3 months agoDon't be surprised if Kyle Busch runs up front (and finishes there as well) in Sunday's YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. "Rowdy" has the best average running position (12.61) as well as the best average finish (12.0) at Daytona and Talladega since the Next Gen era has started, with a total of 11 races included during that timeframe. Busch recently finished second in the August race at Daytona, and he went to victory lane here at Talladega back in 2023. As far as this weekend goes, the No. 8 Chevrolet will roll off of the starting grid from fourth-place when the YellaWood 500 goes green on Sunday. Because of his limited Place Differential upside, Busch will likely have to win the race in order to come even close to being in the optimal lineup on DraftKings. Therefore, it's a better strategy to look elsewhere in DFS this weekend, despite the fact that "Rowdy" has run really well at this track type as of late.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Win The Race
3 months agoTodd Gilliland has typically been a DFS sleeper pick when the NASCAR Cup Series visits a drafting superspeedway, but that has always been when he qualified in the back half of the field. Now that Front Row Motorsports has completely figured out qualifying on the drafting tracks, though, that has made Todd Gilliland pretty much unplayable in DFS contests. That is the case this weekend at Talladega for the YellaWood 500. Gilliland qualified third for this weekend's race, and while that is a great starting spot for him and his team, the limited amount of Place Differential upside makes him an awful play in DFS contests. Look at other low-priced drivers on DraftKings this weekend who have the ability to move up from their starting position. For what it's worth, Gilliland does have two top-10 finishes to his credit at Talladega, but anything less than a win on Sunday won't even get him close to the optimal lineup on the DFS site.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
3 months agoWhen the NASCAR Cup Series heads to a drafting superspeedway such as Daytona or Talladega, many people look toward Bubba Wallace as a race-winning contender. However, more often than not, Bubba disappoints--especially at Talladega. Although he does have a win here (in a rain-shortened race in 2021), that is Wallace's only finish better than 14th in 13 career starts at the track. In the Next Gen era, he has yet to finish better than 16th. While the races at these big superspeedways remain unpredictable, it's noteworthy that Bubba has continually run into issues when it comes to getting a finish at Talladega, now over a seven-year sample size. This weekend, the 23XI Racing driver qualified back in 26th, which gives Bubba very high Place Differential upside for DFS players, and he should be very high-owned in tournaments. There's an argument and strategy for going underweight on Bubba this weekend.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
3 months agoWilliam Byron and his No. 24 Chevrolet have been one on the best at superspeedways of late, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver has finished eighth or better in five of the last six races on this track type, including grabbing a win in this year's season-opening Daytona 500. However, a strategy call may hinder Byron's potential in this weekend's YellaWood 500 at Talladega. Coming into the race weekend, Byron has a 34-point cushion above the cut line in the playoffs, meaning we could see the No. 24 team play it safe on Sunday and just try to have a good points day --focusing on the bigger picture (a championship) as opposed to this particular race, similar to what we saw from Denny Hamlin at Atlanta in the last round. While nothing is guaranteed to happen in this sport, this is something for DFS managers to keep in mind, as Byron focusing on points could (ironically) limit his point-earning upside in fantasy.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Hendrick Motorsports
3 months agoLook for Ryan Blaney and his No. 12 Ford for Team Penske to be strong at Talladega in the YellaWood 500 this weekend. Blaney is a constant front runner at the drafting superspeedways, as evidenced by his average finish of 14.36 at Daytona and Talladega since the debut of the Next Gen car. That average result is the third-best among Cup Series drivers. At Talladega specifically, Blaney has finished first or second in three of the last four races and has went to victory lane in three of his last 10 starts at the track. In the Next Gen car specifically, he has the best average finish (7.2) and the third-best driver rating. This weekend, Blaney qualified in fifth-place, though, so his Place Differential upside is very limited. Therefore, it's likely a better strategy call to go elsewhere in DFS contests as opposed to Ryan Blaney, especially considering his ownership will receive a bump up just because of how strong he runs on this track type.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
3
months
agoJosh
Berry
doesn't
have
the
strongest
track
record
at
drafting
superspeedways
in
the
Cup
Series,
but
that
doesn't
mean
you
should
stay
away
from
him
in
DFS
contests.
Berry
has
made
three
Cup
Series
starts
at
Daytona
and
has
yet
to
finish
better
than
22nd,
and
at
Talladega,
read more...
