Who Will Win?
Stewart
Tony Stewart: Choosing a Talladega winner is no easy chore. You need a comfortable car and a strong engine. You need the driver most capable of anticipating momentum shifts between lanes of traffic; a driver with the knowledge of when to be patient and when to be aggressive. It helps at Talladega to have a driver who has previously won at NASCAR's largest race track. Tony Stewart is that driver. – Ricky Craven
• Anybody remember Smoke? Guy who led the standings for most of the year? Yeah, me neither. But he's got experience winning at 'Dega – even if Regan Smith might disagree – and he's got the car and the smarts to avoid the inevitable Big One. If Jimmie Johnson actually finds the track in the middle of Alabama, this probably won't even matter, but Stewart is one of the last drivers with a chance to catch the 48, and I'm thinking he'll make up some ground here. – Jay Busbee
Jeff Gordon: Over the last seven races, Gordon has finished second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Notice anything missing? The fact that he's done everything but win tells me he's due. And the fact that he already wrecked at Talladega this year tells me he's got bad luck behind him. Add it up, and Gordon – a six-time winner at Talladega – is the pick. – Jay Hart
Three things a driver needs to adjust coming from the schedule's smallest track to its biggest, by Ricky Craven
Craven
1. It's all about drafting: Unlike last week’s short track where braking and accelerating are commonplace, this week it’s full throttle lap after lap. The emphasis during practice and the race will be all about drafting; who works best lined behind you (pushing) and which cars you draft well with. Alliances are often established in practice.
2. A harder tire compound … is used this week versus last week’s softer compound because of the elevated speeds and forces on it. The harder tire will challenge drivers most on pit-road when attempting to enter their pit stall. With dramatically less grip than last week, and a faster pit-road speed, drivers need to caution themselves from locking their tires and sliding through their pit.
3. Appreciate your spotter … more this week than you did last week because you will depend more on him. In general, spotters confirm to drivers what they already know. They clear you as you’re passing cars or alert you when a driver is attempting to get along side. Most of the talking comes on corner entry or exit.
At Talladega, spotters offer information all the way around the track, such as which lanes are moving and which ones are not, where a potential drafting partner is or when one is moving toward you. Spotters serve as a driver’s.
Top story line
Earnhardt Jr.
• It's all about Jimmie Johnson and where he ends up. A most interesting scenario would be if Johnson were to get caught in a wreck early. How would those chasing him – Martin, Gordon, Stewart and Montoya – react? Do they stay aggressive, or do they try to take a conservative approach by hanging back – as Gordon and Johnson did two years ago – to try to stay out of trouble? – Jay Hart
• Is this the last hurdle Jimmie Johnson needs to clear en route to his fourth straight title? Talladega, like no other track, instills an element of uncertainty among teams. Anyone having competed at the 2.66-mile, high-banked track understands the risk. “The Big One” is the greatest fear and looms for the entire four-hour event because restrictor plates prevent the 43 cars from separating on their own. – Ricky Craven
• Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s last hope. Junior is always comfortable at Talladega, and a fine run here would help ease the ugliness of the 2009 season and send Junior Nation into the winter with hope in their hearts. Of course, if 2009 form holds, Junior will work his way to the front only to get caught up in somebody else's wreck or see something else go wrong with his car. We joke about how "nothing's Junior's fault," but so many of his recent problems haven't been his fault. Not that the standings care. Still, this is his last, best chance to salvage something out of 2009. – Jay Busbee
From The Source
Jeff Gordon: “We will most likely take the aggressive approach and try to lead, but try to make smart decisions as well. A lot of that will depend on where we start and what is going on around us once the race starts. If need be, we can change our game plan during the race. But there is one approach I prefer, and that’s racing from the drop of the green flag."