GEICO 500 Betting News and Notes

Talladega Driver Tale of the Tape

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)

· Six top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 17.818, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.585, third-best
· Driver Rating of 88.0, fourth-best
· 58 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 193.277, eighth-fastest
· 2671 Laps in the Top 15 (63.7), second-most
· 5994 Quality Passes, series-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· One win, four top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 21.810, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 19.427, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 79.3, 12th-best
· 94 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 193.035, 12th-fastest
1921 Laps in the Top 15 (48.0), ninth-most
· 3957 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

· Six wins, 12 top fives, 16 top 10s
· Average finish of 18.000, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 13.598, series-best
· Driver Rating of 93.8, series-best
· 84 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 193.641, series-fastest
· 2673 Laps in the Top 15 (63.8.), series-most
· 4829 Quality Passes, third-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· One win, four top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 19.400, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 18.055, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 82.9, seventh-best
· 85 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 193.196, 10th-fastest
· 1812 Laps in the Top 15 (47.6), 11th-most
· 4039 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)

· One win, six top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.773, third-best
· Average Running Position of 18.022, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 80.6, 10th-best
· 93 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 192.743, 13th-fastest
· 1993 Laps in the Top 15 (47.6), 12th-most
· 4095 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

· Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.455, second-best
· Average Running Position of 15.051, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 89.5, second-best
· 58 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 193.492, fifth-fastest
· 2426 Laps in the Top 15 (57.9), fourth-most
· 4472 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· One win, six top fives, ten top 10s
· Average finish of 17.818, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.487, second-best
· Driver Rating of 88.5, third-best
· 74 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 193.050, 11th-fastest
· 2652 Laps in the Top 15 (63.3), third-most
· 5192 Quality Passes, second-most

Brad Keselowski (No .2 Team Penske Ford)

· Three wins, five top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 14.786, series-best
· Average Running Position of 18.242, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 84.4, fifth-best
· 56 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 193.431, sixth-fastest
· 1302 Laps in the Top 15 (48.7), eighth-most
· 3047 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Kyle Larson (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet)

· One top 10
· Average finish of 23.000, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 18.843, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 81.9, eighth-best
· 6 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 193.596, third-fastest
· 394 Laps in the Top 15 (51.4), seventh-most
· 1042 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)

· One win, three top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 19.500, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 17.183, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 81.5, ninth-best
· 56 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 193.499, fourth-fastest
· 1390 Laps in the Top 15 (52.0), sixth-most
· 3200 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet)

· Two wins, six top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 21.091, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 19.379, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 79.9, 11th-best
· 70 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 193.294, seventh-fastest
· 1999 Laps in the Top 15 (47.7), 10th-most
· 4121 Quality Passes, fifth-most

David Ragan (No. 23 BK Racing Toyota)

· One win, four top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 18.444, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 19.744, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 78.9, 13th-best
· 69 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 193.634, second-fastest
· 1388 Laps in the Top 15 (40.5), 13th-most
· 3152 Quality Passes, 10th-most

GEICO 500 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Joe Gibbs Racing drivers have combined to win the past four races on the schedule, but they'll have plenty more competition in Sunday's GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway as up to 35 of the 40 drivers starting have a chance to win.

It's restrictor-plate racing that is the equalizer and we get it in only four races a year, but the 2.66-mile high-banked beast of a layout at Talladega is in a class all its own. So let's get ready for some edge-of-your seat, four-wide, side-by-side racing at over 200 mph.

As much as I enjoy the intensity of races at Talladega, where at any moment the 'big one' can happen, and up to 20 drivers have a chance of winning as they begin the last lap, it's actually one of the least bet races of the season for me just because the track is so volatile. I rarely play driver matchups and my normal cash wagered on odds to win is about about 30 percent less than the 32 non-plate races.

Practices mean nothing in plate races and the drivers I bet on have a much better chance of being involved in a wreck at Talladega than anywhere else. You can be cruising along with your driver, leading a bunch of laps, get shuffled out of the lead pack for a bit of the race and then, Boom! Your driver gets caught up in some other drivers mess that started 18 cars in front. It's a casualty of the track not seen as much elsewhere, which adds a randomness to the ratings equation that I don't like too much.

