By Jared Turner

Martin Truex Jr. has accomplished virtually everything else this year, so why not add a restrictor-plate victory to his crowded 2017 resume?

A four-time Talladega winner, Brad Keselowski has been NASCAR’s most consistent restrictor-plate racer over the past few years.

There’s no track in NASCAR where Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been more successful or is more adored than Talladega.

Jamie McMurray, whose quiet consistency in 2017 has taken him farther than many expected, is one of NASCAR’s most underrated restrictor-plate racers.

Thanks to wins in the two most recent restrictor-plate races, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. arrives at Talladega in the unusual position of favorite to go to Victory Lane.

 

Driver To Beat: Brad Keselowski

Team To Beat: Team Penske

Sleeper: David Ragan