by Steve Byrnes

Races at Talladega are mentally fatiguing. It's not as physically draining as Dover or Bristol, but it is a high-stress, high-speed, high-stakes challenge unlike any other.

If you are looking for favorites, look toward teammates that work well together like Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Throw Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the mix as he has proven to be a great restrictor-plate racer. But beyond that, it is absolutely wide open. Yeah, the Hendrick Motorsports guys listed earlier are good, but anything can happen at this track so it really is anybody's game. Don't forget, Michael Waltrip had a chance to win this race in May and blew up with a lap to go, so this truly is a wild card race.

Of course, with a race like this, the question always comes up, "Can you take a mulligan in the Chase?" I don't think you can have a bad race and go on to win the championship anymore. Sure, the three top title contenders — Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle — have put a little bit of distance between themselves and the rest of the field, but who's to say that all three of them will have a bad day? And if they do, a driver like Jeff Burton or Kevin Harvick could sneak up on them and take over. Plain and simple, nobody can plan on getting a mulligan, so to win the championship you will likely have to succeed, or at least survive, at Talladega this weekend.

The basics

Track length: 2.66-mile tri-oval
Banking in corners: 33 degrees
Banking in straights: 16.5 degrees (frontstretch); 2 degrees (backstretch)
Frontstretch: 4,300 feet
Backstretch: 4,000 feet
First Cup race: Sept. 14, 1969

Laps: 188 laps/500 miles
Defending polesitter: Michael Waltrip
Defending race winner: Jeff Gordon

The record book

Most poles: Bill Elliott (8); Active leader — Joe Nemechek (4)
Most wins: Dale Earnhardt (10); Active leader — Jeff Gordon (6)
Most top fives: Dale Earnhardt (23); Active leader — Jeff Gordon (13)
Most top 10s: Dale Earnhardt (27); Active leader — Kyle Petty (19)

Talladega fast facts