Five to Watch: Sleeper picks to win at Talladega

Although Chase Elliott has but one Sprint Cup Series start at Talladega -- it was a worthy one. He won the pole there this spring (he also won the pole for the Daytona 500) and finished fifth. He most likely needs a win Sunday to advance in the Chase playoffs and that’s doable for this talented rookie and his veteran No. 24 Chevrolet team.

Much like Elliott, Ryan Blaney has proven himself a viable competitor on NASCAR's restrictor-plate tracks such as Talladega. He has three top-10 starts and a pair of top-10 finishes at ‘Dega in four starts -- including a career best fourth place in 2015. So many had expected the talented young driver to make this year’s Chase, but in lieu of that, it is entirely plausible that he wins a late season race. Talladega is a good option.

With only one career victory, Paul Menard may seem like a long-shot at Talladega, but he has an enviable four top-six finishes in the past six races there and typically finds himself running up front in the final laps when the checkered flag is settled.

Danica Patrick hasn't had the kind of 2016 season she was expecting, however she has consistently proven to be a player on NASCAR’s restrictor plate tracks. She won the Daytona 500 pole in her rookie season and has a pair of top-eight finishes at the Florida track. Although Talladega results have been tougher to come by, some of Patrick’s best opportunities have been at these big tracks.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has the best average finish at Talladega, not counting drivers of this year's rookie class, who have just one start at Talladega. That number of 12.8 is better than even Brad Keselowski (13.9), who enters the race as one of the favorites.