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Carson Hocevar Looking to Go Back-to-Back at Talladega
Last spring at Talladega Superspeedway, it was Carson Hocevar in victory lane, preceding the infamous victory celebration that he had that day. Now, Hocevar will look to go back-to-back, as the Cup Series heads to Talladega for the final superspeedway race of the season. 'Dega has been a good track for "The Hurricane," as he has finished sixth or better in three straight races here. This weekend, the No. 77 Chevrolet ended up just 26th-fastest in qualifying, but Hocevar wasn't too surprised by that, remarking, "I don't think our qualifying speed is going to be very good" before going out for his time trial lap. It's not about where you start, though, it's where you finish, and with a 26th-place starting spot and a good track record, Hocevar makes for a solid DFS play this weekend at Talladega due to his Place Differential upside. He is priced at $9.0K on DraftKings.
Source: PitByNumbers
Source: PitByNumbers
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Shane Van Gisbergen is A Huge DFS Risk for Talladega Lineups
Shane Van Gisbergen of Trackhouse Racing will start in the fourth position for the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. This marks the first time that Van Gisbergen will start inside the top five in a Cup race at the site. In five races at Talladega, SVG has three top-20 finishes with a best finish of 11th and an average finish of 20.6. After 33 races so far this year, Van Gisbergen has two wins, nine top-10 finishes, with two of them being at drafting tracks, and an average finish of 18.6. SVG is not an ideal driver to consider for DFS lineups due to his high starting position. He carries a high risk of losing Place Differential and has low upside, especially when drafting tracks aren't where he performs best. Fantasy players should consider other alternative drivers with more upside and cap flexibility than Van Gisbergen at Talladega this week.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Is Ryan Blaney a Must-Play in DFS at Talladega?
Ryan Blaney is one of the most feared superspeedway racers in the Cup Series, as the No. 12 Ford always seems to find its way to the front at this track type. And this weekend at Talladega, Blaney had a pretty disappointing qualifying effort, ending up just 27th-fastest on the board. And with Place Differential upside being so important for DFS players at a track like Talladega, does that make Blaney a must-play this weekend? Not so fast. There's no doubt that the upside is there for a driver like Ryan Blaney this weekend, especially when you consider that he went on a three-race streak of first- or second-place finishes here in 2022 and 2023. However, int he five races since then, the No. 12 Ford hasn't finished better than 20th, and in three of the last four, this team has wrecked out and ended up in 37th-place or worse. The Place Differential upside for Blaney at Talladega this weekend is definitely there, but a contrarian play would definitely be to go underweight on the Team Penske driver in tournaments.
Source: Sports Illustrated
Source: Sports Illustrated
Christopher Bell Could Surprise at Talladega
Keep an eye on Christopher Bell this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is improving at the drafting tracks as of late, and since the start of 2025, he's had the seventh-best driver rating on this track type while crashing while battling for the lead on two separate occasions. At Talladega specifically, Bell has just four top-10 finishes in 13 career starts, but two of those have come in the last four. More specifically, those two top-10s have come in the last two fall races here, with an eighth-place effort last season, and a sixth-place finish in 2024. This weekend, Bell qualified sixth for the YellaWood 500, which makes him a super risky DFS play. There's a little bit of Place Differential upside there, but it's probably safer to just stay away from the No. 20 Toyota on Sunday for the most part.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Connor Zilisch Provides Little Upside for Talladega DFS Lineups
NASCAR Cup Series rookie Connor Zilisch will start in the third position for this week's YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. This will be Zilisch's first top-5 start at the site in his Cup career. In his only prior start at Talladega in the Cup Series earlier this year, Zilisch started 32nd and went on to finish 26th. Through 33 races so far this season, Zilisch has two top-10 finishes and an overall average finish of 26.8. Zilisch's starting position towards the front makes him a huge risk to consider for DFS lineups and provides little upside. The No. 88 Chevrolet driver also has yet to finish above 25th this year at a drafting track, making him one to avoid for fantasy, especially when there are other alternatives with more upside and cap flexibility available.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Chase Briscoe an Easy Fade in DFS at Talladega
