Clint Bowyer
Sunday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway didn’t exactly go as Clint Bowyer and his team had hoped. After moving up into the top 10, Bowyer spun and suffered major damage to his car. He was able to continue but the damage was done and he finished 38th.
At Talladega Speedway, Bowyer average finish here is 21.4. Don’t forget at Talladega there are no guarantees of a finish. He does have one top five finish and three top 10’s. In his last five races at Talladega his worse was a 39th, that was in 2008 when a early race wreck took him out. Since then two top 12 finishes including seventh in April. Been a very frustrating Chase for Bowyer and his team a win on Sunday would be big for them.
Points: 12th (-406)
Tony Stewart
Last Sunday at Martinsville it was looking like Tony Stewart had a top 10 run going. He had a tire going down in the final laps of the race saw him finish 24th.Since his win at California he has two finishes of 20th or worse, Talladega couldn’t have come at a better time.
Stewart is great at Talladega, arguably one of the best restrictor plate racers out there. He should be running up front when the white flag waves. Stewart only has one win at Talladega but nine top fives and 12 top 10’s. Stewart in the last couple races at Talladega has a best finish of 16th and that was in April.
Points: Seventh (-236)
Kyle Busch
At Martinsville, Kyle Busch pulled off a solid sixth place finish. Not one of his better tracks in the Chase, Busch and his team did a great job of adjusting the race car. Busch’s solid finish moved him to fourth in the standings after two solid finishes in a row.
Talladega is definitely a love-hate relationship for Busch. His average finish 23.2 is not the worse among the Chasers. He has one win, one top five and two top 10 finishes. Busch has had fast cars in the past but has been shuffled out of the lead pack late or gotten caught up in one of the wrecks. Busch will run near the front on Sunday and he should finish near the front as long as he avoids trouble.
Points: Fourth (-172)
Greg Biffle
After a solid qualifying effort on Sunday at Martinsville, Greg Biffle watched his promising day be nothing but a disaster. A cut tire and the damage to the car saw Biffle finish 33rd not what this team expected on Sunday.
For Biffle, Talladega is easily not one of his best tracks in the Chase. The goal for him will be just to survive the race. He has an average finish of 22nd, no wins, and one top five and two top 10’s. In his last five races at Talladega he has two top fives and three finishes of 17th or worse. I wouldn’t rule him out of contending for the win on Sunday.
Points: 11th (-316)
Jimmie Johnson
A fifth place finish for Jimmie Johnson at Martinsville is a good thing, right? Well only if your competitors don’t finish in front of you. Denny Hamlin won the race, while Kevin Harvick finished third. Both closed the gap and now Johnson’s lead is only six points. This race is a big race for Johnson; he can ill afford trouble here this weekend.
At Talladega, he has one win, four top fives and seven top 10 finishes. His last couple races at Talladega have been up and down. Two finishes of 30th or worse but three top 15 finishes. Johnson and his team might not admit it but this is a big weekend for them in terms of the title picture.
Points: Leader (+6)
Jeff Gordon
Martinsville was a very big race for Jeff Gordon and his team. They needed a strong finish and to make up points on the leaders. Instead a late race tangle with Kurt Busch saw them finish 20th but drop further behind in the standings.
If Stewart is great at Talladega, Gordon is right there with him. He has six wins at Talladega, 13 top fives and 16 top 10 finishes. In recent races he hasn’t been able to finish races. His best finish was 19th last fall. Since his last restrictor plate race win in 2007, he hasn’t had a top 10 finish. While his title hopes are small, another chance to make up points this weekend.
Points: fifth (-203)
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