Cash or Burn at Tallaedega Fantasy Report for the NASCAR Cup Series is from Taz Taylor in place of our regular YouTube Show on Fan4Racing Radio this week.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to one of the biggest wild-card tracks on the schedule, known as Talladega Superspeedway. With passing happening so much every single lap, one small error can either “cash or burn” your race. Let’s take a look at the betting odds favorites.
The Top Five Favorites (based on betting odds on Action Network
- Ryan Blaney (+1000)
- Joey Logano (+1100)
- William Byron (+1360)
- Tyler Reddick (+1420)
- Austin Cindric (+1420
Other notables take a look at based on betting odds;
- Chase Elliott (+1500)
- Bubba Wallace (+1520)
- Brad Keselowski (+1560)
All three drivers are strong at Talladega and have won at the 2.66-mile track. If you are looking for some underdogs to consider based on betting odds, look no further than Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+2400), Ryan Preece (+3600), and Todd Gilliland(+4260).
NextGen Average Finishes at Talladega (based on iFantasyRace)
William Byron is the big favorite with an average finish of 9.3. Byron has carried a streak of five top-ten finishes at Talladega. Three of those finishes were second or third.
Next in line as favorites, based on the NextGen average finish, are Todd Gilliland (13.1), Chase Elliott (14.5), Chase Briscoe (15.3), and Alex Bowman (15.3).
Looking for other average finishes to consider?
Ryan Blaney has a 16.9 average finish. Blaney has three straight finishes of first or second. Brad Keselowski is another one to look at. His NextGen average is 16.8 and includes back-to-back second-place finishes in 2024.
Past Winners at Talladega in the NextGen Era
2022: Ross Chastain (spring) and Chase Elliott (fall)
2023: Kyle Busch (spring) and Ryan Blaney (fall)
2024: Tyler Reddick (spring) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (fall)
2025: Austin Cindric (spring) and Chase Briscoe (fall)
There are a ton of names to pick from for your fantasy lineup this week. But here are my top three drivers as MUST START, SIT OUT, and UNDERDOGS to help create your fantasy lineup for Talladega.
Must Start
William Byron: He ranks third for the Action Network betting odds and first in NextGen average finish. Byron has won the Daytona 500 twice, so he’s no slouch when it comes to drafting style tracks. Although he may not have won in the NextGen car at Talladega, this is someone I definitely consider for a big points day.
Chase Elliott: He ranks sixth in the Action Network betting odds list and has the third-best average finish in the NextGen car. Elliott has won in the NextGen car once and also won at Atlanta. Chase Elliot should be a starter consideration in your lineup this week.
Chase Briscoe: This one may shock you as to why I chose Briscoe as a must-start. While he ranks 11th in the Action Network charts (+1900), his NextGen finishes are really not terrible. Considering all but two of his races at Talladega are in the NextGen car with Stewart-Haas Racing’s somewhat subpar equipment. In the six races with SHR, Briscoe scored two top ten finishes, along with 12th and 13th finishes. He also won at Talladega this past fall in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 car, which is his current ride. So, I’m really liking Briscoe’s chances here.
Sit Out
Kyle Larson: If you know me, I don’t consider Kyle Larson for drafting style tracks. He is the “perfect” definition of “checkers or wreckers.” He has shown glimpses of good finishes. But allow me to tell you this: Larson has yet to win at a drafting style track. He has only three top-five finishes over eight NextGen races at Talladega. Outside of those finishes, he has closed races anywhere from 15th to 33rd. If you have used Larson for other races this year, I recommend you keep him for another week. This is not a driver for your lineup this week.
Ross Chastain: You may be asking…Why would I say Chastain is a Sit Out if he’s won here before? It’s a good question, and here’s my take. He ranks at 18th on the Action Network odds and carries a NextGen average finish of 18.9. After a pair of top-five finishes in 2022 (a win in the fall race), Chastain has yet to record a top-ten finish. His best finish is 13th (spring 2024 and fall 2025). Every other finish is 20th or worse. Trackhouse, as an organization, has struggled to start the 2026 season, especially for the veteran driver of the team.
Chris Buescher: He has a third-place finish in the spring of 2023. But Buescher has struggled to finish inside the top 20. Buescher and RFK have done well at drafting style tracks, but it seems drafting tracks are Buescher’s kryptonite. I would keep him for a stronger track style and sit him out this week.
Underdogs
Todd Gilliland: He ranks second in the NextGen average finishes with a 13.1. That includes four top ten finishes in eight NextGen races at Talladega. Gilliland finished runner-up to Briscoe in the 2025 fall race. This is a driver, I would definitely not sleep on this week.
Erik Jones: Jones has a NextGen average finish of 17.1, including three straight sixth-place finishes, spanning from the spring of 2022 through the spring of 2023. He also has a fifth-place finish in the 2024 fall race. Jones has shown some hope on this track. Keep your eyes open for “that Jones Boy.”
Noah Gragson: Gragson currently sits on back-to-back top-five finishes in the spring Talladega races with a third in 2024 and a fourth in 2025. I think Gragson could find something this week and really team up with Gilliland to find their way to the front. Hopefully, they give Front Row Motorsports a real shot at victory or a huge finish this week.
Taz’s Starting Lineup
Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace. And in the Garage is Chase Briscoe.
Head-to-Head Match-Up Picks
Daniel Suarez vs. Ryan Preece
Suarez is my pick. Spire ran strong at Daytona and Atlanta to start the year. Preece is not someone I can see as much of a threat at drafting tracks.
Tyler Reddick vs. Ryan Blaney
Blaney is my pick here. I know the momentum Reddick and 23XI carry is strong heading into Talladega. Going against a Daytona 500 champion and against a past Talladega winner seems unlikely. But Blaney has won multiple times at Talladega and is very strong on drafting style tracks.
Austin Cindric vs. Joey Logano
A battle of teammates this week shows us a ‘can the teacher outmaster the student?” match-up. My pick is Cindric. He is the defending spring Talladega winner and has had stronger finishes in recent weeks over Logano. So I like Cindric going into this match-up.
Bubba Wallace vs. Chris Buescher
Wallace is my pick. He is on a three-race streak of top-ten finishes. Buescher, however, struggles to finish in the top 20. This is a no-brainer for me.