On Sunday, buckle up and get out your good luck charm, because NASCAR will be racing at Talladega for the GEICO 500! This is NASCAR’s biggest, wildest and most chaotic track. Talladega can be outright brutal because drivers can get wrecked while leading just as easily as they can be running near the back. 6 of the last 8 Talladega races have had a last lap pass for the win.

All of that said, educated decisions can be made and strategies do exist (A.K.A… build DFS lineups heavy on place differential) to help you navigate this treacherous track.

No practices were held for Talladega, but they did qualify. Here’s the Talladega Starting Lineup. 9 of the last 10 Talladega winners have started between 9th to 19th, so take note of that.

NEW for 2024! Here’s Talladega Quick Rankings!

Talladega Full Field Fantasy Rankings

1) Chase Elliott 
Start 9th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Talladega Outlook – Chase Elliott is red hot and at Talladega, look for the good times to continue and for Elliott to be tough to beat. At Talladega, Elliott’s a two-time winner and in the Next Gen over the four combined races, Elliott has the 2nd best average finish (6.75), the 2nd best average running position and the 2nd best Driver Rating. In the Next Gen at big superspeedways, Elliott has the best Driver Rating, the best Average Running Position and his incident free average finish is a stellar 7.8.
Talladega Track Record Breakdown – Chase Elliott has been one of the premiere performers at Talladega and in the Next Gen, he’s been stout. Last fall, the #9 was fast and Elliott ran well throughout. In the race, Elliott finished 4th in Stage #1, finished 5th in Stage #2, led 8 laps, earned the 6th best Driver Rating and then finished 7th overall. In spring 2023, 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’s average finish between the combined races 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 on Blaney for the win. In spring 2022, Elliott finished 7th.
DraftKings $10,000/ FanDuel $12,000

Further Recommended Reading = Talladega Projected Finish Ranges, DraftKings Talladega Scoring Projections, FanDuel Talladega Scoring Projections

2) Ryan Blaney
Start 21st / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Talladega Outlook – 3-time Talladega winner, Ryan Blaney will be tough to beat and the road to victory lane likely goes thru him. Blaney’s arguably the premiere superspeedway performer 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 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. On Sunday, look for Blaney to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Talladega Track Record Breakdown – Ryan Blaney has thrived at Talladega and in recent races, it’s been his personal playground with his last three results being 1st, 2nd and 2nd. Over the last nine races, Blaney has a series best 7.4 average finish, the best average running position and the best Driver Rating. In the Next Gen, 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.
DraftKings $11,000/ FanDuel $13,000

3) William Byron
Start 13th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium
Talladega Outlook – Daytona 500 champion, William Byron should be on your short list of favorites. 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 one of the best big superspeedway performers. Since last spring at Talladega at big superspeedways, Byron has 1-win, a series best 4.5 average finish and he’s the only driver who’s 4 for 4 at finishing in the top ten.
Talladega Track Record Breakdown – William Byron has been elite at Talladega and he also ranks among the safer options. 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. In 2023, Byron swept the top 7 and had a 4.5 average finish between the combined races. 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 way back in 26th. In fall 2022, Byron had a solid showing and finished 12th. In spring 2022, Byron might’ve just been the best, but he finished 15th. In the race, Byron finished 4th in Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a 4.9 average running position, led a race high 38 laps and earned the 3rd best driver rating. 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.
DraftKings $10,800 / FanDuel $14,000