NASCAR: Who’s Hot And Who’s Not Heading Into Talladega

Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

NOT – Brad Keselowski

It goes without question that upsetting Tony Stewart to the point where he rams into you on pit road and having Denny Hamlin want to fight you in the garage is not a good way to end a race. Throw into the mix that after all of that you were jumped by Matt Kenseth in between the haulers and it’s clear that Keselowski did not leave Charlotte the way that he wanted to. The post-race antics aside, Keselowski is still on the outside of the chase cut-line as the series prepares for Talladega this weekend. If that wasn’t frustrating enough, Keselowski doesn’t even control his own destiny unless he finds a way to win the race (which he has done before on this track). The only silver lining here is that Keselowski has had a great season and he should have a strong car this weekend. If Keselowski can avoid trouble and not get involved with anyone else’s mess than he will have a chance to race his way into the third round of the chase. The other thing working in the favor of Keselowski is that the two drivers that he angered the most last week are also fighting to move on in the chase and as a result are less likely to risk ruining their days to do anything to him.