Catchfence

Talladega’s first weekend of the season is upcoming and it has already started – the writing that this could be the weekend where Dale Earnhardt Jr. ends a two-seson drought. No doubt every Junior fan has been looking forward to this race since he announced the signing with Hendrick Motorports. After all, he’s won there five times and Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets have taken over as the track’s dominant team.

Junior’s quest for redemption, though, is one of several hitting Talladega this weekend. The Junior alliance with Hendrick Motorsports in 2008 hasn’t paid off as hansomely for him or the rest of the organization as everyone expected. The organization’s stats aren’t particularly bad – other than Casey Mears, with just one top ten and no laps led so far – but the one win they have stands in glaring contrast to Roush Fenway’s three. Moreover, the last time out on a plate track was mediocrity at best for Hendrick and their last Talladega outing wasn’t without setback, as Jeff Gordon lost a lap but got bailed out by some late yellows and pounced to the win.

Hendrick and Junior aren’t the only ones looking for redemption at Talladega. It’s hard to believe, but Jack Roush has won there before, but not since May 1997, and outside of Carl Edwards his five-car fleet has been somewhat hit-or-miss with mediocre efforts by Matt Kenseth and the usual lack of production from Jamie McMurray. Greg Biffle has been spotty despite three top fives so far and David Ragan, despite a few productive finishes this year, is still not to be tken seriously.

Other than Hendrick, the team to be watched the most at Talladega will be Joe Gibbs Racing, solid pretty much everywhere but with a special muscle on the plate tracks as shown at Daytona. Kyle Busch is the undisputed leader of the JGR fleet now and is expected to lead the most laps of the three JGR Toyotas, but the one to watch here is Tony Stewart, winless so far this year and winless in his career at Talladega.

Given Talladega’s history of bringing out sparkle from dark horses, the other Toyotas – rendered hors de combat by Gibbs’ success – may get a rare chance to flex some muscle. The Dieter Mateschitz group is not picking up anything ths season but had moments at Daytona it wil needagain at Talladega. Michael Waltrip Racing remains a joke. Bill Davis Racing increasingly looks unable to go anywhere and needs some fight up front.

Toyota isn’t the only brand in search of redemption. The other Chevrolets at the Winston Cup level are well behind the Hendrick steamoller. Despite some good efforts including Jeff Burton’s Bristol win, RCR doesn’t look as strong as it did last year, when it wasn’t as good as 2006. DEI remains in comparative freefall with only Mark Martin showing some results so far an Paul Menard and Regan Smith embarassing themselves.

This leaves Dodge, the Daytona dominators in the finishing order but in search of redemption in a big way thanks to regression back to the disorganized fiefdoms that Stuttgart has allowed to proceed from 2001’s beginning. Penske Racing on the 500 but since then there hasn’t been anything to cheer about, though their plate program looks to serve well at Taladega. Ganassi Racing looks like the New York Yankees with the team owner publically calling out his charges. George Gillett and Ray Evernham’s fleet has gotten some good finishes out of Kasey Kahne but nothing in the way of real muscle. Petty Enterprises continues to be almost a one-man team with Bobby Labonte struggling to get decent finishes and getting no help from Kyle Petty while Chad McCumbee remains in the wings. Labonte provide sparkle at Talladega in October and proved something at the 500 in February; he needs to do so here again.

These and some others will be looking for redemption at Talladega, and it says something about that track that so many take that quest and make some memorable efforts out of it.