Posted on by Zack Albert

TALLADEGA, Ala. — The goalposts kept moving for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoff picture Saturday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway. Each crash, each penalty, each shuffle of position shifted the cutoff line for the Round of 6.

Brett Moffitt and Matt Crafton each spent time going the wrong direction in the Fr8Auctions 250, but both scraped by to clinch spots in the next round of the postseason. Only three drivers had secured their berths by the time the frantic final stage set sail, and the chaotic home stretch put all five remaining drivers in a Yahtzee tumbler.

When it all shook out, the bottom four were separated by just 10 points. Moffitt and Crafton could breathe easier, while Ben Rhodes and Stewart Friesen were eliminated. 

RELATED: Round of 6 set | Full race results

“I wasn’t comfortable at all,” said Moffitt, who entered the race with an 18-point cushion and escaped by just eight. “Every single speedway race I’ve been whether it’s Cup Series or Truck Series, I have been leading and gotten wrecked. I’ve been running in the back and have tried to be conservative and have gotten wrecked. And today, I was a middle man and got wrecked. It happens.

“That’s the stressful part about Talladega. A lot is out of your control.”

Moffitt’s Hattori Racing Enterprises No. 16 Toyota collided with the No. 12 of Tanner Thorson with two laps left in the second stage, but he continued on with moderate damage. An unscheduled stop with 15 laps left for a flat right-rear tire, cut on the sidewall, relegated him to a 17th-place finish, two laps down.

Crafton’s impact was far more severe, his ThorSport Racing No. 88 Ford gobbled up in a 10-truck stack-up that forced a red flag with 59 of the 94 laps complete. He wound up sidelined, 26th in the 32-truck field and had to sweat out the remainder of the event to learn his playoff fate. Finishes of fourth and second in the opening two stages sustained Crafton, allowing him to advance by a four-point margin.

WATCH: ‘Big One’ takes out playoff contenders

“Very frustrating, but it’s Talladega,” Crafton said. “What do you expect?”

Four points the other way was Rhodes, who caught a piece of the pile-up that snared Crafton, his ThorSport teammate. The 21-year-old driver soldiered on to a 16th-place result, but never could regain his lead-lap stature, ending his playoff run after one round.

“We can make excuses, but that’s not what we’re here to do,” said Rhodes, who entered Talladega with a five-point deficit. “We’re here to race and get some wins.  It was just a bad day, but I think overall at the end we showed that we were still strong even with a truck that looked like it belonged on the wrecker.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

TALLADEGA, Ala. – All four Stewart-Haas Racing cars were amply endowed with speed for Saturday’s knockout qualifying session at Talladega Superspeedway.

Kurt Busch was just glad he got the pick of the litter.

“Four Stewart-Haas Fords — I’m really happy that I got the fast one,” Busch quipped after winning the pole for Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 (2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and leading an SHR sweep of the top four starting spots for the second race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12.

RELATED: Qualifying results | Lineup, team rosters

The Busch Pole Award was Busch’s fifth of the season and the 27th of his career. What’s more, his final-round lap at 195.804 mph (48.906 seconds) ended a quest dating to his first race in the Cup series in 2000.

“We’re on the pole!” Busch said. “This is my first restrictor-plate pole ever. Ever! It took me almost 20 years. I got one!”

Busch beat teammate Clint Bowyer (195.301 mph) for the top starting spot by .126 seconds, a huge margin relative to the rest of the top 12. Kevin Harvick (195.186 mph) qualified third, followed by Aric Almirola (194.571 mph).

“With Stewart-Haas cars 1-2-3-4 at this race in the playoffs, it really sets the tone,” Busch said. “Now we’ve got to execute on Sunday.”

The time trials, however, were a tale of two organizations, not just one. Behind the four SHR entries were all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers, with last week’s Dover winner, Chase Elliott, leading the way into the fifth starting position. Jimmie Johnson, Alex Bowman and William Byron were close behind.

“With all four guys in the top 12, it’s a strong showing for us,” said Byron, whose lap time of 49.420 seconds (193.768 mph) was identical to Bowman’s. “That should be good for Sunday. Qualifying doesn’t reflect totally on how things will shake out Sunday and how you are going to race. But it should be fine.

“With the four of us together at the start, we have an opportunity to stay in front of some of the possible situations, but you don’t control much out there, and everything gets so shuffled during the race, it’s hard to know. But I feel good about where we are right now. We’ll see what happens.”

