We’re 12 races into the 2020 season and so far we’ve had seven different winners. That means there’s nine open spots for the playoffs and 14 races left to settle it. But, as thing are shaping up, the playoff bubble is distancing itself and really coming down to just a handful of guys for it. Maybe Talladega is just what we needed to give the playoff race a bit of a spark.

As we sit here today, all three Penske drivers as well as their alliance with the Wood Brothers car, all four Hendrick cars, three of the four Gibbs drivers and three of the four SHR cars make up 14 of the 16 driver playoff grid. Then, throw in Kurt Busch (Ganassi) and Austin Dillon (RCR) and there’s your current field.

But, with Tyler Reddick (RCR) only two points out, and Erik Jones (JGR) being eight points behind, they’re really the last legitimate drivers who can race their ways in on points. Chris Buescher is 19th, 48 points out. Bubba Wallace and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are 50 and 63 points back themselves.

That’s why Talladega could be a place to shake this whole thing up.

6 of the last 11 superspeedway race winners in Cup competition have earned either their first or second career victories in them. But, 4 of the last 6 at Talladega and 5 of the last 7 at Daytona, saw drivers won their first or second superspeedway race on them too. That certainly opens up a chance to see someone not in the playoffs right now winning.

Buescher in a Roush Fenway Racing car could certainly win. Stenhouse Jr. won twice in this car on superspeedways and had three top 10 finishes in his last four starts at Talladega in it. Then, for the reasons just stated, Stenhouse has to be a factor. Plus, he won the pole for the season opening Daytona 500 and had arguably the fastest car during Speedweeks anyways.

Wallace has usually pretty good at superspeedways. Michael McDowell is too. He finished fifth in last year’s Daytona 500 as well as fifth in last year’s Talladega playoff race.

Ty Dillon was sixth and fourth respectively at Daytona in 2019. He was 17th and 10th at Talladega too. In fact, in six Talladega starts, he’s finished outside the top 15 just once.

In the last four superspeedway starts for Corey LaJoie, he hasn’t finished worst than 11th. In fact, he was 11th in this very race last year and seventh in the fall event. In the season opening Daytona 500, LaJoie brought his No. 32 Ford home eighth.

Next, you have Ryan Newman who nearly won the Daytona 500 before suffering that frightening crash. He also almost won at Talladega too when he finished runner-up to Ryan Blaney.

Matt Kenseth will be making his first superspeedway start since Talladega in 2017. He’s in a Ganassi car and can steal a win and alter this entire thing too.

Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and others haven’t exactly fared well at Talladega lately. This certainly opens the doors for a new winner.