News Director 
Story By: NASCAR – TALLADEGA, AL – No active driver boasts more wins at Talladega Superspeedway wins than Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s six.
In fact, only one competitor claims more victories at the 2.66-mile behemoth overall – his father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, who amassed 10 victories there.
Earnhardt has struggled this season with only one top-10 showing in the first nine races, so Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega (2 p.m. ET at FOX) couldn’t be coming at a better time.
“We haven’t done anything to make our fans too happy here lately, so we’ll try to change that at Talladega,” Earnhardt said.
In addition to his six wins, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has 12 top fives, 16 top 10s and a 15.4 average finish at the Alabama track. Among active drivers, he claims the second-best driver rating (92.0) and third-best average running position (14.4).
Earnhardt, who has also won four times at Daytona International Speedway, is considered the top restrictor-plate racer on the planet. He ranks 24th in the series standings following his slow start – 257 points behind leader Kyle Larson.
“(No. 88 team crew chief) Greg (Ives) told me last week that we aren’t going to look at points anymore, we’re just going to try to go win a race,” said Earnhardt. “We had a great car in Daytona, just had some bad luck when we were leading, so we’re looking forward to Talladega.”
Wallace Tries To Continue Strong Start At Talladega
Darrell Wallace Jr. really likes the number six.
One, he’s the No. 6 Ford driver. Two, he’s finished sixth in six of his eight starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series this season. Three, he’s finished sixth in his last two races at Talladega Superspeedway – the site of Saturday’s Sparks Energy 300 (1 p.m. ET on FOX) – where Wallace will attempt to post his first top-five result of the season.
Wallace’s sixth-place showings have helped him record an average finish of 12.8 this year and have vaulted him to fifth in the XFINITY Series points standings. The Roush Fenway Racing driver ranks fifth in the series points standings – 84 markers below leader Elliott Sadler.
In the first restrictor-plate race of the season at Daytona, Wallace placed 33rd following a crash on the 29th lap.
“I’m ready to hit the track this weekend in Talladega,” Wallace said. “It’s a place where anything can happen. We had a really fast car in February at Daytona and I know that Roush Fenway always brings a strong superspeedway car to the track.”
