2011 Aaron's 499:
This weekend that NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visits Talladega Superspeedway for the 2011 Aaron's 499. When NASCAR raced at Daytona in February we saw a new two-by-two form of restrictor plate racing. Will we see a repeat of that this weekend in Talladega?
Tickets:
Speedway ticket office 1-877-Go2-DEGA
The Track:
Talladega Superspeedway is the longest track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit measuring 2.66 miles.
A steep 33 degrees of banking in the corners and 18 degrees in the front tri-oval make handling a secondary consideration. Talladega is big, fast, and all about horsepower and drafting.
Race Distance:
188 laps = 499 miles
The Big Picture:
Last week Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch traded the point lead once again as Kyle finished back in sixteenth allowing Carl to take a 9 point advantage.
Tony Stewart evicted Mark Martin from the top ten with a twelfth place effort while Mark suffered a 36th place effort after his crash last week in Texas.
2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Top Ten:
- Carl Edwards
- Kyle Busch -9
- Matt Kenseth -13
- Jimmie Johnson -13
- Kurt Busch -16
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -21
- Ryan Newman -23
- Juan Pablo Montoya -24
- Kevin Harvick -28
- Tony Stewart -43
Storylines:
The 2011 Aaron's 499 is likely to look a lot like the Daytona 500 did. More of that odd two-by-two competitive dancing which lead to a unique Daytona show. It's a shame that just one year after one of the best Talladega races in history NASCAR felt the need to mess with the formula.
Another big story this weekend is that this will be Dale Earnhardt Jr's 100th race since his last victory. Can the former plate master get it done this weekend or is his downward slide past the point of no return?
Media Coverage:
TV: FOX Sunday, April 17th, 12:00PM Eastern.
Radio: MRN and SIRIUS Satellite
Actual Race: 1:00PM Eastern
Recent Events:
2010 Polesitter: Jimmie Johnson
2010 Winner: Kevin Harvick
Last Year:
The 2010 Aaron's 499 may go down in history as the best Talladega race in history. That race set all-time NASCAR records for the most lead changes and the highest number of different leaders. In addition the finish was thrilling as Harvick pulled out in the tri-oval and made the pass. Beating McMurray by twelve hundredths of a second in the eighth closest finish in NASCAR history.
Predictions:
Picking a winner in a restrictor plate race is a crapshoot. "The Big One" can eliminate a top contender in the blink of an eye. Add to that the crazy two-by-two dance that we are likely to see and just about anyone is capable of winning if they have the right partner.
Often in this space I would look to the winner of the Daytona 500 as a possible pick. While Trevor Bayne is a talented driver I really don't think he can do it again. Instead I'm going with the driver who lead the most laps in Daytona but came away with a disappointing 22nd place finish. I think Ryan Newman makes a great pick this Sunday.
For my backup this week I am sticking with Richard Childress racing and picking the driver who lead the second highest number of laps in each of the last two Daytona 500s. Clint Bowyer was fast in February and clearly has a great opportunity to win in Talladega.
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