With this weekend’s annual stop to the Talladega Superspeedway, it got me thinking, who are the best restrictor plate races in NASCAR today. Yes, I know that they’re not racing restrictor plates this weekend for Sunday’s GEICO 500 (2 p.m. ET/FOX/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) but if this race is run a lot like the previous races, then the usual suspects will be found up top.

So, who are those usual suspects?

Lets rank them.

5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 

I know he only has two wins in his career, but both have been on plate tracks and both were in the last two years. Stenhouse, has 11 top 10 finishes in his last 20 plate starts to go along with eight top 10’s since July 2016 alone. Granted, the Clash and Duels are included in that.

But, Stenhouse is aggressive and has the skill set to contend each year at both Daytona and Talladega. That’s why he’s on this list.

4. Aric Almirola

Some may call this shocking too, but why not? Almirola, won the fall race at Talladega last year and has been stellar on plate tracks recently too. Since the Fall of 2016, the Florida native has nine top 10 finishes in 13 tries.

In points paying races, he has five straight top eight finishes in Talladega. He should have won last year’s Daytona 500 as he was crashed while leading a 1/2 a lap away from the finish line.

Almirola, is arguably one of the best in NASCAR right now.

3. Denny Hamlin

You can’t leave a two-time Daytona 500 champion off this list. Overall, Hamlin has three wins in points paying plate races including 15 top 10 finishes in his last 25 starts on them.

Since the Fall of 2017, Hamlin has seven top 10 finishes in 10 tries.

He’s won nine races overall on plate tracks (2 Daytona 500’s, 1 spring race at Talladega, 3 Duels wins and 3 Clash victories).

2. Brad Keselowski

He was once anointed king when he won the fall race at Talladega in 2017. Really, it throne was handed to him that race as it was Dale Earnhardt Jr’s final plate race. But, I have him as No. 2 instead.

Keselowski, has six points paying restrictor plate wins, five of those have been at Talladega. If you include his 2018 Clash win, that’s seven points paying victories.

But, he has zero top 10 finishes in his last eight plate starts and was only 33rd and 27th respectively last year in Talladega. He struggled in Daytona back in February, so I bumped him down a spot.

1. Joey Logano

The defending Cup Series champion has really been the best driver in the Cup Series on plate tracks. Logano, has four points paying plate wins overall, third most among active drivers. But, he’s done so in far less starts than Keselowski and Hamlin.

Logano, has 15 top five finishes in his last 22 plate starts including five wins and four runner-up’s. That’s Clash and Duels included.

Since the 2017 fall race in Talladega, Logano has nine top five finishes in his last 10 tries.

He’s the best right now.