Welcome to my NASCAR DFS Breakdown! In this article, I will preview the race, lineup construction, and offer some of my favorite drivers to target for Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway! You can find all of our Core Plays throughout the NASCAR Premium Package, or you can click here to join our free Discord!
Race Preview/Lineup Construction
The Cup Series will be heading to Talladega this weekend for the second race of the Round of 12. These superspeedway races tend to have a lot of chaos because the cars are so close to one another which means one little mistake could take out half of the field. The Fords are always the ones to beat considering they’ve won 11 of the last 14 races at Talladega. This race is 188 laps with two 60 lap stages and a 68 lap final to the finish. Laps led still mean something, but they’re not as important as the place differential points. The strategy is to stack the back because those drivers offer more place differential and are less likely to kill your lineup like someone starting inside the top 10. Also, salary means nothing this weekend! Don’t be afraid to leave some salary on the table in your lineups! In cash games, we shouldn’t be playing anyone higher than 20th. For GPPs though, we’re going to have to get a little weird with our lineups and play guys up front. With all of that out of the way, here are some drivers I’m targeting for Sunday!
Justin Haley (DK $9,400 FD $7,700)
Haley has found a lot of success at the superspeedways winning four of the last six in the Xfinity Series. He also won one in the Cup Series as well if you count that as a win. He’ll be driving the #16 car for Kaulig which we’ve seen multiple guys race in throughout the season. He offers a ton of place differential and upside starting 38th this weekend. Haley is a driver I would 100% lock into my cash game lineups but makes for an interesting fade in GPPs because of the high ownership he’ll have.
Aric Almirola (DK $9,200 FD $10,800)
Almirola is always a factor at the superspeedways even though some of his finishes might not reflect that. Over his Cup Series career, he has one win at Daytona back in 2014 and one win at Talladega from 2018. If you don’t remember, he was leading the Daytona 500 in 2018 before he got wrecked by Austin Dillon on the final lap. Almirola doesn’t have to worry about points because he’s already out of the playoffs, so the only thing that matters for him is the win. He offers a lot of place differential starting 20th and could definitely be a threat for the win.
Joey Logano (DK $7,900 FD $13,000)
Logano’s recent superspeedway data might scare people, but there’s a reason why he always leads laps in these races. He’s one of the drivers starting near the front that I feel comfortable playing because I know he can win. His starting spot will lower his ownership with most people playing everyone from the back. I wouldn’t go here in cash games, but I love the upside Logano has in GPPs. My guess is he’ll be around 15-20% owned in tournaments this weekend.
Ryan Newman (DK $7,500 FD $5,300)
Newman has a great track history at the superspeedways because of the strategy he always does for these races. Usually, he’ll ride around in the back for most of the race in order to avoid all of the attrition. Once it gets close to the end, you’ll see him start working his way up and battling for the win. It’s a great strategy, so I don’t get why more drivers do it. He offers plenty of place differential starting 25th and looks like a great option starting near the back. I don’t mind him as a long shot pick to win at his 40-1 odds this weekend.
Corey LaJoie (DK $6,900 FD $4,000)
LaJoie is one of the few drivers that does the same strategy as Newman, but he didn’t do that strategy at Daytona. Over his last ten superspeedway starts, he has four top 10’s, 2 DNFs, and an AvFn of 14.4. Those are solid stats considering the unpredictability at a track like Talladega. He’s another driver that’s starting near the back which will probably make him a popular option in all formats. In GPPs, it’s all about mixing your lineups with some of the chalk and having those low owned pivots to win a tournament. Also, don’t check your lineups during the race!
Erik Jones (DK $6,500 FD $7,500)
Jones is a driver I really like this weekend for multiple reasons. First off, his superspeedway data might scare people away from him because it’s very inconsistent. Also, he offers a lot of place differential starting 26th and will be one of those low owned pivots I was talking about earlier. Preece, LaJoie, and Stenhouse will probably be the popular options from this price range leaving Jones with just as much upside as them. Anything can happen in this race, so keep that in mind when you’re building DFS lineups this weekend. Did I mention that he won at Daytona back in 2018?
NASCAR Talladega Picks:
Winner: Ryan Blaney
Favorite Play: Justin Haley
Favorite Low Owned Play: Erik Jones
Fade: Denny Hamlin
Guy I’m playing you shouldn’t: Tyler Reddick
I hope you guys enjoyed reading my free article for the Cup Series Talladega race, and I wish you the best of luck in your DFS contests! Make sure to follow me on Twitter if you haven’t already @DFS_NASCAR_Zone, so you can see when I post NASCAR DFS content or ask any questions! If you want access to our final thoughts with all of the drivers we like today, core plays, prop plays, and betting card, make sure to sign up for the NASCAR Core Plays Package! You can click here to join our free Discord! Good luck and we hope to see those winning screenshots!
