Talladega is a tough track to provide any type of fantasy insight into. Between the bumper-to-bumper restrictor plate racing, the “big one” and the overall unpredictability of the track, you truly never know what can evolve throughout the duration of a race. With that said, below I’ve provided you with some insight into three drivers that can help you strategically construct your fantasy lineup for Sunday’s race.
Here’s who you should start, park and look out for as a spoiler.
1.) Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Start:
Talladega is Earnhardt country and for good reason. Junior has won an impressive six races at Talladega, boasting a 14.66 average finish in 32 starts. Given the tracks unpredictability, that’s a strong average finish at the superspeedway.
The last two races at Talladega, Junior has one win and a second place finish, not to mention he has 10 regular season restrictor plate wins between Talladega and Daytona combined. The 88 knows how to find victory lane at the superspeedways. I wouldn’t hesitate to add him to your fantasy lineup this weekend.
2.) Matt Kenseth
Park:
This was a tough call to make, however with Matt Kenseth’s recent run of bad luck this season, you’d better think twice about adding him to your fantasy lineup at Talladega.
In 32 races at Talladega, Kenseth has only one win which came in 2012. In his last five races at the superspeedway, he has only one top 10 finish, the other four finishes were 20th or worse. From 2007 to 2011 he never even cracked the top 10; it’s certainly not one of his best tracks. I would steer clear of adding Kenseth to your fantasy lineup this weekend.
3.) Austin Dillon
Spoiler:
This season, we finally might be witnessing the emergence of Austin Dillon in the Sprint Cup Series. He’s winless, but he currently sits 12th in points. Dillon has shown consistency and speed at most tracks this season.
When it comes to Talladega, he’s never cracked the top 10, but he does have three top 20 finishes in just four starts. Dillon is no stranger to success at restrictor plate tracks. He has an impressive seven top 20 finishes in just nine starts between Talladega and Daytona. In fact, at Daytona he has an average finish of 8.80 in just five starts.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the No. 3 car back in victory lane at Talladega on Sunday. Dillon is worth adding to your fantasy line-up this weekend.
