Ever seen Fast and Furious? No? Me neither. Only trailers. I have seen a variety of movies, and from a variety of genres. Action, adventure, romantic, comedy, romantic comedy, horror, and drama. You’d think, as a Nascar fan, I’d have seen the one successful speed related franchise. Well, I’ve seen Herbie, so I guess I’m ok. Anyway, anyone seen the title of the latest (8th, I think) Fast and Furious movie? The Fate of the Furious. Cool title. Dark, brooding, and shimmering with potential. A lot hinges on a title. If you want an example, look at Alien. Everyone knows that name. I knew it when I was seven (Literally. My dad and I went to the Kennedy Space Center, and he told me the story of Aliens. I slept well that night, not). But did you know that the original name of that film was ‘Star Beast?’ I can practically see the disgust on your faces. Would you have gone to see a movie named Star Beast? No. Sound like a ripoff of Star Wars and X-men. So, a lot goes into a name, and a lot hangs on it. Being a writer, I know that very well.

So, what does this have to do with Nascar? Well, have you looked at the names of races nowadays? Not much coolness. The STP 500. The Geico 500. The Quaker State 400 presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts. Sick yet? Who names these things? Is there a group devoted to the worst names possible for races? I’m already convinced there’s one dedicated to the deciding of the worst tracks and giving them more races. So, when I look at the title Geico 500, I feel sort of bad for Talladega. The biggest, fastest, and most dangerous track on the circuit, and it get’s a name like that. Everything is about money, not the dignity of a track. They have feelings you know. Moods. So, in order to put it in a better mood, I will call this weekend’s race: Talladega: The Fate of the Fast.

That’s more like it people. We already know the fate of the furious. What about the fast? Now we will know. So, let’s preview the Fate of the Fast. After all, no track is more likely to determine your permanent fate than Dega. Just saying…

Talladega is the most unpredictable, violent, and quite frankly, dangerous track on the Cup circuit. But it has it’s favorites. Among them are Brad Keslowski, Joey Logano, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. These three have won every race here since Jamie McMurray won here in Fall of 2013. Keslowski claimed his wins in the Spring in 2016, and the Fall of 2014. Logano has won the past two Fall races, neither of which was that hard to do. Earnhardt won the consecutive Spring races in 2014-15. However, all three enter with varying circumstances. Earnhardt just announced his retirement, and has been stumbling out of the gate this year. However, he has more Talladega wins than any other active driver, so never count him out. Keslowski has been the flashiest driver this year, with two wins already and many more top five finishes. However, Daytona was unfriendly to him, so what can he expect at Dega? Also, he’ll be doing this race without his crew chief, as Paul Wolfe is serving out his suspension for a penalty from Phoenix. Then there is Logano. Oh Logano, when will you and your team learn that all forms of cheating will not be tolerated in Nascar. In case you haven’t been reading Nascar.com, Logano’s win in Richmond will not stand. The history books will still say he won it, but he will not hold it in the Chase. Leave it to Logano to be the first driver to have an encumbered victory. His rear suspension was too low after his Richmond win last weekend, and here are the numerous penalties. His crew chief is suspended for two races, he has been docked 25 driver and owner points, he will not get the five playoff points that come with a win, and most humiliating of all, his win will not count towards a Chase spot. If this is his lone win, Logano will not be locked into the Chase. Ouch. Somehow, I don’t think I’d be feeling to good about this weekend. So, none of these guys are looking to great, in my personal opinion.

That said, who’s next in line? Well, I honestly don’t know. With Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart retired, two of the finest restrictor-plate racers in Nascar are gone. Ironically, it seems that the young guns are the next in line. Chase Elliot has displayed some impressive talent at the plate tracks, nearly winning the 500 earlier this year, and being the best driver at Talladega last year. That said, he is far from alone. Ryan Blaney was second in the 500, and has been strong this year. And with Penske power under his hood, and a regular crew chief on the bow, Blaney may be a favorite this weekend. And hot on the tails of this duo is Austin Dillon. This man took a thrice wrecked car to a 3rd place finish last Spring in Dega, and was seventh in the Fall. The 3 is back.

After these young gunslingers, it is actually some dark horses who seem primed for a victory. Jamie McMurray is the lead of this group. A former Talladega and Daytona winner, McMurray is a fierce opponent, and his take no prisoners approach to this year has been efficient. Right behind him is the Roush-Fenway duo of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne. Both are outstanding plate racers, and both are hungry for a victory. They have steadily been close this year, but they have yet to get it. And hellooooooo Newman! Ryan Newman has been a man on a mission this year, and his Phoenix win has turned him into a machine. The former Purdue graduate is driving well, and as always, he is harder to pass than anyone else. Clint Bowyer is also on the rebound, and few are happier to see Talladega than him. A two time winner here, he is a serious threat in his no. 14 Ford.

After the dark horses, I feel like the underdogs deserve a piece here. AJ Allmendinger and Chris Buescher have both been on their roof at this track, but this JTG Daugherty Racing trio has been fierce this year, and a win seems imminent. Close behind them is the ragtag group of Ty Dillon, Michael McDowell, and Danica Patrick. All four have been trying to earn attention this year, but they’ve been denied. That could change at Dega. Dillon was Tony Steart’s substitute here last Spring, and drove the car to a seventh place finish. Patrick nearly won at Dega in 2014, but an untimely caution ended that chance. And then we have McDowell, who has earned his spot in this article through sheer will power. Michael has somehow taken his Levine-Family Racing no. 95 to several impressive finishes, including 15th at Daytona. Should we have a raced similar to that, Michael could find himself in a position for a top-10, or top-5. Hats off to he and his team for their efforts.

And last of all, I get to the normal favorites. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth. Blah, blah, blah. To be totally honest, I’m really not expecting one of them to win. Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, and co. simply don’t seem like the ones to watch. Even Kyle Larson, who has been the dominant driver on the season, just isn’t the Talladega type.

So, now that I have bored you all out with my opinion of the favorites, who looks like a winner? Well, it’s a hard choice. So here’s what my family does. We pick five drivers and one under dog. Highest finisher wins. So, here are my five: Jamie McMurray, Chase Elliot, Ryan Blaney, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, and Trevor Bayne. My underdog is Allmendinger. I get that only four plate wins exist between my five picks, but sometimes you have to throw the stats out the window and go with your gut. As for Allmendinger, the man is a survivor, and you need that at Dega. It got him a fifth place finish in the Daytona 500, so why not here? However, there is only one way to discover the Fate of the Fast, and that is to watch them duke it out for 500 miles around the fastest track in the world. Let’s go racing boys.