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Who is hot and cold entering Talladega Cup race

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Team Penske is notoriously successful at Talladega, as Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski have won a combined six of the last eight Cup races at the southern track.

Outside the Charlotte Roval, arguably the biggest wild card of the Cup playoffs has arrived in the form of Talladega Superspeedway.

The Cup Series returns to the 2.66-mile speedway for its second race there of the season. It’s also the final restrictor-plate Cup race the track will host.

But it is Talladega, where a hot streak can end in a 20-car pileup and a streak can be born in an unexpected last-lap charge to the lead.

Here’s who is hot and cold entering Sunday’s 1000bulbs.com 500 (2 p.m. ET on NBC).

Who is Hot

Kevin Harvick
Dover
• Finished 6th at Dover (1st in Stage 1, 1st in Stage 2, 286 laps led); pit for a 2nd time on Lap 322 due to flat tire after valve stem got knocked off on Lap 321 stop
2018 Season- Very Good
• Finished in Top 10 in 11 of last 12 races, including 3 straight
• Finished in Top 5 in 3 of last 6 races
• Won 7 of last 29 races
• Thirty races in 2018: 25 top 10s (including 7 wins) & 5 finishes of 19th or worse
Talladega – Not Great
• Last 9 Talladega races: 5 top 10s and 4 finishes of 15th or worse (4th in April)
• Finished 20th in this race one year ago; DNF – started in the rear due to unapproved adjustments; collected in multi-car accident on Lap 172; collected in multi-car accident on Lap 178
Restrictor Plate Races - Bad
• Finished 19th or worse in 6 of last 7 restrictor-plate races

Chase Elliott
Dover
• Won at Dover (5th in Stage 1, 9th in Stage 2, 11 laps led); penalized for uncontrolled tire on Lap 122 while running 5th
• Advances to Round of 8 for 2nd straight season
2018 Season- Good
• Finished 6th or better in 3 straight races
• Finished in Top 10 in 9 of last 11 races
Talladega - Mixed
• 5 career Talladega starts: 2 Top 5s and 3 finishes of 12th or worse (3rd in April)
• DNF in two of the last three Talladega races
• Finished 16th in this race one year ago; DNF – penalized for pitting while pit road was closed on lap 26; contact with Daniel Suarez while battling for lead on Lap 183, collected Kyle Larson.
Restrictor Plate Races - Bad
• Finished 12th or worse in 9 of 11 career restrictor-plate races

Joey Logano
Dover
• Finished 3rd at Dover (2nd in Stage 1, 4th in Stage 2, 2 laps led); hit axle from Ross Chastain on Lap 339 while running 8th
2018 Season - Very Good
• Finished in Top 10 last two races and 6 of last 8
Talladega – So Good
• Won 3 of last 6 Talladega races (won in April)
• Finished top 5 in 4 of last 6 Talladega races
• Finished 4th in this race one year ago
• Team Penske has won the last 4 Fall Talladega races (Keselowski – 2 & Logano – 2)
Restrictor Plate Races - Good
• Finished top 10 in 9 of last 15 restrictor-plate races (4 wins)

Kurt Busch
Dover
• Finished 5th at Dover (8th in Stage 1, 6th in Stage 2)
2018 Season - Hot
• Finished 5th in back-to-back races
• Finished top 10 in 10 of last 12 races
Talladega - Hot
• Finished in top 10 in 6 of last 8 Talladega races (2nd in April)
• Finished 25th in this race one year ago; DNF – started in the rear due to unapproved adjustments; collected in multi-car accident on Lap 172
Restrictor Plate Races – Not Great
• Finished 25th or worse in 4 of last 5 restrictor-plate races (4 DNFs)

Who is Cold

Jimmie Johnson
Dover
• Finished 36th at Dover (38th in Stage 1, 38th in Stage 2); right front ball joint failed on pace laps and he to spend the first 10 laps in garage
2018 Season – below average
• Top 10 two of the last three races
• Only three top 10s in the last 10 races
• Currently on a 53-race winless streak (longest of career)
Talladega- Bad
• Finished 12th or worse in 5 of last 6 Talladega races (12th in April)
• Finished 24th in this race one year ago; DNF – collected in multi-car accident on lap 172 and parked by NASCAR after crew worked on car under red flag
Restrictor Plate Races - Bad
• One top 10 in the last 12 restrictor plate races, DNF three of the last four

Daniel Suárez
Dover

• Finished 10th at Dover (18th in Stage 1, 17th in Stage 2)
2018 Season - Slumping
• Last 4 races: 2 Top 10s and 2 finishes of 17th or worse
• Finished 11th or worse in 6 of last 8 races
Talladega - OK
• 3 career Talladega starts: 1 Top 10 and 2 finishes of 15th or worse (10th in April)
• Finished 15th in this race one year ago; DNF – contact with Chase Elliott while battling for lead on Lap 183, collected Kyle Larson
Restrictor Plate Races – Not good
• Finished 15th or worse in 6 of 7 career restrictor-plate starts

Paul Menard
Dover
• Finished 16th at Dover (16th in Stage 1, 22nd in Stage 2)
2018 Season - Bad
• Finished 16th or worse in 3 straight races
Talladega - Bad
• Finished 12th or worse in 4 of last 5 Talladega races (30th in April)
• Finished 12th in this race one year ago; penalized for pitting while pit road was closed on Lap 26; hit wall on Lap 51 while running 27th; slowed on Lap 171 after losing high gear while running 7th
Restrictor Plate Races- Good
• Finished top 10 in 4 of last 7 restrictor-plate races

William Byron
Dover
• Finished 19th at Dover (19th in Stage 1, 21st in Stage 2)
2018 Season - Bad
• Finished 19th or worse in 8 straight races
• Finished 12th or worse in 27 of 30 races this season
Talladega- Bad
• Finished 29th at Talladega in April, his only career start at the track
Restrictor Plate Races - Bad
• Finished 23rd or worse in 3 career restrictor-plate starts with 2 DNFs