Talladega Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Christopher Bell
Talladega Fantasy Spin – Christopher Bell has an ugly track record at Talladega having finished 17th or worse in 5 of his 6 races, but I wouldn’t overlook him on Sunday. Bell’s capable of performing at an extremely high-level at big superspeedways and to open the year, he finished 3rd in the Daytona 500.
Talladega Track History – Christopher Bell’s track record at Talladega is nothing to get excited about, but he’s shown potential. If you’re looking for a pole pick, take note he won both poles last year. Last fall, Bell started first, never led a lap, didn’t place in any Stages and spun/got a speeding penalty during green flag pit stops on lap 99 while running in the mid-teens. Bell bounced back though and was up to 12th with 30 to go, but for whatever reason he didn’t close strong and finished 17th. Last spring, Bell finished 3rd in Stage #1, led 7 laps, had an 11.5 average running position but ended up finishing a clunker 22nd. On lap 153 which was shortly before a green flag pit cycle he was running in 9th, but then on lap 161 while leaving pit road, Bell got together with Kyle Busch and it sent him spinning into the inside wall. In fall 2021, Bell had a strong showing. In the race he finished 5th in Stage #2, led 12 laps and then finished 5th when the checkered flag waved. In spring 2021, Bell finished 17th. That said, Bell finished 10th in Stage #1, 9th in Stage #2 and was running in 12th with 12 laps to go until the scheduled distance.

Aric Almirola
Talladega Fantasy Spin – Aric Almirola is a strong mid-tier superspeedway performer who should be on your radar at Talladega. Almirola’s a former winner and he’s consistently finished well. In 8 of the last 13 races he’s finished in the top ten, and in 11 of the last 13 he’s finished in the top 15. Last year, Almirola had a 13.5 average finish between the combined events. To kick off the year, Almirola won his Duel 150 and was running in 10th on the final lap of the Daytona 500 but then crashed which led to his 21st. Additionally in the Daytona 500, Almirola led 16 laps and had an 8.5 average running position.
Talladega Track History – Aric Almirola has performed at a high-level at Talladega and in 3 of the last 4 races he’s finished between 13th to 15th. Last fall, Almirola had a hot rod. In the race he was tied for leading the most laps (36), had a 9.3 average running position and then finished 14th. Over the final run to close out the race, he essentially just ran around the mid-teens. Last spring, Almirola had a respectable showing. In the race he finished 7th in Stage #2 and then 13th when the checkered flag waved. In fall 2021, Almirola didn’t run well and finished 26th. In spring 2021, he was just OK and finished 15th.

Chase Briscoe
Talladega Fantasy Spin – Chase Briscoe has been solid at Talladega, so don’t overlook him. In 3 of his 4 starts at this “Wild Card” track, he’s finished between 10th to 14th, so hopefully he has another solid finish in him on Sunday. Briscoe will have a fast Ford underneath him and plenty of corporate teammates, so I think he has a good chance to notch another good finish. Heading into the weekend, Briscoe currently has back-to-back top 5’s.
Talladega Track History – Chase Briscoe has run well at Talladega and minus last spring where he crashed, Briscoe has a 13.8 average finish. Last fall, Briscoe finished 10th in Stage #2 and then finished 10th when the checkered flag waved. In spring 2022, it’s hard to say how good Briscoe was because he wrecked on lap 56 which marked the end of his race and led to his 37th. Just prior to his demise he was running around the mid-teens. In 2021, Briscoe finished 14th in the fall and then 11th in the spring.

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