Talladega CampingWorld 500 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Jeff Gordon – This will be Jeff Gordon’s final race at Talladega and I don’t think he’ll miss it one bit. In his career at Talladega Jeff Gordon has 6 wins and has finished in the top ten 42% percent of the time. This season at plate tracks Gordon has looked good and could easily have three top tens. In the most recent race on this track type he finished 6th (Daytona). In the first two races on this track type he ran well for much of the event only to fade late, and then wreck on the final lap. At Talladega this spring Jeff Gordon had a great car. He started on the pole, led 47 laps and was a consistent top ten performer until the last quarter of the race. With 31 laps to go while he was running well he was penalized for speeding on pit road. That dropped him deep in the running order and he was never able to recover. The last run of the race was single file and he was only able to get up to about 20th. On the final lap Gordon wrecked and that’s what led to his 31st place finish. Last fall Gordon didn’t really participate in the race because of his points situation and he was happy to finish 26th. In spring 2014 he had a fast car that looked top ten good but he wrecked when Keselowski spun near the front of the field. In fall 2013 he had somewhat of a strange race because he always seemed to pit by himself. In that race he finished 14th, earned the 21st best driver rating and had a 22nd place average running position. In May 2013 he was a minor victim in the early “Big One” but he finished 11th when the checkered flag waved. In fall 2012 Gordon evaded the last lap carnage and finished 2nd. (Yahoo A Driver)

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Talladega is arguably Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s best track. This spring he spent much of the race running near the back but near the end he advanced in the running order. On the final lap he was on pace to finish 13th but he was caught up in the last lap carnage and finished 26th as a result. Last fall he missed Talladega due to a qualifying snafu. In spring 2014 he started in 25th and dropped to the back early to avoid wrecking. In the middle portion of the race he was a driver who consistently ran 13th or better. Late in the race he pitted following contact with Jimmie Johnson (when the 48 spun) and from there he charged from the high-twenties all the way up to his 10th place finish. In fall 2013 he had one of his best races. He started 21st, had a 10th place average running position, earned the 4th best driver rating and finished 3rd. On the final lap he was the driver who brought out the caution when he spun Austin Dillon. In spring 2013 at Talladega he also performed well. In that race he finished 13th and earned the 11th best driver rating. In that race he performed slightly better than his result. In the last quarter of the race he got a speeding penalty which put him back in the pack. One attribute I like about Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is his momentum. He now has four straight top 13 finishes. (Yahoo B Driver)

Further Recommended Reading – Talladega Top Tier Elite Picks, Who will win at Talladega, Talladega Scouting Report

Ryan Newman – Ryan Newman has been fairly successful at Talladega recently. In four of the last six races he’s finished in the top ten. Over this stretch minus a spring 2013 wreck he has a 9.6 average finish. His typical Talladega strategy is to run towards the back until he decides to make his move forward. This spring he was a “Back Runner” for about the first 155 laps until he started moving forward. At the end it looked like he would finish around 17th but he befitted from the last lap carnage and finished 10th. Last fall Ryan Newman finished 5th but that result is somewhat misleading and is the product of how the race played out. In the event Newman started in 11th but come lap 2 he ducked out of line and fell to the back which is where he ran all race long. Newman was very fortunate how the end of the race played out. When Kyle Larson spun with 14 laps to go Newman was on pit road and as a result of his luck he cycled into the lead. In spring 2014 he finished 18th despite getting caught in a late accident when Edwards had a tire go flat. The fall 2013 race was virtually caution free and he came home with a 9th place finish. In May 2013 Ryan Newman was having a good race and had top ten potential but he was caught up in an accident with 6 laps to go. In fall 2012 he finished 9th. Prior to that race he had six straight results of 23rd or worse. This year at Daytona Newman has finishes of 8th and 38th. (Yahoo A Driver)

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