Beyond the Flag
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NASCAR Cup Series: Pearce Dietrich talks Talladega ahead of 2018 GEICO 500

By Asher Fair

TALLADEGA, AL - MAY 07: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #17 Fifth Third Bank Ford, leads the feld at the end of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 7, 2017 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
TALLADEGA, AL - MAY 07: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #17 Fifth Third Bank Ford, leads the feld at the end of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 7, 2017 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /
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BRISTOL, TN – APRIL 13: Kasey Kahne, driver of the #95 WRL General Contractors Chevrolet (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
BRISTOL, TN – APRIL 13: Kasey Kahne, driver of the #95 WRL General Contractors Chevrolet (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /

Questions 7 and 8

Beyond the Flag: Could this be the weekend Kasey Kahne finally secures his first top 10 finish for Leavine Family Racing after he was running in the top 10 at the Daytona 500 before crashing out?

Pearce: It’s now or never. Leavine Family Racing has earned 5 top 10 finishes ever. Four of those were at plate tracks. Kahne earned 3 top 10s at the plate tracks last year.

Beyond the Flag: Are there any other possible key storylines heading into Talladega you feel could play a major role in determining the outcome of this race, as hard as that is for pretty much anybody to predict?

Pearce: Brad Keselowski said that they ran the Daytona race backwards. Everyone pushed hard and wrecked in the first two stages. In the final stage, the cars lined up single file and walked to the finish. Will this happen again, or will the craving for stage points and stage wins rear its ugly head? The first two stages should be a mess again. With Harvick and Busch soaking up all of the wins, there is a great opportunity for drivers to point themselves into the playoffs. The allure of stage 1 and stage 2 playoff points will blow up the field again.

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