Did NASCAR Screw Carl Edwards And Tony Stewart?

Kyle Busch salutes the fans after winning Joe Gibbs Racing’s sixth Richmond International Raceway NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in the last seven races at the track on Saturday.
Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR

Congratulations to Kyle Busch on getting his first win of the year at Richmond this past Saturday night. I know that there are a lot of people who are questioning NASCAR on the Carl Edwards penalty and the late race caution that took away Tony Stewart’s huge lead and gave Kyle the chance at the victory. NASCAR needs to come up with a better way of communicating with teams which can be hard to do in the short amount of time that they have during cautions. When wins are given so much clout to a drivers season the officials need to be sure everyone understands what is going on quickly and concisely because there is no instant replays in racing.

This week the series heads to Talladega Superspeedway for the running of the Aaron’s 499 which is the second restrictor plate race of the season. This is going to be a big race as we are already a quarter of the way through the season and teams that are mired back in the NASCAR point standings will be running out of time quickly to make the Chase. They can’t afford to have another terrible finish this weekend.

Aaron’s 499

Dale Earnhardt Jr. : Dale came so close once again to winning a race last weekend at Richmond. He will have a car that is capable of winning once again this weekend and just needs to stay clean until the end of the race. It’s hard for a driver to hold back during a race but I think that this is the strategy that will win a plate race and Dale has proven that he can win at Talladega.

Kevin Harvick: The RCR teams have won three of the last four races at Talladega and Kevin always uses the strategy of wait until the end of the race to make his move and it seems to work for him. You hardly ever hear the announcers talk about him until the last 20-laps or so and then he is coming to the front in a hurry. It should happen that way once again this weekend.

Matt Kenseth: Matt won the Daytona 500 once again this year and the Ford’s looked very strong in that race. Talladega has slightly longer straightaways but, the key to these races is drafting. Who is your friend at the end of the race and who will leave you to fend for yourself?

Clint Bowyer: Clint won two of the last four races here with RCR. Now he is with MWR so, the question is, how will he do with a new team? The Michael Waltrip teams have all been very good all year on a consistent basis. That means that Clint should have a very good shot at contending for a win here once again.

Greg Biffle: Greg still sits on top of the point standings and qualified 2nd at Daytona this year. Qualifying doesn’t mean a lot at restrictor plate tracks because you can go from the back to the front in a few laps but it does tell you that your car has a lot of power which gives you the confidence to know that you can pull out and pass someone when you need to if you get a little help from a friend.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie didn’t last very long at Daytona when he got caught up in a wreck on the second lap of that race. Still he had a Hendrick car and motor along with Chad Knaus on the top of his pit box. If he stays out of trouble early on he will be in contention at the end.

Denny Hamlin: Denny has three top-10 finishes in his last four starts at Talladega and has had a very good season so far. He seems to know where to be on the track so that he can stay out of harms way until it is time to go the last 20-laps or so. He might get his third win of the year.

Tony Stewart: Some people will say that Tony was robbed of a win by NASCAR last week at Richmond by the late race caution flag. It might be true but it isn’t the first time nor will it be the last time that it will happen in this Series. He won’t let that bother him when he gets to Talladega this weekend. He hasn’t run all that well here with his own team but they had a great week at Daytona this year finishing 2nd in the Shootout and then winning his duel on Thursday.

Carl Edwards: Carl also had a complaint for NASCAR last week after the Richmond race and needs to let it go and focus on this week’s race. He sat on the pole at Daytona and should have another strong car once again this weekend. He will have a lot of friends on the track at the end of the race and could be pushed to the victory.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff is another driver that seems to know where to be and when to make his move on the restrictor plate tracks. All of these races come down to who is your friend and who is your foe when you need to pull out and make the crucial pass on the last lap. Jeff can’t rely on a driver like Trevor Bayne to be there at the end so he needs to hook up with more drivers so he has some help at the end of the race.

Martin Truex Jr. : Martin has had an outstanding year so far and could surprise a lot of people this weekend at Talladega. He is another MWR driver that should have a car capable of winning this race and he also has Clint Bowyer as a teammate which could come up big at the end of the race.

Yahoo Fantasy NASCAR Picks for Talladega Superspeedway

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Kevin Harvick
• Carl Edwards

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Dale Earnhardt Jr.
• Martin Truex Jr.
• Clint Bowyer
• Jamie McMurray

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Michael Waltrip
• Trevor Bayne

Top-5 Overall at Talladega Superspeedway

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Carl Edwards
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Clint Bowyer

Dark Horse: Martin Truex Jr.

Stay Away From: Kyle Busch