Storylines: Talladega and Kansas

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES – TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

“Go Time” for Gordon
Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon sits eight points outside the top 12. But the way he’s run at Talladega, figure his time outside the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cut-off won’t last too much longer.

Gordon’s tremendous at the 2.66-mile restrictor-plate track, sweeping there last season and winning six times in his career – tops among active drivers and second only to Dale Earnhardt all-time.

Another highlight: Gordon’s 12 restrictor-plate wins is the most in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history.

Like Father, Like Son
Dale Earnhardt Jr. learned a thing or two from his father – like the secret to Talladega victory, for instance.
Earnhardt Jr. has won five times at historic Talladega, more than any other track on the schedule (second best for Earnhardt is Richmond; he has three wins there). His father won a total of 10 Talladega race during his career.

The Earnhardts’ Talladega success there has transformed the track into a second home, but this season the stands which were formerly a Sea of Red will likely transform into a Sea of Green – the color of Earnhardt’s new sponsor Mountain Dew Amp Energy.

A sixth win for Earnhardt, who’s currently third in the series standings, could lead to another move up (he’s six points out of second place, 86 out of first). The last time Earnhardt was as high as second in the standings was after race No. 31 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 2004. The last time he was in first also was in 2004, after race No. 27 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Restrictor Plate Return
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to a restrictor plate track for the first time since the Daytona 500, which was the one of the most competitive races ever at Daytona International Speedway.

The race, won by Ryan Newman, saw 42 lead changes among 16 drivers and had 81 Green Flag Passes for the lead.

Kyle Busch: Mr. Everything
The 22-year-old Las Vegas native, who won his third-straight race this past Sunday at Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, enjoys a top-three position in all three of NASCAR’s national series standings. He’s second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, third in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and first in the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series.

He’ll face a true challenge, though, this weekend at Talladega – a track that has befuddled the talented young driver. In six starts there, Busch has yet to crack the top 10, and only once has he finished inside the Top 30 – the fall race of 2006.

Alabama Natives Prevelant in NASCAR Garage
The NASCAR garages feature a number of Alabama natives who will be returning home this weekend to Talladega Superspeedway. Below is a list of some of them:

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Ronny Crooks (Hueytown) – No. 20 shock specialist
Todd Foster (Birmingham) – No. 20 rear tire changer
Jimmy Kitchens (Hueytown) – No. 07 spotter
Jessie Kyser (Birmingham) – No. 55 scorer
Kane Replogle (Dothan) – No. 24 engineer

NASCAR Nationwide Series
Brian Campe (Madison) – No. 5 engineer/shock specialist
Damien Dickson (Mobile) – No. 88 engineer
Harold Holly (Pell City) – No. 66 crew chief
Jason Ingle (Hamilton) – No. 88 engine tuner
Jimmy Kitchens (Hueytown) – No. 2 spotter
Mark Miller (Birmingham) – No. 12 gas man
Drue Parsons (Birmingham) – No. 11 engine tuner

Bow Ties Reign at Talladega
It has been all Chevrolet at Talladega in recent years. Chevys have won the past four Talladega races in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition, and an amazing 16 of the last 17. The only non-Chevrolet to win since 1999 was Dale Jarrett’s Ford in the fall race of 2005.

The same holds true in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, where a Chevy has won the last five Talladega races.

Bubble Report: 4 Teams Within 40 Points Of Last Guaranteed Starting Spot
Each week, the top 35 teams in car owner points are guaranteed starting spots. This week, the precious 35th and final guarantee goes to the No. 01 Chevrolet entry of Dale Earnhardt Inc., with Regan Smith the driver.

Below that sanctity, only 40 points separate the No. 01 from teams in positions 36-39.
In 36th, the No. 96 Toyota with J.J. Yeley driving is three points out of 35th.
In 37th, the No. 22 Toyota with Dave Blaney driving is eight points out of 35th.
In 38th, the No. 70 Chevrolet with Ken Schrader driving is 12 points out.
And in 39th, the No. 40 Dodge with last year’s Indy 500 and IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti driving is 40 points out.

Another interesting ”Bubble” note – the No. 84 Toyota, which is 40th in the owner points standings, will once again have AJ Allmendinger behind the wheel at Talladega.

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES – TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

Busch Shows Dominance, Versatility
Kyle Busch has not only won three races in succession – a first since Ryan Newman did so in 2005 – but he's shown his versatility in doing so. After winning the first road course race of his national series career in Mexico City on Sunday, Busch has conquered the intermediate Texas Motor Speedway, the one-mile track at Phoenix International Raceway and the 2.518-mile Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Talladega marks the fourth different track in races for the series. Busch will try for four straight wins, which would match Sam Ard's record streak set in 1983.

Gale Seeks Successful Homecoming
Cale Gale is a fairly low-key 22-year-old but he's understandably excited this week. A native of Mobile, Ala., Gale will compete in his first NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Talladega running the lone car for Kevin Harvick, Inc. His is a tough act to follow - last year Bobby Labonte, the 1991 series champion, won this event for KHI by a scant 0.052 seconds over his teammate Tony Stewart.

This will be Gale's fourth start of the year and he comes off a career-best eighth-place finish in his last event March 22 at Nashville. He was 23rd in the season-opener at Daytona - two spots behind his boss Kevin Harvick - in his other superspeedway action this season.

Three Degrees of Dale Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has one NASCAR Nationwide Series win (2003) at Talladega but his connections in the NASCAR Nationwide Series there extend beyond his own results. His father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., won at Talladega in series competition 10 years before his son. Martin Truex Jr., like Earnhardt Jr. a two-time series champion, is the all-time series wins leader at the track with three - all in succession (2004-06). Those wins came with Chance 2 Motorsports, the team co-owned by Earnhardt Jr. and Teresa Earnhardt.

His current connection is his own JR Motorsports team, led by driver Brad Keselowski in the No. 88 Chevrolet. Keselowski comes to Talladega sixth in the standings, the highest-ranked NASCAR Nationwide Series-only driver in the top 10.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES – KANSAS SPEEDWAY

Busch Gives Up Seat to Sieg
Unable to fit a third national series race into his weekend schedule, Kyle Busch will give up the seat in the Billy Ballew Racing Toyota this week as well as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points lead. Georgian Shane Sieg, 25, will drive the truck that also leads the series owners’ standings.

Two Women in Kansas Field
Two female drivers are expected to compete in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 for the first time in 2008. Both Jennifer Jo Cobb and Michelle Theriault will make their NASCAR Craftsman Truck debuts. Cobb has competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Theriault was 13th in NASCAR Camping World Series East standings in 2007.

Trucks Return to Familiar Layout
Mastering 1.5-mile tracks (which comprise more than a third of the schedule) is one key to winning a championship. Todd Bodine is best on the “intermediates” with eight victories including one at Kansas in 2005 and two in his 2006 championship season.