3 months agoThe NASCAR Cup Series is at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, which means pretty much any driver in the field could end up in contention at the end. That means that we have the rare opportunity to use Daniel Hemric in Fantasy NASCAR contests as well, since the cars are on a more even playing field. Hemric has been very good on the superspeedway tracks this season, coming home with a 16th-place finish in the Daytona 500 and then ending up ninth both in the first Talladega race of the season as well as the second Daytona race. However, considering he qualified in 10th-place for this weekend's YellaWood 500, Daniel Hemric isn't really a viable option in DFS contests on Sunday afternoon, despite his established ability to avoid wrecks on this track type this season. The Place Differential potential simply isn't high enough to make it worth it.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
3 months agoKeep an eye on Austin Cindric in this weekend's YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The Team Penske driver has been one of the strongest drivers on this track type this season, and his average running position (10.18) in the three races at Daytona and Talladega is the best among all Cup Series drivers. In the Next Gen era overall, Cindric's average running position of 13.41 ranks fourth-best behind Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson. As far as finishes go, that is were Cindric struggles. He did win the 2022 Daytona 500, and has four top-10 finishes in his career at Daytona and Talladega (12 total starts), but he also has six results outside of the top 20 entirely. Cindric seems to be a boom or bust option at these big tracks, so keep that in mind when picking him in DFS this weekend. However, considering he qualified on the front row (in second) this weekend, it's probably best to stay away from Cindric considering he has virtually no Place Differential upside.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Win The Race
3 months agoThe sample size is small, but Anthony Alfredo has been very good at Talladega Superspeedway. "Fast Pasta" made his first career start at this track back in the spring of 2021, coming home with a 12th-place finish for Front Row Motorsports in their No. 38 Ford. He then posted a 10th-place result in the fall Talladega race that same year. Alfredo's next Talladega start came earlier this season, when he jumped in the No. 62 Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports. He started 24th and ended up finishing sixth when it was all said and done. Will the good runs continue this weekend? Alfredo qualified 33rd for Sunday's YellaWood 500, which gives him tremendous upside for Place Differential points in the race, but since he's only a very limited, part-time driver, a lot of DFS players are likely to overlook Alfredo. It's worth having plenty of exposure with "Fast Pasta" this weekend.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
3 months agoShane van Gisbergen will be making another Cup Series start this weekend, as the Xfinity Series star will pilot the No. 16 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing in Sunday afternoon's YellaWood 500. SVG qualified 17th for this weekend's race, which means he has decent (but not high) upside for Place Differential points in DFS contests. However, having potential and being able to fulfil that potential are separate things. The last time the Cup Series raced at Talladega, van Gisbergen walked away with a disappointing 28th-place finish, mainly because other drivers didn't want to work with him in the draft. Big superspeedways like Talladega offer all drivers the potential to finish up front, but finding drafting partners is a big part of success at these tracks. It's impossible to confidently predict whether or not SVG will be able to find any running mates on Sunday, but he will likely need to if he wants to finish up front.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Essentially Sports
3 months agoWhenever the NASCAR Cup Series heads to a superspeedway track, Corey Lajoie should be in consideration for DFS players. The reason? He has excelled at this track type in the past by avoiding the carnage, as Lajoie has six finishes of 16th or better in 11 races in the Next Gen era. At Talladega specifically, Lajoie ended up 18th earlier this season, and he walked away with a fourth-place finish in the fall playoff race last season. Over the last five races on this track type, Lajoie is averaging a Place Differential of +19.4 positions, which is the main focus of DFS players at a track like Talladega. With his qualifying effort of 28th-place for this weekend's YellaWood 500, Lajoie is looking like another solid Place Differential play this weekend. Sunday's race will mark Lajoie's second start for Rick Ware Racing this season.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Speedway Digest
3 months agoCody Ware typically isn't a viable option in Fantasy NASCAR, but when the series stops at a superspeedway track, he typically becomes a decent option. The reason why is because superspeedways are wildly unpredictable, and drivers like Ware have as good of chance as anybody to get a good finish--if they can avoid the chaos. In the most recent superspeedway race (at Daytona in August), Ware was able to avoid the wrecks and walked away with a fourth-place finish. That was his fourth straight finish of 17th or better at Daytona. At Talladega, though, which is where the series is at this weekend, Ware has just one top-20 finish in eight career attempts. Still, the upside for Place Differential points is still there when it comes to Ware, as the driver of the No. 15 Ford qualified 34th for this weekend's YellaWood 500.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Racing America
4
months
agoHendrick
Motorsports
driver
Kyle
Larson
suffered
a
setback
to
his
playoff
hopes
after
a
miserable
26th-place
finish
in
Sunday's
Hollywood
Casino
400.
Starting
from
the
11th
position,
Larson's
day
started
off
with
promise
in
the
first
stage
as
he
was
gaining
positions
and
running
in
the
Top
10.
read more...
4
months
agoChase
Elliott
battled
through
adversity
and
finished
Sunday's
Hollywood
Casino
400
in
the
ninth
position.
After
starting
from
the
rear
of
the
field
due
to
an
engine
change
and
poor
qualifying
effort,
Elliott's
tough
day
began
as
he
touched
the
wall
on
the
race's
first
lap
in
the
read more...
4
months
agoWilliam
Byron
of
Hendrick
Motorsports
finished
as
the
runner-up
in
Sunday's
Hollywood
Casino
400
at
Kansas
Speedway.
Starting
from
the
sixth
position,
Byron
had
one
of
the
fastest
cars
of
the
field
right
from
the
beginning
as
in
the
first
stage,
Byron
passed
cars
and
made
it
to
read more...
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