Chase Briscoe won the pole for this weekend's YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday afternoon with a lap of 186.065 mph, beating out Austin Hill (185.949 mph) for the top spot on the starting grid. And while starting up front is great for Briscoe's track position to start the race day, it's not great for his DFS potential. At superspeedways like Talladega, Place Differential is the only thing to focus on when it comes to building daily fantasy lineups, and Briscoe has zero upside this weekend--only downside. Yes, he did win here at Talladega last season after starting second, but he still didn't make the optimal lineup in that race. DFS players are going to pick Briscoe this weekend simply because of his race-winning potential, but fading him will give you an early leg up on the competition due to his major downside in daily fantasy scoring.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Austin Cindric a Boom-or-Bust DFS Play at Talladega
Austin Cindric will definitely be on many DFS managers' radars this weekend, as the Team Penske driver qualified in 28th place for this weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway. As is the case at any drafting track, Place Differential is the name of the game, and a starting spot of 28th provides plenty of room for that. Additionally, Cindric is solid at Talladega, with one win and four top-10 finishes over the last eight races here. The downside? His four other results here have all been 23rd-place or worse. Quite the boom-or-bust driver, it seems. The upside is there for Cindric in DFS this weekend, but there's plenty of downside, too. Which side will you take? As random as these races go, and with how popular a daily fantasy pick he'll be, it may be better to go underweight on him.
Source: DriverAverages
Source: DriverAverages
Austin Hill Qualifies Second at Talladega
Austin Hill is known for his superspeedway prowess in the lower series of NASCAR, and it appears he may be able to flex his muscles in the Cup Series as well. Hill qualified on the outside pole for this weekend's YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, and if this year's summer race at Daytona is any indication, he may be a contender to lead a bunch of laps on Sunday. At Daytona in August, Hill started third and led a race-high 27 laps before ultimately finishing 27th. Still, a solid run for a struggling team. As far as this weekend goes, it's certainly possible that Austin Hill leads again, but he should be avoided in DFS due to his extreme Place Differential downside. He's certainly an underdog to keep an eye on this weekend, but not in daily fantasy tournaments.
Source: Jayski
Source: Jayski
Tyler Reddick Conquers the Field late at Phoenix for Sixth Victory
Tyler Reddick ran consistently inside the top 10 at Phoenix Raceway, steadily working his way to the front. In the first stage, Reddick started sixth but slipped to ninth by the end, earning only two stage points. The second stage saw Reddick improve his running position, as he continued to run in the top 10 but moved up to seventh by the end of the stage. He earned an extra four stage points for the race as a result. In the final stage, Reddick set his sights on the top five after improvements were made to his car during pit stops by his team. By the final pit stop on lap 285, Reddick made it as high as second before moving to fourth after the completion of his final pit stop. On the final restart of the race, Reddick moved past the drivers ahead of him and took the lead from Chase Briscoe on lap 295. He held off Ryan Blaney in the remaining laps to earn his sixth win of the 2026 season and the first of his Cup career at Phoenix. Reddick's win helped move him up to seventh in the championship standings, 56 points away from the lead with three races left for the year.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Ryan Blaney Misses out on Victory at Phoenix
Ryan Blaney of Team Penske finished as the runner-up in the Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Blaney was the polesitter for this race and started in first. He led the opening 44 laps until the race's first caution. Blaney lost the lead after a slow pit stop during this caution period, and then spent the rest of the first stage fighting back for positions. He ended the first stage in fourth and gained seven stage points. In the second stage, Blaney fell behind several other drivers who took two tires during the stage-break pit stop instead of four. After restarting ninth, Blaney spent the second stage regaining positions and moved up to fourth by the end of the stage. In the final stage, Blaney again had a slow pit stop to start and fell back to 15th. Blaney eventually recovered to run in the top five and then pitted for two tires during the final caution on lap 285. On the final restart, Blaney was fifth, but passed several cars on older tires and moved up to second behind Tyler Reddick. Despite his best efforts, Blaney lacked the speed to challenge Reddick and finished second. With his second-place run at Phoenix, Blaney is fifth in the standings with three races left to go in The Chase.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Chase Elliott Holds off the Field for Third Place at Phoenix
