RADIO
Carson Hocevar Scores his First Career NASCAR Cup Series Victory at Talladega
Carson Hocevar of Spire Motorsports finished in first and got the victory in the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Hocevar began the race from the 12th position. Through the first stage, Hocevar kept his car damage-free, but was one of several drivers who took two stops under the green flag and ran outside of the top 10 at the end. Hocevar finished the first stage in 16th and earned no stage points. In the second stage, Hocevar ran in the middle of the pack, but was one of many drivers involved in the biggest crash of the day on lap 114. Despite receiving some damage, Hocevar was able to continue and recovered back up to the 12th position at the end of the stage, receiving no further stage points. In the final stage, Hocevar made it up to the front of the pack and then kept trading the lead with Chris Buescher. Hocevar went on to lead 19 laps and pull ahead of Buescher on the final lap for his first career NASCAR Cup Series win. The victory moved Hocevar up to eighth in the regular-season standings after 10 races so far this season.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Chris Buescher Misses out on Winning at Talladega by Finishing Second
Chris Buescher was one of the top contenders to compete for the win in the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Buescher began the race from 10th after qualifying was canceled due to weather, and starting positions were set by the NASCAR rulebook. Outside of his one green flag pit stop, Buescher ran inside the top 10 throughout most of the first stage and fell short of winning it, as he placed fourth and earned seven stage points. In the second stage, Buescher kept his car clean and avoided the biggest crash of the race on lap 114, which allowed him to regain track position towards the front as others crashed. Buescher went on to finish third in the second stage and score eight more stage points. In the final stage, Buescher made it up to the front of the pack and traded the lead with Carson Hocevar. Buescher led 22 laps in the final stage, but ultimately missed out on victory as Hocevar edged ahead on the final lap. With his first top-5 finish of the season and a new career-best finish of second at Talladega, Buescher is now seventh in the Cup Series standings.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Alex Bowman Earns First Top-Five Finish at Talladega Since Returning From Injury
Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman placed third at the end of the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet started the race from 20th, and although he did not experience any issues with his car, he did take two green-flag pit stops to get through the first stage. As a result, he ended the stage in 23rd and scored no stage points. In the second stage, Bowman moved to the front of the pack as other drivers went to pit road during the stage break and also avoided the large crash of lap 114. Bowman eventually kept driving within the pack and ended the second stage in eighth, collecting three more stage points. In the final stage, Bowman ran inside the top five through most of the stage and kept running alongside Chris Buescher, Carson Hocevar, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Although he eventually got past Stenhouse on the final lap, he still could not generate enough speed to pass Buescher and Hocevar and settled for third. This is Bowman's first top-5 of the season and still remains 36th in the regular season standings after only six full races completed this year.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Chase Elliott Scores A Fourth-Place Finish at Talladega
Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports ended the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in the fourth position. Elliott began the race from eighth and ran all over the field towards both the front and the back. He was one of the drivers who took two green flag pit stops in the first stage, which made him end the first stage in 25th place behind the other drivers who only made one pit stop throughout the whole stage. In the second stage, Elliott shuffled back towards the front and avoided the biggest crash of the day on lap 114. He continued to run inside the top 10 through the rest of the stage, finishing it in ninth and earning two stage points. In the final stage, Elliott remained a contender and helped push several drivers towards the front, including Carson Hocevar and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Elliott continued to run behind the leaders until the final lap, where he made a move to get past Stenhouse, but fell short of the win as he advanced to fourth. This marked Elliott's fourth top-5 finish of the season, and his first since his Martinsville win, as he now sits fourth in the regular-season standings after 10 races.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Zane Smith Nabs First Top-Five Finish of the 2026 Season at Talladega
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.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Is Denny Hamlin Worth Rostering for Talladega?
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.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Is Bubba Wallace Playable in Talladega DFS Lineups?
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.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Stay Away From Tyler Reddick at Talladega
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.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Can Ryan Blaney Shake Off The Bad Luck at Talladega?
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.
Source: Heavy
Source: Heavy
Austin Cindric Could Contend For Another Talladega Win
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.
Source: The Athletic
Source: The Athletic
Kyle Busch an Easy DFS Pick at Talladega
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.
Source: Field Level Media
Source: Field Level Media
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. a High-Risk, High-Reward Pick at Talladega
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.
Source: Autoweek
Source: Autoweek
Todd Gilliland a Sleeper to Watch at Talladega
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.
Source: Driver Averages
Source: Driver Averages
Is Brad Keselowski Worth Rostering for Talladega Lineups?
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.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Could Chase Briscoe be A Sneaky Tournament Play for Talladega Lineups?
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.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
