The Talladega Superspeedway is the largest track on the NASCAR circuit, and usually provides for an exciting race. With the restrictor plates the cars are always bunched together providing for some close racing at high speeds. So, who are the best drivers at the track? There are quite a few that have done well here in the past, but hopefully my recommendations will come through this weekend.

Recommendations for the week:

Chaser: Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie hasn’t necessarily done well at Talladega, but he has been absolutely ridiculous since the chase started, and has averaged a 2.8 place finish over the past 5 races, winning 3 of them. He does have a win at Talladega and 6 career top tens, so he has had success here. Look for him to continue his dominance, and if he doesn’t get caught up in someone else’s mess, he should be battling for the win at the end.

Alternate Chaser: Ryan Newman
Want to pick a chaser not named Jimmie? Ryan could be your guy. His average finish isn’t great here, 18.5, but he as 3 top tens in the last 4. Ryan has also been doing pretty well lately, averaging a 13th place finish over the last 5 races. He is a driver that loves speed, and Talladega provides that. The track suites Ryan well and he should perform this weekend.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I know, I know; Dale has been horrible and can’t put a good finish together to save his life. But this is Talladega. This is his track. He has 5 wins, 8 top fives, and 11 top tens in 19 career races. If ever there was a track that he would break out of his funk and get a top 5 it’s Talladega. Put him on your team and watch him perk up a bit this weekend. If he has a bad performance this weekend, then he may be done for a while.

David Ragan
Believe it or not David has the 3rd best average finish at Talladega among active drivers with more than 1 career race. In his 5 races here he has 2 top fives and is averaging a 14th place finish. You may not think much of David, or the job he’s done this season, but from the numbers it seems like he should have a decent weekend. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is contending for a top ten by the end of the race.

Darkhorses: Brad Keselowski, Marcos Ambrose, Joey Logano
All of these guys only have 1 career race at Talladega and Brad won, while Marcos got a 4th place finish and Joey a 9th place finish. Talladega is a track that anyone can win, and since the cars are so tightly packed, track position doesn’t matter until the final couple laps. Anyone in 25th or better can storm to the front of the pack in 2 or 3 laps and get the win. These young guys know how to go fast, and don’t be surprised if one of them takes home a top five or even wins on Sunday.