The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continue today with the 2021 Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Read on below to see my prediction for who will win the race, as well as my top 10, dark horse, and driver to fade predictions.
Winner: Ryan Blaney- Blaney has had quite the run the last 10 races, with 2 wins and 7 top 5’s during that stretch. Blaney brings that momentum into Talladega, where he has won twice already in his career. Blaney won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 a few weeks ago and is one of the favorites any time NASCAR goes to a superspeedway. Blaney will find victory lane again today and will win the Yellawood 500!
Top 10: Ryan Newman- A bit of a long shot nowadays, Newman has had some good runs at Talladega lately, with 5 top 10’s in his last 8 starts here, including a pair of runner-ups during that stretch. Newman finished 3rd at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 a few weeks back and has shown he still has some gas left in the tank late in his career. If Newman can avoid the big one, he should be able to bring home a solid top 10 run today.
Dark Horse: Ryan Preece- Preece has started to turn into a superspeedway ringer, finishing 6th at the Daytona 500, 4th at the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and 14th at the Geico 500 this season. Preece has fared well at Talladega in his career, with 2 top 10’s and no finishes outside the top 20 in 5 career starts. If Preece can avoid the big one, he will finish in the top 10 today.
Driver to Fade: Martin Truex Jr.- Truex has had a rough go of it at Talladega of late, finishing 20th or worse in each of the last 10 races here. In a race where there are so many big wrecks, Truex is bound to get caught up in one and is a lock to finish outside the top 20.