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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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Dale Jr. has run well at Talladega and will run well on Sunday. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports
Dale Jr. has run well at Talladega and will run well on Sunday. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports /

Dale’s Best Performance Yet

If you haven’t been paying attention to NASCAR over these last couple of weeks, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has announced his retirement and is now heading into one of his last Talladega races.

Dale Jr. announcing his retirement was sad enough in itself, but knowing that this is one of his last Talladega races makes this race on Sunday bittersweet. While it’s great to see Junior leaving on his own terms, Talladega has always been one of his better tracks and knowing that he only has two races left at this superspeedway is upsetting to say the least.

Of his 26 Cup wins, six of them have come at Talladega. The most recent win was back in May of 2015 and Junior followed up that win with a second place finish when NASCAR went back to Talladega that year in October.

When it comes to this season though, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been struggling. He struggled at Richmond last week, a track where he once ran well, and he struggled at some of the earlier races this season as well.

Talladega, though, is all about luck. Dale Jr. has a chance to have his best finish of the season and potentially win his first race of the season if he can drive smart on Sunday and just survive. Of all the active drivers in NASCAR, Dale Jr. is still one of the best at Talladega. He knows what it takes to win here and how to survive.

With his experience at Talladega, the GEICO 500 is going to be Junior’s best race finish of the season.

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