Talladega Jack Link’s 500 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Todd Gilliland
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – Todd Gilliland is a strong big superspeedway racer who shouldn’t be overlooked. Gilliland’s been great here and in the Next Gen, Gilliland ranks 2nd for average finish (13.1) and 11th for Driver Rating. In terms of the results column in the Next Gen, he’s 5 for 8 at finishing in the top 12 and that’s highlighted by a runner-up last fall. If you’re looking to roll the dice on a driver down the depth chart, Gilliland’s proven he can sneak in good finishes and there’s no doubt this race is circled on his schedule.
Talladega Track History – Todd Gilliland has been a solid performer at Talladega and in the Next Gen, he ranks 2nd in terms of average finish (13.1) and he’s 6 for 8 at finishing in the top 16. Last fall, Gilliland was racy and finished runner-up. In the race, Gilliland finished 7th in Stage #2, earned the 6th best Driver Rating, had the 12th best average running position (15.2) and led 11 laps. I’ll note to begin overtime; Gilliland was running in 8th. Last spring, Gilliland finished 16th, earned the 11th best Driver Rating and had a 15.7 average running position. In fall 2025, 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 with results of 8th, 12th, 10th and 7th.

Denny Hamlin
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – Denny Hamlin is one of the premiere superspeedway performers and at Talladega, look for him to potentially be a factor. Hamlin knows how to race his way to the front, and once he gets there, he’s always tough to get around. At Talladega, Hamlin’s a two-time winner and in 7 of the last 13 races he’s finished in the top 10. That said in the Next Gen, Hamlin only has 3 top tens and the rest of his results are 17th or worse, so there is a hero or zero factor with him. I’ll also note, historically Hamlin’s been better in the fall here. In fall races, Hamlin’s finished in the top ten in 9 of the last 10 races. In spring races, Hamlin only has 1 top ten over the last 10 races.
Talladega Track History – Denny Hamlin ranks among the premiere performers at Talladega. Over the last 13 Talladega races minus spring 2021 where I would argue he was subjectively the best but had problems and spring 2024, Hamlin has a 10.4 average finish. Last fall, Hamlin had a tough afternoon and finished 24th. In the race, Hamlin ran well at times and was in 11th on lap 163 but then during a caution just after that it was mentioned that he had throttle issues and he just never ran well after that. Last spring, Hamlin looked pretty good but finished 21st. In the race, Hamlin led 7 laps, ran much of the last Stage in the top 5 but then after completing his final green flag pit stop and getting back up to speed, Chastain gave him a big block which basically torpedoed many of the Toyota’s afternoon’s, leading to a 21st. In fall 2024, Hamlin escaped with a 10th. It wasn’t a great race for him by any measure but getting a top ten in the fall here is all he does. I’ll also note, if there wasn’t a late “Big One”, Hamlin was likely primed to finish in the 30’s. In spring 2024, Hamlin had a sloppy race, which included him spinning out coming to pit road on lap 43 and then later wrecking in the Toyota manufacture draft on lap 156 which led to his 37th. In fall 2023, Hamlin overcame a speeding penalty and rallied to finish 3rd. In spring 2023, Hamlin was fast but finished 17th. In the race, Hamlin finished 8th in Stage #2, led 7 laps, had a 10.9 average running position and was running in 5th with 10 laps to go. Late in the race, Hamlin was low on gas and had to come in for a splash and go during an over-time caution. In fall 2022, Hamlin led 20 laps, finished 2nd in Stage #1 and then finished 5th overall. In spring 2022, Hamlin was the leader with 20 to go but then with 4 laps to go while running in 8th, Hamlin had a fuel pressure issue and slowed which led to his 18th.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – 2-time Talladega winner, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a strong superspeedway performer whose proven he can come up big. Stenhouse is a 4-time big superspeedway winner and to start the season, Stenhouse had his best performance of the year and finished 2nd in the Daytona 500. Stenhouse is always looking to make big moves, but it’s also often led to his downfall. At Talladega over his 25 starts, Stenhouse has 2-wins, 8 top fives (more than anywhere), 11 top tens (more than anywhere) and his average finish is 15.4 (best of any track).
Talladega Track History – Talladega has been a great track for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He’s a 2-time winner and since 2024 minus last fall his average finish is 5.6. Going back to 2016 minus the seven races he has an accident DNF, Stenhouse has a 9.0 average finish. Last fall, Stenhouse had an early exit and finished 38th after crashing in the lap 52 “Big One.” Stenhouse was running in the top ten prior to that, but I would ultimately chalk it up to a no lessons learned afternoon. Last spring, Stenhouse finished 12th and earned the 12th best Driver Rating. In fall 2024, 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. In spring 2024, 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.

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