All four SHR drivers are competing for the series championship. Elliott and Bowman are still title contenders for Hendrick.

Playoff driver Kyle Busch qualified ninth in the fastest Toyota, with reigning series champion Martin Truex Jr. claiming the 11th starting position.

“You always want to make the second round, and you hope you can do a little better,” said Truex, who has never won a restrictor-plate race. “We thought we picked up some speed, and we gained one spot, beat the 17 (12th place qualifier Ricky Stenhouse Jr.).

“Better than none, and we’ll go get them tomorrow.”

The remaining four playoff drivers qualified as follows: Brad Keselowski 18th, Ryan Blaney 19th, Joey Logano 20th and Kyle Larson 34th.

With the playoff field set to be cut from 12 drivers to eight on Oct. 21 at Kansas Speedway, Bowyer and Almirola currently are tied for ninth in the standings, 10 points below the cut line.

The No. 72 Chevrolet driven by Corey LaJoie failed post-qualifying inspection and will go to the rear on Sunday.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Racing for just the fourth time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this season, Timothy Peters fought off a block from Noah Gragson on the final lap of the Fr8Auctions 250 at Talladega Superspeedway to become the first three-time winner in the series at the 2.66-mile track.

Driving in the last of his three events for GMS Racing, Peters started a move to the outside of Gragson’s Toyota on the backstretch. When Gragson moved up to block, Peters stayed in the gas, and Gragson’s No. 18 Tundra spun across the nose of Peters’ Chevrolet into the outside wall.

RELATED: Full results | Talladega photos

NASCAR called a caution for the wreck, freezing the field with Peters in the lead.

For Gragson, there was the consolation of moving into the Round of 6 of the NCWTS Playoffs. Matt Crafton did likewise, despite being collected in a 10-car wreck on Lap 59 of 94 and finishing 26th. Gragson and Crafton join Round of 8 winners Justin Haley and Grant Enfinger, along with Brett Moffitt and Johnny Sauter, in the Round of 6.

RELATED: Round of 6 set

Despite a sixth-place result, Stewart Friesen was eliminated from the playoffs, as was Ben Rhodes, who ran 16th, one lap down, after his No. 41 Ford sustained damaged in the same wreck that sidelined Crafton.

But it was Peters who emerged from the last-lap chaos with the victory.

“Everybody’s wanting to win,” Peters said, who triumphed for the 11th time in his career and the first time since 2015. “Everybody’s wanting to block. I wanted to win, too, because this is my last go-around on the three-race stint. So, at the end of the day, I was going for it.

“These guys right here (the No. 25 GMS Chevrolet team) worked their butts off. It just feels so good, so good. … Man, I love this place, and it’s so cool to be a three-time winner. But this is not about me. It’s about the team. This team put together this truck back at the shop, and I was just the lucky one who got to drive it today.”

WATCH: Gilliland takes wild ride | Moffitt’s Talladega trouble

Myatt Snider finished a career-best second, followed by pole winner David Gilliland, Haley and Wendell Chavous, who scored his only top five in 50 starts.

With his playoff hopes on the line, Crafton had to sweat out the final 30 laps after exiting the race in the aftermath of the afternoon’s largest wreck. But Rhodes couldn’t recover the lap he lost because of the accident, and Friesen couldn’t challenge for the victory because his engine was down on power.

WATCH: ‘Big One’ takes out playoff contenders

“I saw some people getting turned up in front of me, and I got hooked in the right-rear,” Crafton said of the wreck that put his playoff chances in jeopardy. “The next thing I knew I was facing the fence and hit head-on. …

“That’s Talladega for you. It’s all out of your hands from when we drop the green. I mean, when you’re racing and people are side-by-side bouncing off each other like that. We did everything we could do the first two segments and let her fly from there.”

Crafton, a two-time series champion, was fourth in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2, collecting 16 points that proved crucial to his advancement into the Round of 6. Crafton finished the Round of 8 four points ahead of Rhodes and six ahead of Friesen.

Sauter also sustained heavy damage in the Lap 59 wreck, but by then the regular-season champion had collected 17 stage points, enough to lock him into the next round.

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs field has been trimmed from eight drivers to six following Saturday’s Fr8Auctions 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Justin Haley locked up a berth in the Round of 6 in the first race of the playoffs with a win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Grant Enfinger took the checkered flag the next week at Las Vegas to advance.

Unofficially advancing on points are Johnny Sauter, Noah Gragson, Brett Moffitt and Matt Crafton.

