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We can put the tire-induced wreck fest at Texas behind us as it is time for the NASCAR Cup Series to take on Talladega for the Yellawood 500 on Sunday. After last week’s crazy race at Texas, including the tire situation, you would hope for a break in intensity. That’s probably not going to happen this weekend as Talladega is known for “the Big One” which is what fans call wrecks at the 2.5-mile Superspeedway.
Talladega is considered to be a track where anyone can win due to the quick lead changes, cautions, and shakeups towards the end of the race… and the “Big One” which is what fans call Talladega wrecks! Those ‘Dega wrecks are often termed as being the “Big One” by race fans and broadcasters. They can shuffle a field fast and collect a bunch of cars. That adds to the idea that any driver, even a smaller team, can win the race. Oddsmakers don’t see it that way this week. They are going with a tight group of favorites starting with Ryan Blaney and four other drivers that are all coming in at +1200.
Here are the favorite drivers to win the Yellawood 500 outright:
Ryan Blaney +1200
Joey Logano +1200
Denny Hamlin +1200
Chase Elliott +1200
One name that’s not among those coming in +1200 is Ross Chastain and he’s the defending track winner after taking the Talladega checkered flag this spring. One reason might be that Chastain has cooled off a bit after a blistering start to the season. Also, he only led one lap during his win here earlier this season. Still, Chastain comes in at +1600 and he was in a position to take the win at the end so don’t count him out.
In all, there are nine former Cup Series Talledega winners in the field for this race and that does not include drivers with wins in the Xfinity Series, Camping World Truck Series, or ARCA Menards Series. Talladega may offer more opportunity for “long shots” but it seems the top drivers manage to regularly find a way to win. This week there is value deep down the favorites list!
2022 Yellawood 500 Race Preview
Date: Sunday, October 2, 2022, 2:00 pm EST
Track: Talladega Superspeedway – Lincoln, AL
Type: Tri-Oval Superspeedway, Asphalt, 2.66 miles
Race Distance: 188 laps, 500.08 miles.
Defending Track Winner: Ross Chastain (Fall Race)
TV/Radio: NBC/Peacock/SiriusXM/MRN & Local affiliates
2022 Yellawood 500 Predictions
Ryan Blaney +1200
Ryan Blaney has two wins in the Cup Series at Talladega. They came back-to-back when he won the fall race at the track in 2019 and the spring race in 2020. Earlier this season he finished 11th after leading 23 laps and being towards the front for much of the week. Blaney always seems to run well on superspeedways and he would love a win as he’s not logged one this season. He’s currently 4th in the playoff standings due to his consistent finishes and ability to collect stage points.
Joey Logano +1200
Joey Logano has quietly moved to the top of the Playoff points standings following several great runs, and like Blaney, being able to grab stage points. Logano has won at Talladega three times with eleven finishes of 10th or better. Penske seems to always be dialed in when it comes to Talladega so you can’t count any of his teammates out either. At the last ‘Dega earlier this season, he finished 32nd after being caught up in a “big one” style wreck.
Bubba Wallace +1600
Bubba Wallace put himself into a position to win at Talladega Superspeedway last year to claim the win. He also pulled off a dominating win at Kansas a few weeks ago. Both of his Cup Series wins have come on tracks of 1.5 and 2.5 miles long and he’s finished inside the top ten 18 times on these types of tracks. and there is no question that he’s comfortable on the high-speed superspeedways. Wallace has been strong down the stretch so far and is returning to a track that he runs well on.
Others to Consider: I want to go with Denny Hamlin (+1200) as he’s probably one of the best full-time active Talladega drivers. But he’s a bit off from week to week. He’s now 5th in the Playoff point standings. Aric Almirola (+2800) has finished 10th or better in six of his last ten Talledega starts and that includes a win.
2022 Yellawood 500 Betting Lines
Ryan Blaney +1200
Joey Logano +1200
Denny Hamlin +1200
Chase Elliott +1200
William Byron +1400
Kyle Larson +1400
Tyler Reddick +1600
Ross Chastain +1600
Austin Cindric +1600
Bubba Wallace +1600
Kyle Busch +1800
Christopher Bell +1800
Brad Keselowski +1800
Kevin Harvick +2000
Martin Truex Jr +2200
Alex Bowman +2200
Austin Dillon +2200
Daniel Suarez +2500
Chris Buescher +2500
Aric Almirola +2800
Erik Jones +3300
Chase Briscoe +3300
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +3500
Michael McDowell +3500
Ty Gibbs +4500
Justin Haley +5000
Cole Custer +7500
Noah Gragson +9000
Corey Lajoie +10000
Daniel Hemric +10000
Ty Dillon +15000
Todd Gilliland +15000
Harrison Burton +15000
Landon Cassill +30000
J.J. Yeley +30000
Cody Ware +30000
BJ McLeod +30000
