By David Morgan, Associate Editor
TALLADEGA, Ala. – The second round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs enters the gauntlet.
Following the opening race of the Round of 12 last weekend at Kansas that saw Ross Chastain play spoiler, keeping victory out of the hands of any of the championship contenders, Talladega looms large as the postseason hits the halfway mark with Sunday’s running of the Yellawood 500.
Since opening its doors in 1969, the 2.66-mile track just off Interstate 20 in Alabama has been a wild card on the schedule with the unpredictable nature of superspeedway racing on full display over the past half-century, leading to some of the most memorable moments in NASCAR history.
Anyone in the field has a chance at the win as long as they can be in the right place at the right time. Sunday’s race should be no different. While there will be favorites, any of the cars still running in the closing laps could pull off the win. There is a reason fans come from far and wide to witness racing at Talladega and that unpredictability is a big part of it.
Given the unpredictability that Talladega brings, even the best laid plans could go awry in a split second, leaving some of the Playoff drivers in dire straits heading into the final race of the round at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.
Of the 12 Playoff drivers, no one is truly safe heading into the 188-lap event, which kicks off at 2:00 pm ET Sunday.
Last weekend’s runner up, William Byron is the driver with the biggest safety net heading into Talladega with a 34-point advantage over the cut-off line, but even that might not be enough of a buffer by the time the checkered flag falls at Talladega.
Following a poor showing at Kansas, regular season champion Tyler Reddick finds himself below the cut-off line heading into the weekend as he will look to pull off the season sweep and put his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota in victory lane to punch his ticket to the Round of 8.
Below him, Daniel Suarez, Chase Briscoe, and Austin Cindric will have some work to do on Sunday to make up their double-digit deficits to the cut off line. Suarez sits 14 points back, with Briscoe and Cindric sitting 25 and 29 points in arears, respectively.
Staying Grounded
Given the increasing number of cars getting airborne on superspeedways recently, NASCAR will implement some changes to the Cup Series cars for this weekend’s race at Talladega in the hopes of keeping the cars on the…
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