RELATED: Peters wins in wild finish | Official Talladega results

The two eliminated drivers are Ben Rhodes and Stewart Friesen.

The point totals as we head to the Round of 6:

 Rank  Driver  Points
 1  Johnny Sauter  3042
 2  Brett Moffitt  3027
 3  Noah Gragson  3025
 4  Grant Enfinger  3018
 5  Justin Haley  3014
 6  Matt Crafton  3003

After a week off the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs will resume Oct. 27 at Martinsville Speedway (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The Round of 6 will play out in Texas then ISM Raceway at Phoenix before the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick led a handful of Fords atop the leaderboard for Saturday’s final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Talladega Superspeedway when he guided his No. 4 around the 2.66-mile track  at 204.227 mph.

RELATED: Practice results

Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Aric Almirola was second-fastest after his No. 10 Ford went 203.957 mph, while another teammate, Clint Bowyer, was fourth at 202.431 mph.

Joey Logano broke up the SHR contingent with the third-fastest time in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford at 202.478 mph.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top five in the 75-minute practice session when his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford went 202.388  mph.

Practice holds for the final 15 minutes included: No. 18 Kyle Busch, No. 19 Daniel Suarez, No. 38 David Ragan (all late to pre-race inspection); No. 41 Kurt Busch, No. 78 Martin Truex Jr. (both failed pre-race inspection twice); No. 2 Brad Keselowski, No. 7 DJ Kennington and No. 99 Landon Cassill (missed mandatory spotters meeting.)

Additionally, the No. 43 of Bubba Wallace served a 30-minute practice hold for failing pre-race inspection twice.

The Monster Energy Series returns to the track at 4:35 p.m. ET for Busch Pole Qualifying (NBCSN/NBC Sports App).

Posted on by Pat DeCola

Kurt Busch will lead the field to green for Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). There was just one practice session this weekend, giving players a bit of a puzzle to solve when it comes to setting their lineups. We’ve dissected the numbers to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration as you make roster decisions.

PLAY NOW: Set your lineup | How the playoff game works

Remember that the garage locks at the end of Stage 2. Also, your garage play can only be swapped for a driver of similar classification. (A playoff garage driver can only be swapped for a playoff driver in your lineup; a non-playoff garage driver can only be swapped for a non-playoff driver in your lineup.)

Cars to the rear: No. 42 — Unapproved adjustments

Pat DeCola’s Fantasy Live lineup for race-day at Talladega:
Playoff driver 1: Joey Logano
Playoff driver 2: Brad Keselowski
Non-playoff driver 1: Denny Hamlin
Non-playoff driver 2: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Garage: Chase Elliott

MORE: Fantasy analysis for Talladega | Driver stats | 10-lap averages | Lineup 

Analysis: The Fantasy Live Playoff Game is in Week 5! These five drivers made up my original lineup and I am sticking with them. The thing is — with Talladega, anything goes and you just try to play the odds. So, while Kevin Harvick was fastest in the weekend’s lone practice session, SHR dominated qualifying and it’ll be fast on Sunday, the group doesn’t have as much of a rapport drafting with each other as the Team Penske drivers. Fastest car or not, no driver or stable can be considered fantasy locks because one minor slip-up and everything changes in the blink of an eye.

I kept that in mind when setting my lineup, with the thinking that Logano and Keselowski have seen the most success most recently at the track and we know the Penske teammates work well together. Hopefully they’ll just keep it going, right?

Logano and Keselowski have won six of the past eight ‘Dega races and I feel as comfortable with them pacing my lineup as one can be when it comes to NASCAR’s biggest wild card.

Sure, stacking them might increase the risk of losing both in a tandem wreck, but it’s the playoffs and you have to take some risks. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t — right, Jimmie?

WATCH: Letarte: Don’t stack teammates | Setting your lineup at unpredictable track | Non-playoff picks

For the non-playoff plays, I expect both Hamlin and Stenhouse Jr. in many lineups (same with the playoff Penske duo above), but it’s for good reason. Both of them had their seasons end much earlier than they would have liked, both have something to prove in these final six races and both have arguably their best shots to make a statement at this particular track. Hamlin won at Talladega in 2014 after starting 34th and has led at least a lap in every single race there since that win. Needless to say, he always finds his way to the front, a trait that can reap benefits in NASCAR Fantasy Live.