Because of that randomness and the cars being more equal than any other type of track, the books give you some very fair odds on all the regular favorites, but they also drop the normal 100/1 odds on lower level drivers down to 50/1, because anybody can win. I like narrowing down six drivers a week and then watching them practice and whittle it down to four or five to key on. It's harder here and luck plays a huge role. Crap shoot. Darts.

But it's a NASCAR race, and we have to bet it. We wait all week and have gone over all the trends. We get fired up because the sheer power of Talladega is intoxicating to watch, and having a bet on any sporting event you plan to watch just makes it bigger, meaningful and justified. "I didn't just waste three hours of my life watching cars go in circles real fast, I was investing for the future."

To begin the handicapping process for Sunday's race, you'll want to start with what happened in February during Daytona speedweeks where Denny Hamlin won the Sprint Unlimited and Daytona 500. I'll also suggest that you throw out everything that has happened in the past eight races, where JGR cars have been dominating.

The only problem is that the Daytona results all show JGR cars dominating as well. Hamlin won the Daytona 500 by 0.01 seconds over Martin Truex Jr. who was using Gibbs equipment. Kyle Busch was third and Carl Edwards was fifth. Four of the top-five in Gibbs Toyota's with Matt Kenseth finishing 14th after leading 40 laps (second-most). Kenseth is very due to win somewhere.

The best bet to derail the JGR train this week is six-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won this race last season. He's won in three of the past nine plate races and his 960 laps led at Talladega is more than twice as much as second most (Jimmie Johnson 467). He's been close to winning a race (three runner-ups) this season and I like him the most to get it done this week.

I also will surely have a wager on my boy Denny Hamlin. I call him 'my boy' because he drove my bets to the cash window twice in February at 15/1 odds by winning the Sprint Unlimited and Daytona 500 in back-to-back weeks. In my own world, he's like family now -- inducted into my betting Hall of Fame with Terrell Davis. It's been my best score of the year and is enough units to carry me for the season if I don't win another race. There weren't many losses because I basically threw all the chips on the No. 11 for each race. It was part luck, but also part skill with Hamlin who leads the series with a 9th-place average finish in the past nine plate races. He won this race in 2014, and his team has this plate package figured out. He won't be able to use his winning Daytona 500 chassis because it's on display for fans in Daytona, so the Sprint Unlimited winner will be used.

There's no bad bet at Talladega until it loses. The cars are so bunched up and so equal that all it takes is being able to stay close and make that winning move on the last lap. With luck being so huge, I often rely on a myriad of hexes and midstream change of game day gear to help get my contending driver get that little extra push from Lady Luck.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (6/1)
2) #19 Carl Edwards (12/1)
3) #20 Matt Kenseth (10/1)
4) #11 Denny Hamlin (7/1)
5) #18 Kyle Busch (8/1)

Talladega Fantasy Racing Preview
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

To assist in making your fantasy racing picks, MRN.com's Jeff Wackerlin takes a look at some notes and statistics for Sunday's GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Who's HOT at Talladega

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished first and second, respectively, last season and has combined to lead 223 laps in the last five races.
• Jimmie Johnson, a two-time winner, finished second in this event last season and has led 217 laps in the last five races.
• Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman are tied for the best average finish (10.2) in the last five races.
• Denny Hamlin has finished in the top 10 in the last two spring races, including a win in 2014.
• Brad Keselowski is the only multiple winner in the last 10 races.
• Joey Logano won last year's fall race for his second restrictor-plate track win.
• Martin Truex Jr. and Paul Menard each finished in the top 10 in both races last season.

Who to Keep an Eye On at Talladega

• Matt Kenseth has one win and has led the most laps (314) in the last 10 Talladega races.
• Carl Edwards, who is looking for his third straight win of the season, is the only driver that has finished in the top five in the last two restrictor-plate races.
• Kurt Busch has posted a 9.7 average finish in his last three Talladega starts with Stewart-Haas Racing.
• Kyle Busch has one win at Talladega (2008) and has finished in the top five in three of his last seven starts at the track.
• David Ragan and Jamie McMurray each have a win in the last six Talladega races (2013).
• Ty Dillon will replace Tony Stewart during the first caution Sunday.
• Greg Biffle ranks third in laps led in the last four Talladega races.
• Clint Bowyer (11.0) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (15.0) each rank in the top 10 in average finish in the last four Talladega races. Stenhouse failed to qualify for the 2014 fall race (group qualifying format).

