NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Can Talladega Give Us a New Winner in 2023?
Sunday will be one of the biggest unknowns of the NASCAR season, with the Geico 500 from Talladega Superspeedway. A track known for wrecks and big upsets, chances are high for an eighth different winner on the 2023 campaign. Many masters of the draft enter this weekend still searching for a trip to victory lane. Here are a few drivers who hope to end Sunday in the winner’s circle.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Even aside from his Daytona 500 win, Ricky Stenhouse Jr is off to the hottest start of his career. Through nine races, the 47 has one win, four top-10s, a 14.1 average finish and is 13th in points. Going for two-straight superspeedway wins, confidence is high this week in the Stenhouse camp.
“I’ve had some success at Talladega and at superspeedways in general during my career,” said Stenhouse. “We started our season off winning at a superspeedway. Winning the Daytona 500 has given us confidence going into the racetrack each week. We also have a couple top-five short track finishes and one of our four top-10s came at a road course. We’ve been competitive every week at different styles of tracks. That’s a testament to my team working hard and always believing in each other.”
To put it simply, Talladega is Stenhouse’s historically-best track on the circuit. His first career win came in the 2017 Geico 500. He also boasts six top-fives, nine top-10s, and 104 laps led in Alabama. Much like in the Daytona 500 two months ago, what separates Stenhouse from more superspeedway greatness is luck avoiding wrecks and being up front late. Should the 47 make the right moves again on Sunday, Stenhouse could grab two checkered flags once again.
Brad Keselowski
One of Talladega’s all-time greatest drivers, Brad Keselowski hopes to find more success. A six-time Talladega victor, BK is tied with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. at second-most wins here. Keselowski’s 6 was ultra strong both in the Daytona 500 and Atlanta, coming up just short each time. Talladega is also the site of Keselowski’s most recent win two years ago. BK aims to make the third time the charm on superspeedways in 2023.
“You’ve got to learn to live with the fear, that’s Talladega,” Keselowski said. You have to accept the fact that you’re probably gonna get wrecked and the races where you get through it cleanly you just want to make the most of it. I go to Talladega with a big level of excitement.”
Leading late at both prior superspeedways, Talladega appears to be BK’s best chance to put RFK Racing back in victory lane. A last-lap move cost him the Atlanta win, don’t expect Keselowski to be as easily vanquished this time.
Ryan Blaney
Another driver whose last win came at a superspeedway, Ryan Blaney could bust his 55-race losing streak Sunday. At the last trip to Talladega in October, the Penske 12 was within a half-second of the victory. He lost that day on a last-lap pass by Chase Elliott. Blaney has also led in eight of the last nine Talladega races. Do not be surprised to see the 12 up front again.
The 12 team needs to find victory lane again to assert themselves as title threats. Blaney’s best result so far this year has been second, he hopes to be one spot better on Sunday.
Denny Hamlin
Another superspeedway ace, Denny Hamlin comes off his best finish of 2023 with fourth at Martinsville. The 11 and Talladega are a seeming match made in Heaven. Hamlin’s Talladega stat line is: two wins, 15 top-10s, and 424 laps led. Hamlin knows that being at the head of the field late will determine Sunday’s winner.
“I expect track position is going to be very important,” Hamlin said. “No question about it, you’re going to have to be up front in the top eight with 30 or 40 laps to go or else it’s going to be almost impossible to win. With this car, we only see two lanes with not much room to go anywhere. This is going to be an execution race where you’ve got to qualify well, have your strategy play out right, have fast pit stops and get on and off pit road quickly to have a shot.”
With laps led in six-straight Talladega races, Sunday may be the turning point for Hamlin’s 2023 season. Through nine races, the 11 has only cracked the top-five once last week, along with three top-10s. Talladega continues a string of strong tracks for Hamlin, the FedEx colors will surely find victory lane soon.
Joey Logano
The winner of the quasi-superspeedway in Atlanta last month, Joey Logano is ready to be on the offensive again in Talladega. Beyond Atlanta Logano was painfully close to this year’s Daytona 500 win as well, finishing second. The Penske 22 team may be the best all-around superspeedway team in 2023. Logano knows the mindset is entirely unique for conquering Talladega though.
“It’s quite a bit different for a few reasons,” Logano said on Talladega vs. Daytona. “One being how wide the track is. Obviously, handling comes in a little bit less, but the way the pack works it’s really hard because there are more lanes to block. Daytona is three lanes, four lanes pretty tight, so you don’t really have to worry about four-wide there. Four-wide is a pretty common thing at Talladega. It can happen pretty comfortably, so it definitely changes that.”
A three-time Talladega victor, Logano has rightfully earned his place on the short list of favorites. Recent Talladega results for the 22 however have been very lukewarm. Only one top-10 and three crashes define his last seven races. Logano will try and reverse this trend Sunday.
Chase Elliott
Returning from injury at Martinsville last week Chase Elliott did not miss a beat, netting a top-10. The 9 is the most recent Talladega winner from October, his second victory here. Elliott said that he felt fine aside from some stiffness after Sunday, and should be a contender again at Talladega.
“It’s a bit of a mystery every time you go there,” Elliott said. “I mean, you kind of know what you’re going to have, but certainly it seems like when you show up to a race for the first time, a lot of times they’re the same players. It does seem like sometimes when you go back you can have a manufacturer that has found a little something that might be improved that trip to that specific style of track. So, a lot of times we kind of have to wait until we get there, see where we stack up and kind of address the weekend after that.”
Needing a win to secure his Playoff fate, Talladega has been quite kind to Elliott. The 9 is batting .500 for top-10s in Alabama, with seven across 14 starts. At a track where a left leg is used minimally, Elliott could be a bit of an upset winner.
The Geico 500 will go green Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Talladega is six-for-six on different winners, and the odds are great for a new 2023 victor. Tune in and see if any of the above drivers can get it done at Talladega. A Playoff berth or valuable points hang in the balance for all drivers.
Written by Peter Stratta
Be sure to follow us on Twitter
Be sure to follow the writer on Twitter
Photo Credit to James Gilbert/Getty Images for NASCAR
