Waiting For The Big Wreck

It's not a question of if but when the big wreck will happen.
That's the statement usually said when NASCAR rolls into Talladega. It's the result of restrictor plate racing which is one of the many races I love to watch.
For one reason, you never know who is going to win this race. The dominant driver may get shuffled out of the draft or the outside line might gang up and push a driver to the lead.
For example, Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500 last February because he got a good push by his teammate Kurt Busch. Newman didn't lead many laps that day but he led the most important lap - the last one.
The thing is every team at a restrictor plate race has a chance to win. The usual suspect will of course be teams from Hendricks (Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Casey Mears), Gibbs (Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch), Childress (Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer), Rousch (Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray and David Ragan), Penske (Newman, Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish Jr.) and DEI (Martin Truex Jr., Mark Martin and Paul Menard).
These teams seem to run real good there. But don't be surprised to see drivers like Kasey Kahne and Michael Waltrip get up to the front and make some noise before the race is over.
I'm leaning to Earnhardt to get his first win with his new team. Just like his late father, Junior knows how to race on restrictor plate races and it's been a while since he's won a points race. So he's way past due.
Earnhardt won the Bud Shootout in Daytona this year and made some noise during the 500. Stewart made a lot of noise at the Daytona 500 and was in fact leading the race with one lap to go. Stewart has learned a lot about restrictor plate racing and should be up at the front challenging for the win.
Of course that's if they make it that far. Talladega is known for having at least one big wreck. After all, they are usually 43 cars racing within inches and seconds of each other.
The one thing about it, these type of races usually has me on the edge of my couch when it comes to the last 20 or so laps. But it's the last lap that may have the most action in it.
So, this Sunday, sit down and strap yourself in for a wild ride.