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Fantasy NASCAR Preview: Talladega - Aaron’s 499

If last week’s race at Texas Motor Speedway bored you, I hope you are ready for some intense action this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. In March, NASCAR decided that the size of the restrictor plates for this race would be reduced to slow down the cars and try to prevent the two-car hookups that we saw during the Daytona 500. They also implemented changes for those reasons at Daytona, but it wasn’t very effective. I personally liked the two-car drafts, but that’s just me. There are two practice sessions this week and they are both scheduled for Friday afternoon, with qualifying being held on Saturday. There will be no practice between qualifying and the drop of the green flag on Sunday.

During The Last Race At Talladega…Clint Bowyer edged his teammate Kevin Harvick for the win at “Hallowdega“. Juan Montoya, David Reutimann, and Joey Logano rounded out the top five in that race. Average practice speeds were actually a little telling on who had a good car, and you can see for yourself by clicking here. In the spring race last season, Kevin Harvick won (even though he led only two laps) and was followed to the finish by Jamie McMurray, Juan Montoya, Denny Hamlin, and Mark Martin. The complete results of the April race at ‘Dega can be found by clicking here.

My Recommendation To Fantasy Racers…Throw every statistic out the window this weekend. When the series comes to these superspeedways, I put very little effort into my fantasy rosters because, quite simply, anybody can win these races. It doesn’t matter if a driver is fastest in practice, and it doesn’t matter if they start up front at Talladega. Only one thing matters here: being at the right place at the right time at the finish. No one finishes up front at this track consistently, so make a roster and go with it. If you have a good week, congratulations; if not, join the crowd.

I typically don’t like writing previews and predictions for plate tracks because they are so unpredictable, so I’m going to change the format a bit, but just for this week. Here goes nothing.

Top Ten Ranking Entering The Aaron’s 499 (And Then Some):

1. Kevin Harvick - When I was looking at the stat sheet this week, one number jumped out at me the most: zero. That’s how many DNFs Harvick has at Talladega in twenty starts. He’s finished on the lead lap in fourteen of those twenty races as well. This is astounding to me, and as long as the Richard Childress Racing engines hold up this weekend, I think Harvick could get his third victory of the season. His average career finish here is 14.8 and last year he won the spring race while ending up an extremely close 2nd in the fall.

2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - Momentum, momentum, momentum. Junior hasn’t finished lower than 12th since the Daytona 500, and as long as he doesn’t cause a wreck (or get caught up in one) this weekend, he will continue that streak. With a little bit of luck, he may even end that winless streak. Dale Jr. has finished 1st or 2nd at Talladega eight times in his career and won four straight races here from late 2001 through 2003. He’s becoming risky at the plate tracks lately, but he has led at least one lap in all but 2 of his 22 starts at ‘Dega and has had the best average driver rating at this track over the past two years.

3. Kurt Busch - If they can stay out of trouble, the Penske Racing duo of Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski should have a good day at Talladega on Sunday. Kurt hooked up with drafting partner Regan Smith in Daytona and got a top five finish, and that could very well happen again. He has a knack for missing the big wreck–just three DNFs in twenty starts–and posted seven straight top 10s here from 2004 to 2007 (not an easy task). Kurt has finished 8th and 6th in the past two spring races at Talladega.

4. Juan Montoya - There are just two drivers that have posted top 20s in each of the last four races at Talladega, and Montoya is one of them. He’s been pretty consistent here, with just two finishes outside of the top 20 in eight starts, and finished third in both races at this track in 2010. He also finished 6th in the Daytona 500 back in February. He’s led at least one lap in every start at Talladega since his rookie year, so you know Juan knows how to get to the front here.

5. Clint Bowyer - It’s a good week to load up on the RCR cars–just hope their engines last. Bowyer is the most recent winner at Talladega and his average finish over the past seven races here has been 12th. Surprisingly, though, he’s only led in three of his ten starts here, but that doesn’t worry me too much. As long as he doesn’t run into any problems on Sunday (Bowyer has four finishes of 35th or worse) he should be a lock for a top ten.

6. Kyle Busch - Nobody has led more laps at Talldega over the past four races here than Rowdy Busch (with 88). The next closest to that number is Jamie McMurray with 63. The problem with picking Busch, though, is that he doesn’t get the finishes he deserves here. He won at this track in 2008 but that is his only top five here in twelve career starts. His starts here since his win have given him finishes of 25th, 9th, 15th, 25th, and 15th, so at least he is a little consistent. Kyle finished 8th at Daytona earlier this year.

