TALLADEGA, Ala. — The Rick Hendrick Express arrives at Talladega Superspeedway, with Joe Gibbs Racing closely following.
Best of luck to all other teams in the NASCAR Cup series.
Even at this high-banked madhouse in rural Alabama, which is usually as unpredictable as any track on the circuit, there’s already a feeling that 2024 is shaping up as a two-team sprint to the championship.
In the first nine races, the top six spots in the standings are equally divided between the Hendrick and Gibbs powerhouses. They’ve also claimed nearly all the victories, except for Daniel Suarez’s exciting win in Atlanta.
William Byron has already secured three wins for Hendrick Motorsports, while teammate Chase Elliott won the race at Texas Motor Speedway last week. Another Hendrick driver, Kyle Larson, leads the standings and had achieved three consecutive poles before being disqualified from qualifying Saturday due to an unauthorized car modification.
Denny Hamlin, who has two wins for JGR and is currently in third place, does not see anyone emerging to challenge the front-runners.
“Teams can't make in-year adjustments like they used to,” he said. “What you’ve got is what you’ve got.”
Brad Keselowski, among the many who are falling behind, shrugged when asked if he agreed with Hamlin’s assessment.
“I would say that with the current NASCAR formats, without testing and practice, when someone gains an advantage, they’re difficult to overtake for sure,” Keselowski said.
The 2.66-mile Talladega trioval provides a better opportunity for the underdogs to make their mark — especially the struggling Ford teams that have yet to win a race.
The Mustang exhibited impressive speed at both Daytona and Atlanta, which require similar setups to Talladega. Michael McDowell of Front Row Motorsports added to that positivity by claiming the pole position for the race on Sunday at 182.022 mph.
He was followed by two more Ford drivers, Team Penske’s Austin Cindric (181.739) and McDowell’s Front Row teammate, Todd Gilliland (181.401).
“This is a good week for us to get a win,” McDowell said. “There’s a lot of great Mustangs starting up there with us.”
Talladega is renowned for its large wrecks and chaotic finishes, but McDowell stated that the Next Gen car has reduced some of the unpredictability at this venue. The notion that one can win solely by avoiding the major crash is no longer applicable.
“There’s a balance,” McDowell said. “You don’t want to be the one making bold moves and putting everyone in difficult positions. But you have to fight hard for track position, because you might not regain it.”
Regardless of what happens on Sunday, it already appears evident that the champion at the end of the season will emerge from one of two teams.
“There’s a lot of pressure on me to perform every week,” Hamlin said, “because I know I’ve got a team that’s capable of winning every week.”
KYLE GETS CLIPPED
Larson’s streak of winning poles was halted when NASCAR inspectors found an unapproved adjustment to the roof rails of his No. 5 car.
The car went through the inspection line without any problems, but officials said the rails were changed while the car was being moved to the track to make its qualifying attempt.
The rails are made to disrupt the air flow over the roof if a car spins sideways, preventing it from lifting off the track.
Larson will need to start from the rear of the 38-car field.
FAREWELL, SCORING PYLONS
One of the most noticeable features at the racetrack is slowly disappearing.
Talladega has become the most recent NASCAR facility to eliminate the tall, narrow scoring pylon that listed the position of nearly every driver in the field.
With modern scoreboards, several tracks have decided that the traditional pylon is no longer necessary. But many drivers are upset by the change, including Hamlin, who said he relied on the simplistic scoreboards to keep track of everyone else in the field.
Not to mention the tradition.
“That’s what a racetrack is,” Hamlin said. “By taking those down, it’s just not as good. Maybe it’s just me, but I know every time I go through a tunnel, the first thing I do is look at the scoring pylon.”
STRUGGLING FORDS
Ford’s winless streak has become a major storyline in the first quarter of the Cup season.
Sure, there’s still a long way to go, but Keselowski said it’s not unfair for fans and media to focus on the struggles of the historic brand.
“I don’t think you’re making a bigger deal of it that it is,” the Ford driver said. “I mean, outside of Daytona and Atlanta, I’m not particularly certain there’s been a track where I would say Ford has been the fastest car.”
That makes Talladega almost a must-win situation for the Ford contingent.
“It’s definitely a better opportunity for us,” Keselowski said. “We need to capitalize on that.”
ODDS AND ENDS
Harrison Burton will start from the 16th position as he takes another crack at claiming the 100th Cup victory for Woods Brothers Racing. The long-time team hasn’t won since Ryan Blaney’s victory at Pocono in 2017. … Anthony Alfredo will make his second appearance of the season for Beard Motorsports, looking to improve on a 27th-place finish at Daytona. … New Zealand’s Shane van Gisbergen is getting his first Cup start on an oval after racing on road and street circuits in his three previous appearances. That included a surprising victory at Chicago in his debut last year. …. Blaney and Keselowski are listed as co-favorites in the Geico 500, according to BetMGM.
