3 years agoRyan Blaney will start from the fifth position on Sunday afternoon. Blaney had a good car in practice and qualifying for Team Penske. Penske cars have not been the greatest on this track lately but consistently in the top ten at least. That is when it came to Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. It does seem that they lose some grip later in the race during that final 100 laps or so. This may happen again on Sunday but Blaney could stay close enough to the front and not lose a lot of track position late. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoChase Elliott only had the fourth quickest lap in qualifying on Saturday but his speed intervals indicated something was unexpected. His car, in practice, got faster as the laps ticked down. In his lap runs, the No. 9 car was a few tenths faster than his shorter jaunts. So, if he is gaining speed there, who is to say the Hendricks car isn't the most nimble on this track? Elliott nearly won the Spring race last year and any of these racers from Hendrick have to be looked at to potentially win the Monster Mile. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoIt is easy to see what Kyle Larson is favored at Dover. The "Monster Mile" was dominated by Hendrick Motorsports last Spring. That 1-2-3-4 sweep may prove not to be a fluke either this year. All four cars excelled here in testing and Larson qualified third on Saturday. Furthermore, the No. 5 car has led the most laps in the last three races as well (34.7% rate). That is a staggering amount of laps. With a dominant car, it comes down to positioning and pit strategy. Kyle Larson could easily win this race on Sunday given his history on long runs. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoDenny Hamlin did throw a jolt into the qualifying plans of some other racers with the second-best time on Saturday. At just over 22.5 seconds, the No. 11 car showed a little more speed than expected in the Next-Gen car. How does that translate into Sunday? There was something that concerned us with the Toyota. His 10-lap interval did not even break the 24-second mark. Can that be fixed? Sure. However, it is something to watch out for. A couple of the Toyota cars complained about lost speed last year in longer runs. Keep an eye on Hamlin.--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoChris Buescher turned in the fastest qualifying lap on Saturday at 22.479 seconds. It will be intriguing to see what happens during the Drydene 400 on Sunday from Dover. The "Monster Mile" is usually dominated by one of the cars in the front five to ten or so. So, can the RFK Racing driver turn this into an excellent result? The answer seems to be no as his practice laps did seem to slow (lost five MPH in smaller lap intervals alone). Again, with everyone behind him, it may not take long for him to lose the lead. See Martin Truex Jr. last year even. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoChase Elliott qualified 28th on Saturday at Talladega just behind fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman. It was an odd result but not totally uncommon. Elliott is another one of those few drivers that has three top-ten finishes in his last six events at Talladega. The 2.66-mile track with the unique tri-oval is a favorite of sorts for Elliott who won the Spring race in 2019. The No, 9 car will get faster and faster as the race goes on. Again, tandem drafting will play a big role and something Elliott thrives with. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoKevin Harvick tends to perform well enough at Talladega. He does have three top-ten results over his last six races. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver tends to make far better decisions on the track. He survives most carnage yet has just one top-five finish over the past three seasons. That was fourth in the Spring event. The No. 4 Ford even beginning 24th has to be watched. Harvick drafts very well late in runs on this 2.66-mile track. Again, the endgame is what it is all about. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com