When anyone is speaking about someone being the best of the best at something, they’re often deemed the ‘King’ of the particular subject. For example, NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins with 200 and his next closest competitor is 95 behind him (David Pearson at 105). Rightfully so, he was nicknamed ‘The King’. But who are the kings of Talladega Superspeedway?
The three drivers that have won the most at Talladega Superspeedway all-time are NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt (10 wins: 1983, 1984, 1990 sweep, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1999 sweep, 2000), Jeff Gordon (six win: 1996, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2007 sweep) and the soon-to-be-inducted Dale Earnhardt Jr. (six wins: 2001, 2002 sweep, 2003, 2004, 2015). Earnhardt Jr. holds the record for most consecutive wins at the 2.66-mile track, winning four straight from the fall of 2001 to the spring of 2003.
This weekend, Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski has the opportunity to etch his name alongside the names of some of Talladega’s royalty. With five wins under his belt, Keselowski can tie Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon for second-most wins all-time in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway with six victories.
Keselowski has made 22 series starts at Talladega posting five wins (2009, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017), seven top fives and 11 top 10s. He finished 13th in this race last season.
NASCAR Cup Series | |
Talladega Active Race Winners | |
Active Race Winners (12) | Wins |
Brad Keselowski | 5 |
Joey Logano | 3 |
Clint Bowyer | 2 |
Jimmie Johnson | 2 |
Aric Almirola | 1 |
Chase Elliott | 1 |
Denny Hamlin | 1 |
Kevin Harvick | 1 |
Kyle Busch | 1 |
Matt Kenseth | 1 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 1 |
Ryan Blaney | 1 |