What’s Happening?

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway. Talladega is known for producing surprise winners, and that means this race is a big opportunity for drivers who need a win to make the Playoffs. This is 1 of only 2 superspeedway races left in the regular season, so, drivers counting on a win might NEED one this weekend.

• As crazy as it sounds, many drivers have dug a hole no one has worked out of the make the Playoffs. In the article below, we highlighted that no driver has come from more than 60 points back this late in the regular season to make the Playoffs on points. This means that some drivers find themselves in potential must-win territory.
• For this list, we will focus on drivers currently out of Playoff position who perform well particularly on superspeedways. These drivers know that this is their opportunity to nab a much-needed win.
• Fans are excited for this weekend’s race because of the “Wild card”. A driver can come from nowhere to win, which makes the race much more interesting.

Are These Drivers Already In Must-Win Territory?

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Talladega Starts	Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Laps Led
21	1	6	9	118

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has 3 career wins, all of which came on superspeedways. If he’s going to win a race, it’s going to be on a superspeedway, and both he and JTG Daugherty Racing know that. He knows he can win here as well, as he got it done back in 2017.

Corey LaJoie

Talladega Starts	Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Laps Led
12	0	1	2	2

Corey LaJoie has had some good days and bad days at Talladega, but, he did get a top-5 result at the track last fall. Each of his Cup Series top-10 results has come on superspeedways, so, like Stenhouse, it’s the one track type LaJoie knows he can get results. He has a chance this weekend.

Harrison Burton

Talladega Starts	Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Laps Led
5	0	0	0	5

Harrison Burton has struggled mightily in his Cup Series career, and he’s currently last amongst full-time drivers in the points standings. However, he showed some flashes in the spring of 2023 at the track before being spun out by Noah Gragson. Fords showed significant speed on both superspeedway races to start the season, so Burton has a chance.

Noah Gragson

Talladega Starts	Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Laps Led
3	0	0	0	1

Noah Gragson showed some promise at Talladega in the lower series, winning in the Xfinity Series at the track. In Cup, Talladega has been a struggle, but, again, Fords are fast on superspeedways. Gragson also recorded a top-10 in the Daytona 500, so, he can run up front in this car on superspeedways.

Austin Dillon

Talladega Starts	Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Laps Led
21	0	2	5	3

Austin Dillon’s first Cup Series start at Talladega saw him come close to victory before going airborne on the final lap. Regardless, he has two career superspeedway wins, both at Daytona, so, he can win on this track-type. This weekend, it’s about conquering Talladega.

Which of these drivers will come through with a big win this weekend? Will any of them come through?