We’re here at Talladega Super Speedway. It feels odd being here this early in the year since I’m used to coming later in the truck season. We’re going straight into qualifying today with no practice, which means we’ll have to adjust our strategy based on where we qualify.

If we qualify near the back, we’ll hang back. If we qualify in the top ten, we might push harder. It’s all up in the air until we see the results of qualifying.

When it comes to prepping for Talladega, it’s more about mental preparation and strategy. My plan has always been to hang back until the end, which has worked for me in the past. Depending on how we qualify, our best bet might be to stick to that plan.

Stage three is where it matters most. We’ll control what we can and stay focused on being there at the end.

Talladega races are about positioning yourself for the finish. We executed our plan well, avoiding wrecks and keeping our nose clean. We were deep in the field with two laps to go but got lucky with a couple of cautions, which moved us up.

We ended up finishing 12th, which is my best finish here, but being in a position to do better and not finishing higher still stings. It’s a decent points day, but knowing you were close to a better finish always hurts.

It’s all part of the racing experience at Talladega, and we’ll take the positives and move forward.