Below The Yellow Line

 When Bill France set out to build a racetrack that was both just a little bit wider & longer than Daytona, did he expect it to become what it is? Did he expect Talladega Superspeedway, which put on arguably the worst debut in a NASCAR track's history, to be one of the most beloved(and hated) tracks by fans around the world? Did he expect Talladega to become the party & pop culture capital for NASCAR, with movies, songs, & questionable activities all being tied into what is now known as NASCAR's biggest, baddest track? Probably not. But it's all of those things and more, and this weekend, it plays host to the 5th race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.  If you're looking for stats for this weekend's race to give you a head start on picking or betting, here's one for you: William Byron is the only driver in the garage area, that, come Sunday, won't be putting down anxiety medication by the bottleful. Following Sunday's win at Texas, he

 We've seen this movie before.  Kyle Larson in contention for the win late at Darlington in the #5 car.  In 2021, he finished runner up in both races, both times finishing behind a Joe Gibbs Racing car, despite a video game move in the Southern 500 to try and best Denny Hamlin.  In 2022, an engine issue took him out of contention early in the spring, while in the fall, he surprisingly finished 12th based solely off of speed.  In the spring of this year, it looked like it was finally going to go his way. The dominant car of the day, Martin Truex, had spun on the final lap of Stage 2. Larson's first Darlington victory was right there for the taking on a late restart - until Ross Chastain happened, not lifting into Turn 2 and taking out 2 fast race cars.  Fast forward to last night, September 3rd - and the script had a chance to play out exactly as it did in the spring. A dominant Joe Gibbs Racing Car - this time, Denny Hamlin, taken out by a self inflicted mistake. A late restart