Money or Burn at Tallaedega Fantasy Report for the NASCAR Cup Collection is from Taz Taylor rather than our common YouTube Present on Fan4Racing Radio this week.
The NASCAR Cup Collection heads to one of many greatest wild-card tracks on the schedule, often called Talladega Superspeedway. With passing taking place a lot each single lap, one small error can both “money or burn” your race. Let’s check out the betting odds favorites.
The High 5 Favorites (based mostly on betting odds on Motion Community
Ryan Blaney (+1000)
Joey Logano (+1100)
William Byron (+1360)
Tyler Reddick (+1420)
Different notables check out based mostly on betting odds;
Chase Elliott (+1500)
Bubba Wallace (+1520)
Brad Keselowski (+1560)
All three drivers are sturdy at Talladega and have gained on the 2.66-mile observe. If you’re on the lookout for some underdogs to think about based mostly on betting odds, look no additional than Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+2400), Ryan Preece (+3600), and Todd Gilliland(+4260).
NextGen Common Finishes at Talladega (based mostly on iFantasyRace)
William Byron is the massive favourite with a mean end of 9.3. Byron has carried a streak of 5 top-ten finishes at Talladega. Three of these finishes had been second or third.
Subsequent in line as favorites, based mostly on the NextGen common end, are Todd Gilliland (13.1), Chase Elliott (14.5), Chase Briscoe (15.3), and Alex Bowman (15.3).
On the lookout for different common finishes to think about?
Ryan Blaney has a 16.9 common end. Blaney has three straight finishes of first or second. Brad Keselowski is one other one to have a look at. His NextGen common is 16.8 and contains back-to-back second-place finishes in 2024.
Previous Winners at Talladega within the NextGen Period
2022: Ross Chastain (spring) and Chase Elliott (fall)
2023: Kyle Busch (spring) and Ryan Blaney (fall)
2024: Tyler Reddick (spring) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (fall)
2025: Austin Cindric (spring) and Chase Briscoe (fall)
There are a ton of names to select from on your fantasy lineup this week. However listed here are my high three drivers as MUST START, SIT OUT, and UNDERDOGS to assist create your fantasy lineup for Talladega.
Should Begin
William Byron: He ranks third for the Motion Community betting odds and first in NextGen common end. Byron has gained the Daytona 500 twice, so he’s no slouch with regards to drafting fashion tracks. Though he might not have gained within the NextGen automobile at Talladega, that is somebody I positively contemplate for an enormous factors day.
Chase Elliott: He ranks sixth within the Motion Community betting odds listing and has the third-best common end within the NextGen automobile. Elliott has gained within the NextGen automobile as soon as and in addition gained at Atlanta. Chase Elliot ought to be a starter consideration in your lineup this week.
Chase Briscoe: This one might shock you as to why I selected Briscoe as a must-start. Whereas he ranks eleventh within the Motion Community charts (+1900), his NextGen finishes are actually not horrible. Contemplating all however two of his races at Talladega are within the NextGen automobile with Stewart-Haas Racing’s considerably subpar gear. Within the six races with SHR, Briscoe scored two high ten finishes, together with twelfth and thirteenth finishes. He additionally gained at Talladega this previous fall in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 automobile, which is his present experience. So, I’m actually liking Briscoe’s probabilities right here.
Sit Out
Kyle Larson: If me, I don’t contemplate Kyle Larson for drafting fashion tracks. He’s the “excellent” definition of “checkers or wreckers.” He has proven glimpses of excellent finishes. However permit me to inform you this: Larson has but to win at a drafting fashion observe. He has solely three top-five finishes over eight NextGen races at Talladega. Exterior of these finishes, he has closed races wherever from fifteenth to thirty third. When you’ve got used Larson for different races this 12 months, I like to recommend you retain him for one more week. This isn’t a driver on your lineup this week.
Ross Chastain: Chances are you’ll be asking…Why would I say Chastain is a Sit Out if he’s gained right here earlier than? It’s a great query, and right here’s my take. He ranks at 18th on the Motion Community odds and carries a NextGen common end of 18.9. After a pair of top-five finishes in 2022 (a win within the fall race), Chastain has but to document a top-ten end. His finest end is thirteenth (spring 2024 and fall 2025). Each different end is twentieth or worse. Trackhouse, as a company, has struggled to start out the 2026 season, particularly for the veteran driver of the crew.
Chris Buescher: He has a third-place end within the spring of 2023. However Buescher has struggled to complete inside the highest 20. Buescher and RFK have accomplished properly at drafting fashion tracks, but it surely appears drafting tracks are Buescher’s kryptonite. I’d preserve him for a stronger observe fashion and sit him out this week.
Underdogs
Todd Gilliland: He ranks second within the NextGen common finishes with a 13.1. That features 4 high ten finishes in eight NextGen races at Talladega. Gilliland completed runner-up to Briscoe within the 2025 fall race. It is a driver, I’d positively stay awake on this week.
Erik Jones: Jones has a NextGen common end of 17.1, together with three straight sixth-place finishes, spanning from the spring of 2022 via the spring of 2023. He additionally has a fifth-place end within the 2024 fall race. Jones has proven some hope on this observe. Hold your eyes open for “that Jones Boy.”
Noah Gragson: Gragson presently sits on back-to-back top-five finishes within the spring Talladega races with a 3rd in 2024 and a fourth in 2025. I feel Gragson may discover one thing this week and actually crew up with Gilliland to search out their strategy to the entrance. Hopefully, they offer Entrance Row Motorsports an actual shot at victory or an enormous end this week.
Taz’s Beginning Lineup
Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace. And within the Storage is Chase Briscoe.
Head-to-Head Match-Up Picks
Daniel Suarez vs. Ryan Preece
Suarez is my choose. Spire ran sturdy at Daytona and Atlanta to start out the 12 months. Preece is just not somebody I can see as a lot of a menace at drafting tracks.
Tyler Reddick vs. Ryan Blaney
Blaney is my choose right here. I do know the momentum Reddick and 23XI carry is robust heading into Talladega. Going towards a Daytona 500 champion and towards a previous Talladega winner appears unlikely. However Blaney has gained a number of instances at Talladega and could be very sturdy on drafting fashion tracks.
Austin Cindric vs. Joey Logano
A battle of teammates this week reveals us a ‘can the trainer outmaster the scholar?” match-up. My choose is Cindric. He’s the defending spring Talladega winner and has had stronger finishes in latest weeks over Logano. So I like Cindric going into this match-up.
Bubba Wallace vs. Chris Buescher
Wallace is my choose. He’s on a three-race streak of top-ten finishes. Buescher, nevertheless, struggles to complete within the high 20. It is a no-brainer for me.
