Drivers to watch in NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega

After a weekend of unknowns on dirt, NASCAR returns to the high banks of Talladega Superspeedway this week.

Superspeedway racing can be unpredictable, but some drivers excel more than others in the full-throttle, fast-paced packs typically featured at Talladega and Daytona.

Here’s who could be in the mix Sunday (3 p.m. ET, Fox) in Alabama:

Ryan Blaney

Blaney may not be Team Penske’s most recent Talladega winner, but the No. 12 Ford has shown recent excellence at the Alabama superspeedway.

Blaney has won two of the last five races at Talladega. He’s also led in eight of the last 11 races there. His success across superspeedways has been impressive, notching three top-10 finishes in the last four such races, including a win at Daytona in August 2021.

Team Penske has combined to win eight of the last 13 races at Talladega. Considering the speed shown by Fords in February’s Daytona 500 — won by Penske driver Austin Cindric with help from Blaney — the No. 12 Ford is almost a guaranteed sight toward the front of this weekend’s field.

Bubba Wallace

Wallace enters Talladega as the track’s most recent Cup Series winner, leading the field when a caution fell at Lap 117 for Ryan Preece‘s crash in Turn 3. Rain followed and ended the race prematurely.

Wallace has been stout at both Daytona and Talladega. He has finished inside the top two in each of the last three superspeedway events. Another result like that this week could land him in esteemed company as just the fifth driver to accomplish that feat.

Since finishing second at Daytona this year, Wallace has struggled to find success with just three top-20 finishes in the following eight races. But Wallace has led laps in six of his eight Talladega starts and won Stage 2 in each of