Chase Elliott had a quiet and steady performance that ended with a great finish in the Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday. Elliott started the race in 16th, but spent the first stage working his way up to the top 10. He ended the first stage in seventh and gained four stage points. Elliott kept his car clean throughout the second stage and competed for a top-10 spot. The No. 9 Chevrolet driver finished the second stage in 10th and earned one further stage point. Elliott continued to fall in and out of the top 10 throughout the final stage, but made some real progress by staying out of pit road on older tires on lap 285. Through the rest of the race, Elliott defended his position against drivers with newer tires and was mostly successful. Elliott finished third after holding off the field and scored his best Phoenix finish since his November 2020 win. With three races left in the season, Elliott now sits 10th in the championship standings.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Christopher Bell Places Fourth after Leading the Most Laps at Phoenix
Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing finished fourth in the Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Bell started the race from fifth position and quickly showcased that he was one of the top contenders for the win. In the first stage, Bell went from fifth to third, earning eight stage points as he fell short of winning it behind Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. The second stage was mostly dominated by Bell until a lap 223 caution caused him to lose the lead in pit stops. He finished third and earned eight more stage points in the second stage behind Logano and Chase Briscoe. In the final stage, Bell ran inside the top five throughout the whole stage, and although he made it as high as second, he never regained the lead for the rest of the race. Bell ended the race in fourth, scoring the ninth top-10 at Phoenix in his Cup career. Despite missing out on another victory, Bell is now second in the championship standings and five points behind the lead with three races to go.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Joey Logano Sweeps the Stages and Finishes Sixth at Phoenix
Team Penske's Joey Logano ran well throughout the Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway. The No. 22 Ford driver started the race from second and through the first half of the first stage, ran behind his teammate Ryan Blaney until a lap 44 caution. Logano then fought for the lead with Denny Hamlin and William Byron after pit stops and prevailed for the rest of the first stage over both drivers. Although Christopher Bell pulled ahead, Logano ended up winning the second stage after another caution caused Logano to gain the lead after another set of pit stops. Logano led the first portion of the final stage until a lap 223 caution, and then fell back to fifth after his pit crew had trouble changing the right rear tire. From there, despite his best efforts to run inside the top five, Logano fell back to his eventual finishing position of sixth. After leading the second-most laps of all drivers and falling short of a top-5 at Phoenix, Logano is now sixth in the championship standings with three races left this season.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
William Byron has Top-10 Finish Potential for Phoenix
William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports will start in 10th for this week's Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Byron maintains a perfect streak of top-10 starts at Phoenix since 2021. In 17 Cup starts total at the site, Byron has one win, 10 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 11.9. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver also placed in the top 10 in six of the last eight Phoenix races. After 32 races so far this year, Byron has 15 top-10 finishes with an average finish of 16.3. In practice for this week's race, Byron ranked among the top 10 fastest in the 15-30 consecutive lap average categories. With some top-notch equipment from HMS and favorable Phoenix track history, Byron is a driver worth consideration for DFS as a top-10 contender.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Austin Cindric May be A Sneaky DFS Option at Phoenix
Team Penske's Austin Cindric will start 15th after qualifying for the Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway. This will be the fifth race in a row at the site in the Cup Series where Cindric will start inside the top 15. In nine Cup starts at Phoenix, Cindric has three top-20 finishes and an average finish of 25.7. He has never finished better than 11th in a single race at the site. With 32 races completed so far this year, Cindric has nine top-10 finishes and an average finish of 15.8. In practice for this week's race, Cindric has ranked ninth in 10 consecutive lap averages, but carries top-20 speeds in most other categories. Cindric has been running better in general this season and is with the best team at Phoenix in the past couple of years. Due to his equipment and improved consistency this season, Cindric is likely to compete for a top-10 finish and be a solid DFS option despite his unfavorable Phoenix track history.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Should Fantasy Managers Roster Chase Elliott at Phoenix?
