Geico 500: Power Rankings

Race Information

Race: Geico 500
Laps: 400
Date: April 25th at 2:00pm
Venue: Talladega Superspeedway
2020 Winner: Ryan Blaney (3:27:28)
Network: Fox

Track

Talladega Superspeedway — There is a great USA article out last year which basically states: “Talladega, a guaranteed thrill machine”. When you hear the words Talladega, everyone immediately thinks of the history and excitement of this track. Opened in 1969 this tri-oval 2.5 mile asphalt track is the longest on the circuit. It has turns ranging from 32 to 33 degrees with the straights being around 3 degrees. Trust in the quicker cars but also anticipate there will be some bumping as the cars try to go 3+ wide on this track.

Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Favorites

Denny Hamlin (third selection this year) — Hamlin has been strong at Talladega lately, his last seven times at this track have yielded five finishes inside the top five.

William Byron (second selection this year) — After not much success at Talladega in 2019, Byron averaged an 11th place finish in 2020. He also has SEVEN CONSECUTIVE top 10 finishes right now.

High Risk/High Reward

Erik Jones (first selection this year) — Last year at Talladega, only ONE racer was a top three finisher in both races. That was Jones. That’s good enough for me.

Chris Buescher (third selection this year) — Buescher finished 6th here during the regular season last year. Additionally, he only has two finishes outside the top 20 this season.

The Dark Horse

Aric Almirola (third selection this year) — Almirola finished 6th last week and now he travels to Talladega where he has seven finishes inside the top 10 across his last eight times here.

Fun Fact: In 1973 20 cars were removed from the race across various accidents.

2021 Results
Favorite: Avg Finish 14th (35^th Percent)
High Risk/High Reward: Avg Finish 20^th (51^st Percent)
Dark Horse: Avg Finish 14^th (37^th Percent)