Yahoo C List Fantasy NASCAR Preview – Talladega Geico 500

Regan Smith – At Talladega Smith has never been to victory lane but he did cross the finish line first in October 2008. Then NASCAR took away the win when he crossed the double yellow line on the final lap. It’s been a while since Smith last raced at Talladega but when he did things were good. His most recent start was in spring 2013, in that race he finished 6th. His next most recent start was in October 2012 and in that event he finished 5th. In his last three starts at Talladega in the Xfinity series he’s finished 1st, 3rd and 9th. In the Daytona 500 Smith finished 8th. From an allocation perspective I think it makes a lot of sense to strongly consider Smith. (DraftKings – $6,000)

Chase Elliott – Chase Elliott should get a roster spot this week, but strictly for qualifying points. I think he has a great chance to net you a few bonus points. In this years Daytona 500 he won the pole. You also need to consider that last year Jeff Gordon won both Talladega poles. In the Daytona 500 Chase Elliott finished 37th after wrecking. In the Xfinity Series at Talladega Chase Elliott has results of 19th and 37th. (DraftKings – $8,400)

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Ryan Blaney – Ryan Blaney has three starts at Talladega under his belt and his results are all across the board. Last fall he had his worst result and finished 43rd after his engine blew up. Prior to the “Kaboom” on lap 84 he typically ran between about 8th and the mid-teens. In spring 2015 Blaney had a quality showing at Talladega. He started 3rd, finished 4th and earned the 4th best driver rating. The end of the race was single file and he stayed in line so he was able to earn his good result rather easily. In fall 2014 he raced a third Penske car and finished 22nd. In that race he started 4th and led 16 laps. In the Daytona 500 Blaney earned the 10th best driver rating, had a 13th place average running position and finished 19th. (DraftKings – $7,300)

Landon Cassill – Don’t overlook Landon Cassill at Talladega. I think he has a chance to sneak in a good result. In the past he’s had success at plate tracks. In 2014 on this track type he scored the 7th most points in the series. 2015 was a brutal year for him at Talladega. Last fall he started 41st and finished 34th. He ran as high as 20th early but over the final 120 laps the closest he got to the front was where he finished. Last spring he burned fantasy racers who picked him. He showed potential but was a victim in the “Trevor Bayne Big One.” At the time of the incident he was running around 12th. To give you a better idea about his level of performance here’s a link to his Yahoo Race Chart. In 2014 he had a career year at Talladega and finished 4th and 11th. In this year’s Daytona 500 Cassill finished 23rd. (DraftKings – $5,800)

Chris Buescher – Chris Buescher raced the #34 last spring at Talladega. In that event he finished 24th and had a 25th place average running position. Performance wise he typically looked low twenties good. Towards the end of the race he had some sort of issue that dropped him from the high-teens to about 30th. Fortunately for him the “Big One” ensued at the end which advanced him forward probably about 7 positions. At Talladega in the lower series Buescher has had some success. In 2015 at this venue he finished 6th. In 2014 he finished runner-up. In the Daytona 500 Buescher was involved in an accident and finished 39th. (DraftKings – $5,700)

Michael Waltrip – If you feel like really rolling the dice consider Michael Waltrip. He’s had some good runs at Talladega recently but overall he’s a risky option. Last fall he survived the carnage and finished 13th. In spring 2015 he was in an early wreck and finished 36th. In fall 2014 he finished 16th. In this years Daytona 500 Waltrip finished 30th. When it comes to picking drivers like Michael Waltrip I the mindset that the only way he’ll finish well is if he isn’t on my team. If he’s on my team I’m doomed. (DraftKings – $6,300)

Brian Scott – Talladega hasn’t been a great track for Brian Scott. He’s raced here twice and has results of 42nd and 43rd to show for it. Last spring Scott started 16th and finished dead last after his engine blew up on lap 18. In spring 2014 he started on the pole but finished 42nd after wrecking. In 2015 in the Xfinity Series at Talladega Scott finished 2nd. In the Daytona 500 Brian Scott finished 24th. (DraftKings – $5,500)

Make sure you read the full spectrum of our 2016 Talladega Geico 500 Fantasy NASCAR Rankings

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