Talladega YellaWood 500 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Austin Cindric
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – Austin Cindric is at his best at superspeedways, so make sure he’s on your radar in a fast #2. Cindric has a knack for the draft, and you better believe this race is circled on his schedule. In fall Talladega races, he’s 2 for 2 at finishing in the top ten, so hopefully he can keep the good times going. This year at big superspeedways, Cindric has a lowly 21.0 average finish but take note he hasn’t lacked when it comes to performance, with him having the best average running position and the 3rd best Driver Rating.
Talladega Track History – At Talladega, Austin Cindric has either finished in the top ten (twice) or he’s finished in the 20’s (three). This spring, the #2 was fast but finished 23rd. In the race, Cindric won Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, led 16 laps, had the 2nd best average running position (10.9), earned the 5th best Driver Rating but then finished 23rd. Over the last Stage for whatever reason, Cindric was just a non-factor, but I’ll note he was running in 13th about midway thru the final straightaway on the last lap, so the crash coming to the finish line impacted him. Last fall, Cindric was solid and raced his way to a 5th place finish. Additionally, Cindric earned the 5th best Driver Rating and led the 2nd most laps (15). Last spring, Cindric nearly clinched a top ten but on the very last lap while running in 4th, he was involved in a crash which led to his 26th. In fall 2022, Cindric finished 9th. In spring 2022, Cindric finished 21st.

Chase Briscoe
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – At Talladega, look for Chase Briscoe to race hard and come home with a good finish. Briscoe’s been a strong performer here and he’s also been a fairly safe option. At Talladega over his seven starts minus a spring 2022 crash, Briscoe’s finished in the top 14 every race and has a 10.6 average finish. This year at big superspeedways over the combined races, Briscoe’s 12.0 average finish ranks as the 4th best among drivers who competed in every race.
Talladega Track History – At Talladega, Chase Briscoe has been solid and in 6 of his 7 races, he’s finished in the top 14. This spring, Briscoe kept the good times going and came home 12th. I’ll note, his average running position was 25.3 and he only ran in the top fifteen in 20.7% of the race. Last year, Briscoe had a great season, having a 10.5 average finish between the combined races. Last fall en route to a 13th, Briscoe finished 8th in Stage #2 and earned the 15th best Driver Rating. Last spring, Briscoe had his best result of the 2023 season and finished 4th. I’ll note, at the start of overtime #1 he was back in 16th. In fall 2022, 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 led to his 37th. Just prior to his demise he was running around the mid-teens. In 2021, Briscoe’s finishes were 11th and 14th.

Tyler Reddick
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – Tyler Reddick, the spring Talladega winner will be a risky pick, and trouble is typically brewing for him but perhaps he’s turning the corner. This spring, Reddick of course raced his way to victory lane but over the five races prior to that, Reddick had a near series worst 27.6. average finish. At big superspeedways, Reddick has sort of a hero or zero attribute to him. He’s capable of sneaking in good results from time to time, but he’s historically much more likely to burn you. This year on this track type outside of his win, Reddick went 2 for 2 at finishing in the high 20’s.
Talladega Track History – At Talladega, Tyler Reddick has a win on his resume, a pair of 7th’s but over his other six races he’s finished 16th or worse. This spring, Reddick had a great car and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Reddick finished 9th in Stage #1, finished 6th in Stage #2, led 13 laps, ran up front leading the high-line to close out the race and then on the last lap when Michael McDowell got too aggressive with blocking, Reddick was in position to take advantage of the situation and raced his way to victory lane. Last year by his low standards, Reddick really didn’t have a bad year and had a pair of 16th’s. Last fall en route to his 16th, Reddick finished 10th in Stage #2 and had a 16.3 average running position. Last spring, Reddick finished 16th and had a 21.9 average running position. That’s a pretty good result when you consider he spun and hit pit road on lap 35 during the opening green flag pit cycle. Over the three races prior to that, Reddick had results of 27th, 39th and 39th.

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