7. Jamie McMurray - Jamie Mac has just one top ten finish this season but is coming into a track where has has found success before. He won in the 2009 fall race here and crossed the finish line 2nd in the spring race last season. McMurray looked strong in Daytona last February but was down a cylinder and finished 17th that day. He has just six top 10s in seventeen starts here but has to be considered a threat whenever the series comes to the plate tracks.

8. Jeff Burton - Like I said before, as long as the RCR engines hold up, expect a good day from that group. Burton hasn’t had a top ten this season but I think that could change on Sunday. He’s posted two top 15s in the past three races (Fontana and Texas) and has three top 10s in his past five starts at Talladega. The #31 Chevrolet has also had the second-best average driver rating over the past two years at this giant track.

9. David Ragan - I told you to expect a top ten out of David last week in Texas and I’m telling you now to expect another this week in Talladega. He’s made eight starts at this track and owns three top six finishes and an average finish of 14.3. Ragan has just two finishes outside of the top 20 at this track, and one of those was a 21st. Don’t forgot, David almost won the Daytona 500 in February.

10. Brad Keselowski - Keselowski got his first Sprint Cup Series win at this track and has led at least one lap in every start he has made here. He had a slip up last spring at this track but finished 10th in the fall race, giving him three top 10 finishes in his four career starts here. His career average finish of 13.3 is actually tied for best in the series (counting drivers who have made at least four starts at this track).

The “Others” That Could Just As Easily Get A Top Ten:

Joey Logano - The other aforementioned driver with a 13.3 career average finish is young Joey. Like Keselowski, Logano has three top tens in four starts and has led in every attempt he has made at this track. Will the Joe Gibbs Racing engines hold up this week, though?

Brian Vickers - Vickers won here in 2006 by wrecking his then-teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., but a win is a win. He has three top 13 finishes in his past five starts at Talladega.

Whoever Is Driving The #09 Car - As I’m writing this, I can’t find an entry list for the race this weekend, so I’m not sure who will be in this car. However, don’t overlook them this week. Bill Elliott finished 12th in the Daytona 500 with this Chevrolet and Mike Bliss got a top ten in the spring race here last season in this car.

Carl Edwards - Cousin Carl actually has the best average finish at restrictor plate tracks over the past two years, but the success hasn’t exactly found him at Talladega. Edwards’ last top ten at this track came in 2006 but he finished 2nd in the Daytona 500, so there is some hope to break that streak on Sunday.

Greg Biffle - “The Biff” actually has the 2nd-best average finish at Talladega over the past two years with 11.8. He’s the other driver that hasn’t finished outside of the top 20 in those four races. The Fords have looked good all season (especially at Daytona) and I don’t think that will change this weekend.

Denny Hamlin - Hamlin has the 5th-best average driver rating over the past two years at this track but has had his share of problems that has brought down his average finish. He’s made ten starts here and has led at least one lap in every single one of them, though, so you know he knows how to get to the front. Hamlin finished 4th and 9th at Talladega in 2010.

Regan Smith - There are many C-list drivers that could be valuable this week, you just have to pick the right one. Smith was super fast in Daytona and got a 7th-place finish to show for it. He finished 12th in the fall race here last season, and that is also his career best finish here.

Paul Menard - With the way his season is going, you should expect Menard to finish better than his 25th-place average finish at this track. He got a top ten in Daytona in February and posted a 2nd-place finish here in 2008 while driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

Bobby Labonte - Don’t forget who finished 4th in the Daytona 500. Labonte’s most recent top ten at Talladega came in 2009 while driving for under-funded (in my opinion) TRG Motorsports. If he can get a top ten with them, he can surely pull one off with JTG Daugherty Racing. If he’s in the right place at the right time like he was in February, you know never know.

Trevor Bayne - You didn’t think I was going to leave this kid off of my preview, did you? With as fast as his car was in Daytona, I expect drivers to be lining up to draft with him this weekend. If Bayne can stay out of the wrecks, a top fifteen would be highly likely (at least).

These Drivers Can’t Even Find Luck At Talladega:

A.J. Allmendinger - David Gilliland and Robby Gordon have better average driver ratings at ‘Dega than The Dinger does, so stay away from the #43 Ford this weekend. His best finish during his career at this track has been 19th and all of his other starts have ended with mid-thirties results.

