Talladega Fantasy NASCAR Mid Pack Predictions

Zane Smith
Talladega Fantasy Spin – At Talladega, Zane Smith will be driving Todd Gilliland’s #38. Smith has proven he can get the job done at superspeedways, having won back-to-back Truck races at Daytona so I wouldn’t be surprised if he sneaks in a good finish. In the Daytona 500 in the #36, Smith snuck in a 13th.
Talladega Track History – In the Truck series at Talladega, you’ll want to close your eyes when you see Smith’s results. He finished 17th last year but in the two races prior to that, he had back-to-back 33rd’s.

Justin Haley
Talladega Fantasy Spin – Justin Haley has a knack for superspeedway racing, so he’ll have dark horse potential for those looking to roll the dice. His Talladega results on the Cup level haven’t been anything to brag about, but he hasn’t been a disaster and in 4 of the last 5 races he’s finished between 11th to 20th. Last year, Haley was one of 9 drivers who swept the top 15. In the Xfinity series at Talladega, Haley’s a 2-time winner, has a 4.6 average finish and he’s 5 for 5 at finishing in the top 8. On Sunday if you’re looking for a mid-tier driver who can sneak in a respectable result, consider Haley.
Talladega Track History – Justin Haley has been stout at Talladega in the Xfinity series as you read above. On the Cup level, I guess you can say he’s been respectable and since 2020 minus spring 2021 his average finish is 15.75. Last year, Haley swept the top 15, finishing 15th in the fall and 12th in the spring. In the three races prior to that, Haley had results of 20th, 30th and 11th.

Daniel Suarez
Talladega Fantasy Spin – I don’t know what’s going on with Daniel Suarez, but he now has back-to-back top tens at big superspeedways. That said, I feel like picking Suarez at Talladega is like playing with fire. In the six Talladega races prior to last fall, Suarez finished 23rd or worse every race and had a 28.5 average finish. Suarez might sneak in another good finish, but history says he won’t. Picking him is definitely for the bold. Overall at big superspeedways, Suarez has a 50% DNF rate and prior to the last two races he had 12 straight results of 18th or worse. In the Daytona 500 to kick off the season, Suarez had problems late but somehow in Houdini fashion he finished 7th. I’ll note, the #99 team has been struggling in the results department overall recently and over the last six races heading into the weekend he’s finished 17th or worse and has a 23.8 average finish.
Talladega Track History – Talladega has been a brutal track to Daniel Suarez in the results column and in 6 of the last 7 races he’s finished 23rd or worse. Last fall, Suarez finished 4th in Stage #2, had a 12.9 average running position and then finished 8th. Last spring, Suarez showed potential, but as is norm he crashed and finished 31st. In the race, Suarez led 28 laps early but then on lap 90 he was collected in the carnage which marked the end of his race. On lap 80, ten laps before his demise he was running in 24th. In 2021, Suarez had a pair of 23rd’s for the year. In the three races prior to that, Suarez’s Talladega finishes were 34th, 28th and 32nd.

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