Talladega YellaWood 500 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Ryan Preece
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – Summer Daytona winner, Ryan Preece will be a good mid-tier option at Talladega. His Next Gen Talladega average finish is 23.1 but he technically crossed the finish line in 2nd last spring, and in 4 of the last 6 races he’s “crossed” the finish line in the top 15. Overall if you credit him with a 2nd last spring and minus his three accident DNF’s, his Talladega career average finish is 11.7. This year at big superspeedways, Preece has a 14.7 average finish (6th best).
Talladega History – Ryan Preece has been solid at Talladega and in many of the recent races he’s run well. Overall in the Next Gen, Preece has the 2nd best Driver Rating, but his 23.1 average finish ranks 29th. This spring, Preece had a good afternoon but finished an asterisk mark 18th. In the race, Preece won Stage #1, finished 6th in Stage #2, had the 2nd best average running position (10.1), earned the 3rd best Driver Rating and led 21 laps. With 1 lap to go, Preece was in 7th but then on the last lap coming to the finish line, he wrecked. Last fall, Preece had a quiet respectable afternoon, finishing 15th, having the 11th best average running position and ranking 12th for Driver Rating. Last spring, Preece crossed the finish line in 2nd but in post-race inspection he was DQ’ed which led to a 38th. Additionally, Preece led 6 laps, earned the best Driver Rating and had the 2nd best average running position (11.6). In fall 2024, Preece crashed and finished 35th. That said, Preece was in 10th on lap 183 and then later that lap he crashed which led to his poor result. In spring 2024, Preece finished 9th in Stage #2, and then finished 14th. In fall 2023, Preece finished 8th, led 8 laps and earned the 8th best Driver Rating.

Erik Jones
Talladega Fantasy Outlook – Erik Jones is always a quality mid-tier dark horse fantasy pick at Talladega. Jones nearly raced his way to victory lane in spring 2022, and in 4 of the 9 Next Gen races, he’s finished in either 5th or 6th. That said outside of those four tops 6’s, his other five results are 18th or worse. Overall in the Next Gen at Talladega, Jones has the 13th best average finish (17.8). This year at big superspeedways, Jones has shown potential, but he’s also had a rough year, finishing 21st or worse every race with a 27.7 average finish.
Talladega History – Talladega ranks as one of Erik Jones better tracks. Since 2020, Jones is 7 for 13 at finishing in the top ten and minus crashes this spring, last fall, spring 2024 and spring 2021, his average finish is 7.1. This spring, Jones was a contender to win but late in the race on lap 181 while running in 3rd, he was spun after contact from the #77 which brought out the final caution of the race. Last fall, Jones had an early exit and finished 35th. On lap 52 late in Stage #1, Jones was caught up in a “Big One.” For much of the race prior to his demise, Jones hung around the back but on lap 51 just before it he was running in 3rd. Last spring, Jones had a quiet mid-pack afternoon. In the race, Jones finished 18th, earned the 26th best Driver Rating and ranked 29th in terms of Average Running Position. In fall 2024, the carnage rate was high, but Jones dodged it and finished 5th. In spring 2024, Jones looked good at times but crashed in the Toyota mini draft on lap 156. “Performance Wise”, I would say he looked about mid-teens good, but the crash caused him to finish 35th. In fall 2023, Jones was just never a factor and he finished 26th. Over the three races prior to that, Jones had results of 6th, 6th and 6th.

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 (12.9) and 10th for Driver Rating. In terms of the results column in the Next Gen, he’s 6 for 9 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 History – Todd Gilliland has been a solid performer at Talladega and in the Next Gen, he ranks 2nd for average finish (12.9) and he’s 7 for 9 at finishing in the top 16. This spring, Gilliland had his typical recent Talladega race and came home with another solid finish. In the race, Gilliland finished 11th, had the 9th best average running position (14.4) and earned the 15th best Driver Rating. 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.

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