3 days agoAdd Tyler Reddick to the list of Cup Series drivers that are locked into the 2024 playoffs. Reddick was able to avoid the carnage at the end of the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday afternoon and emerge victorious for his first win of the 2024 Cup Series season. It is his first win at Talladega as well, and his first top-five finish in nine attempts at the track. Reddick now sits fifth in the points standings, 43 points behind the leader, Kyle Larson. He has a series-high seven top-10 finishes this year.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: FOX Sports
3 days agoBrad Keselowski nearly broke his winless streak at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, but came up one position short. It looked as though Brad was going to be able to maneuver around then-leader Michael McDowell on the final lap of the GEICO 500, but a block by McDowell caused a massive last-lap crash that took out most of the cars in the field. Keselowski was still able to finish second despite the pileup. After the race, Brad stated, "It's unfortunate. I thought we had a really strong day; it looked like we were going to get a Ford 1-2-3 and it didn't work out. I'm glad to get a good finish but really want the win." Keselowski added, "I don't know that anybody did anything wrong. I just still hate that Michael [McDowell] didn't get the solid day that he deserved, and we didn't get the win. But that's how it goes."
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Racer
3 days agoIt was a good day at Talladega for Anthony Alfredo and Beard Motorsports, as they were able to avoid the chaos late and walk away with a sixth-place finish in the GEICO 500. That's the best result for the organization since the 2022 season, when Noah Gragson delivered a fifth-place finish for them at Daytona. Beard Motorsports only runs a handful of races each season, so it's nice to see them finish up front when they do. For Alfredo, this was another good result for him at Talladega, as he now has three straight finishes of 12th or better at the track. After the race, the driver stated, "I hung a hard left, went through the grass, was able to hang onto it, avoid the chaos, and make it to the start-finish line sixth, so what a great day for this team." Alfredo's finish paid off nicely for bettors as well, as he was listed at 14-to-1 odds for a top-10 result at Talladega.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Anthony Alfredo's X Account
3 days agoEarlier this season at Dayton and Atlanta, Todd Gilliland showed that he could hang with the leaders and legitimately compete. This past Sunday at Talladega, he did the same thing. Although Gilliland didn't lead any laps in the GEICO 500, he still had the second-best driver rating and ranked inside the top five in both Green Flag Speed and Average Running Position. He finished eighth in the race, giving him three top-10 finishes in his last four starts there with a 12th-place result being the worst finish during that time frame. Gilliland has definitely emerged as a strong fantasy option at Talladega, although he still wasn't a great DFS pick this weekend because of his high starting position. Gilliland scored 32.8 FPTS on DraftKings, just 17th-highest on the slate.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
3 days ago23XI driver Bubba Wallace finished 36th in Sunday's Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. While a 36th-place finish is always disappointing, Sunday's race was particularly frustrating given that Wallace is from Mobile, Alabama. Despite running a solid race and spending 62.3% of the contest in the top 15, the eight-year Cup veteran was involved in an accident in turn three of lap 156. At a point in the race when a group of Toyotas were running single file, Erik Jones drifted low, causing Wallace to spin him into the wall. The incident, which also impacted 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin, ended the day for the three Camrys, 32 laps short of the checkered flag. Considering that Hamlin and Jones finished in the top 10 in ownership on DraftKings, this wreck undoubtedly impacted DFS contests on Sunday afternoon. Nevertheless, the No. 23 will now turn his attention to Dover Motor Speedway, a track he finished 12th at last spring.
