Daytona's fantasy results could predict 'Dega lineup

This week the Sprint Cup Series takes a visit to the high banks of Talladega Superspeedway in the heartland of Alabama.

The 2.66-mile tri-oval is a launching pad for race cars. We can see speeds that push close to 200 mph, and would be well over were it not for the restrictor plates that NASCAR uses to govern the carburetor.

Since Talladega produces the same kind of drafting that we see at Daytona, we'll take a look back at this season's Daytona 500 for some tips this weekend. The teams that ran up front at Daytona will likely unload fast race cars once again this weekend. Having said that, we'll also keep a watchful eye on the recent historical data of Talladega Superspeedway. Surprisingly, there are some teams that don't translate their Daytona success to the huge tri-oval in central Alabama.

The following is our weekly power ranking for the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

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Top fantasy racing drivers for Talladega

1. Jeff Gordon
The six-time Talladega winner leads our list this week. As he showed at Texas just a few weeks ago, he's still capable of winning races. As for Talladega, Gordon has won there as recently as 2007, when he swept both races that season. The No. 24 team unloaded a fast car at Daytona earlier this season, and will again this Sunday.

2. Kyle Busch
While Busch's season has been an up-and-down affair, his strength on superspeedways recently has been noteworthy. Busch won this event one year ago, and he led 88 laps in the Daytona 500 before being caught up in a late-race accident. If any team is projecting superiority on restrictor-plate race tracks right now, it has to be the No. 18 Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing.

3. Jimmie Johnson
Considering that Johnson has just one career win at Talladega Superspeedway, he doesn't get enough recognition for his performance there. The defending Sprint Cup champion has one victory and two runner-up finishes in his last six starts at the Alabama oval. Johnson is also one of the better qualifiers in the series at the 2.66-mile track.

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4. Denny Hamlin
Hamlin has been one of the more consistent drivers at Talladega since NASCAR switched to the new stock car. He has led more than 100 laps and has a pair of top-five finishes in his last four visits to the superspeedway. Hamlin has been getting closer to that first win of the season in the last few weeks, and he could break through in Sunday's Aaron's 499.

5. Tony Stewart
Another driver that keeps getting closer to the first breakthrough win of the season is Stewart. As he showed this past weekend at Phoenix, Smoke is on a roll right now and he's coming to one of his favorite tracks this weekend. Stewart won at Talladega Superspeedway last October and he has a near 50 percent top-five rate at the central Alabama track.

6. Mark Martin
With his breakthrough win at Phoenix last weekend, you can now believe that Martin is a legitimate threat to win some more races this season and possibly threaten to capture this season's championship. Martin has always sounded indifferent about restrictor-plate racing, but we believe he'll have one of the faster cars in the field if his Daytona 500 car was any indication. Martin is a two-time Talladega winner and has amassed 22 top-10s at the track over his long career.

7. Kurt Busch
Busch has always been a strong performer on the restrictor-plate tracks, and he's enjoying one of his best seasons in a number of years. His 11 top-10 finishes in 16 career starts at the speedway is among the best marks currently in the series. With the No. 2 Dodge that Busch brought to Daytona, we expect him to add to his top-10 collection at Talladega Superspeedway.

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8. Juan Montoya
The Earnhardt Ganassi Racing driver has been a pleasant surprise this season, and we haven't forgotten his runner-up effort in this race one year ago. He returned in the fall of last season and led nine laps before getting caught in a multi-car crash and finishing 25th. Montoya's top-15 finish at Daytona earlier this year proves the strength of this team's restrictor-plate racing program.

9. Clint Bowyer
Bowyer's top-five at Daytona earlier this season is an encouraging sign entering this race. His pair of top-10 finishes at Talladega Superspeedway last season is another good indicator heading into this weekend's Aaron's 499. The RCR teams typically come to life on the restrictor-plate tracks and this weekend should be no exception.

10. Brian Vickers
The No. 83 Toyota was exceptionally strong in the Daytona 500. Vickers ran up front for most of the event before falling victim to the big crash late in the race. Vickers is a one-time Talladega winner and he finished fifth in this event one year ago. He should crack the top 10 in Sunday's Aaron's 499.