NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Aaron's 499 at Talladega

Track Classification: Superspeedway

Similar Tracks: Daytona International Speedway • Auto Club Speedway (Fontana)  

Indianapolis Motor Speedway • Michigan International Speedway • Pocono Raceway

Distance: 2.66 Miles

Drivers with Most Top 10s (Last 5 Years):

By Race

All with 3 - Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Ragan, Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer

All with 2 - Carl Edwards, David Gilliland, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano

By Track

Clint Bowyer - 6

David Ragan - 5
All with 4  -Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch 

Recent Pole Winner:  
2013 Carl Edwards

2012  Jeff Gordon

The Likely Suspects: Talladega restrictor-plate racing is all about speed. With the new performance package, the racing should be crazy fast. These 'Dega masters will be racing hard and fast on Sunday: Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Ragan, Matt Kenseth, Clint Bowyer, David Gilliland, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch.

My 2 Cents: Restrictor-plate racing definitely has its consistent stars who produce well regardless of the tweaks in the car or for which team he is driving. However, Talladega is one of those magical tracks  where the one-car team can equally compete against the multi-mega team with lots of resources. Last year's race was literally the David and Goliath matchup with David Ragan in Victory Lane. Look for much of the same nail-biting excitement this weekend.

My no-brainer pick this week is a tie between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick though Clint Bowyer or Matt Kenseth are also worthy picks. My next picks are the Davids -- Ragan and Gilliland, followed by Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. I will complete my team with Michael Waltrip who will trade in his business suit for a firesuit this weekend and Austin Dillon.

Enjoy the race! Post your comments here or email me at ssfantasyracing@skirtsandscuffs.com.