'Aggression' and 'high speeds' expected at Talladega for Geico 500

LINCOLN, Ala. - The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Talladega Superspeedway this Sunday for the Geico 500, and it’s guaranteed to be an exciting finish.

"It’s just high speeds," said Jamie Little, ‘NASCAR on FOX’ announcer and reporter. "They travel in packs. It’s like a swarm of bees coming by constantly and when they crash, they crash big, so it’s a thriller."

‘NASCAR on FOX’ announcer and reporter Jamie Little will be right in the middle of the action.

"It’s like a giant chess match at 200 miles an hour," said Little. "There’s guys who are super aggressive. That’s what it takes to win this race. We see drivers mad at each other a lot and we see alliances, team alliances or manufacture alliances. They try to work together, but sometimes they get separated and hung out to dry and they drop to the back of the field, so there’s a lot to watch and be entertained by."

Tyler Reddick will be one of those lucky drivers going through that giant chess match at Talladega.

"You want to think about being aggressive and how we’re putting ourselves in position to win," said Tyler Reddick, NASCAR Cup Series driver. "However, I think it’s very easy at the start of this race, when the juices are flowing, you’re excited and your adrenaline is going, and you want to just go out there and get to the front right away."

Luckily for Reddick, it could be anyone’s time to shine. The Cup Series’ nine races this season have produced eight different winners.

"We could be looking at nine if, you know, the race unfolds in a very interesting way," said Reddick. "To make the playoffs and win a race, you got to start running up front and you got to figure it out now."

That parity in this year's field of drivers has been a welcome sight.

"That’s been our biggest storyline I think," said Little. "We’ve had some tremendous storylines this year. I think the different winners is great, you always want to see the different teams are all competing equally amongst each other, and that their different drivers can win on any given weekend."

Looking ahead, it’s easy to back the long shot because of the history of this race. It’s also hard to shy away from picking one of the drivers who has had a long history of success at Talladega. In other words, it will be a stacked field.

"I think it’s interesting the drivers who have won and the drivers who have not," said Little. "I mean Denny Hamlin, he’s leading the points and he’s been so close, but he has yet to go to victory lane. Our defending series champion, Chase Elliott, he hasn’t been to victory lane and Brad Keselowski to me is one of the best at Talladega Superspeedway. He has yet to go to victory lane this year, so I would say he’s probably up there. He and Denny for the favorite because neither one has won, so you know they’re going to be aggressive."

The green flag drops at Talladega Superspeedway at 1 pm CT this Sunday on FOX6.