Talladega YellaWood 500 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Ryan Blaney
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – Defending fall Talladega winner, Ryan Blaney is a super-elite performer at big superspeedways and the road to victory lane likely goes thru him. 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 he’s been especially strong here, racing his way to victory lane three-times and finishing in the top two in 3 of the last 4 races. In the Next Gen at big superspeedways minus the last three Daytona races (Crashed while leading, crashed while running in the top five and then crashed while running around 10th), Blaney’s average finish is 7.9.
Talladega Track History – At Talladega, Ryan Blaney is one of the premier performers. Blaney’s a 3-time winner and in 3 of the last 4 races he’s finished in the top two. In the Next Gen, Blaney has the best average finish (7.2) and the 3rd best Driver Rating. This spring, Blaney had an afternoon to forget and finished 20th. In the race, Blaney finished 4th in Stage #1, but then in Stage #2 during green flag pit stops he got a speeding penalty. Then early in the last Stage, Blaney was damaged in a multi-car wreck and went on to finish 20th. Last year, Blaney went 2 for 2 at earning the best Driver Rating and finishing in the top 2. Last fall en route to victory lane, Blaney came up clutch and made a last lap pass for the win. Additionally, 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. In fall 2022, Blaney was passed on the last lap while leading and then finished 2nd.

Brad Keselowski
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – Brad Keselowski is one of the premiere superspeedway racers in NASCAR and at Talladega, put him on your short list of favorites. This race is circled on his schedule and there’s no question he’ll be going all out for the win, and perhaps take a couple of drivers out along the way. At Talladega, Keselowski is a 6-time winner and on other numerous occasions he’s flirted with victory lane. “Performance Wise”, Keselowski’s been a factor to win all three big superspeedway races this year.
Talladega Track History – Brad Keselowski is one of the best in the business at Talladega. He’s a 6-time winner and in 4 of the last 7 races he’s finished in the top 5. This spring, Keselowski nearly notched his 7th win but on the last lap, Michael McDowell came across the nose of the #6 doing bad blocking and that cost Keselowski the win. In the race, Keselowski was at his best in closing time, led 2 laps and then finished 2nd when the checkered flag waved. Last fall, Keselowski won Stage #2, led 5 laps but crashed on lap 162 while he was back in the 20’s after giving Hocevar a push which doomed him to a 32nd. Last spring, Keselowski drove to the front when the trophy was on the line and finished 5th. In fall 2022, Keselowski was poised to walk away with a great result but during the final green flag pit cycle, he was caught speeding on pit road which led to his 24th. With 30 laps to go until the end and before he was caught speeding, Keselowski was running in 2nd. In spring 2022, I think the #6 was primed to run well, but Keselowski got two speeding penalties, and you can’t overcome that, and it led to his 23rd. In 2021, Keselowski had results of 1st and 2nd.

Kyle Busch
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – Kyle Busch is a recent Talladega winner (spring 2023) who should be high on your radar. In the Next Gen at big superspeedways over the eleven combined races, Busch has the best average finish (12.0), the best average running position (12.9), the best driver rating and he has the most top tens (6). At Daytona just prior to the Playoffs kicking off, Busch had a hot rod and finished 2nd. If Busch can avoid trouble, look for him to run up front and be a factor.
Talladega Track History – At Talladega, Kyle Busch is a two-time winner and in 2 of the last 5 races he’s finished in the top 3. I’ll note, outside of his two good recent races, Busch has overall been down on his luck and in 7 of the last 10 he’s finished 18th or worse. This spring, Busch finished 5th in Stage #1, finished about 17th in Stage #2, had a 12.1 average running position but then finished 26th. Busch just didn’t seem to close out the race well. With 5 to go he was in 8th, but then with 2 to go he was shuffled back to 23rd. Last fall, Busch finished 25th but you can disregard that result. Closing out Stage #1 while running near the top five, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. sputtered on fuel in front of him, Busch then ran into the back of the #47 and then Ross Chastain got into him. Busch was able to continue but the front of the #8 was damaged and he was never competitive after that. On lap 60 which is the very lap he got damaged; Busch was in 4th. Last spring, Busch had a great race and took the lead in overtime #2 during a restart, racing his way to victory lane. En route to victory lane, Busch led 3 laps and had the 6th best Driver Rating. In fall 2022, Busch finished 7th in Stage #1, had a 10.5 average running position, was running in 13th with 3 to go but then finished 20th when the checkered flag waved. In spring 2022, Busch finished 6th in Stage #2, finished 3rd overall and led 3 laps.

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