Talladega Jack Links 500 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Ryan Blaney
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Blaney’s a super-elite performer at Talladega who’ll be tough to beat in the Jack Links 500. Blaney’s arguably the premiere big superspeedway racer in NASCAR, and he’s more than proven he can get the job done. At big superspeedways, Blaney’s a 4-time winner and has the best Next Gen Driver Rating. If Blaney can avoid trouble, look for him to finish up front and be a factor to win.
Talladega Track History – Ryan Blaney is one of the premier performers at Talladega. Blaney’s a 3-time winner and in 3 of the last 5 races he’s finished in the top two. In the Next Gen at Dega, Blaney has the 2nd best Driver Rating and his average finish minus last fall is 7.2. Last October, Blaney looked great, but he finished an asterisk mark 39th. In the race, Blaney finished 10th in Stage #1, consistently ran near the front in Stage #2 but then coming to the finish line to end Stage #2 while running in the top five, Blaney was crashed. “Performance Wise”, there’s every reason to think he was a top five contender/factor to win. Last 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. In 2023, Blaney went 2 for 2 at earning the best Driver Rating and finishing in the top 2. In fall 2023 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. In spring 2023, 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.

Further Recommended Reading: Talladega Scouting Report, Talladega Next Gen Average Finishes, Talladega Next Gen Top Ten

William Byron
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – William Byron, the back-to-back Daytona 500 champ will be a factor at Talladega. Byron’s never won here, but he’s finished runner-up twice and in the Next Gen, he has a series best 7.7 average finish. Over the last four Dega races, Byron’s the only driver who’s finished in the top ten every race and has a 5.0 average finish. When it comes to pure big superspeedway racing prowess, Byron ranks among the premiere performers and since 2024 at these venues, Byron has a series best 7.8 average finish.
Talladega Track History – William Byron has been strong at Talladega and if there’s such a thing as a “Safe pick”, he’s it. Since 2020 minus a crash in fall 2021, Byron has a 7.1 average finish. In the Next Gen, Byron has the best average finish (7.7), the 3rd best Driver Rating and the 4th best average running position. Last fall, Byron dodged the mayhem, finishing 3rd in Stage #1, finishing 4th in Stage #2 and then finished 3rd overall. Last spring, Byron had a solid race and finished 7th. I’ll note, he was in 17th with two to go. 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. In spring 2023, Byron finished 7th. I’ll note, Byron had to rally up to the front late because at the start of overtime #1, he was literally back in 26th. In fall 2022, Byron finished 12th. In spring 2022, Byron was arguably the best. 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 but finished 15th. With 5 to go he was running 3rd and at the start of the final lap he was in 5th, so it was a rough last lap.

Brad Keselowski
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – Brad Keselowski is one of the premiere big superspeedway performers 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’s a 6-time winner and in 2024, he nearly went 2 for 2 at reaching victory lane but finished 2nd twice. Over the last eight Dega races, Keselowski has a 50% top 2 finish rate.
Talladega Track History – Brad Keselowski is one of the best in the business at Talladega. He’s a 6-time winner and in 5 of the last 8 races he’s finished in the top 5. Last year, Keselowski probably should’ve pulled out the broom with a season sweep but had a pair of 2nd’s. Last fall, Keselowski raced his way to the front in closing time, but he just didn’t have the help he needed at the end and finished 2nd. Last 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. In fall 2023, 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. In spring 2023, 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. Before he was caught speeding with 30 laps to go, Keselowski was running in 2nd. In spring 2022, I think the #6 was primed to run well, but Keselowski got two speeding penalties, and it led to his 23rd. In 2021, Keselowski had results of 1st and 2nd.

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