This weekend the Cup series is at Talladega Superspeedway. Superspeedway racing is unlike any other tracks on the circuit. The most successful way to attack this weekend especially in cash games is to create the best floor lineup you can. When you do this you will find out that you are leaving thousands on the table and guess what THAT IS OK! Its a difficult concept for a lot of people to come to grips with. However take today for example. My Xfinity cash lineup had 4 drivers who wrecked out. However I easily cashed in cash games without a sweat. Superspeedways are hard to predict other then theres going to be the “Big One”. If you go back and look at winning lineups over the past few years you will see that a lot of the drivers come from starting positions in the 20’s and 30’s. At Talladega we tend to see one driver from within the top 12 to top 15 land in the winning lineup. Talladega is wider then Daytona so its easier but not impossible to miss the big one when it happens. In gpps you should definitely look at squeezing one of those drivers into your lineup yet make sure you have floor drivers as well. In cash games just focus on floor and you will place yourself in the best spot possible. Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there as well! Let’s win some money and celebrate in style.
Brendan Gaughan (DK $7,600 FD $5,000)
Everybody’s favorite Superspeedway ringer, Mr. Brendan Gaughan. He only races 4 races a year, the two Daytona races and the two Talladega races. He does what all dfs players love of their drivers and he sits near the back and lets the chaos happen in front of him. He is starting 39th so his floor is tremendous plus he has been very successful here at Talladega. I have a rule in superspeedways about not playing a driver over 45% however I may exceed that just a little in gpps because of the safety of Gaughan on Sunday.
Daniel Suarez (DK $7,300 FD $4,500)
I have talked a lot in Discord about how we really can’t use Suarez this season because his equipment is subpar compared to what he drove last season. However this is a week we can cash in on Suarez. He starts 37th and provides a great floor. Parker Kligerman finished 15th in this car last season by hanging around in the back and moving up after the wrecks happened. If Suarez follows that strategy, I can see him finishing in the top 20 which he has done in all of his Talladega races except one in his Cup career.
Ty Dillon (DK $7,100 FD $6,800)
Ty is another driver who has had great success at Talladega. In six races here, he has not finished worse the 17th. He starts 33rd on Sunday and is another driver who provides a great floor. He is a driver who we like to target cause he typically abides by the ride around in the back and move up after the “Big One”. If he does that on Sunday he will find success and in turn will be a success in DFS.
Ryan Newman (DK $6,700 FD $8,000)
This will be Ryan’s first superspeedway race after his horrific accident at Daytona in February. For some drivers, I think that may cause some pause in looking at him as a tournament target on Sunday. However Ryan Newman isn’t like many people and don’t think it will have as much of an affect on him as it may on others. Ryan always hangs around in the back during these races so be prepared to be looking at negative points most of the race(You shouldn’t be looking til the end anyway!). Ryan will then move up towards the front near the end of the race and thats how he has scored four top 10’s in the last five races here including two second place finishes. He starts too far towards the front for cash games but is a great tournament target.
Aric Almirola (DK $6,800 FD $11,000)
Aric is just like Ryan Newman in the sense that he finds a way to be near the front at the end of these races at Talladega. He has not finished outside of the top 10 here since 2016 including one win in 2018. Aric is another tournament target as he starts 15th and doesn’t give you that floor you are looking for in cash games.
Corey Lajoie (DK $6,500 FD $4,000)
Corey Lajoie is another driver who implores the ride in the back strategy. Targeting these drivers is so important because they do their best to keep themselves out of trouble unlike someone like a Matt Dibenedetto who tends to try to move up during the race and puts himself in harms way. Since taking over for Matt in the 32 car, Corey has finishes three top 10 finishes and no finish worse then 18th in 5 points races. Corey starts 25th so his floor is not as great as the drivers behind him however he does have great upside as we see from previous races.
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