Mark Martin - I’ve been burned by Martin for most of this season, but that will soon come to an end. I don’t like how this team is racing at all and I plan on avoiding him until they can find some consistency and run well. He has Junior’s old crew chief, so he may have a good run at Talladega, but he’s too risky for me–even at this track.

Marcos Ambrose - He finished 4th in his first start at this track but since then (three starts) he hasn’t finished better than 34th. Ambrose ended up 37th in the Daytona 500 this year.

My normal format will return next week, but if you like this format, it will be back for the next plate race in July. These races are so unpredictable that they are impossible to predict, but I will still put up my post-happy hour predictions on ifantasyrace.com on Saturday. Again, don’t put too much time into your fantasy rosters this week because history really doesn’t matter much here. Drivers can get an awesome finish just by being in the right place at the right time, even if they don’t have a great car. Finally, if you’re not a member at NASCAR Nation, be sure to sign up.

Gentlemen, Roll Your Dice

Right. So Charlie says to Steve about 5 weeks ago, “We need a sucker to write up all the non-Chaser options for the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup.” So Steve says, “Well, I owe Luke one, so let’s talk him into it. He’ll write anything, you know.”

So here we are. Suckered, er, convinced, into covering the 31 other possibilities for cracking the Top-10, and knocking Chasers into the lower points-per-position bracket.

Before we dig into what went down at Kansas, in terms of the Top-10 party, how about that finish? Sure, it wasn’t so hot until the last 50 or so laps, but from there on it was hammer down aggressiveness. All completed by a “Cole Trickle” style move for the win. Of course, that’s not the only time Cousin Carl has showed us an impression of Cole Trickle either. Anyone want to recall Michigan, and a little bit of screaming out of the pits?

On to the non-Chasers from Kansas.

Luke’s score from Kansas: 1 for 5. Let’s recap.

• Brian Vickers: 15th
• Mark Martin: 18th
• Beak: 19th
• Ryan Newman: 16th
• Elliott Sadler: 10th

At least we kept it in the top 20 this week.

It wasn’t all roses in the Top-10 however. It was only a 70% take for the Chasers.

Coming in with an 8th place showing was David Ragan, followed by A.J. Allmendinger in 9th, and the aforementioned Elliott Sadler closing out the Top-10.

If only Kasey Kahne had better studied Elliot’s setup, he wouldn’t have been 11 spots behind. Is it just me, or has the 9 team has been a bit behind the 8-ball since NASCAR reeled in the “crab walking” with the rear ends of the car? Maybe it’s just coincidence, but then again, maybe not.

So now we arrive at Talladega. Talk about a crapshoot. As we all know, anything can (and usually will) happen at Talladega. It’s the one track in the Chase that puts knots in Chasers stomachs, and boogeymen under their beds.

Here’s your three good options for ‘Dega, that not only have the chance of being in the Top-10 when the smoke clears, but also take an outside shot at the win:

Brian Vickers, David Ragan, and Kurt Busch.

OK, Vickers yet again. He’s performed pretty solid on the plate tracks, and his only win in the series came in this event in 2006.

David Ragan has surprisingly been a familiar face in the Top-10 for plate events as well this season, and the same goes for Kurt, despite an accident last July at Daytona.

When it comes to the plate tracks, just roll your dice. These tracks take more than stats into account, as one lone sneeze can kill a stat quicker than it takes to come out. That’s anywhere from 95 to 650 mph, according to Wikipedia, in case you were wondering.

That being the case, momentum on these types of tracks is important. Not just from recent weeks, but from recent plate races as well. And don’t let the qualifying results fool you. The chance of a Chaser hitting the pole is slim, as it’s an impound race and most teams in the Top-35 will be focusing solely on race runs. This is one place where you won’t hear teams talking about qualifying for track position, for once.

When the checkers fall, how will your dice roll have turned out? Will they be shaken up like the points could be?

Championship Changes Come in the Chase’s Round 4

Want to avoid big wrecks at Talladega Superspeedway?  Run up front.  If you can’t run up front, stay out of the pack as long as possible.

That’s the concensus of the opinions I’ve surveyed this week.  On our INSIDE ARCA radio show Tuesday night I asked our ARCA Insider,  Speed TV commentator and former Cup Series winner at Talladega, Phil Parsons how he would try to avoid the Big One.  Run up front, Phil said.

Later I asked  Patrick Donahue, crew chief for the Red Bull Toyota of Scott Speed and former member of the Jeff Gordon’s Rainbow Warriors, what advice he gives his “Dega drivers.  Patrick said, run up front.

