Talladega Notebook

Talladega Notebook

- Top-10 qualifying effort puts Austin Dillon in strong position for Sunday

- Roush Fenway drivers invade top 12 in qualifying

- Short strokes

October 22, 2016

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

TOP-10 QUALIFYING EFFORT PUTS AUSTIN DILLON IN STRONG POSITION FOR SUNDAY

TALLADEGA, Ala.— Perhaps more than any other driver in Sunday’s Hellman’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Austin Dillon will have to walk a tightrope.

Tied for eighth with Joey Logano in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, Dillon needs a strong finish to advance to the Round of 8, but he can’t afford a reckless move that could sacrifice his position in the points.

Dillon got off to a good start on Saturday, advancing to the second round of knockout qualifying and earning the ninth starting position for Sunday's elimination race in the Round of 12 (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN).

“I think it was a good run,” Dillon said after time trials. “We can do it from there. We had good speed, and hopefully it shows tomorrow in the race.”

Dillon, however, didn’t spend much time in the draft during Friday’s practice sessions. How his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet will perform in race trim remains to be seen.

“I really didn’t draft much,” he said. “It’s kind of going to be one of those things where we get out there and just feel it and see how it goes.”

But starting up front should help, even if qualifying is perhaps less important at superspeedways than it is at open-motor tracks.

“I think it does mean something, because pit selection is big, and also starting up front, so if there’s a wreck early, you’re kind of in front of it. I like being up front.”

That’s an appropriate mind-set, because Dillon needs to be near the front at the end of Sunday’s race as well as at the start. But Dillon has been there before. The grandson of team owner Richard Childress started second and finished third at Talladega in May.

ROUSH FENWAY DRIVERS INVADE TOP 12 IN QUALIFYING

Collectively, Roush Fenway Racing turned in an admirable performance during Saturday’s time trials, putting all three of its full-time Fords in the top 11 on the grid.

Greg Biffle led the RFR qualifying effort with a fifth-place effort, followed closely by teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the No. 17 Fusion. Trevor Bayne was 11th in the No. 6 Ford.

“Our speedway qualifying has been really good the last couple of years,” Stenhouse said. “It’s really cool to see all of the hard work that the guys put in at the shop and Doug (Yates) with the engines pay off. 

“A lot of effort goes into trying to qualify well here, because anytime you can qualify well here, it generally means you have a better drafting race car. I’m happy with our top-10 start. We’ll get a good pit stall selection and hopefully we’ll be able to keep our track position all day.”

Two of Stenhouse’s six career top-five finishes have come at restrictor-plate tracks. Bayne picked up his only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in the 2011 Daytona 500.

SHORT STROKES

The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth all were pulled from the grid before qualifying when NASCAR inspectors noticed irregularities with the rear deck lid. The issues were corrected, and Kenseth subsequently qualified third, Hamlin eighth and Busch 14th. ... Reed Sorenson made the final 12 in qualifying with the fastest lap of the day in his No. 55 Jay Robinson-owned Toyota, covering the 2.66-mile distance in 49.324 seconds (194.145 mph). But on his money lap in the final round, Sorenson slowed to 188.300 mph, qualifying 12th with a speed that would have placed him 35th in the first round. ... Ryan Reed, who suffers from Type 1 diabetes, will make his first Sprint Cup start after qualifying a creditable 18th in the No. 99 Roush Fenway Ford.

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