Notes: Michael Waltrip, David Gilliland and Bobby Labonte are entered in the GEICO 500

MRN.com Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Pete Pistone: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Robbie Mays: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
John Singler: Denny Hamlin

Driver Notes - Ordered by Top 20 in Average Finish in the Last Five Races at Talladega

Ryan Newman finished seventh in this event last year for his second consecutive and third top 10 in the last five Talladega races. He finished 12th last fall to give him an average finish of 10.2 in the last five races, which is tied with Kevin Harvick. Newman has finished 12th or better in the last four restrictor-plate races, which includes an 11th-place run at Daytona this season. This weekend, Newman will be back in his Daytona 500 car, chassis No. 536.

Kevin Harvick has finished 15th or better in his four Talladega starts with Stewart-Haas Racing, including three top 10s. He won at Talladega in the 2010 spring race with Richard Childress Racing and has 13 top 10s in 30 overall starts. Harvick leads all drivers with a 6.6 average finish in the last five restrictor-plate races dating back to the start of the 2015 season. This weekend, Harvick will return in the same car (chassis No. 949) that he finished fourth with in the Daytona 500.

Clint Bowyer finished in the top 10 four times in his last five Talladega starts with Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer is a two-time winner of this event, but both came with Richard Childress Racing in 2010 and 2011. This weekend, Bowyer will make his first Talladega start with HScott Motorsports after finishing 33rd in the Daytona 500.

Paul Menard has finished sixth or better in four of the last five Talladega races. A crash in the 2014 fall race raised his average finish to 11.0 in the last five races at the track. Menard, who has a 13.6 average finish in the last five restrictor-plate races, will return in the same car (chassis No. 539) that he finished 18th with in the Daytona 500.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has finished in the top 10 in three of his five starts at Talladega. His ninth-place finish last fall at Talladega is his only top 10 in the last five restrictor-plate races where he holds a 21.0 average finish.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won this event last year for his six win at Talladega and first since 2004. His only finish outside the top three in the last five restrictor-plate races came in the season opening Daytona 500 after a crash relegated him to a 36th-place finish. That chassis, nicknamed "Amelia" was repaired and Earnhardt will race it after driving it in the last five plate races, leading a combined 271 laps.

Martin Truex Jr. finished in the top 10 in both Talladega races last season and equaled his best finish at the track with a fifth-place run in this event last year. He ranks fifth among all drivers in average finish (12.0) that have competed in all five restrictor-plate races dating back to the start of the 2015 season. Truex has recorded four top 10s in that span, but has only led three laps.

Jimmie Johnson finished second in this event for his second top five in the last six races at Talladega. Along with his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., Johnson is the only other driver that has led more than 100 laps (217) in the last five Talladega races. His last of two Talladega wins came in the 2011 spring race. Johnson, who finished 16th in this year's Daytona 500, has posted an average finish of 8.6 in the last five restrictor-plate races, which includes three straight top fives from the start of the 2015 season.

Kurt Busch has posted a 9.7 average finish in his last three Talladega starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. He's finished in the top 10 in his last three restrictor-plate starts, including a 10th-place finish last fall at Talladega. This weekend, Busch will return in his Daytona car, chassis No. 971.

Kyle Busch finished 11th last fall at Talladega after missing this event last year due to an injury. Busch is a previous winner at the 2.66-mile track, winning this event in 2008. His last of five top 10s in 21 overall starts came in the 2013 fall race. This season, Busch finished third in the Daytona 500 to lower his average finish to 10.3 in his last three restrictor-plate starts.

Joey Logano is coming off his first Talladega win in 14 starts at the track. It marked his first top 10 in six track starts with Team Penske. The win was also his second in the last five restrictor-plate races after he won in the 2015 Daytona 500.

Brad Keselowski is a three-time Talladega winner with his last coming in the 2014 fall race. Keselowski's fourth-place run at Talladega last fall is his only finish of 20th or better in his last five restrictor-plate starts.

