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NASCAR: Five Predictions for the GEICO 500 at Talladega

By Michael Guadalupe

Oct 23, 2016; Talladega, AL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski (2) leads the pack with debris on his grille during the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2016; Talladega, AL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski (2) leads the pack with debris on his grille during the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Wrecks are a common occurrence at tracks like Talladega. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Wrecks are a common occurrence at tracks like Talladega. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /

Expect Big Wrecks

Whether it’s from the pressure of stage racing or the drama that just comes with superspeedways like Talladega, big wrecks seem to come naturally to this type of racing.

Drafting is key to racing at superspeedways, and while drivers no longer bump draft, we will see them race in lines on Sunday. As drivers line up behind one another, they gain speed because of how air moves around their cars, and if one driver gets stuck outside of one of the line formations on Sunday, you’ll see them get “sucked” backwards as they lose speed and the rest of the field passes them by.

Of course, the problem with drivers racing so close together is that it increases the likelihood of wrecks. One small slip-up such as a driver getting too close can lead to disaster.

Drivers who also get a little anxious to move up a couple of spots during the end of a stage could cause a problem for others on Sunday as well. As drivers try to pass and block each other, it will only increase the risk of the “Big One”. We usually see the massive wreck at the end of the race, but stage racing could bring out this type of wreck earlier.

Big wrecks will happen on Sunday like they did at the Daytona 500 earlier this year, and it’s going to take both skill and luck for a driver to make it to the end of the race.

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