Like Hamlin, Stenhouse also has a recent Talladega win on his resume (Spring 2017), and has managed to see the front of the field at the track since the very beginning of his career, something that can’t be said about most venues for him. The Roush Fenway Racing driver has led laps in all but two of his 10 starts at the Alabama track.

I threw Elliott in the garage, thinking he’s the only driver who doesn’t have to sweat on Sunday because he’s already locked into the Round of 8. It’ll allow him to be aggressive, and the Hendrick Motorsports driver has already shown an ability to lead laps at ‘Dega (and finished third in the spring.)

For the bonus picks, I’m taking the pole-winner Busch for Stage 1 and 2 with Logano for the win. The spring race’s winner has been humming along all season since his lone 2018 victory and now feels like the time he’ll strike.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Award-winning moonshine distillery Sugarlands Distilling Company, LLC. has entered the sport by signing agreements with both the sanctioning body and one of the most iconic tracks on the circuit, Talladega Superspeedway. The new partnerships designate Sugarlands Shine as the “Official Moonshine of NASCAR” and as the title partner of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Trucks Series fall race, the Sugarlands Shine 250.

Sugarlands Distilling Company, LLC., produces high-quality craft moonshine. Since opening its doors in 2014, Sugarlands Distilling Company has won more than 20 awards for superior taste and quality. The distillery in downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is a popular attraction with more than one million visitors each year. In its fourth year of business, Sugarlands saw a 50% annual growth in distribution sales and expanded its distribution area to 24 states. Sugarlands Distilling Company is one of America’s top-rated distillery experiences and the number one “thing to do” in Gatlinburg, according to Trip Advisor.

“Moonshine is deeply rooted in the history of racing, so partnering with NASCAR felt very natural for us,” said Edward Vickers, President of Sugarlands Distilling Company. “This partnership is our first venture into the sporting industry and we’re excited to extend our brand to NASCAR’s passionate and dedicated fan base.”

Graphic for NASCAR, Sugarlands

As a part of the five-year agreement with NASCAR, Sugarlands will gain rights to promote its moonshine at retail, on packaging and will host key customers and distributors at-track. Additionally, Sugarlands is kickstarting the partnership with a ‘Beyond the Checkered Flag’ sweepstakes. The grand prize winner will experience VIP access at a NASCAR race, entry to the Sugarlands hospitality tent, travel accommodations and more. Fans can visit www.Sugarlands.com to enter and learn more about the sweepstakes.

“Moonshine is one of the fastest growing spirit categories in the country and we are excited to help introduce Sugarlands’ award-winning product to our brand loyal and national fan base,” said Jon Tuck, Chief Revenue Officer, NASCAR. “There is an authentic connection between our two brands and we are confident our fans will embrace the historical association.”

The Sugarlands Shine 250 will be held on Oct. 12, 2019, and serve as a key playoff event during the battle for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship. As part of the multi-year deal, Sugarlands will offer a specially licensed moonshine for Talladega Superspeedway and be named the “Official Moonshine of Talladega Superspeedway.”

“Sugarlands is a natural fit for Talladega Superspeedway and we are thrilled to have them join our team,” said speedway Chairman Grant Lynch. “There are many old-time tales here about the good ol’ days when running moonshine in and around Talladega was happening, and our partnership with Sugarlands and the Sugarlands Shine 250, those stories will come back to life. There isn’t another venue in motorsports that has fans as loyal as ours, and I know they will love Sugarlands.”

Sugarlands recently announced a partnership with country music’s rising star and NASCAR fan, Cole Swindell. Swindell will be releasing his own Sugarlands Shine flavors starting with a Peppermint Moonshine which hit the shelves in liquor stores across the country, online and in Sugarland’s distillery this month. Swindell is currently working with Sugarlands to create a new recipe to be released in the new year.

Sugarlands Distilling Company is also a proud partner to Discovery Channel’s ‘Moonshiners,’ bringing the show’s notorious stars’ moonshine recipes straight to consumers. Sugarlands’ ‘Moonshiners Legends’ products feature recipes from Mark Rogers, Mark Ramsey & Digger Manes, Steven Tickle, Jim Tom Hedrick and Patti Bryan, all stars of the popular television series.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

The Jimmie Johnson-Chad Knaus No. 48 team chapter of the Hendrick Motorsports book may come to a close at season’s end, but that doesn’t mean they won’t add more to the story.

Seven championships and 81 victories over the span of 17 years is an unbelievable run — a dynasty built by two masters of their craft. Johnson and Knaus will go down as two of the greatest legends this sport has ever seen — together and separately.

