The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Alabama's Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for the third drafting race of the 2023 campaign.
The season-opening Daytona 500 featured an upset winner in Ricky Stenhouse Jr., while Atlanta was dominated by reigning series champion Joey Logano.
Will we see another underdog capture a win, or will a seasoned veteran school the field this weekend? Here are four drivers to watch on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.
Joey Logano
It's no secret that Logano is among the premier drivers in the Cup Series on drafting tracks. Few have been as aggressive as Logano at gaining and maintaining the lead at Daytona, Talladega, and the new configuration of Atlanta.
Early in 2023, that prowess has shown up in the results column.
Logano was inches away from capturing his second Daytona 500 in February, foiled only by an untimely caution. He was then dominant at Atlanta, leading the most laps en route to taking his first checkered flag of the campaign.
The No. 22 team's success this season at the drafting ovals is a return to form after a dip in performance over the past two seasons. From the start of 2021 through the end of 2022, Logano had just one top-five finish in 10 races at drafting tracks. That lone top-five was a third-place run in the 2021 fall race at Talladega.
Logano will have plenty of confidence coming into the weekend with his second-place finish in the Daytona 500 and his win at Atlanta. Pair that with Ford's overall performance on drafting tracks in 2023, and the No. 22 Team Penske Ford will be among the top contenders on Sunday.
Ryan Blaney
You can't have a conversation about the best drafting drivers in NASCAR without bringing up Blaney.
Blaney leads the Cup Series in average finishing position at Daytona and Talladega since 2021. In the nine races at the two tracks, Blaney has racked up a win, three top-fives, and five top-10s - all tied for the most in the Cup Series over that span.
He's finished inside the top 15 in each of the past eight superspeedway races. No matter how much calamity ensues, Blaney has consistently found a way to be there at the finish.
Blaney hasn't won a points race since his triumph in the summer Daytona race in 2021. As always, when we head to a superspeedway, Blaney will have a legitimate shot to snap the winless streak on Sunday.
Brad Keselowski
We're coming up on two years since Keselowski's most recent Cup Series win, which came at Talladega in 2021.
It hasn't been the smoothest transition to ownership for Keselowski over the past year and a half, but the results are starting to come. He's already matched his total top-fives from 2022 and is halfway to reaching his total top-10s through just nine races.
Most notably, RFK Racing has become a legitimate threat at drafting ovals.
Keselowski led the most laps at the 2023 Daytona 500, with teammate Chris Buescher leading the second most. If not for a flurry of late cautions, the RFK duo were a near lock for top-fives and a serious shot at the victory.
At Atlanta, Keselowski narrowly finished second after dueling with ex-teammate Logano for much of the afternoon. His 47 laps led were second behind Logano.
It's easy to forget that Keselowski is tied for second all time in wins at Talladega, alongside Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. with six. There's a very real chance Keselowski goes to victory lane for the first time with RFK Racing this weekend.
Ross Chastain
Chastain has earned his reputation as an incredibly aggressive driver that toes the limit. It's also earned him some very strong results.
Chastain was victorious at Talladega this time in 2022 and followed that up with a fourth-place finish in the fall race at the venue. He was also superb at Atlanta in 2022, finishing second in both races at the newly configured track.
That hasn't quite translated early this season, with Chastain finishing ninth in the Daytona 500 and 13th at Atlanta.
Despite finishing second in the standings last year, this weekend marks a full year since Chastain last went to victory lane. His consistent strong finishes have put him in good positions throughout the 2022 playoffs and early in 2023, but Trackhouse Racing will be itching to taste victory once again.
Don't sleep on Chastain this Sunday at Talladega.
Statistics from Racing Reference.