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott is starting 16th for the Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway after qualifying for the event on Saturday. This will mark the third consecutive race at the site where he will start outside of the top 10. In 20 Cup Series races at Phoenix, Elliott has one win, 11 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.7. The No. 9 Chevrolet driver has three top-10 finishes in the last four Phoenix races. Through 32 races this year, Elliott has two wins, 11 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 15.0. In practice for this week's race, Elliott ranked 13th in 30 consecutive lap averages but was slower than 15th in most other categories. Elliott's track history makes him playable in all DFS formats, but there are other drivers with more upside and cap flexibility available and favored than the HMS driver in this week's race.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Bubba Wallace Offers Plenty of Upside for Phoenix DFS Lineups
Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing will start in the 23rd position for this week's Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Wallace's starting position matches his exact starting position from this NASCAR Cup Series event one year ago in November 2025. In 17 Cup starts at Phoenix, Wallace has four top-10 finishes and an average finish of 19.8. He also placed 16th or better in five of the last seven Cup races at the site. In 32 races so far this year, Wallace has 15 top-10 finishes with an average finish of 16.0. Wallace displayed top-5 speeds in the 15-30 consecutive lap averages in practice and carries plenty of upside from his starting position. Fantasy players should expect Wallace to be a top-10 contender who is worth heavy consideration for all formats this week.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Ross Chastain Provides DFS Risk for Phoenix Lineups
Ross Chastain qualified 11th for the Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway. This will be the second time in what will be the last six races that Chastain will start inside the top 15 in a NASCAR Cup Series race. In 16 Cup starts at Phoenix, Chastain has one win, four top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 16.8. March 2024 marked the last time that Chastain scored a top-10 finish at the site. Through 32 races so far this year, Chastain has six top-10 finishes and an average finish of 19.4. In practice, Chastain ranked as high as 15th in 30 consecutive lap averages. Although he almost qualified inside the top 10, Chastain's speed at shorter ovals has been hit or miss this season, and he has been inconsistent in finishing results. Chastain's Phoenix history is favorable enough to consider him as a tournament option for DFS, but may pose too much of a Place Differential risk to consider in cash games.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Ryan Blaney Could Dominate From Pole at Phoenix
When it comes to his Championship chances, Ryan Blaney isn't in must-win territory at Phoenix this weekend, but it's close. That's why the Team Penske driver had to breathe a sigh of relief after qualifying on the pole for Sunday's Freeway Insurance 500 with a lap of 26.250 seconds (137.143 mph). Additionally, Blaney posted the fastest lap during practice earlier in the day, and the No. 12 Ford was one of the strongest cars on the long run during the session, ranking third-best in 20-lap average and second-best in 30-lap average. Blaney has won back-to-back races here at Phoenix Raceway and has finished first or second in six of the last eight. He's a premier DFS play on Sunday with massive dominator potential and race-winning upside. Even at his huge $11.5K salary on DraftKings, Blaney is a great daily fantasy pick this weekend.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Christopher Bell Optimistic on Chances at Phoenix
We all know how good Christopher Bell is at Phoenix Raceway. He's won two of the last five races at this track and has second- and fifth-place finishes to go along with those wins as well. He's also led 474 laps over that span, the most in the series. So it's definitely noteworthy when Bell says he's optimistic about his chances at winning on Sunday. "I'm pretty optimistic. This is the best we started at Phoenix in a long time. So really I'm happy," Bell said after qualifying on Saturday. During practice, the No. 20 Toyota had the best 10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, and 30-lap average, showing that it should be one of the fastest cars on race day. Even though he's one of the most expensive drivers on the DraftKings slate this weekend ($11.2K), Christopher Bell is one of the best options in the field this weekend.
Source: PitByNumbers
Source: PitByNumbers
Kyle Larson Opens the Championship Door for Others
Kyle Larson hasn't shown much weakness in the Chase thus far, but on Saturday at Phoenix Raceway, he opened the door for his competitors to make some ground. Hendrick Motorsports as a whole has struggled at the short, flat tracks this season, and that was apparent here again at Phoenix during practice and qualifying, as the No. 5 Chevrolet was just 13th-fastest on the board in practice. It got even worse during qualifying, as Larson ended up 22nd-quickest, meaning he will have to start mid-pack on Sunday. The good news for Larson is that he did finish third here at Phoenix in the spring race despite not having that good of a race car, so maybe the No. 5 team can work their magic again this weekend. In DFS, Larson ($11.0K on DraftKings) has very little dominator upside, but he could end up being an expensive tournament pivot with his Place Differential upside on Sunday.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
