Talladega Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Rankings/ Driver Breakdowns
1) Joey Logano (Starting – 8th)
Talladega Fantasy Spin – Joey Logano is a super-elite performer at Talladega who’ll be tough to beat. He’s a three-time winner and over the last six races he has the 2nd best average finish (7.0), the best average running position (7.3) and the best driver rating. In fall Talladega races, Logano has been stout and over the last five he’s won twice and has a 4.4 average finish. When it comes to superspeedway racing, I view Logano as the perfect combination of smart and aggressive. On Sunday, look for Logano to be a contender to win.
Talladega Track History – Joey Logano has thrived at Talladega and he’s consistently performed at a high-level. He had a misleading result this spring, but in the five races prior to that he had a 5.0 average finish and only once finished lower than 5th. This spring at Talladega, Logano was a standout performer but he finished 17th. In the race he finished 3rd in Stage #1, 6th in Stage #2, led 33 laps, had a race best 4.2 average running position but finished a misleading 17th. Fuel mileage came into the equation at the end, and that really hurt him since he had to pit for it which dropped him deep in the field late. With 8 laps to go he was running in 3rd. Last fall, Logano had a great car but finished a misleading 11th. In the race he finished 2nd in Stage #1, 2nd in Stage #2, led 16 laps but was involved in two accidents. At the time of his first one on lap 108 he was running in the top five. He didn’t get much damage from that but later on lap 164 when he was once again racing in the top five, William Byron spun into him and he got a lot of damage. In spring 2019, Logano had a great car and finished 4th. That’s a great result, but I think he should’ve won. He was the leader with 4 laps to go but he made a bad block in the outside groove which cost him the race. In addition to finishing 4th he earned the 3rd best driver rating, led 37 laps and had an 8th place average running position. In the three races prior to that he had results of 5th, 1st and 4th.
DraftKings $10,300 / FanDuel $11,600
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2) Denny Hamlin (Starting – 1st)
Talladega Fantasy Spin – Denny Hamlin is arguably the premiere performer in the series at superspeedways and at Talladega he’ll be tough to beat. He’s thrived here and in 3 of the last 4 races he’s finished in the top 4. This year at superspeedways, Denny Hamlin has been stellar. He’s finished in the top 4 every race and has a series best 2.7 average finish. On Sunday, I would view Hamlin as a top five performer who’ll be a factor to win.
Talladega Track History – Denny Hamlin is an elite performer at Talladega. Since 2016 minus last spring where he had trouble his average finish is a not too shabby 5.4. I’ll note at Talladega, Hamlin has been especially good in fall races and over the last four his average finish is 4.0. This spring at Talladega, Hamlin finished 4th and led 18 laps. Whenever Hamlin wanted to be at the front, he was there. With 8 laps to go before the late cautions came out he was running in 2nd. Last fall at Talladega, Hamlin had a great car and made a hard charge for the win late, but came up short. When the race reached its conclusion he finished 3rd. In spring 2019, Hamlin was involved in an early wreck just after lap 10 and that pretty much so doomed his afternoon and led to his 36th place finish. In fall 2018, Hamlin had a strong showing and finished 4th. Additionally, he finished 8th in Stage #1 and 5th in Stage #2. In spring 2018, Hamlin had a solid showing despite being involved in the “Big One” with 23 laps to go, getting a speeding penalty, and also getting a penalty while serving his penalty. When the checkered flag waved he earned the 8th best driver rating, had a 12th place average running position and finished 14th. In the three races prior to that he had results of 3rd, 6th and 11th.
DraftKings $9,700 / FanDuel $11,400
3) Ryan Blaney (Starting – 14th)
Talladega Fantasy Spin – Ryan Blaney will be tough to beat at Talladega. He has back to back wins at this “Wild Card” track, and perhaps even more importantly he can go all out. Some drivers will be walking on egg shells because they face elimination, but not him, he’s already eliminated. In recent races at superspeedways, nobody has been better than Blaney. Over the last four races on this track type he has a series best 2.5 average finish and he’s had a result in the top 6 every race. If you have to make a pick to win at Talladega, I say why not him. Nobody else looks better on paper.
Talladega Track History – Ryan Blaney is a strong performer at Talladega. He has back to back wins, but in the five races prior to that he finished 15th or worse. That said, fantasy NASCAR is a “What have you done lately” sport. This spring at Talladega, Blaney was the class of the field and raced his way to victory lane. In the race he finished 6th in Stage #1, 2nd in Stage #2 and led 63 laps. Last fall en route to victory lane, Blaney finished 10th in Stage #1, 6th in Stage #2 and led 35 laps. What makes his win a little more impressive is that on lap 34 while leading coming to pit road he spun and got a speeding penalty. Fortunately for him, there was a caution just after that which saved his afternoon. In spring 2019, Blaney had a good car but finished a slightly misleading 15th after fading back a little at the end. In the race his average running position was 9th and he earned the 9th best driver rating. With 4 laps to go he was running in 10th.
DraftKings $9,100 / FanDuel $12,000
