Talladega Superspeedway is the prime location for a surprise winner. At least, that’s what we’re led to believe.
On the final restart of the Ag-Pro 300 last Saturday (April 20), there was only one driver in the top 10 who had a prior NASCAR Xfinity Series win: Riley Herbst, who restarted ninth.
Jesse Love, meanwhile, got his first career win that day. A win that, while impressive in how he did it, few would call an upset based on how he’s performed this season, how he ran in the ARCA Menards Series and the current team he drives for.
We had most of the makings of a big upset. Underdog fans everywhere were licking their chops. But it never came. Saturday’s finish was the continuation of a fact that may be hard to hear. Underdog wins in the Xfinity Series, even at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega, are rare.
Jeb Burton, Jeremy Clements, and Brandon Brown have all pulled off major upsets at restrictor plate tracks in recent years. But the races they won all had tons of wrecked race cars. In the race Clements won, only 14 cars finished on the lead lap and most of those were badly damaged.
Every year we look at these restrictor-plate races as the best chance to get a surprise winner. But unless the attrition is absurdly high, history says it probably isn’t going to happen.
Saturday’s final restart had the following drivers in the top 10: Love, Leland Honeyman, Joey Gase, Hailie Deegan, Brennan Poole, Caesar Bacarella, Ryan Ellis, Josh Billicki, Herbst, and Mason Massey. From that group, the two drivers least resembling an underdog finished first and second (Love and Herbst.)
The other eight drivers? Only three of them (Honeyman, Poole and Bacarella) finished in the top 10.
Some of the moves made by the other drivers show there is more to it than Love and Herbst simply having the best cars. Those underdog drivers just aren’t as familiar with running at the front of the field, and what experience they do have has mostly come before crunch time.
There is no doubt that tape will be watched and lessons will be learned. All of those drivers should be more equipped to handle the moment at their next opportunity, but that illustrates the crux of their problem. They simply weren’t ready for prime time. It’s not their fault. Experience lends itself to skill here. When you’ve not been in the position before, how do you know what moves…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at …