Apr 27, 2026, 2:23 PM ET

Zane Smith of Front Row Motorsports finished in the fifth position during the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Smith began the race from 30th after qualifying for the race was rained out, and starting positions were set by the NASCAR rulebook. The No. 38 Ford driver lay back through most of the stage in the pack and kept his car clean, even after a pit road penalty for an uncontrolled tire. Although he did not challenge for stage points, he ended the first stage in 34th. In the second stage, Smith avoided a large wreck on lap 114 by heading to pit road just before it occurred and, as a result, gained plenty of track position. Then, Smith made it up to 10th by the end of the second stage and earned one stage point. In the final stage, Smith ran throughout the top 15 and top 10 during most of the stage. In the final laps, Smith maneuvered around a few other drivers and climbed up to fifth by the end of the race, earning his first top-5 of the season and the first of his Cup career at Talladega. After 10 races this season, Smith is now ranked 20th in the regular-season standings.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

Apr 26, 2026, 2:14 PM ET

Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin will start the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway from the third position. The last time Hanlin started inside the top five at the Alabama track was in the October 2022 race. In 40 races at Talladega, Hamlin has two wins and 17 top-10 finishes. After nine races so far this year, Hamlin has one win, six top-10 finishes, 575 laps led (most of all drivers), and an average finish of 9.6 while sitting second in the regular-season standings. While Hamlin does have some decent history at Talladega, fantasy players should consider fading him overall for the week, as his starting position towards the front provides almost no upside.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

Apr 26, 2026, 1:53 PM ET

Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing will start fourth in this week's Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway after qualifying was canceled due to rain. This will mark the first time that Wallace will start inside the top five in a Cup race at Talladega. In 16 Cup races at the site, Wallace has one win and four top-10 finishes. Through nine races so far this year, Wallace has five top-10 finishes, including both of the prior races at drafting tracks at Daytona and Atlanta. Despite having some positive history at drafting tracks and at Talladega in recent years, Wallace is only a justifiable play in tournament lineups. The No. 23 Toyota driver has almost no upside from his starting position to be playable in cash game lineups.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

Apr 26, 2026, 11:42 AM ET

Tyler Reddick ended up in victory lane yet again last weekend, grabbing his fifth victory of the 2026 season at Kansas Speedway. Now, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway, and all eyes will once again be on Reddick, as he looks to get yet another victory early on this season. And honestly, it wouldn't be too surprising if he does win. Reddick won here at Talladega back in 2024 and has finished seventh or better in four of his last 11 starts at this track. Additionally, the No. 45 Toyota is undefeated on drafting tracks this year, winning at both Daytona and Talladega thus far. As far as DFS goes, though, you should probably stay away from Reddick. With his pole position starting spot, the downside for Reddick with negative Place Differential is significantly higher than his upside with winning, so it's best to stay away from the hottest driver in the series right now--at least in daily fantasy contests.--Jordan McAbee
Source: NASCAR.com

Apr 26, 2026, 11:04 AM ET

Ryan Blaney is a more than capable driver at Talladega Superspeedway. He's a three-time winner at this race track and also has a couple of runner-up finishes to his credit. Lately, though, it's been a rough go of things for the Team Penske driver, as Blaney hasn't finished better than 20th in the last four races at this track. Can this be the weekend that the No. 12 team turns it around, though? Pit stops are still important at Talladega, but they're not quite as important as other tracks, so that lessens the impact of his bad pit crew on race day. As far as DFS goes, Blaney is a solid pick with race-winning upside and some Place Differential room (as he starts 15th). However, if you want to go contrarian, there is definitely a strategy move to go underweight on the Team Penske driver and hope his bad luck continues at Talladega.--Jordan McAbee
Source: Heavy

