Talladega favorite Ricky Stenhouse Jr. looks to bust some playoff brackets

RELATED: Playoff standings | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. playoff gear TALLADEGA, Ala. -- There's something special about Talladega Superspeedway for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The sprawling 2.66-mile track, located about 50 miles east of Birmingham, is an icon in the NASCAR world, noted for the blistering speeds and high-action races that unfold inside the superspeedway's gates. It’s also the site of Stenhouse's first win in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the Roush Fenway Racing driver having driven to Victory Lane in May. But more than anything, Talladega feels the most like home for the Olive Branch, Mississippi, native. "I've enjoyed coming to Talladega since 2008 when I was in the ARCA Series," Stenhouse told NASCAR.com on Friday. "Having friends and family come down and be able to go practice and then come here and hang out on The Boulevard, come hang out on the back straightaway where my dad parks his motorhome with a lot of his buddies up there. It feels home, being able to just enjoy away from the track and I think that's what kind of helps me relax and have fun when I come to Talladega. "As stressful as it can be trying to plan out your moves and think about the race, I think I do better when I'm hanging out with friends and family and just jump in the race track and go for it." MORE: Drivers to sweep 'Dega His last name isn't Earnhardt, but Stenhouse is slowly becoming one of the best wheelmen in a place often dubbed Earnhardt Country. His No. 17 Ford is undoubtedly considered a favorite heading into Sunday's Alabama 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC); he’s won the last two restrictor-plate events this season at Talladega (May) and Daytona (July) and owns the best average finish at Talladega (10.4) among active Cup drivers. Ford also seems to have figured out the science that is restrictor-plate racing, as the manufacturer has won the past four straight Monster Energy Series events at Talladega and the last three races at Daytona. "It starts with a great race car and I think everybody at Roush Fenway has really put a lot of focus into our speedway program and showed over the last couple years that we're strong here," Stenhouse said. "It's been strong but it kind of fell off a little bit and then we found it, we've got back. ... And then you've got to make the right moves at the right time, know when to go for it and know when to back off and get out of it. And I think my spotter Mike Harmon Jr. and I really worked a lot on that -- push at the right times, put yourself in a position to stay up front or get to the front." RELATED: Why Stenhouse didn't bring winning car to Talladega At Talladega, the difference between success and "The Big One" can be seconds or inches. The smallest change can mean either a checkered flag -- or crushed sheet metal. With a "car graveyard" of old race cars near the track, the reminder of that is all around Stenhouse. And while his recent record here speaks to his prowess at plate tracks, he's still sitting in a slightly precarious position heading into Sunday's 500-miler. The 30-year-old ranks last of 12 drivers in the NASCAR Monster Energy Series Playoffs standings with two races remaining (Talladega and Kansas) until the field dwindles by four. But Stenhouse doesn't seem too worried; he's confident his team can bust some brackets that have him out before the Round of 8. With or without a win at Talladega. "I think for us, we felt like if we did the Xs and Os of racing and really not make too many mistakes that we could get to the second round," Stenhouse said. "Somehow we made a lot of mistakes and we still made it to that second round. We had a good Charlotte, we come into Talladega with a really good opportunity to propel ourselves into that next round with a win. "But also I think we don't have to have that win to get to the next round. I felt really confident about what we had at Charlotte. We come in here, we get stage points, we get a good finish and I think we can be above the cutline going into Kansas and we had a great run at Kansas earlier in the season. "So, yes I think we can win and move on, but I also think that we don't have to win to be able to move on."