But now, Johnson will get the opportunity to compete for a record-breaking eighth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship with Kevin Meendering, who has established himself as one of the greatest minds in the NASCAR garage.

And if you need proof of Meendering’s worth, just check Johnson’s text messages.

RELATED: Knaus ‘geeked up’ about achieving longtime goal 

“The amount of respect everybody here at Hendrick Motorsports has for him, from Chad to Alan Gustafson, you name the crew chief, even throughout the industry … I’ve been receiving text messages from competitors saying ‘hey he’s a sharp guy and a great choice,’ ” Johnson said. “So, his reputation and the way people hold his work ethic and his value the way they look and think of him.”

For Knaus, he gets to live a longtime dream by becoming crew chief on the iconic No. 24 car with a young William Byron at the helm — all of which is eerily similar to the days when he worked in the shop with the “Rainbow Warriors” for 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Gordon and Hall of Fame crew chief Ray Evernham.

There never is a perfect time to make a change of this capacity to a championship-winning team, but in a weird way, it’s the right time for Rick Hendrick and Co.

This shuffle is a reset for Johnson and Knaus, giving them both a fresh start toward a higher goal. The thinking is Johnson will be able to achieve success without Knaus, and vice versa. If that wasn’t the case, team owner Rick Hendrick wouldn’t have made this move.

Both are confident this has nothing but positive potential for all parties involved.

“That excitement, energy and the commitment involved, the learning, the communication that takes place to start a new opportunity there is some magic in that,” Johnson said. “When new things start up there is always some extra energy and excitement around it. So, with that in mind I think comes opportunity for both cars and both teams.”

Through all the “breaking up the band” banter, there’s one thing that should be kept in mind — all four teams are now under one roof following the restructuring of Hendrick Motorsports at the end of 2017. They are all working together, pulling the rope in the same direction for one common goal — winning.

MORE: Detailing the Hendrick Motorsports shake up for ’19

That means Johnson and Knaus will still be working together in some capacity, helping each other thrive for the good of the organization as a whole.

Knaus anticipates their relationship will even get stronger than ever before.

“Every time you leave out of battle you have an emotion a sense in you that you have to deplete before you are able to get back into that space,” Knaus said. “So, we have gone through that a lot. I talked to (Jeff) Gordon about it and he swears that he and Ray (Evernham) are better friends now than what they were when they were winning championships and winning races and I feel like we will be the same way.”

The two now have a chance to see what they can do without each other, but when it comes down to it, their legacy together lives forever.

“It’s not over and we’re lifers for this company,” Johnson said. “This is home for us. Our collaboration of working together is ending to the way that we’re all familiar with and we’re used to it, but it’s not over.”

Posted on by Team Release

WELCOME, N.C. — Liberty National Life Insurance Company has extended its partnership with Richard Childress Racing and the No. 31 team for the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Liberty National will remain a primary sponsor for select races with Daniel Hemric and the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and will be an associate sponsor for select races on the No. 3 Chevrolet with driver Austin Dillon.

A leading provider of life and supplemental health insurance for middle-income Americans through in-home and workplace sales, Liberty National is looking to build upon its successful LNL Racing marketing campaign by expanding its engagement opportunities with its independent sales Agents, independent agency owners, and  policyholders throughout the United States.

“Liberty National is thrilled to continue our partnership with Richard Childress Racing in 2019,” said Steve DiChiaro, president and CEO of Liberty National. “This year, we’re proud to cheer on Daniel Hemric taking the wheel with the No. 31 Liberty National Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. This partnership with RCR enables us to give Agents, business partners, and customers VIP at-track experiences, and 2019 will be even better with bigger contests and incentives for those associated with Liberty National.”      

Liberty National Life Insurance Company, founded in 1900 and based in McKinney, Texas is an official benefits provider of RCR and is excited to help launch the Cup career of Liberty National’s newest policy holder, Daniel Hemric. The 2019 race program will continue to include at-track activation at a majority of the events on the NASCAR schedule as an invaluable way to engage with its independent agents and business-to-business customers. Liberty National will also use RCR to leverage digital and social media assets to showcase its brand as a leading provider of life and supplemental health insurance, while also identifying business-to-business opportunities, and recruiting new Agents and customers.

