After taking a week off for the Easter holiday, the Critical Path Security 6 Drivers to Watch returns with Talladega on deck. The Cup Series is also returning from a Easter holiday break; the lone off weekend for the Cup teams this year. Meanwhile, the Xfinity Series returned to Rockingham for the first time since 2004. Now, attention shifts to Talladega Superspeedway. The third drafting style track this season for both series, every driver will look to survive until the end. Who will be able to avoid the big one(s) before the finish? However, the more important question might be will either race finish under green or without a green-white-checkered finish?
Superspeedway racing at the Cup level has been under severe scrutiny in the NextGen era. At first, the consistent pack racing was exciting to watch as the usual single-file train around the top went away. However, fans quickly learned that the 3-wide action was a fuel saving ploy rather than aggressive driving. When the Cup drivers try to run full throttle, the aero makes it incredibly difficult to build runs or make passes. Essentially, Talladega (and Daytona) has boiled down to track position during the final stretch. The racing boils down to fuel saving and correctly timing the green flag stop. Hopefully, this weekend will offer more than that for the Cup driver. If not, the Xfinity Series should again steal the show.
Jack Link’s 500
Joey Logano
Thus far, 2025 has been the inverse for how Joey Logano’s recent seasons have been. Usually, Logano (pre-playoffs) runs sluggish throughout a race then inevitably winds up near the front. Whether it is strategy or luck with cautions, Logano had been granted a golden horseshoe. However, that has not been the case this year. Although Logano sits 9th in points, he has only accumulated a single Top-10 this year. He set the record for most races without a Top-10 by a reigning champion. Yet, the 22 team has been vastly improved in terms of performance this year. Logano’s rotten luck is the primary culprit for his lowly stat sheet.
Coming off the Easter break, Joey Logano will look to start a streak of consistent positive results at Talladega. With Talladega, success for Logano will certainly arrive one way or another. Either he will rack up stage points to again be undermined by late race incidents or the 22 will bring it home with a solid finish. Those options feel inevitable with Logano on a drafting style track. However, recent ‘Dega history has not been kind to the Penske driver. In his 6 Gen7 starts at the superspeedway, Logano has failed to finish better than 19th. More worrisome, Logano has only scored more than 20 points twice.
William Byron
William Byron heads to Talladega as the points leader after the Easter break. Since claiming his second straight Daytona 500, Byron has yet to revisit victory lane. This weekend might be the track where that changes. Through 20 races of the Gen7 superspeedway experience, Byron is the most successful driver. Along with his 2 Daytona 500 wins, the 24 team has also conquered Atlanta twice for 4 total superspeedway wins. Although he has yet to win at Talladega, Byron has been strong at this superspeedway as well. Through the first 6 Gen7 races in Alabama, the 24 has finished no worse than 15th with 4 straight Top-10s.
Whether you want to argue Byron’s success at superspeedways has been luck based or not, the Hendrick driver knows how (and when) to position his car in the right spot when it matters. Especially at Talladega, where Byron usually rides in the front row or pushing the lead car in his line on the white flag lap. This weekend should be no different. Obviously, the usual adage of avoiding the big one carries a lion’s share of the weight for success. Yet, Byron has done a masterful job of keeping his car clean at superspeedways. Barring an unexpected early exit, Byron should be a factor for the win in the Jack Link’s 500.
Justin Haley
Usually, Justin Haley features more frequently heading into superspeedway race weekends as a popular underdog driver. However, this week is a bit different. On Wednesday, Spire Motorsports officially announced that veteran crew chief Rodney Childers would be leaving the organization. Childers, who was a prized silly season acquisition for Spire last year, departs from the 7 team after 9 races. Though the reporting and official statement say this was a mutual parting, it feels that Spire decided that the dynamic was not working and cut bait early. Ironically, Childers’ departure comes after Haley’s best race this season at Bristol. Now, Ryan Sparks will return to the 7 team’s pit box, starting this weekend at Talladega.
