On Sunday, buckle up and get out your good luck charm, because NASCAR will be racing at Talladega for the YellaWood 500! Talladega is NASCAR’s biggest, wildest and most chaotic track. Drivers can get wrecked while leading just as easily as they can be running near the back.

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.

Talladega Full Field Fantasy Rankings

1) Ryan Blaney
Start 5th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Talladega Fantasy Spin – Ryan Blaney, the defending fall Talladega winner will be tough to beat. Blaney’s a 3-time Talladega winner and in 3 of the last 4 races he’s finished in the top 2. In the Next Gen over the combined Dega races, Blaney has the best average finish (7.2) and the 3rd best Driver Rating. In fall Talladega races, Blaney’s been especially strong and over the last two he’s had results of 1st and 2nd.
Talladega Track Record Breakdown – Ryan Blaney is one of the premiere performers at Talladega and in recent races he’s been the driver to beat. This spring, Blaney had a tough afternoon 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 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.
DraftKings $10,000/ FanDuel $14,000

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

2) Brad Keselowski
Start 13th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Talladega Fantasy Spin – Six-time Talladega winner, Brad Keselowski will be trophy hunting and be a factor. His mastery of the draft is second to none and there’s no doubt he’ll dial up the intensity and race hard, which will be trouble for the competition. This year at big superspeedways, Keselowski’s been stout. He’s been a factor to win all three races, and he probably should’ve notched win #7 here in the spring.
Talladega Track Record Breakdown – Brad Keselowski is a super-elite performer 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 win #7 but on the last lap, Michael McDowell came across the nose of the #6 which cost Keselowski the win as he was surging to the front. In the race, Keselowski was at his best in closing time, finished 2nd and led 2 laps. 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 finished 23rd. In 2021, Keselowski had finishes of 1st and 2nd.
DraftKings $9,600/ FanDuel $13,500

3) Kyle Busch
Start 4th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium
Talladega Fantasy Spin – Two-time Talladega winner, Kyle Busch should prominently be on your fantasy NASCAR radar. In the Next Gen at big superspeedways over the 11 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). This year at big superspeedways, Busch has the best Driver Rating and the 2nd best average running position, so he certainly hasn’t lacked when it comes to performance. In terms of average finish, Busch ranks as having the 5th best average finish (among drivers who competed in every race). At Daytona in August, Busch finished runner-up.
Talladega Track Record Breakdown – At Talladega, Kyle Busch is a two-time winner and in 2 of the last 5 races he’s finished in the top 3. 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 in 4th, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. sputtered on fuel and Busch than ran into him. Busch was able to continue but he was never competitive after that. Last spring, Busch had a great race and took the lead in overtime #2 during a restart, racing his way to victory lane. Additionally, 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 overall. In spring 2022, Busch finished 3rd.
DraftKings $8,800/ FanDuel $12,000