YellaWood 500 Preview and Best Bet
NASCAR Cup Series: YellaWood 500
Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 2 p.m. ET (NBC) at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama
Playoff Update
Right now, we are in a pivotal spot in the NASCAR Cup Series palyoffs.
We are situated in the Round of 12, specifically the middle race of this round. There are three races in total in the Round of 12 and this is the second one.
The first race of the Round of 12, which took place on Sunday, was won by Denny Hamlin. By winning the race, he clinched his spot in the next round.
Because Hamlin has less reason and therefore less motivation to perform well this Sunday, we will discount him from betting consideration.
There are still a lot of other drivers who will have more incentive and be more motivated on Saturday. Therefore, these other drivers will be more worth investing in.
Race Info
For Sunday's race event, drivers must complete a total of 188 laps.
As has been the case for nearly every race this season, there will be three stages for this event.
Stage 1 will end upon completion of the 60th lap. Stage 2 also requires drivers to complete 60 laps. Stage 3 consists in the remaining 68 laps.
An entry list is reliably posted at the start of every week for the upcoming race.
The starting lineup is something you should look out for on Wednesday morning.
Because drivers are quite familiar, historically, with the track that they will be competing on, there is no practice session or qualifying for this race.
Instead, NASCAR relies on its usual predetermined formula in order to establish the starting lineup.
Track Info
Talladega Superspeedway is one of NASCAR's most famous tracks, if not its most famous one.
It is know for high speeds, close racing, and big crashes. Watching this race can create a perception of chaos.
Without going too much into science, the close racing actually facilitates the higher speeds that Talladega is known for. This is because of what is called "drafting" in aerodynamics.
This track is big: it is 2.66 miles long. No other track in NASCAR requires as much distance to be completed per lap, but this greater distance provides more opportunities for drivers to accumulate higher speeds.
So in completing 188 laps, drivers will have amassed 500 miles.
At Talladega, the banking is extremely high, which helps explain why the speeds are so notoriously fast because drivers will use higher banking to corral momentum for their cars.
Turns 1 and 2 are both banked at 33 degrees. Turn 3 is banked at 32.4 degrees and Turn 4 is banked at 32.5 degrees. The tri-oval is banked at 16.5 degrees. Finally, the back straightaway is banked at three degrees.
Drivers To Avoid
Not every driver is equipped to handle the unique conditions at Talladega.
One guy who regularly struggles at this track is Kyle Busch.
In his last four tries at Talladega, he has finished 19th, 32nd, 27th, and 18th, respectively.
His average finishing position here is an awful 20.78.
Drivers -- and bettors, too -- speak of chaos reigning at Talladega. But yet, there is not so much chaos as to prevent the accumulation of consistent results, and that's why we can make informed betting decisions like avoiding any form of investment in Kyle Busch.
My Guy
I recommend investing in Joey Logano. While his last two finishes look unattractive, they both came as the result of accidents, which do happen at Talladega.
However, his driver rating at this track is easily the best out of any other active competitor's.
His average finishing position here is 17.52 despite those recent accidents and a slew of bad races earlier in his career.
More recently, he finished top-five in four straight races in 2017 to 2019.
For the above reasons, expect another strong effort out of Logano here.
Best Bet: Logano Top 5 Finish at +195 with Bovada
NASCAR Cup Series: YellaWood 500
Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 2 p.m. ET (NBC) at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama
Playoff Update
Right now, we are in a pivotal spot in the NASCAR Cup Series palyoffs.
We are situated in the Round of 12, specifically the middle race of this round. There are three races in total in the Round of 12 and this is the second one.
The first race of the Round of 12, which took place on Sunday, was won by Denny Hamlin. By winning the race, he clinched his spot in the next round.
Because Hamlin has less reason and therefore less motivation to perform well this Sunday, we will discount him from betting consideration.
There are still a lot of other drivers who will have more incentive and be more motivated on Saturday. Therefore, these other drivers will be more worth investing in.
Race Info
For Sunday's race event, drivers must complete a total of 188 laps.
As has been the case for nearly every race this season, there will be three stages for this event.
Stage 1 will end upon completion of the 60th lap. Stage 2 also requires drivers to complete 60 laps. Stage 3 consists in the remaining 68 laps.
An entry list is reliably posted at the start of every week for the upcoming race.
The starting lineup is something you should look out for on Wednesday morning.
Because drivers are quite familiar, historically, with the track that they will be competing on, there is no practice session or qualifying for this race.
Instead, NASCAR relies on its usual predetermined formula in order to establish the starting lineup.
Track Info
Talladega Superspeedway is one of NASCAR's most famous tracks, if not its most famous one.
It is know for high speeds, close racing, and big crashes. Watching this race can create a perception of chaos.
Without going too much into science, the close racing actually facilitates the higher speeds that Talladega is known for. This is because of what is called "drafting" in aerodynamics.
This track is big: it is 2.66 miles long. No other track in NASCAR requires as much distance to be completed per lap, but this greater distance provides more opportunities for drivers to accumulate higher speeds.
So in completing 188 laps, drivers will have amassed 500 miles.
At Talladega, the banking is extremely high, which helps explain why the speeds are so notoriously fast because drivers will use higher banking to corral momentum for their cars.
Turns 1 and 2 are both banked at 33 degrees. Turn 3 is banked at 32.4 degrees and Turn 4 is banked at 32.5 degrees. The tri-oval is banked at 16.5 degrees. Finally, the back straightaway is banked at three degrees.
Drivers To Avoid
Not every driver is equipped to handle the unique conditions at Talladega.
One guy who regularly struggles at this track is Kyle Busch.
In his last four tries at Talladega, he has finished 19th, 32nd, 27th, and 18th, respectively.
His average finishing position here is an awful 20.78.
Drivers -- and bettors, too -- speak of chaos reigning at Talladega. But yet, there is not so much chaos as to prevent the accumulation of consistent results, and that's why we can make informed betting decisions like avoiding any form of investment in Kyle Busch.
My Guy
I recommend investing in Joey Logano. While his last two finishes look unattractive, they both came as the result of accidents, which do happen at Talladega.
However, his driver rating at this track is easily the best out of any other active competitor's.
His average finishing position here is 17.52 despite those recent accidents and a slew of bad races earlier in his career.
More recently, he finished top-five in four straight races in 2017 to 2019.
For the above reasons, expect another strong effort out of Logano here.
Best Bet: Logano Top 5 Finish at +195 with Bovada
