Yahoo C List Fantasy NASCAR Preview – Talladega Geico 500
Austin Dillon – Austin Dillon has one intangible you have to like about him on this track type and that’s his car number. It hasn’t helped him at many venues, but it’s appeared to have helped him on this track type. In 2014 on restrictor plate tracks he’s scored the 3rd most points, has a 9.7 average finish and is one of only three drivers who have finished in the top fifteen every race. This spring at Talladega he started 5th, finished 15th and earned the 14th best driver rating. His result is pretty reflective of how he performed. Last fall at Talladega Austin Dillon had a great race in the #14 car. On the last lap he was running in 3rd but was wrecked by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. At Daytona this season Dillon has results of 5th and 9th.
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Kyle Larson – In May Kyle Larson made his first Sprint Cup start at Talladega. In the race he performed well. He started in 29th, had a 16th place average running position, finished 9th and earned the 6th best driver rating. Over the final 50 laps he was very strong and in that portion of the race I would estimate his average running position was around 5th. Also late in the race over the closing laps he was running in 4th but got shuffled back to 9th. Daytona is the other restrictor plate track on the schedule and at that venue he’s had a tough year. He finished 38th in the Daytona 500 and in July he finished 36th. From an allocation perspective unless you haven’t used him this year he’s likely not going to be your best option in the Talladega Geico 500.
Further Recommended Reading – Who will win at Talladega, Talladega Scouting Report
Danica Patrick – Between the two restrictor plate tracks I like Danica Patrick more at Daytona. She usually starts with good track position there and is able to run near the front. Talladega is a different beast and it requires drivers to get aggressive and make moves to get to the front. This spring at Talladega she looked good early. She started in 7th and drove up to the lead near the start and paced the field for 6 laps. When the checkered flag waved she finished 22nd. In 2013 at Talladega she finished 33rd twice. Last fall she didn’t wreck to get that poor result, she had problems on pit road and essentially served a drive through penalty because she missed her pit stall. At Daytona this season she had results of 40th (February) and 8th (July).
Michael Waltrip – Michael Waltrip is a tempting option but there’s a good chance he’ll burn you. Since 2006 at Talladega he’s only finished in the top ten three times. This spring he was never a factor and was uncompetitive. He ran near the back for nearly the entire race and I don’t think it was just to protect his car. In the race he had a 36th place average running position, finished 25th and earned the 40th best driver rating. Last fall he finished 32nd and was burned by the lack of cautions with his run in the back strategy. In spring 2013 he rewarded fantasy racers with a 4th place finish. In October 2012 he could’ve potentially won the race until Tony Stewart blocked him which caused the “Big One”. In this year’s Daytona 500 in the #66 car he was involved in an accident and finished 41st. In July he walked away with a 19th place result.
Trevor Bayne – Outside of his 2011 Daytona 500 win and hope lightning can strike twice there’s no compelling reason to consider Bayne. His track record at Talladega is very poor. He has one top ten, two top fifteens and his five other results are all 21st or worse. His average finish is 27.3 and minus his lone top ten his average finish would be 30.5. This spring at Talladega he was involved in an accident and finished 41st. His next three most recent Talladega finishes are 23rd, 43rd and 21st. At Daytona this season he had results of 38th and 33rd.
Ryan Blaney – Ryan Blaney will be making his second career start at Talladega and will be driving a Penske car. In his first career start he finished 27th at Kansas. Earlier this year in the Nationwide series at Talladega he finished 21st. In 2013 in the Truck Series he also finished 21st here. His sole purpose on Sunday will be to log laps.
Make sure you read the full spectrum of our Talladega Geico 500 Fantasy NASCAR Rankings
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