Talladega Will Provide Heckitc End to Contender Round

It's go or go home time for title hopefuls Dale Jr (L) and Jimmie Johnson (R)
(Photo: Google Images)

Talladega Superspeedway will provide the closing number for round number two of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr all need to win the race or finish well enough to advance to the next round of the Chase, avoiding the "Big One" and possibly several other smaller ones. You can't make this stuff up.

The retaining wall along the frontstrech says it all: "This is Talladega." Built on land that was once an airport and before that, was an ancient Indian burial ground, the former Alabama Motor Speedway has long been one of the craziest and most exciting race tracks on the circuit. It has always had a date in the Chase for the Cup, but because of NASCAR's new elimination, bracket-style system, this race will have much greater implications than ever before.

As it stands now, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick are safe, as they won Kansas and Charlotte respectively. They are also first and third in points respectively. The rest of the top five in points are Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards. Aside from Busch and Harvick, these other three names are not ones we typically see near the top of the standings. We've been used to seeing Johnson, Junior, Keselowski and Kenseth atop the points. But now, because winning is at a premium and running up front is a must, one little slip and your Chase could be over just as quickly as it started.


Could Joey Logano be the 2014 Sprint Cup Champion? (Photo: Google Images)

Talladega has long been known for it's big wrecks and frequent lead changes. Just as quickly as a driver takes the lead, the next lap they can be shuffled to the back and in danger of being taken out by another driver's mistake. This could prove both good and bad for drivers vying for a place in round three. The safest bet is Dale Jr. He's won a Talladega five times and has an average finish of 15th. If anyone can make their way to the front and nail down a spot in the Eliminator Round it's Junior.

But Kenseth, Keselowski and Johnson also stand a good shot at winning the race. Because of the element of the draft, Reed Sorenson, David Ragan and Danica Patrick also stand a great chance of winning the event. So those four drivers fighting to keep their title hopes alive are not only fighting each other for the win, they're fighting drivers that they normally wouldn't have to worry about when contending for a victory.

This race is truly going to be a wild card and, with the exception of the season finale at Homestead, this will more than likely be the most exciting race in the Chase simply because of the very serious title implications it has. Can Junior survive, climb out of the cellar and advance to round three? Will Logano or Harvick win another race? Or will a complete unknown upset the apple cart and score a win at Talladega? Tune in Sunday to find out because it will be very exciting to see how round two shakes out.