Apr 26, 2026, 11:00 AM ET

Don't be surprised if Austin Cindric contends for another Talladega win on Sunday. Cindric is the defending spring race winner at Talladega Superspeedway and had led laps in each of the last five races at the track. Additionally, the Team Penske driver has the fifth-best average driver rating (84.8) over the last four Talladega races, and the fourth-best average driver rating (84.2) over the last 14 drafting track races overall. Cindric starts 13th for this weekend's Jack Link's 500, which makes him a very interesting DFS play. There isn't a ton of Place Differential upside there, but Cindric can absolutely win this race. There could be a good leverage opportunity in play with the Team Penske driver in daily fantasy tournaments this weekend. --Jordan McAbee
Source: The Athletic

Apr 26, 2026, 10:50 AM ET

Kyle Busch will start from 34th place when Sunday's Jack Link's 500 goes green at Talladega Superspeedway, and that means he's going to be one of the highest-rostered drivers in DraftKings contests because of his sky-high place-differential potential. Additionally, superspeedways are really the only track types where Busch has been competitive over the last couple of years. With that being said, Rowdy only has one good finish over the last nine races at drafting tracks, and that was a seventh-place finish at Atlanta back in February of 2025. When it comes to DFS strategy on Sunday, Busch is an easy Place Differential pick, but if you want to be contrarian and go underweight on him to gain leverage on other players, there's certainly an opportunity to do so. We'll also have to keep an eye on the Denny Hamlin/Kyle Busch rivalry, as that could come to a head this weekend.--Jordan McAbee
Source: Field Level Media

Apr 26, 2026, 10:44 AM ET

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the definition of high risk, high reward. Over 25 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Stenhouse has posted two wins, eight top-five finishes, and 11 total top-10 results. He has also ended up outside of the top 20 entirely in nine of those 25 races. Lately, though, Stenhouse has been good. He won the October 2024 race here, and over the last six 'Dega events, he's walked away with two top-five results and four top-15s. This weekend, Stenhouse will start from back in 22nd-place for the Jack Link's 500, which gives him good Place Differential upside in DFS. He's a risky daily fantasy pick on Sunday, but he's also one of those drivers who could contend for the win if he doesn't wreck. Make sure you have some Stenhouse exposure with your lineups this weekend.--Jordan McAbee
Source: Autoweek

Apr 26, 2026, 10:08 AM ET

Races at Talladega Superspeedway are a great equalizer. They give almost every driver in the field a chance to win, as the draft gives teams a "right place, right time" opportunity on race day. So when it comes to DFS, we get to look at deep sleepers when the Cup Series visits Talladega. Enter Todd Gilliland. over the last four Talladega races, Gilliland has the third-best average driver rating (88.4), and he's coming off of a career-best second-place finish here last fall. Additionally, over the last seven 'Dega races, Gilliland has finished 12th or better five times. He starts 19th for this weekend's Jack Link's 500, so the No. 34 Ford should be very low-owned in DFS tournaments, but if can pull off another top-five finish (or dare we say a win), Gilliland could be an excellent leverage option in daily contests on Sunday. --Jordan McAbee
Source: Driver Averages

Apr 26, 2026, 10:04 AM ET

RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski will start the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway from the sixth position after qualifying was canceled due to weather. The No. 6 Ford driver last started inside the top 10 in the October 2023 race at Talladega. In 34 starts at the Alabama track, Keselowski has six wins (most of active drivers), 17 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 15.5. In nine races completed this season, Keselowski has four top-10 finishes, an average finish of 11.3, and sits ninth in the regular-season standings. Although Keselowski has been one of the better drivers historically at Talladega, he does not carry much upside based on his starting position. Keselowski is best used in tournament lineups due to his low upside, but he has the history to justify a start in this week's race.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

Apr 26, 2026, 9:17 AM ET

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, will start fifth in this week's Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Briscoe was awarded the top-5 starting position after qualifying was canceled earlier in the week, and the starting lineup was set by the NASCAR rulebook. In 10 prior Talladega races in his career, Briscoe has eight top-15 finishes and is the track's most recent winner at the Cup level. Through nine races so far this year, Briscoe is ranked 15th in the regular-season standings with four top-10 finishes and an average finish of 17.1. Briscoe's high starting position provides very little upside for DFS, but his track history is better than most starting inside the top 10 this week. Fantasy players in cash games should not use Briscoe due to his lack of upside, but tournament players can utilize him as a potentially sneaky option to score a high finish.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

