The NASCAR season is revving up and DraftKings is shifting into high gear with an assortment of fantasy NASCAR contests. Dive into the best fantasy racing picks for the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega.
For NASCAR insight and quick DFS help, follow Pearce Dietrich (@Race4thePrize) on Twitter.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $375K Engineer [$100K to 1st] (Cup)
NASCAR Fantasy Rankings
1. Ryan Blaney ($10,500) — Anything can and will happen at a superspeedway. Stats can be thrown out, but they are plentiful, and the sample sizes can be trusted. What’s to be trusted? Don’t trust the stats. Blaney leads NASCAR with 21 top-10 finishes in the last 43 plate races. Almost half the time, even the best driver doesn’t earn a top 10.
2. John H. Nemechek ($5,600) — JHN doesn’t have the Cup Series resume of other elite superspeedway drivers, but he’s produced in 11 races—five top-10 finishes (45%).
3. A.J. Allmendinger ($6,100) — The Dinger was always a quality superspeedway driver at JTG Daugherty. He was elite at Kaulig in the Xfinity Series. In 22 superspeedway races, Allmendinger has nine top-10 finishes. His 41% top-10 rate ranks third.
4. Denny Hamlin ($9,800) — The stats are on his side—four wins in the last 44 plate races (third-most). The intangibles are on his side, too. Like Dale Sr. before him, some drivers just know how to pack race at drafting tracks.
5. William Byron ($10,000) — During the DraftKings Era, Byron leads the Cup Series with five superspeedway wins. He’s done it in fewer races than his competitors (35 races).
6. Brad Keselowski ($9,600) — Talladega has always been BK’s best superspeedway. His eight top-5 finishes at ‘Dega during the DraftKings Era are the most in the Cup Series.
7. Michael McDowell ($7,600) — This is DFS. Top-10 stats are great, but who are the picks? A top-10 finish doesn’t always translate into an optimal Fantasy NASCAR play. McDowell has been an optimal pick in 11 superspeedway races (tied with Ryan Blaney for the most).
8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($7,500) — The legend continues. Wrecky Spinhouse Jr. scored his fourth superspeedway win at Talladega last fall. The infamous DNFer lives the checkers-or-wreckers life at Talladega and Daytona. GPPs aren’t won by playing it safe, and it doesn’t get more dangerous than Stenhouse.
9. Kyle Larson ($9,500) — Yung Money has not been money at superspeedways. He’s broke. Most of his races end with his car broken and on the wrecker. So why is he ranked? It is the same reason he’s always ranked: he’s due. He has the skill and the car. He’s only missing one component—lady luck. His time will come.
10. Erik Jones ($6,400) — Talladega has been more unpredictable than usual in the Gen-7 car. Few in the field are producing consistent results. Jones is one of the few. He’s finished sixth or better in four of the seven Gen-7 Era races.
11. Christopher Bell ($9,200) — His superspeedway transformation is no longer a secret. Before Bell’s Atlanta win earlier this season, he was quietly picking up top-10 finishes at each superspeedway.
12. Bubba Wallace ($8,000) — Before Wallace established himself as a contender with 23XI Racing, he was known as a superspeedway guy. He only stood a chance at Talladega and Daytona because his equipment was inferior. Now, he has top equipment, Toyota teammates, and he still has the chops.
13. Chase Elliott ($9,000) — Talladega is where winless streaks come to an end. Elliott has suffered several long droughts during his career. He’s on another cold streak, but that could end on a hot spring day in Alabama.
14. Austin Cindric ($8,600) — His teammate, Joey Logano ($10,200), has the superspeedway wins, but Cindric has been more consistent. Cindric’s average finish of 16th is the second-best in the Cup Series.
15. B.J. McLeod ($5,200) — Why not? McLeod will start in the back. This value pick offers maximum place differential. The question is whether McLeod can hang onto the lead lap. His Gen-7 super-speedway stats aren’t bad. Since the beginning of 2023, his average finish is 24th with eight top-25 finishes in 12 races.
