When Cup drivers are asked about how important it is to open the Round of 12 with a good run, they are usually quick to mention the track after this weekend in Kansas.
The iconic 2.66-mile superspeedway called Talladega has a well-earned reputation of being the embodiment of chaos and unpredictability. Many title hopefuls are aiming to win this weekend in Kansas, or at least pad their points total before heading to Talladega in seven days.
Among them is Kansas pole-sitter Christopher Bell, the only driver among the final Championship 4 in both years of the Next Gen era. This is his third consecutive pole at Kansas, but he has not yet found Victory Lane at the 1.5-mile oval.
His plan to avoid sweating at Talladega is simple: "Win this week ... There really is no hiding, although it does feel like the fall Talladega race has been a lot calmer than the spring race the last couple years. I don’t know. Superspeedway racing, I’ve been very vocal, it’s not my favorite style of racing and that puts a lot of emphasis on this race tomorrow to try to get some stage points. Obviously, winning would be ideal, but certainly going to Talladega with a big cushion is our number one goal.”
There has already been one drafting track in the playoffs, which Denny Hamlin approached with a unique strategy. At Atlanta, he forfeited the opportunity to score stage points, instead running in the back for the majority of the race, hoping to avoid the wrecks. Unfortunately, the 'big one' didn't happen until the final lap — and Hamlin himself was collected in it.
Despite this setback and a Lap 1 wreck at The Glen, Hamlin dragged himself back above the cut-line in the nick of time at Bristol. So, will he employ the same strategy next weekend? Much like his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Hamlin is hoping to avoid that discussion altogether.
“You could still take the approach, but truthfully, we’re going to just try to win this weekend and then not have to worry about numbers,” said Hamlin. “But certainly, we’re going to approach these three races and get all we can and live with the result no matter what it is. We can’t control the things we can’t control, but if we just do the best that we can we feel pretty confident.”
Keeping the underdog story alive
Chase Briscoe faces a different situation, as it's unlikely he can just go out and win this weekend on raw speed like some of his title rivals.
He is the underdog story, driving for a soon-to-be defunct team that few expected to make the playoffs -- let alone advance beyond the first round. Briscoe is thinking about Talladega and the perilous nature of drafting tracks. In the playoff-opener at Atlanta, he saw his race end abruptly when he was taken out in an early wreck, finishing last. He also has experience with Talladega crushing his title hopes before.
“I definitely have experience with that, just from Atlanta and even the Truck Series -- the reason I didn't make the Final Four (in 2017) was Talladega," explained Briscoe. "So it's tough, just because there it is out of your control to a certain extent, but also it's the same for the other 11 guys I'm racing. They all have to go to Talladega too. So it's the cards that you're dealt and you just gotta figure out what the best hand is and hopefully we can go there and have a good day.
"But regardless of what the finish is, it's gonna be what it is, right? You can't change it, so you just gotta move on from it and hopefully we can leave Talladega in a really good spot going into the Roval, because I definitely feel like the Roval is our strongest track out of the three in this round.”
Things are extra difficult for Briscoe, who already has to make up ground as the points reset puts him back in the bottom four to start the Round of 12. Despite struggling through practice, he maximized his qualifying effort and advanced into the pole round, slotting into ninth on the grid.
“We were talking about it earlier this week and feel like we definitely need to try to maximize this race (Kansas) just with Talladega and the Roval being unpredictable,” added Briscoe. “I do think if we can come out of here 12th or 13th, and get some stage points, it should put you at least in the hunt. You're not going to start at huge depths like you did at Atlanta. So that's for sure a focus. This has probably not been our best racetrack, so we've got some work to do, but I am confident that we're going to be the best we've been here in a long time.”
