*salivating*
Where It Is
TALLADEGA Talladega is the best, you guys. The superest of superspeedways.
When It Is
Green flag at 2:03 PM EDT
How to Watch
NBC
Whom to Watch
Playoff drivers, their place in the standings, their odds to win the race (we’re in the second of three races in the Round of 12, winners move on to the Round of 8 alongside the next guys in the standings):
1. Denny Hamlin (locked into Round of 8; 9-to-1)
2. Kyle Larson (57 points ahead of first driver out; 12-to-1)
3. Kyle Busch (35 points ahead of first driver out; 15-to-1)
4. Martin Truex, Jr (31 points ahead of first driver out; 25-to-1)
5. Ryan Blaney (24 points ahead of first driver out; 10-to-1)
6. Chase Elliott (22 points ahead of first driver out; 10-to-1)
7. Joey Logano (6 points ahead of first driver out; 10-to-1)
8. Brad Keselowski (last driver in, 4 points ahead of first driver out; 12-to-1)
9. William Byron (first driver out, 4 points behind last driver in; 11-to-1)
10. Kevin Harvick (7 points behind last driver in; 15-to-1)
11. Alex Bowman (13 points behind last driver in; 18-to-1)
12. Christopher Bell (25 points behind last driver in; 30-to-1)
How NASCAR Should Script It
You want some drama set up for next week at the Roval, and while it’s exciting to have guys punch their ticket to the next round by winning, Talladega will be fun no matter what. So, out of the chaos, I say you go with a wildcard, which means that yes, yet again, I am recommending that you get non-playoff-driver Bubba Wallace a win. Or I guess you could go with Hamlin, to build up the is-this-finally-his-year narrative (also, consider wrecking Larson out early to build a little drama about whether he could be eliminated next week).
Trucks, Xfinity
Tate Fogleman won the Truck race:
Brandon Brown won the Xfinity race, which was called on account of darkness.