“Last night in Texas, Steve DiChiaro and Richard (Childress) announced our 2019 plans to Liberty National agency owners at their annual meeting. It was a great opportunity to give the agency owners a chance to meet Daniel in person. This partnership is evolving, and it is our goal to continue to help Liberty National recruit new Agents and customers. We’ve also exposed the Liberty National brand and products to millions of NASCAR fans,” said Torrey Galida, president of RCR. “We look forward growing its footprint and hosting their Agents and customers at the races and at RCR next season.”

Daniel Hemric is currently third in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship points standings and has made the Playoffs in both of his seasons with RCR, advancing to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway during his rookie season in 2017.   

Posted on by Staff Report

With one zany, wild-card race in the NASCAR Playoffs already in the books with the Charlotte road course’s debut, there’s barely time to catch your breath before the next: this weekend’s Monster Energy Series tilt at Talladega Superspeedway.

The Alabama speedplant has long been a scrambler for postseason standings, dreams and body panels. The same is expected for the series’ second Talladega visit this season for Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM).

NASCAR.com staff writers Jessica Ruffin and Zack Albert will be trackside for this weekend’s activities. Before they head to the Yellowhammer State, here are three burning questions up for debate ahead of the fifth event in the 10-race playoffs.

RELATED: Full schedule for Talladega | Top fantasy plays, sleepers for Talladega

1. Team Penske has won five of the last six Talladega races. Can the organization do it again, and if so, who’s the favorite among their three-car stable?

JR: Joey Logano has won half of the last six races at Talladega Superspeedway and has led multiple laps in every race there since 2015. Logano also ranks fourth among active drivers with total laps led at Talladega (266), a number higher than both of his Team Penske teammates. His recent success there bodes well for him, too; in the series’ last trip to Talladega, Logano led a race-high 70 laps to notch the win. With a spot in the Round of 8 on the line, he’ll look to rekindle that Talladega magic again.

ZA: Talladega still ranks at or near the top of the list for unpredictability, but Brad Keselowski has made a habit of being a pre-race favorite. His five victories in 19 career Talladega starts makes for an admirable 26.3 winning percentage, and the combination of team (Penske), car (Ford), engine (Roush Yates) and spotter (Joey Meier) has been stellar on restrictor-plate tracks. And that’s not counting the driver, who has been among the most cunning at maneuvering through — and usually leading — the pack. There are no guarantees at Talladega, but Keselowski and Team Penske are as close as it gets.

2. Who is the playoff driver currently outside the cutoff line most likely to rebound from last weekend’s race at Dover?

JR: Team Penske may rule Talladega, but Clint Bowyer may be the next best — with two victories there, the No. 14 wheelman is the only non-Penske multi-time winner in the playoff field and has earned 12 top 10s in his 25 Talladega starts. Bowyer’s position outside the cutoff line should cause him to be more aggressive to make up points and go for the win. Teamwork also is crucial at Talladega and Bowyer has a strong stable at Stewart-Haas Racing with two champions among three other fast cars to draft with his No. 14 Ford.

ZA: Leave it to the driver backed furthest into the corner to fight his way out. That’s the weekend mission for Alex Bowman, who sits last among the 12 remaining championship-eligible drivers after opening the second round with a crash-related 28th-place finish. Bowman’s best chance at advancing to the Round of 8 comes this weekend at Talladega, where his No. 88 Chevrolet has historically run strong. Mixing a fast ride with the aggressive approach he’ll likely need to adopt could bring a positive result come Sunday.

RELATED: Playoff picture | Surprise winners at Talladega

3. Talladega has yielded several surprise visitors to Victory Lane. Who’s an underdog pick outside of the postseason picture who could spoil Sunday’s party?

JR: David Ragan is sneaky consistent at a place that’s not so consistent. Looking at the past three races at Talladega, he holds the third-best average finish (8.7), which is better than any other non-playoff driver during that period. It’s also stronger than any of the Big 3 or the Team Penske drivers. Both of Ragan’s wins in the Monster Energy Series have come at restrictor-plate tracks (his most recent at Talladega in 2013), proving he knows how to navigate the delicate draft of ‘Dega.

ZA: Digging further down the list of prospective Sunday Cinderellas, Michael McDowell carries some restrictor-plate momentum that could place him in the Talladega record books. The 33-year-old driver led a career-high 20 laps in a breakout showing at Daytona in July, running among the contenders until a late-stage crash thwarted his upset bid. His Front Row Motorsports team has some history with the Alabama track, with teammate David Ragan leading a 1-2 finish for the organization’s only victory in 2013.