Talladega Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Chase Elliott
Talladega Fantasy Spin – Two-time Talladega winner, Chase Elliott should be high on your radar. Elliott’s one of the premiere performers at Talladega and in the Next Gen, Elliott ranks among the best and over the last four, Elliott has the 2nd best average finish (6.75), the 2nd best average running position and the 2nd best Driver Rating. Since 2023 at big superspeedways minus the 2023 Daytona 500 where he crashed, Elliott’s average finish is 9.3.
Talladega Track History – Chase Elliott has been one of the premiere performers at Talladega and in the Next Gen, he’s been one of the best. Last fall, Elliott had a strong showing and finished 7th. Additionally, Elliott finished 4th in Stage #1, finished 5th in Stage #2, led 8 laps and earned the 6th best Driver Rating. Last spring, the #9 was fast and Elliott was one of the best. In the race, Elliott won Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, led 18 laps but then over the final Stage to close out the race, Elliott just wasn’t at his best and he went on to finish 12th. In 2022, Elliott was one of four drivers who swept the top ten and his combined average finish was 4th. In fall 2022, Elliott finished 3rd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 10 laps and then finished 1st after a last lap pass for the win. In spring 2022, Elliott had a strong showing and finished 7th.

Ryan Blaney
Talladega Fantasy Spin – Last fall’s Talladega winner, Ryan Blaney is a super-elite performer at big-superspeedways who’ll be tough to beat. Blaney’s “knack for the draft” is arguably the best, and he’s more than proven he can get the job done. At big superspeedways, Blaney’s a 4-time winner and in the Next Gen on this track type minus last summer’s race at Daytona where he was crashed while leading and this year’s Daytona 500 where he crashed late while running in the top five, Blaney’s average finish is 6.1. At Talladega, look for Blaney to run up front and be a contender.
Talladega Track History – At Talladega, Ryan Blaney is one of the premier performers. Blaney’s a 3-time winner and over the last three races he’s come home with results of 1st, 2nd and 2nd. Over the last nine Dega races, Blaney has a series best 7.4 average finish, the best average running position and his driver rating is the best by a healthy margin. In the Next Gen era, Blaney’s average finish over the last four is 4.0. Last year, Blaney went 2 for 2 at earning the best Driver Rating. Last fall en route to victory lane, Blaney came up clutch and made a last lap pass for the win. In addition to taking home the trophy, Blaney earned the best Driver Rating, won Stage #1, led 8 laps and had an 8.7 average running position. Last spring, Blaney finished 2nd, led a race high 47-laps, earned the best driver rating and he was also the race leader at the start of both overtimes, but he came up short at the end. In fall 2022, Blaney won Stage #1, led 31 laps, was the leader during the final lap but was then passed by Chase Elliott coming to the finish line which led to his runner-up. In spring 2022, Blaney led 23 laps, had a 12.1 average running position and then finished 11th. The last Stage went green without a caution and prior to the final pit cycle starting, Blaney was running in 2nd. It just kind of shuffled him back about 10 spots.

William Byron
Talladega Fantasy Spin – William Byron, the 2024 Daytona 500 winner will be a factor at Talladega. Byron’s never won at Talladega, but he’s finished runner-up twice including last fall and he’s starting to enter the conversation for being the premiere superspeedway performer in the series. Since last spring at Talladega at big superspeedways, Byron has a series best 4.5 average finish and he’s the only driver who’s 4 for 4 at finishing in the top ten. If Byron can keep the good times going, look for him to finish up front and potentially compete for the win.
Talladega Track History – William Byron ranks among the best at Talladega, and he’s also been one of the safer options as well. Since 2020 minus a crash in fall 2021, Byron has a 7.6 average finish and he’s had a result in the top 15 every race. Last year, Byron had a great season, sweeping the top 7 and having a 4.5 average finish. In fall 2023, Byron finished 2nd in Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2 and then finished 2nd when the checkered flag waved. Additionally, Byron earned the 2nd best Driver Rating, had the 2nd best average running position (8.5) and led 12 laps. Last spring, Byron ran well and finished 7th. I’ll note, Byron had to really rally up to the front late because at the start of overtime #1 he was literally back in 26th. In fall 2022, Byron was solid. In the race he finished 12th and had a 12.9 average running position. In spring 2022, Byron was arguably the best. In the race he finished 4th in Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a 4.9 average running position, led a race high 38 laps, earned the 3rd best driver rating but finished 15th. With 5 to go he was running 3rd and at the start of the final lap he was in 5th. It was just a really bad final lap for him. In fall 2021, the #24 ran hot early and he crashed late. I don’t think he really had an opportunity to show his hand, so I wouldn’t read into his 36th place finish. In the two races prior to that, Byron had results of 2nd and 4th.

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