The Nextel Cup roars into Talladega
It is restrictor plate time again and it usually means exciting racing and the Big One. I look for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to run out front for parts of the race and hopefully he can find his way to Victory Lane. He will need it to help his chances to win the Nextel Cup, since he lost ground in the standings despite finishing in the Top 10 (10th) last week at Kansas. Earnhardt is sitting in 7th in the Chase Standings and more than 120 points out of first and if he doesn’t get at least a Top 5 or better he will not gain much ground.
My biggest fear this weekend is that Jimmie Johnson finds himself way back in 8th place in the points and he will most likely be looking for move up in the standing. The trouble with that is he is dangerous enough on the restrictor plate tracks, but when you factor in the extreme necessity to win, he will no doubt make some very dangerous moves on the track and probably cause at least one major wreck. Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth will be looking to rebound from their troubles last week and hopefully gain some ground on point’s leader Jeff Burton.
Rookie Denny Hamlin, this years surprise driver, is sitting in 2nd place and within striking distance on Jeff Burton. If he could manage a Top 5 finish and Burton stumble a bit or he gets caught up in the big wreck, he could easily take over the top spot. After the first three races it looks like it is shaping up to battle between the top 5 drivers in the standings now Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick. The rest of the Chase filed are 120 points or more behind the leader, Jeff Burton.
I am looking forward to a very exciting race and I expect Jimmie Johnson and/or Kyle Busch to cause at least one of the big wrecks on Sunday.
