Story By: JORDAN WOOD / WOOD BROTHERS RACING – TALLADEGA, AL – Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team are headed to Talladega Speedway, one of their best tracks and one of the best for Ford Motor Company.
At Talladega in April, Burton led 11 laps, and he led 14 this season at Talladega’s sister track, Daytona International Speedway. Ford has long been strong at Talladega, with 10 wins in the past 16 races, and nine in the fall race since NASCAR adopted the Playoff format. And the Wood Brothers have five wins on the giant, 2.66-mile track.
Crew chief Jeremy Bullins said he’s optimistic as he and the DEX Imaging crew prepare for Sunday’s YellaWood500.
“I’m really looking forward to taking our Wood Brothers Ford Mustang to Talladega, a track where all the Fords have been competitive over the years,” Bullins said. “Roush Yates Engines puts a lot of work into continued improvements and finding more power.”
But Bullins knows that despite all the preparation that goes into a Talladega or Daytona weekend and the strategy decisions made once the green flag flies, a key factor is avoiding the “Big One” multi-car crashes that often occur in the tight racing at those tracks.
“We all go into the speedway races knowing there could be some big wrecks and things beyond our control,” he said. “But we will focus on the things we can control and try to be there at the end.
“Anyone can win this week, and we will try to be in the right spot at the right time.”
Per NASCAR policy, there will be no practice at Talladega. Qualifying is set for 3:30 p.m. Central Time (4:30 Eastern) on Saturday.
Sunday’s 188-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 1 p.m. (2 p.m. Eastern Time) with Stage breaks planned for Laps 60 and 120.
NBC will carry the broadcast of the race, while USA Network will cover qualifying.