Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won at Talladega earlier this season, and he's optimistic about his chances for Sunday's playoff race at the Superspeedway.
Stenhouse needs a good performance if he wants to advance to the Round of 8, and he's won at both restrictor plate tracks this season at Talladega and Daytona. According to Motor Racing Network, he said he feels confident about his car's speed heading into the race.
"I'm not worried about the speed in our car," Stenhouse said. "The guys on the '17' team work hard on building our speedway cars and getting them prepared, so I feel good about that.
"If I can win two stages and get 20 points on Sunday, I could vault ahead of the cutoff line so I think the playoff points are beneficial, right now. You're gonna see at least 10 of us racing hard for that. How hard we race for those stage points is going to be key."
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A win would automatically move Stenhouse into the Round of 8; otherwise, he'll have to rely on points to advance.
Martin Truex Jr. is the only driver who has clinched a spot in the next round, so the other 11 drivers will likely be a bit more nervous heading into the race.
Most drivers have indicated how they believe anything can happen at Talladega. Stenhouse has to like his chances given his win earlier this year, but there's a reason Talladega is known as the ultimate wild card race.
(h/t Motor Racing Network)