Greg Biffle finished second in this event in 2014 for his last of six top 10s in 26 Talladega starts. Biffle does rank third in laps led in the last four Talladega races. His only finish of 20th or better in the last five restrictor-plate races came in the 2015 Daytona 500.

AJ Allmendinger has posted one top five and an average finish of 20.2 in four Talladega starts with JTG Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger's 17th-place run in this event last is his best finish in the last five restrictor-plate races in 2015.

Austin Dillon finished 14th last fall for his best finish in five Talladega starts. Dillon finished ninth in this year's Daytona 500 for his second top 10 in his last five restrictor-plate starts. This weekend, Dillon will be back in his Daytona car, chassis No. 533.

Denny Hamlin has posted two top 10s in his last four Talladega starts, including a win in the 2014 spring race. Hamlin's only finish outside the top 10 in the last five restrictor-plate races came last fall at Talladega when a crash relegated him to a 37th-place finish. Hamlin led 95 laps en route to the win in this year's Daytona 500.

Aric Almirola scored his only top 10 in 12 Talladega starts in this event in 2013. Almirola finished 12th in this year's Daytona 500 for his third finish of 15th or better in the last five restrictor-plate races.

Carl Edwards is coming off consecutive fifth-place finishes at restrictor-plate tracks. Edwards' run last fall was just his third top five in 23 Talladega starts. This weekend, Edwards will be looking for his third straight win of the season.

Kasey Kahne scored his two top 10s in eight Talladega starts with Hendrick Motorsports in the 2012 and 2014 spring race. Kahne's only top 10 in the last five restrictor-plate races came in the 2015 spring race.

Matt Kenseth has combined to lead 179 laps and post a 19.7 average finish in six Talladega starts with Joe Gibbs Racing. His best finish with JGR came in the 2014 fall race, in second. He did win the 2012 fall race with Roush Fenway Racing.

NASCAR at Talladega Betting Odds, Driver Previews
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com

Joe Gibbs Racing drivers have won the past four races on the Sprint Cup schedule, but for Sunday's Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, it's Dale Earnhardt Jr. who comes in as the prohibitive 9-to-2 favorite. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson is 8-to-1 and all other drivers are 10-to-1 or higher for the second restrictor-plate race of the season.

All Junior has done at the high-banked 2.66-mile layout over his career is win six times, including this race last fall — he also finished second in the fall. His next win at Talladega will break a tie with Jeff Gordon for second most in track history. Dale Sr. is the track's all-time leader with 10 wins, including the last of his great career in 2000.

In addition to all of Junior's outstanding past history at Talladega, he's also got his favorite restrictor-plate package chassis going, a car that won in two of the four plate races last season.

“We’re going to have ‘Amelia.’ She is fixed and (crew chief) Greg (Ives) says she is going to be the primary," Earnhardt said. "He’s fired up his Twitter account recently … and he let all the fans know on Monday that Amelia is coming back. I’m excited about that — we know how she ran last year. We just have to run Talladega like we have to win it, just like we did the last time we were there. We did a good job. If we run it like that, we’ll be up front at the end.”

Anytime a crew names the car — this one after pilot Amelia Earhart — there is some serious confidence in it.

Here's a look at all the odds to win posted at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook with a look at each drivers past Talladega history:

Dale EARNHARDT JR 9/2 - He's the master of the draft, having led a series high 960 laps over 32 starts. The next Talladega win for Hendrick Motorsports will be their 13th which will break a tie with Richard Childress Racing for most owners win.

Jimmie JOHNSON 8/1 - A two-time winner with a 16.9 average finish in 28 starts. His last win came in 2011, finished second to Junior last spring. This team has the plate package figured out well and all four cars should be competitive helping push each other to the front.

Denny HAMLIN 10/1 - Beyond looking at past track history, you also want to take notice of what happened in the last plate race and Hamlin dominated during Daytona speedweeks this year, winning the Sprint Unlimited and Daytona 500. His winning Daytona 500 car is on display for the fans in Daytona, so he'll be using the winning Sprint Unlimited car. He won his first career plate race at Talladega in 2014. Expect the No. 11 to be Junior's main challenger.

Kevin HARVICK 10/1 - Considered one of the best plate race drivers, he grabbed his only Talladega win in 2010. His last top-five there came in 2011. In 30 starts he has a 15.3 average finish.