--Adam Erhardt - RotoBallerSource: Jayski.com
3 days agoOn Sunday afternoon, Kyle Larson finished 21st in the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Talladega weekend got off to a rocky start for the former Cup Series champion as he was not allowed to qualify, was forced to start in the back, and was made to do a
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4 days agoRicky Stenhouse Jr. survived the last-lap Big One to score a fourth-place finish at Talladega on Sunday, his best finish this season. However, he didn't run nearly as well as his finish implies, as he never ran better than fourth at any period in the race, and every single driver in the field did that at least once in a highly competitive event -- even the backmarkers. Stenhouse's average running position of 22nd was decidedly mediocre, and his driver rating ranked only 24th despite the high finish. He continues to have a knack for emerging up front at the end of drafting races, but he ran much worse than he did in many of those other races. His overall performance this weekend still reflects the sudden drop in form that has existed for him throughout the 2024 season.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
4 days agoPerhaps surprisingly, Noah Gragson had the highest driver rating in Sunday's GEICO 500 at Talladega. Although he had won there in the Xfinity Series and his predecessor, Aric Almirola, was regularly fast on drafting tracks in his entire Stewart-Haas Racing tenure, few people saw Gragson as a top contender. However, he finished third (giving SHR its first top-five finish on the season), led five laps, and made four passes for the lead in the race, including passing Chris Buescher on Lap 96 and Ross Chastain on Lap 132. Gragson tied for first in average running position, tied for second in passes, and ranked fifth in pass differential as he tried to run up front for the entire event while many of the big stars hung in the back for most of the race. Talladega also gave him above-average speed for the season, marking a drastic improvement over his miserable 2023. Gragson finished third in the GEICO 500 and delivered a massive day for DFS players.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
4 days agoIn his first NASCAR Cup Series drafting race, Shane van Gisbergen performed very admirably, although he didn't get the finish to prove it. Van Gisbergen made two passes for the lead in the race, passing Kyle Busch on lap 44 and Chris Buescher on lap 98, proving that his passing for the lead in Saturday's Xfinity Series race was no fluke and immediately proving he had the ability to compete on drafting tracks. Admittedly, his teammate, Daniel Hemric, outperformed him as van Gisbergen had an average running position of 20th, finished 28th, and ranked a mere 27th in driver rating. However, in a race where nearly the entire field intentionally slowed down for long stretches at a time, peak performance likely is a better metric than average performance, and he did lead when many veteran drivers didn't.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
4 days agoIn the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Michael McDowell wrecked on the last lap to place 31st. As the polesitter for this week's race, McDowell started at the front by leading a few laps early but faded toward the middle of the pack as others drove past him.
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4 days agoHendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman placed fifth during this week's GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Bowman started his day in 12th place and quietly ran between the Top 20 to as high as 10th at the end of the first stage. The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet would score stage points in stage one as a result but fail to score any in the second stage as he remained 14th. During the final stage, Bowman would run along with the pack and the rest of his Hendrick teammates, playing into pit strategy to eventually get him favorable track position. Although he looked to coast towards a top-10 finish by the end of the final lap, Bowman avoided the big wreck and climbed all the way to fifth, scoring his second-career top-5 finish at Talladega and his fourth overall for 2024. Bowman will look to continue his strong momentum and Consistency at Dover, one of his best tracks in recent years where he currently has three consecutive top-5 finishes.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
4 days agoDaniel Hemric qualified 19th for the GEICO 500 on Sunday. Few expected Hemric and his Kaulig Racing Chevy to nab a result inside the Top 10. He did continue a nice streak of place differential on superspeedway or tracks of similar type. At Daytona, he was +21, Atlanta saw Hemric move up eight spots. Talladega saw him begin in 19th and end up 9th. He even led eight laps. Strangely enough, the No. 31 car was 19th after both stages before moving up late. Before this race, Hemric had not finished better than 16th (Daytona). Nine of the ten drivers inside the Top 10 started 11th or further back.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
4 days agoHarrison Burton did not have the greatest day at first, but it is not always about how one starts, but instead how one finishes. Burton was sixth after Stage 1 but 28th after Stage 2. By staying above the fray, Burton and his Wood Brothers Racing car was able to slide into the top 10 during the final laps at Talladega. His 10th-place finish was his best result of the 2024 season. Simply staying out of trouble allowed Burton to finish six spots above his qualifying spot. Superspeedways are a place that Burton does thrive at, and he seems to avoid trouble for the most part.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
4 days ago23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace will start 14th in this week's GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. This will be the fourth-highest starting position of his Cup career at Talladega and the fourth time this season that he will start outside of the Top 10. In 12 previous starts at TS, Wallace has one win and six finishes with positive Place Differential. The driver of the No. 23 Toyota also led in nine different Cup events at Talladega including eight of the last nine there. After nine races so far this season, Wallace has six top-15 finishes including top-5 results at both of the previous races at drafting tracks (Daytona and Atlanta). As a driver who typically finds his way to the front and leads laps at drafting tracks, Wallace is expected to compete for a top-10 finish this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
4 days agoDuring GEICO 500 qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway, Tyler Reddick collected a starting position of 18th. This is the lowest start position for Reddick at Talladega since joining 23XI Racing in 2023. In eight races at TS in his Cup career so far, Reddick has five top-20 finishes, including both of last season's races at the site. Through nine races so far this season, Reddick has six top-10 finishes, which is tied for the most of all drivers. Despite being one of the most consistent drivers this year, Reddick struggled to score favorable finishes at drafting tracks since joining 23XI Racing. Since 2023, Reddick scored one top-10 finish (Atlanta during March 2023) at drafting tracks and led in only one Cup event at the track type (Talladega during October 2023). Although he has some Place Differential upside from starting in the middle of the pack, Reddick is one driver that fantasy players should be wary of rostering due to his lackluster track history.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
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