Nine time ARCA RE/MAX Series champion and ARCA-Talladega winner,  Frank Kimmel said much the same.   At Talladega, whenever possible, get to the front. Early.  And stay there.

Six time Talladega Cup race winner Jeff Gordon agrees but did say that if you do get shuffled out of the lead, you have to look at the situation and decide if there are enough laps left for you to clear yourself of the pack and just ride around until the closing stages of the race before making your move.  This isn’t Gordon’s preferred strategy, but it is the one he used last year to win the race.

It’s a Gordon thing

Jeff Gordon’s six wins is a pretty good resume at any track.  The only driver with more at Talladega is the late Dale Earnhardt with ten.  Jeff Gordon has the best Loop Driver Rating for ‘Dega and only one guy has a better Ave Driver Rating - taking the season-to-date Dr and averaging it with the track specific stat.  And Gordon has run up front, leading a category best 301 laps (22.7 percent) in the last seven Talladega races.  Jeffy has the third best Ave Running Position for ‘Dega and the fourth best for the 2008 season.  Gordon is 113 points behind Jimmy Johnson.  He knows that he needs wins.  Jeff Gordon is the favorite this week.

Tony Stewart hasn’t done much to inspire confidence in him as a winner pick.  Tony and the rest of the Joe Gibbs Racing trio have, for all intents, raced themselves out of the Sprint Cup championship picture.  But Stewart’s pack leader stats are strong and his history at Talladega, though winless, has been good.   His 94.4 ‘Dega Driver Rating trails only Gordon and Denny Hamlin.  Smoke has the best Ave Running Postion in the Alabama Loop races. 

Don’t forget the ex-champs

Kurt Busch runs up front too.  His Ave Finish of 10.6 is tops for Talladega.  Like Stewart, big Busch has great stats but no wins in the Cup Series at Talladega.  Also like Smoke, Kurt’s 2008 season makes picking him anywhere to win,  a stretch.  It could happen.  But you better get good odds to bet on it.

If there is a logical, stat based, alternative to Gordon as the pick to win this restrictor plate race, that pick would be Jimmy Johnson.  You would not be wrong to pick J J this week - maybe any week.  He has the best season-to-date Ave Running Position, the sixth best ‘Dega DR and the top DR average at 96.7.  He also won the last race at Kansas.  Johnson leads the points race and he’s been here before.

Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle haven’t been very good at Talladega,  Even combing their 2008 DR stats with the Talladega Loop data doesn’t pardon all of their sins.  All three have Ave DRs under 90.  Biffle’s is a dismal 81.8   Lightning in a bottle?  That would be an upset more special than anything Jimmy the Greek has cooked up.

The best bets for upset are Brian Vickers and Jamie McMurray.  Jamie’s DR is fourth best.  Vickers is fifth.  Brian is on an upswing.  Jamie - not so much.

I’ll take Gordon with Brian Vickers getting the nod as best dark-horse pick to win.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Welcome To The Talladega Jungle

Predicting Talladega is like buying a lottery ticket. Sometimes you win a buck, sometimes you win a little more – but most often you end up wasting money. Case in point the last 3 races at the track in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Back in 2005 Dale Jarrett came out of nowhere to steal the race, and Brian Vickers’ last lap “pass” that sent Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. spinning ruined a lot of days. Then we have the battle last season, in which Jeff Gordon made one of the gutsiest passes I’ve seen at a plate race to snag the win from Johnson with Tony Stewart right on his tail.

There is always a sort of feeling heading into the October Talladega race that you don’t feel in the spring. I’ve felt it for years, and the additions of the Chase have only heightened the anticipation, majesty, and… fear.

The winners:
2007 – Jeff Gordon
2006 – Brian Vickers
2005 – Dale Jarrett
2004 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Champs finish:
2007 – Jimmie Johnson – 2nd
2006 – Jimmie Johnson – 24th
2005 – Tony Stewart – 2nd
2004 – Kurt Busch – 5th

As has been the trend in the Chase, Johnson’s 2006 run has been the aberration in how to win the championship. In this case as you can see, throw out that year and the champ will finish in the top 5 at Talladega. This year, that seems to show that some combination of Johnson, Carl Edwards, or Greg Biffle battling for the win. Some smart money would also be on Gordon, Dale Jr., or Kevin Harvick, as the Chevy track record is particularly strong.