Kyle BUSCH 12/1 - He's taken his lumps at Talladega with a 21.8 average finish in 21 starts, but did get a win there in 2008. He finished third in the Daytona 500, a race JGR equipment had four finishers in the top-five. Daytona and Talladega run differently, but it's certainly enough of a statement to argue that JGR is the team to beat, not HMS.

Matt KENSETH 12/1 - Hard to believe he doesn't have a top-five yet through nine races, but this is the type of race where he could break through with a win. His only win came in 2012 and has led 473 laps in 32 starts. He had no problem getting to the front during the Daytona 500, leading 40 laps (second-most behind Hamlin's 95) before settling for 14th.

Carl EDWARDS 12/1 - He doesn't have a plate race win in his career, but he has won the past two races on the schedule coming in. He finished fifth in the Daytona 500 and fifth last fall at Talladega. He's definitely got the momentum thing working for him.

Joey LOGANO 12/1 - His win last fall was amazing considering how volatile the track is and also having a bullseye on his car with an angry Kenseth looking to settle a score. He also won the Daytona 500 last year; it was just he and Junior with plate wins in 2015. He finished sixth in the Daytona 500.

Brad KESELOWSKI 15/1 - This is his type of track as his three wins attest to. He grabbed his first career win in 2009 driving for an under-funded, part-time team. He also won in 2012 and 2014. Last fall he was fourth.

Kurt BUSCH 15/1 - He's the best plate racer never to win a plate race and has the most starts (30) at Talladega without winning among active drivers. His last top-five came in 2007.

Martin TRUEX JR 15/1 - He was fifth and seventh, respectively, last season, and figures to be better equipped this season using JGR equipment. He finished second in the Daytona 500, just 0.01 seconds behind Hamlin.

Chase ELLIOTT 15/1 - The No. 24 started on the pole in both Talladega races last season with Jeff Gordon and then started from the pole in the Daytona 500 in February with Elliott. He'll be running Saturday's Xfnity race as well this weekend and explains the differences.

“The Xfinity races and the Cup races are very different so it’s hard to compare the two," he said. "The cars drive differently on the plate tracks for sure, the style of drafting that you do is a little bit different so it’s really hard to compare the two. I think the biggest thing that you can kind of take from one to the other is just being surrounded by cars the entire time and gaining that comfort level of drafting and pack racing.”

Kasey KAHNE 15/1 - He's never won a plate race before and has averaged a 21.5 finish at Talladega over 24 starts, but he's got great HMS equipment that should see him perform extremely well, which is why his odds have been slashed from his normal 30-to-1 weekly odds.

Kyle LARSON 30/1 - He was ninth in his first start in 2014, then finished 17th, 42nd and 24th. He was very competitive in the Daytona 500 with a seventh-place finish.

Austin DILLON 30/1 - How cool would it be to see the No. 3 win at Talladega again? His best Talladega finish was 13th in 2014 and he finished ninth in the Daytona 500 and is using that same chassis again this week.

“We felt like we needed to get some speed going into the next speedway race, so we went to work as an organization between Daytona and Talladega," he said. "I feel like RCR as a whole made some improvements, and I’m really looking forward to it. The confidence level is high here and we’re going to go into it and see what we can do to put our Dow Chevy up front.”

Jamie McMURRAY 30/1 - He's proven to be at his best in plates races with four of his seven career wins coming on them, including his last Cup win in 2013 at Talladega.

Ryan NEWMAN 60/1 - A 20th-place average finish in 28 starts with five top-fives. He's been 12th or better in his past three starts there.

Ryan BLANEY 60/1 - Just because of his affiliation with Team Penske, who won two plate races last season, he should be considered one of the better long shots to win. He finished fourth in this race last season.

Greg BIFFLE 60/1 - A 19.6 average finish in 26 starts with three top-fives. He was runner-up in the 2014 spring race.

Ricky STENHOUSE JR 60/1 - One of his better tracks with a 12.2 average finish in five starts, which includes third in 2013 and ninth last fall.

Paul MENARD 60/1 - This has turned out to be his best track over the past three seasons being sixth or better in four of his past five starts.

