything was rock solid.”

Harvick's winning move on turn four last year sent him to victory 

There has been a lot of development that has gone into the ECR engine. Is it shocking when something goes wrong with one of them? “Well, it was 152 races in between engine failures for the No. 29 team. There are just too many parts and pieces and too many tolerances that are way too tight to not have something go wrong every once in a while. I felt like they did a great job analyzing everything and understanding where the problem was and what they needed to do going into Talladega. Everyone feels fairly comfortable with what we’re doing with the engines.”

What did you think of the two-car draft? “Sometimes when race tracks are repaved, they develop new characteristics. When you take the grip option out of a race, you can do things with a race car that people don’t necessarily plan on. I go back and I look at when I won the Daytona 500. I was pushed all the way through Turns 1 and 2 and all the way down the backstretch by Matt Kenseth, and that’s what won the race. We just weren’t able to do it through the corners at full speed like we are now because the race track was bumpy and not as much grip. Now that you take that grip out, you can push each other all the way around. It’s a different concept, and it takes full commitment from the guy in the back because you can’t see what’s going on in front of you. You just have to feel the guy’s car in front of you as to how hard you push. As drivers and teams, you try to race under the conditions that are presented to you that weekend. New race tracks are tough with asphalt because it takes the grip out of the equation.”

We know what the pusher has to do, but what is the responsibility of the driver in front of the pusher? “There’s a lot of different scenarios that are presented as to where you are around with cars, as to how much you have to let off the brakes and things like that, that keep the rear car attached to you because when the air starts moving around other cars it becomes a little more difficult. But, when you’re by yourself, you hold it wide open, and everyone pushes and off you go.”

What’s it like to be the pusher when all you see in front of you is a blade? “It’s just full commitment from the back because you can’t see anything in front of the guy in front of you. You just hold it on the mat, and if you hit something, you hit something. The only way to go as fast as you can is to try and stay square on the guy in front of you. The guy in front of you has as much responsibility just holding his car straight and trying to make as little movement as possible. There’s a lot of responsibility on both sides, and it doesn’t take much to mess it up and wreck the guy in front of you. You have to be paying attention the whole time.”

What did you think about the radio communications at Daytona? Not only were teammates talking to each other, but drivers from other teams could pipe in and talk to you. Do you want anyone else doing that to you? “Anyone that gets on another team’s radio frequency has to get that approved by that team. The only thing that makes me nervous is if we get to Homestead, and your radio has someone else on it, and things aren’t working so well with your radio. It seems like a lot of confusion, and it seems like it will cause more problems that are necessary down the road. Hopefully, that gets addressed, and we can move forward.”

Menard using 9th-place Daytona chassis

Paul Menard
No. 27 Schrock/Menards Chevrolet Impala
Race Notes and Quotes


This Week’s Schrock/Menards Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway … Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 338 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet Impala was a brand new addition to the RCR fleet for the 2011 season. Menard recorded the fourth-quickest lap during the Daytona 500 time trials in February and went on to finish ninth in both the Duel 150 qualifying race and Daytona 500.

Talladega Days … In nine starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Menard has earned one top-five finish and four top 15′s, completed 75.6 percent of his laps (1,295 of 1,713) and led for 14 circuits. He has an average starting position of 23.6 and an average finishing position of 24.9. His best finish of second and his best start of fifth were recorded in his October 2008 visit to the 2.66-mile Alabama facility. The second-place result is Menard’s best career NSCS finish. He also earned one pole award (April 2005) in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and one win (September 2003) with the ARCA Racing Series at the superspeedway.

Race Rewind … Last week, Menard and the No. 27 team brought home a fifth-place finish from Texas Motor Speedway, the team’s second top five of the 2011 season. Menard heads to Talladega 11th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, only four points out of the 10th position.

PAUL MENARD QUOTES:
You finished 25th and 13th last year at Talladega. How do you feel about those runs? “I definitely feel like our restrictor-plate program is a lot stronger this year. Talladega is a crapshoot any way you look at it. All four of our RCR cars were strong in Daytona. The cars are fast and our ECR horsepower is really good. Talladega isn’t one of my favorite tracks to go to, but I know that we’ll have a strong piece when we get there.”

Do you have a lot of confidence going into Talladega because of Daytona? “Absolutely, we learned a lot in Daytona. I think we’re going to see a lot of two-car drafts – the push-drafting. I think it’s going to be a wild race.”

What do you think about the two-car draft as a driver? “I like it better than being three-wide all day long. You’re still at everybody’s mercy, especially the guy who is pushing you, but I think a lot less can go wrong.”

Is it uncomfortable to be the “pusher” in the two-car draft? “No, it’s actually pretty comfortable either way. Probably more so to get pushed, but it’s not bad to be pushing. The communication between the drivers is very important. The lead car is essentially spotting for the back car and the back car just has to manage his water temperature.”

Does it require a bigger trust factor due to the fact that you can’t really see? “You can see enough. You can’t see directly ahead, but you can kind of see through the windshield of the car in front. When you get to the corner, you have a lot of visibility because you can look up the track and see ahead of you. The guy that is getting pushed, he can’t tell what is going on behind him. He looks in his rearview mirror and sees a hood pushed up underneath of him. But, you do need to have a lot of trust in the two-car tandems.”

What is it like to be involved in a wreck at Talladega – the sights and sounds of the experience?  “Especially with the way that we raced in the past in the big packs, at any given second you know that something can happen so you’re a little bit on edge. When you actually get in the wrecks, it all depends on where you’re pointed and where you are when it happens. Sometimes it hurts and sometimes it doesn’t.”

RCR on Social Media … To keep up-to-date with the latest news and information and to view exclusive content, visit RCR’s Twitter page (@RCRracing), the RCR Sprint Cup Series team Twitter pages (@RCR27PMenard, @RCR29KHarvick, @RCR31JeffBurton and @RCR33CBowyer) and RCR’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing).

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Releases