Talladega is good for a few surprises in the top 10. In recent years, drivers such as Tony Raines, Jeff Green, and Brendan Gaughan all recorded surprisingly good finishes here. One driver to look for is Mike Wallace in a fourth RCR car. Wallace is widely considered one of the best plate racers, and this car could be really good, or really bad. That’s half the fun of sleepers! For those that have taken a chance on my heavy sleepers, first of all, I apologize. This week I’m going to step out on that limb with David Gilliland. He has run well at plate races, and good be racing for a job next year, given that Paul Menard is headed to the Yates team.

In case you didn’t guess by the title of the column, the Talladega theme song is “Welcome To The Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses. Reportedly the long-awaited album Chinese Democracy will be out November 25. Maybe we can get that free Dr Pepper after all.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Talladega Sunrise Part 2

Race Day. Up at 5:00am. Shower. Breakfast. Coffee, eggs, grits, ham with red eye gravy. I arrive at the track at 7:00am. We meet in the Media center coffee, doughnuts and cookies are available for the drivers and friends and family who have come along for support.

Check-in includes showing the confirmation letter and signing a one page release form. I have no clue what I really signed, I could’ve been giving away all my worldly possessions to some freaky cult. Aside from the check-in tables, there were about 20 rows of chairs in the room facing an approximately 52” flat screen TV on which they were running a DVD overview/ad for the Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure.

At 7:30am they asked us to have a seat. The future drivers were easy to spot -they sort of had that deer-in-the-headlights stare. I was strangely calm. When they started the class, I listened intently to how to find my line, when to shift, how to pass (there would be five other drivers on the track) and most importantly how to avoid kissing the wall. Each driver also would have an in-car instructor. He would be there to give me hand signals on how to drive and maybe a nudge or two to keep me in line. I studied the chart that had the hand signals on it that I would be receiving while on the track. Thumb left; move down; Thumb right: move up; Thumb up: Speed up; Thumb down: Slow down; Fist: Brake; One finger: Shift into first; Two fingers: Shift into second; Three fingers: Shift into third etc. After the class, everyone headed to the pits and were given a ride in the dualies to get the feel for the track. When you are down on the apron, Talladega looks like a wall. My first thought while riding around the apron was ‘No way I’m gonna be driving up there!’ Next my instructor drove up on the 33deg bank and stopped the truck dead. He wanted to show that it would not fall off the steep bank. I, however, had to hang on to the hand strap to keep from ending up in the instructor’s lap. I attentively watched how he moved on the track and got the feel for how to follow the line.

Afterwards, I headed over to the pit area to be fitted for a fire suit and helmet. Then, I went to a table that asked the one and only question of the day : “How tall are you?” I am apparently the same height as Joe Nemecheck because I was assigned to his car. The day was overcast and drizzly and there was a wet spot on the track that needed to be dried so
we were delayed until it was cleaned up. In the meantime, the instructors took all the friends and family members for rides around the track in the dualies. Finally, the time had come. I donned my skull cap and helmet and climbed into Joe’s car and the instructor told me to push the clutch all the way to the floor to make sure I could reach. Then the pit crew
strapped me in (although the guy in charge of connecting the buckle across my crotch was hesitant to reach down and latch me in.) ‘Uh I gotta ….’ He said, and gestured towards my nether regions. I chuckled and replied ‘Strap ‘er in!’ He gave the device one last pull and reached over and turned the ignition on. The car rumbled to a start. The pit crew walked
around the car giving it a final once over then gave the ‘O.K’ to move out.

The next thing I saw, was my instructor’s index finger in my peripheral vision (The sign to shift into first) I was on my way. I drove around the apron gaining speed ; Thumb right; up I went. The Thumbs up: Oh man! Here I go! I pushed my foot down and felt the car speed up. 100mph. I watched the wall coming at me as I constantly guided the wheel left. 120mph.

Lap2: The wall seemed to always be directly in front of me. Keep steering left. At that moment, I was totally convinced that I would hit the wall soon. I felt the icy coldness that turns into paralyzing fear. ‘OMG!’ I thought, ‘I can’t do this! Get me the Hell off this track before I kill myself!’ But then, I remembered that icy road in Kentucky and all the fear melted away. The instructor gave the wheel a little nudge and I focused on my line.

Lap 3: I settled in and started to get the hang of where to move the car. 150mph.