Trevor BAYNE 60/1 - A 28.5 average finish in 10 starts, which includes four finishes of 40th or worse. His best was eighth in 2012.

Tony STEWART 60/1 - Won in 2008 and has 17.8 average finish in 33 career starts. Because of all the cars being more equal than we'll see on other tracks, this would appear to be his best chance of winning a race (Daytona summer, too) in his attempt to qualify for the Chase.

However, he is going to start this race and give way to Ty Dillon after the first caution. If Dillon should win, Stewart is the driver of record for both NASCAR and Las Vegas sports book rules.

Aric ALMIROLA 80/1 - His only career win came in a rain shortened plate race at Daytona and he's been fairly steady at Talladega with 15th and 16th-place finishes last season.

AJ ALLMENDINGER 80/1 - Finished a career-best fifth in 2014 and has 23.9 average in 12 starts.

Clint BOWYER 80/1 - A two-time winner in his final days driving for RCR. He was third in both 2014 races and eighth last fall. He was 33rd in the Daytona 500.

Casey MEARS 80/1 - A 21.8 average finish in 25 starts. Finished 32nd in the Daytona 500.

Danica PATRICK 80/1 - She's been much competitive at Daytona between the two plate tracks. Her best finish in six Talladega starts was 19th in 2015.

Michael WALTRIP 100/1 - All four of his career wins came in plate races, the last coming at Talladega in 2003. His last top-five there came in 2012.

FIELD 40/1 - If you could ever make a case for the field winning in a NASCAR race, it would be at Talladega, a place where Front Row Motorsports finished first and second in the 2013 spring race. The cars are equal, the track is volatile and crazy things always seem to happen on that last lap with one or two real surprises having a shot. Still, the value isn't there at 40-to-1, so sticking with the meat and potatoes of Earnhardt Jr. or Hamlin seems like better options.

Drivers to Watch - Talladega
By Sportsbook.ag

The Sprint Cup Series heads to Lincoln for the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday. This is one of four Sprint Cup Series races where the drivers have restrictor plates on their cars.

The one guy that will be ready to head out on this track on Sunday is Dale Earnhardt Jr., as he was the winner here in 2015. Earnhardt Jr. also won here in 2002 and 2003, so he will clearly have plenty of confidence coming into this one.

Other multiple winners that are included in this field are Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski. Johnson won this race in 2006 and 2011 and Keselowski was the winner in 2009 and 2012.

With that out of the way let’s now take a look at some of the better plays in this weekend’s race:

Drivers to Watch

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+800) - Earnhardt Jr. is the favorite to win this one and it’d be some great timing for him to come away with a victory. Earnhardt Jr. has had a bit of a disappointing season, as he has not yet won a race. He has, however, finished in second on three separate occasions and is due for a victory soon. There are not going to be many better opportunities for him to win than this Sunday. Earnhardt Jr. has owned Talladega throughout his career, winning six times at this venue. As previously mentioned, he has also won this race three times. He’s a good person to back, as he’d still payout nicely at this price.

Joey Logano (+1100) - Like Earnhardt Jr., Logano is still searching for his first victory of the season and he is going to get one soon. He is one of the best drivers in the world and it’s just tough to imagine him continuing to struggle. Logano also happens to have had some success at this track in the past. While he has never won this exact race, he did win here in the 2015 CampingWorld.com 500. That gives him some good experience and he’ll be hoping to build on that on Sunday. He’s a very good pick this weekend.

Brad Keselowski (+1200) - Keselowski has had a solid season, as he won the Kobalt 400 earlier in the year and also has three other top-10 finishes. He has, however, missed the top-10 at each of the past three races. That is something that should change on Sunday, as he’ll be looking to lead the pack this weekend. Keselowski has had a ton of success at Talladega in his career and has now won this race twice. He is getting favorable odds and those are hard to pass up on for a guy who has had his success at the Geico 500.

Tony Stewart (+3000) - Stewart made his return to the track last week and finished in 19th. He knocked off some of his rust and will now be hoping to come away with a victory on Sunday. While he has not won since 2013, he is still a guy that is extremely hard to count out. He has a long history of winning races and he will be hoping to win one big race in his final Sprint Cup season. He’s worth putting a half-unit on this weekend, as he would pay out huge and there is a lot of randomness that comes with this event.