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Joe Nemechek has three top-20 finishes this season, but also three DNFs in seven starts.Talladega looms large as Nemechek eyes big finish
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Joe Nemechek's return to full-time Nationwide Series racing hasn't yielded much in positive results, which is why he's probably happy to see Talladega Superspeedway on the schedule this week. Although he hasn't raced there since 2005, Talladega rates as one of Nemechek's better tracks, and thusly the 1992 series champion ranks as one of the top drivers there.
2Wins, second-most in track history and tied for second-most among all series tracks at which he has raced.
5Poles, most in track history and tied for most (Daytona) among all series tracks at which he has raced.
6Top-fives, most in track history and most among all series tracks at which he has raced.
7Top-10s, most in track history. Nemechek has finished in the top 10 in all but two races he was running at the finish.
Nemechek has made 14 starts at Talladega, all in his own No. 87 car. The down side to his line at 'Dega is five DNFs that includes four via the crash. Nemechek has only one lead-lap finish this year, but it came at the other restrictor-plate track at Daytona where he finished 13th.
Coverage of the Aaron's 312 (Entry List | Tickets
) begins at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ABC, and six series-only regulars go into the race in the top 10 in points. But only four have raced previously in the series at Talladega.
1Career starts for Brad Keselowski, who started fifth in last year's race but finished 23rd after getting caught up in a wreck. Keselowski is fifth in points.
4Place of finish in last year's race for Jason Leffler, his second top-five in five starts. Leffler is fourth in points, the highest series-only regular.
7Place of finish in last year's race for Mike Bliss, his second top-10 in four starts. Bliss is ninth in points.
14Career starts for Jason Keller, tied with Joe Nemechek for most in track history. Keller has only two top-10s but one of those was a victory.
Series rookies Brendan Gaughan (seventh in points) and Justin Allgaier (eighth) will make their Nationwide debuts at 'Dega, although Gaughan has experience there in both Cup and Truck racing.
One factor that can never be ignored when it comes to Talladega is the Big One, the multiple-car pileup that is about as certain as death and taxes. And there are other trends, as well.
6Place of finish in last year's race for Dale Earnhardt Jr., his fourth top-10 in six starts. Junior actually led on the final lap before fading back. Earnhardt has one win at 'Dega, and is just one of three former winners entered in this year's race.
10Times 10 or more cars have crashed out in the 17 races at 'Dega. Nine cars crashed out on two other occasions and eight yet one other time. However, there were no DNFs due to crashes in the 1994 race and just one in the first race there in 1992.
12Wins for Chevrolet, by far most in the series. Ford is the only other manufacturer with multiple wins with three. Toyota ended a string of five consecutive wins by Chevrolet, comprised mostly of the DEI cars of Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1) and Martin Truex Jr. (3), last year.
14Cars that were collected in last year's Big One that involved the contending cars of Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch among others, and six of the top 10 in the standings.
The Wow Factor
42Total number of laps completed by Kyle Busch in the two races in which he has crashed out, both coming in odd-numbered years (2005, '07). He has two top-five finishes among his other three starts.
The Super Looper
100.0Percentage of Laps in the Top 15 for Brian Vickers in his start in 2006 when he finished fourth. Vickers also is one of two drivers with a 100.0 percent in Quality Passes (Joe Nemechek in 2005).
Driver Rating at Talladega (since 2005, four races)
| Pos. | Driver | Rating | Starts | Wins | Top-5s | Top-10s | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Brian Vickers* | 111.2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| 2. | Tony Stewart | 106.8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 120 |
| 3. | Paul Menard | 102.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 |
| 4. | Kevin Harvick | 101.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 32 |
| 5. | Joe Nemechek* | 100.8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6. | Kerry Earnhardt* | 96.6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 7. | Mike Bliss* | 93.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8. | Dale Earnhardt Jr.* | 91.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
| 9. | Brad Keselowski* | 87.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 10. | Carl Edwards* | 87.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
• Loop Data Statistics: Season-to-Date Box Score | * Entered in this race
Blast from the Past
1Career wins for Greg Sacks, at Talladega in 1996. It was one of only two starts Sacks made that year and the only one in the No. 29 Chevrolet of Diamond Ridge Motorsports. Sacks hasn't made a series start since 2004. In 32 races, he has three top-fives and five top-10s.
Series winners at Talladega
| Year | Winner | Make | Year | Winner | Make | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Ernie Irvan | Chevrolet | 2001 | Mike McLaughlin | Pontiac | |
| 1993 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 2002 | Jason Keller | Ford | |
| 1994 | Ken Schrader | Chevrolet | 2003 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | |
| 1995 | Chad Little | Ford | 2004 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevrolet | |
| 1996 | Greg Sacks | Chevrolet | 2005 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevrolet | |
| 1997 | Mark Martin | Ford | 2006 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevrolet | |
| 1998 | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | 2007 | Bobby Labonte | Chevrolet | |
| 1999 | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | 2008 | Tony Stewart | Toyota | |
| 2000 | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | ||||
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Nationwide Series
Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | +1 | Kyle Busch | 1075 | -- |
| 2. | -1 | Carl Edwards | 1028 | -47 |
| 3. | -- | David Ragan | 949 | -126 |
| 4. | -- | Jason Leffler | 932 | -143 |
| 5. | -- | Brad Keselowski | 898 | -177 |
| 6. | -- | Joey Logano | 893 | -182 |
| 7. | +1 | Brendan Gaughan | 822 | -253 |
| 8. | -1 | Justin Allgaier | 818 | -257 |
| 9. | +2 | Mike Bliss | 789 | -286 |
| 10. | -- | Jason Keller | 779 | -296 |
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