Obviously, the Childers’ news dominates the attention for Justin Haley at this time. However, it would be unwise to overlook the young driver. Talladega is the right track to help Haley, the 7 team, and Spire Motorsports move past this news cycle. Last fall, Haley took the 7 car to a Top-10 finish in his first superspeedway back with the team. While his previous 2025 drafting track results have been mediocre, Talladega usually yields Haley solid results. In his 10 career starts, Haley has finished inside the Top-20 all but 3 times. Haley will certainly be one to watch this weekend, both for the crew chief swap and a potential dark horse winner.
AG-Pro 300
Austin Hill
Is it a superspeedway weekend? Yes. Is Austin Hill driving for Richard Childress Racing still? Also yes. Which means you know who is the top driver to watch this Saturday in Alabama. Austin Hill has mastered the draft in the Xfinity Series. There is no one who compares to Hill’s skill at working through the field and leading the pack. Sure, he might make some moves from the lead that would make Joey Logano blush. However, the results speak for themselves thus far; expect for Talladega Superspeedway. While Hill has been a savant at Daytona and Atlanta, Talladega has given him struggles. Through 6 Xfinity starts, Hill has yet to finish inside the Top-10.
Outside of his Talladega debut in 2020, Austin Hill still flashes that superspeedway talent at Talladega. He has led double digit laps in each race behind the wheel of the 21. Plus, he has won 4 stages in those 5 races. However, Hill usually finds himself in a wreck or getting shuffled out of the lead. While he remains the leading force at the other superspeedways, Talladega has yet to be so kind. That said, it feels inevitable that Hill will add a Talladega trophy to his collection. Jesse Love won the spring race last year, which continued RCR’s stranglehold on the drafting tracks. Heading into the AG-Pro 300, will it be RCR versus the field?
Jeb Burton
If you are inclined to pick the field against the RCR duo, then maybe take a gander at Jeb Burton. The 2-time Talladega winner certainly should be one of the favorites for this weekend’s AG-Pro 300. In addition to his 2 wins, Burton holds an impressive 8.6 average finish at the Alabama track. Through 9 starts, Burton’s worst finish is 17th, which he accomplished twice. Since his last 17th in 2022, Burton is on a streak of 3 straight Top-10s. Clearly, Burton has found something at Talladega that has served him well thus well.
On top of his Talladega history, Jeb Burton is on pace to match his career best season from 2021. Back then, Burton drove for the powerhouse version of Kaulig Racing. That year, Burton averaged a 13.6 finish with 7 Top-5s and 16 Top-10s. Statistically, Burton is not on pace to match those numbers. However, he currently sits 11th in points while driving for a second tier Xfinity team. The key to the early season success has been stage points. Through 10 races, Burton has racked up 36 stage points. Although the early success is great, Burton and the 27 team surely would like a win to secure their spot in the playoffs. Talladega is their best crack at it.
Jeffrey Earnhardt
For the first time this season, Jeffrey Earnhardt will be racing in the Xfinity Series. This will be his first start since last year’s season finale at Phoenix. Again racing for Sam Hunt Racing, this weekend will see Earnhardt behind the wheel of the 24 car. Last year, Earnhardt found minimal success in his 6 starts with SHR. Despite some strong qualifying runs, misfortunes usually hit the team. After scoring a Top-10 in his first race at Atlanta, Earnhardt would fail to finish on the lead lap in 4 of his next 5 starts. With an average starting position of 19.8, 3 DNFs to go with that single Top-10 certainly was disappointing.
Looking ahead to this weekend, obviously the name Earnhardt at Talladega will bring some attention. For Jeffrey Earnhardt, his most notable appearance at Talladega came in 2023 when RCR brought a third entry. With Larry McReynolds as crew chief, Earnhardt qualified on pole and finished second. However, that is Earnhardt’s lone Talladega success story. In his other 12 starts at the track, he has failed to crack the Top-10. This includes his DNF last year with SHR after his engine spoiled. For this weekend, it will be great to see Jeffrey Earnhardt back at the track. Hopefully, his luck works out better this weekend than essentially all of his 2024.
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