1 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet 50.017 191.455
2 39 Ryan Newman US Army Chevrolet 50.098 191.145
3 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hrEnergyBenefittingAvonFndn Toyota 50.105 191.119
4 14 Tony Stewart Mobil 1 / Office Depot Chevrolet 50.138 190.993
5 16 Greg Biffle 3M / National Breast Cancer Foundation Ford 50.148 190.955
6 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet 50.176 190.848
7 99 Carl Edwards Subway Ford 50.193 190.784
8 21 Trevor Bayne(i) Motorcraft / Quick Lane / Warriors in Pink Ford 50.208 190.727

THE FINAL LAP WEEKLY – TALLADEGA PREVIEW FEATURING KASEY KAHNE / RIKI RACHTMAN

9 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 50.225 190.662
10 22 Sam Hornish Jr.(i) SKF Dodge 50.234 190.628

Continue reading “2012 Talladega Cup Series Starting Lineup – Kasey Kahne On Pole”

This hasn’t been Jamie McMurray’s season to say the least – just three top-10 finishes and none since early June. Yet McMurray goes to the post at Talladega as one of the favorites based upon his knack for finishing well at both Daytona and Talladega.

McMurray was the last Ford driver to win at Talladega (fall 2009) and is both a Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola champion in Daytona.

Continue reading “McMurray, Burton Take This Week’s ‘Chase Spoiler’ Roles”

Talladega stands statistically as Jimmie Johnson’s worst-performing track based on his Driver Rating of 81.5. Johnson, however, has won twice at ‘Dega, most recently in the spring of 2011. Johnson has performed at the 2.66-mile superspeedway when it counted most with top-10 Chase finishes in four of his five championship seasons.

Continue reading “Johnson’s ’Dega Stats Aren’t Great But He’s Solid When It’s Counted Most”

This is Clint Bowyer’s first Chase as a member of Michael Waltrip Racing and he’s hanging tough – fourth in the standings, 25 points out of the lead. History suggests this may be the week that Bowyer goes all the way to the top as the Kansan bids for a third consecutive victory in Talladega’s fall race.

Bowyer won as a Chase qualifier in 2010. He missed the post season a year ago but repeated as the winner of the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500. Bowyer’s five most recent starts have produced five of his seven top-10 Talladega finishes.

Some drivers regard Talladega Superspeedway with trepidation. Not NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader Brad Keselowski, winner of the track’s spring race earlier this year and in 2009, when he scored his first of nine series victories.

Keselowski, who scored Chase win No. 2 on Sunday at Dover International Speedway, leads Jimmie Johnson by five points entering the fourth round of the post season.

Denny Hamlin is 16 points behind Keselowski in third place. A victory would make Keselowski the first to sweep both Talladega races since Jeff Gordon in 2007.