Lap 4: Thumb Left. My car is merrily moving up the track where it wants to be and now I have to move it down to pass someone. Slight nudge. ‘O.K! O.K! I’m moving! Whew! That’s over!’ I’m thinking, ‘I’m nervous out here with five other drivers, I can’t imagine what it would be like with 43 cars out here. Wow.’ I consider the fact that in most sports the participant is pretty confident that they will walk away after it’s over. A race car driver knows there is always a chance they won’t.

Lap 5: Thumb Up. I push down on the accelerator. At this point, the lines on the track appear like dots. Very focused. My instructor gives a nudge to the right on the wheel. I am suddenly right up against the wall. You know - where they said not to go. WTF? Then…

Lap 6: Thumb Up Going faster. Thinking about the speed. The car in it’s line. Checkered Flag. 163mph. Thumb Left. I veer down onto the apron. Thumb Down. I take my foot off the accelerator and feel the car coast.

Turning into the pits. Hard Fist: I put my foot on the brake and come to a stop just barely missing a flustered pit crew member. I’m laughing. My instructor is laughing. He says, “It’s not as easy as it looks!” I reply, “Oh Hell No!”

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - ON PIT ROW

Talladega Sunrise Part 1

It was February in Northwest Ohio. A time plagued with seemingly endless weeks of cold, wind, sleet and snow. As often happens that time of year, I had thoughts of heading south .

I had won a three lap ride from The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure and going to Alabama for a few days of relief from the ‘Great White North’ was very appealing. Besides…Racing…So I gave the DJRA base camp in North Carolina call and made a reservation. Then, I decided that a 3-lap ride just wasn’t for me– so I upgraded to a 6 lap drive. I mean, if I was just looking for speed I’d go hop on a roller coaster. I mean how many chances will I get to drive a Cup car?

My drive was scheduled for the 7:30am session on a Saturday so I decided to drive down on Thursday and have time to acclimate myself to the area. It’s approximately a 12 hr drive from where I live to Talladega, so figuring in stops for food, gas, etc. I decided to get up and head out about 4:00am. Now my brain starts processing the reality that I am actually going to be driving a race car on Talladega Superspeedway. It seems unreal. I’m conjuring up mental worse case scenarios. It’s been a while since I’ve driven a stick and I keep hearing that the clutch in these cars is tricky. So I’m picturing myself stalling endlessly in the pits trying to get out on the track. Or maybe I’ll freak out and slam the damn thing into the wall. Possibly, I’ll simply be a wuss and not get the car over 80mph …..Nah….

As it turns out, the ride down to Alabama was far more frightening than driving a cup car. Cruising along I75 at about 75mph most of the way things were looking good very few slow downs due to construction, the traffic was moving fluidly except for the steady sprinkling of rain everything was going smoothly-that should’ve been my first warning. Suddenly, about 20m from the border of Tennessee the black pick-up truck directly in front of me abruptly veers off an slams into the side of the mountain and flips over on its cab. I take my foot off the accelerator and let the car coast. I can feel the tires wanting to slide sideways. In a matter of seconds, the road has become one gigantic skating rink. In front of me are a row of semis not driving more than 5mph heading down a steep downgrade and all along the sides of both south and north bound I75 are vehicles waylaid by the road conditions. (I stopped counting after 8).

One hour and five white knuckle miles later, the road is clear as if there was never any ice at all. It was at that moment that any trepidations I was experiencing about Talladega melted away. After all, in the Cup car, I would be protected by a steel roll cage, strapped in by a Hans device, protected by a helmet, Safer Barriers and surrounded by various other safety precautions not included in your standard passenger vehicle traveling down your local highway. When I arrived, I spent the evening just chillin’.

On Friday morning, I left my hotel and headed over to the track so I could time how long it takes to get there (I so totally don’t want to be late on Saturday). While there, I visited the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum. In the silence of being the only one there and looking at the cars of legends and personal favorites like Richard Petty, Fireball Roberts, Bill Elliott, Shawna Robinson, Patty Moise and Louise Smith, I felt like I was in church. I was keenly aware of the rawness of the inside of the vehicle, thinking of a person rattling around in a sparsely padded passenger compartment for hours sometimes in unbearable heat was awe inspiring. (especially after how uncomfortable I felt after my 12 hours in a cushy vehicle) I took it all in like an unspoken prayer. Then, in a moment of pure orneriness, I grab my cell phone “Hey Steve, guess who’s car I’m standing in front of right now? I’ll give you a hint: he holds the fastest Qualifying record…” (He’s a big Bill Elliott fan) Yeah, I had to rub it in.

Part two tomorrow. Come on back.

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - ON PIT ROW

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