Talladega Jack Links 500 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Todd Gilliland
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – Todd Gilliland is a strong Talladega performer, so don’t overlook him in the Jack Links 500. Gilliland’s been great here and over the last five races, he’s 4 for 5 at finishing between 7th to 12th and his 12.2 average finish ranks as the 2nd best over that stretch. To start the season, Gilliland came home with a 6th in the Daytona 500.
Talladega Track History – Todd Gilliland has been a strong performer at Talladega. Last fall, Gilliland had a tough race and finished 23rd but I’ll also note he was listed for being involved in both “Big One’s” and got a speeding penalty while running in 9th around lap 170. Over the four races prior to that, Gilliland had a 9.5 average finish. Last spring, Gilliland had a strong showing, finishing 8th, earning the 2nd best Driver Rating and having a 13.3 average running position. In fall 2023 en route to a 12th, Gilliland drove up to the front at the end to notch his good result. In spring 2023, Gilliland piloted the #36 and raced his way to a 10th. In fall 2022, Gilliland had an 11.4 average running position and then finished 7th.

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

Ty Gibbs
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – Picking Ty Gibbs at Talladega is risky but he might have upside. The #54 team is starting to build up momentum and over the last three races heading into the weekend his average finish is 8.3. Gibbs has also been finishing better at big superspeedways and over the last three races on this sub-track type his 11.3 average finish is tied for being the 2nd best. Talladega has historically been a brutal track to Gibbs. His average finish is 27.4 but he did have his best result last fall and came home 13th.
Talladega Track History – At Talladega, Ty Gibbs is 4 for 5 at finishing 22nd or worse with his average finish being 27.4. Last fall, Gibbs finally avoided trouble here and came home 13th. Last spring, Gibbs finished 10th in Stage #2, had a 15.8 average running position and then finished 22nd overall. In the race, Gibbs survived the mass Toyota carnage, was in 6th with 5 to go but then he just fell back over the closing laps. In fall 2023, Gibbs was caught up in the “Brad Keselowski bump drafting Hocevar Big One”, leading to a 34th. At the time of his demise, Gibbs was running around 20th. In spring 2023, Gibbs looked good but finished an asterisk mark 31st. To close out the race, the #54 ran a lot of laps around the top 5 late, was in 8th at the start of overtime but then during overtime #2 while running in 5th, Gibbs ran out of gas which led to his asterisk mark 31st.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – 2-time Talladega winner, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a strong superspeedway performer who’s proven he can come up big. Stenhouse raced his way to victory lane last fall and overall on this track type, Stenhouse is a 4-time winner. Stenhouse is always looking to make big moves, but it’s also often led to his downfall. At Talladega over his 23 starts, Stenhouse has 2-wins, 8 top fives (more than anywhere), 11 top tens (more than anywhere) and his average finish is 14.5 (Best of any currently existing track visited more than once).
Talladega Track History – At Talladega, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is elite when he dodges trouble and going back to fall 2016 minus the six races he has an accident DNF, his average finish is 8.7. Last year, Stenhouse swept the top five with a 2.5 average finish. Last fall, Stenhouse started way back in 32nd, led 19 laps, earned the best Driver Rating, had an 11.3 average running position and of course raced his way to victory lane, out dueling Brad Keselowski at the end. Last spring, Stenhouse ran well and finished 4th. I will note, he benefited from the carnage coming to the finish line and on the last lap on the last straightaway before the crashing ensued, he was running in 10th. In fall 2023, it’s hard to say how good Stenhouse really was. In the race he led 14 laps in Stage #1, was running in 2nd on the last lap of Stage #1 but then he stumbled on fuel and was involved in an accident. When the checkered flag waved, he finished 22nd. In spring 2023, Stenhouse drove a conservative race and finished 15th.

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