Talladega Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Ty Gibbs
Talladega Fantasy Spin – At Talladega, Ty Gibbs could come up big. Gibbs doesn’t have a single good result on his resume at a big superspeedway in 2023 having finished 25th or worse over the three with a 30.3 average finish, but over the last two he was running in the top five until he had problems which led to his asterisk mark result. This spring at Talladega he ran out of gas in overtime while running in 5th and then at Daytona #2 the most recent, Gibbs crashed while running in 2nd. Gibbs knows how to find his way to the front, so he’ll have dark horse potential for those looking to roll the dice.
Talladega Track History – This spring at Talladega, Ty Gibbs looked sporty but finished an asterisk mark 31st. To close out the race, the #54 ran a lot of laps around the top 5 late, was in 8th at the start of overtime but then during overtime #2 while running in 5th, Gibbs ran out of gas which led to his asterisk mark 31st. Last fall in a pre-rookie start, nobody had a shorter afternoon than Ty Gibbs. In the race, Gibbs started 10th, was running in 22nd on lap 21 but then on lap 24, Gibbs was collected in a “Big One” which marked the end of his race leading to his 37th.

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 14 Talladega races, he’s finished in the top ten, and in 11 of the last 14 he’s finished in the top 15. I’ll note, in 3 of the last 5, he’s finished between 13th to 15th. This year at big superspeedways, Almirola has performed at a high-level and over the combined events, Almirola has the best driver rating, the best average running position (8.4) and a 14.7 average finish. At Daytona to conclude the regular season, Almirola finished 3rd.
Talladega Track History – Aric Almirola has run well at Talladega, but he hasn’t been at his best recently and in 3 of the last 5 he’s finished between 13th to 15th. This spring, Almirola looked great but finished an asterisk mark 22nd. In the race, Almirola started 2nd, won Stage #2, led 11 laps, was running in 2nd at the start of overtime #2 but then during the final overtime he was sputtering on gas and fell back like a rock. 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.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Talladega Fantasy Spin – Daytona 500 winner, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. should be high on your radar at Talladega. Stenhouse is one of the premiere superspeedway racers in NASCAR, and he’s always looking to make things happen. It often leads to his downfall, but it’s also led to success (3-time winner on this track type). At Talladega, Stenhouse is a former winner, and I would argue it’s his best track. Over his 20 starts, Stenhouse has 6 top fives (more than anywhere), 9 top tens (more than anywhere) and his average finish is 15.4 (highest on any track visited more than three times). With Stenhouse in “Trophy Hunting Mode”, look for him to be a checkers or wreckers driver.
Talladega Track History – At Talladega, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is elite when he dodges trouble and going back to fall 2016 minus the five races he has an accident DNF, his average finish is 8.6. That said, the results column for him in recent races is brutal and in 4 of the last 6 he’s finished 22nd or worse. This spring, Stenhouse drove a conservative race and finished 15th. I’ll note, with 6 to go until the scheduled distance he was in 23rd and then the next lap he was involved in a crash. At the start of overtime #2, Stenhouse was also in 23rd. Last fall, Stenhouse finished 6th in Stage #1, about the mid-teens in Stage #2, had a 15.9 average running position and then finished 22nd. Before the final pit cycle, he was running in the top ten, but then after that he was basically high-teens and back for the rest of the race. In spring 2022, Stenhouse showed potential but crashed. In Stage #1 he finished 10th but then in Stage #2 he was caught up in the lap 90 “Big One” which led to his 30th.

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