NASCAR Preview: Big names - win and advance, or else

TALLADEGA, AL - Jimmie Johnson (six) and Brad Keselowski (one) have accounted for seven of the last eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships.<br /> <br /> The two drivers better hurry if either hopes to increase that figure to eight-of-nine.<br /> <br /> With one race left in the in the Contender Round, Keselowski (-19 points below the cutoff) and Johnson (-26) rank 10th and 11th respectively on the Chase Grid and are in danger of failing to make the eight-man Eliminator Round. Each competitor only controls his destiny by winning Sunday's GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Otherwise, they must hope for colossal misfortune to the drivers ahead of them and record their own strong performances in the process to vault into the top eight.<br /> <br /> Two factors are working in Keselowski and Johnson's favor, but both come with major disclaimers:<br /> <br /> 1. The duo knows what it takes to clinch victory at the 2.66-mile restrictor plate track. Both Keselowski and Johnson have won twice at Talladega (Johnson in the spring 2006 and spring 2011; Keselowski in the spring of 2009 and spring of 2012). Their problem is that no one in the Chase era has won consistently at the Alabama track, which has seen different victors in its last seven races.<br /> <br /> 2. Talladega has a knack for treachery and unpredictability. It is a tough track to finish a race unscathed for even the most talented of drivers. Take Gordon for example - he leads all active drivers with six wins at Talladega, but has failed to finish nine times in 43 starts at the track. Johnson and Keselowski can gain huge chunks of ground with the high likelihood that someone currently ranked ahead of them suffers a rough day. Their problem? They have to avoid turmoil as well.<br /> <br /> Keselowski ranks tied for the series lead with five victories this season and entered the Chase as the No. 1 seed. Johnson earned the fourth seed in the Chase with three wins and is the defending NSCS champion. He is attempting to win his seventh overall NSCS title, which would tie him with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for the most all-time.<br /> <br /> <i>WDUN will have live MRN Radio coverage of Sunday's Geico 500 from Talladega Superspeedway beginning at 1 pm on 102.9 FM.</i><br /> <br /> <strong>NASCAR Nationwide Series: Three Races Remain, Three Points Separate Three Drivers Battling For Third</strong><br /> <br /> While Chase Elliott's lead in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver standings has grown to a hefty 42 points over second-place Regan Smith, the battle between third, fourth and fifth is separated by a mere three points with three races remaining.<br /> <br /> Richard Childress Racing's Brian Scott, currently third in the standings, is just two points ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing's Elliott Sadler in fourth. Scott's RCR teammate, Ty Dillon, resides in fifth just one point back from Sadler as the season nears its end.<br /> <br /> The series is coming off a 19 consecutive race stretch in the schedule. During that span Brian Scott had the second-best average finish (8.6) behind points leader Chase Elliott (7.0). Scott has posted six top fives and 20 top 10s this season

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