NASCAR Cup Series

CAMRY CHASERS: All three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers are in the top-10 in points as the final race in the 'Contender' round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship approaches this weekend at Alabama's Talladega Superspeedway.

Wood Brothers Racing and its driver, Trevor Bayne, expect the famed No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion to be running toward the front of the pack all day in the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, Oct. 19.

Will it be a morale booster or a morale buster? That’s the $64,000 question for 43 of the best stock car drivers as they approach Sunday’s Geico 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Assuming Trevor Bayne successfully qualifies the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, Sunday’s GEICO 500 will mark the Wood Brothers’ 400th start on a Sprint Cup speedway two miles in length or longer.

Close quarters, full-contact action is something mixed martial arts star Miesha Tate does every time she steps into the octagon. Martinsville Speedway is also no stranger to close quarters, full-contact action. The two will come together when the Sprint Cup Series returns to the iconic half-mile track on Oct. 26.

The excitement of the newly reformatted Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup reached a new level Saturday evening at Charlotte Motor Speedway as emotions proved volatile amongst championship contenders.

“I’m really looking forward to Talladega this weekend. We almost had it won earlier this year and I hope to be in a similar position this time around. Hopefully we can stay up front and out of any trouble on the track and get our first win of the season.”

I’ve always said that Charlotte Motor Speedway is the crown palace of NASCAR. The track sits in the sleepy town of Concord, NC (some say it’s closer to Harrisburg, but locals say Concord), and has plenty of camping and lots of trams and golf carts to get you around the 1.5-mile racetrack in quick order.

The final race in the ‘Contender’ round portion of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will take place this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, the sixth race in the final 10-race run for the series title. The 188-lap contest at the 2.66-mile track, the longest on the NASCAR tour, is famous for its unique nature, its close racing quarters and uncertainties of the draft.

On edge: “Our last race there, we finished fifth,” Allmendinger said. “Basically, I went with the strategy that if I was up front, I tried to stay up front. If I got shuffled to the middle, I just bailed out and went to the back. Honestly, I don’t think there is going to be a right or wrong. I think a lot of guys will be on edge. For those guys trying to make it to the next round in the Chase, it’s going to be real edgy. So, you’ve got to do what feels best at that time - in the moment. If we can get up front, I’ll run up front. If not, I’ll to try to ride around for a while until it's time to go.”