Apr 26, 2026, 9:05 AM ET

Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing will start the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway from the 14th position after qualifying was canceled due to rain. The No. 20 Toyota driver last started lower than 14th in October 2024 at Talladega. In 12 Cup races at the site, Bell has four top-10 finishes, including two of the last three Cup races. After nine races this year, Bell ranks 10th in the season standings with four top-10 finishes and an average finish of 15.3. Bell is a decent DFS option for this week as he does have a little bit of upside with a car capable of placing inside the top 10. Fantasy players could consider the No. 20 driver in all formats this week, but he could be a sneaky pick for tournaments in particular, as he is expected to carry below-average rostership due to his mixed history at Talladega.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

Apr 26, 2026, 8:55 AM ET

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs will start ninth for this week's Jack Link's 500, taking place at Talladega Superspeedway, after qualifying was canceled due to weather. This will be the fourth time in Gibbs' Cup career that he will start a Talladega race inside the top 10. In seven previous races at the site, Gibbs has only one top-10 finish, which came in his last appearance in the Cup Series at the Alabama track in October 2025. With nine races completed this season, Gibbs has one win, seven top-10 finishes, an average finish of 10.3, and is sitting fourth in the regular-season standings. The No. 54 Toyota driver is one of the riskier DFS options of the week, as his starting position does not provide much upside. Gibbs' track history also is not the most favorable for Talladega, in particular, making it difficult to recommend him outside of tournament games.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

Apr 20, 2026, 2:51 PM ET

Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing won the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. Reddick started the race from first and was one of the top contenders. In the first stage, Reddick lost the lead to Denny Hamlin after four laps and then eventually lost second place to Kyle Larson. Reddick ended the first stage in third and scored eight stage points. In the second stage, Reddick made it up to second behind Larson, who took the lead from Hamlin, but Hamlin then took second back. Reddick then finished the stage in third, earning eight more stage points. The final stage saw Reddick compete with Hamlin and Christopher Bell throughout the stage, especially as Reddick chased both drivers down for the lead. In the closing laps, Reddick exchanged the lead with Hamlin until a caution on lap 266 for Cody Ware spinning. This led to an overtime restart where Reddick lost a few positions after getting moved off track, but regained them all to chase down Larson on the final lap. Reddick passed Larson for his fifth win of the year in the final two corners. With his second Kansas victory, Reddick becomes the first driver to win five of the first nine races in a Cup season since 1987, when Dale Earnhardt accomplished the feat. The driver of the No. 45 Toyota also extends his lead in the regular-season points standings to 105 points ahead of Hamlin.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

Apr 20, 2026, 2:49 PM ET

Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports nearly ended his 32-race winless streak at Kansas Speedway in the AdventHealth 400, but fell one spot short of victory. Larson started the race from fourth and quickly established himself as one of the top contenders. Although he lost a position to Carson Hocevar early, Larson regained it and climbed up to second, where he also placed at the end of the first stage. In the second stage, Larson took over the lead from Denny Hamlin and dominated the second stage without much of a challenge, winning it and earning 10 more stage points. The No. 5 Chevrolet driver lost positions in the stage break through pit road, and on the ensuing restart, fell out of the top five. Through green flag pit stops midway through the final stage, Larson returned to the top five and made it up to third before the final caution of the race on lap 266 gave Larson another chance at the win. On the final restart, Larson made a move to go three-wide on Hamlin and Tyler Reddick and took the lead from both of them. Larson led on the white flag lap, but Reddick caught back up to him and passed him through the final two corners for the win, leaving Larson with a runner-up finish at Kansas. After Kansas, Larson is now fifth in the regular-season standings with his third top-5 of the season.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com