Fantasy Fastlane: Austin Cindric blossoming into superspeedway ace

Hope you all enjoyed that off week because it’s a 28-week ride to wrap up the 2025 Cup Series season. It starts with Talladega Superspeedway, an opportunity for many teams to upset the sport’s Goliaths. Three drivers already have multiple victories through nine races, with 11 playoff spots still open. Despite how dominant Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have been to start the campaign, Talladega is a chance for fantasy players to think outside the box, hoping it pays off big. 

New to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced last year in which strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2025 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.

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MUST START:

Austin Cindric | View stats

Team Penske, No. 2 Ford

Odds: 16-1 (DraftKings)

Over the last couple of seasons, Cindric has become a superspeedway menace. Sure, his lone superspeedway win was in his rookie season, but it was the Daytona 500. The No. 2 car was in position to win both superspeedway races to start 2025 until he was in the middle of other drivers’ mistakes. Team Penske should be the focal point of your lineup this weekend, winning two of the four stages at superspeedways this year, combining to lead 256 of 467 laps (54.8%).

MUST START:

Joey Logano | View stats

Team Penske, No. 22 Ford

Odds: 11-1 (DraftKings)

Of those 256 laps Penske has led, Logano has paced the field for 126 circuits. Logano is among the best superspeedways competitors in the field – so much so that he will be honored on Friday by being inducted into the Talladega Walk of Fame for his three victories at the 2.66-mile track. Recently at Talladega, Logano’s theme has been to bank stage points and then drops in the finishing order with six straight finishes of 19th or worse. That misfortune must turn eventually.

MUST START:

Chase Elliott | View stats

Hendrick Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet

Odds: 16-1 (DraftKings)

Prior to getting caught up in the largest wreck in Cup Series history last fall at Talladega, Elliott had five consecutive top-15 finishes here. The 2020 champion is a two-time winner at the superspeedway and has an average finish of 14.6 across 18 starts. Not too shabby when so many of Talladega results are outside of a competitor’s control. 

MUST START:

Brad Keselowski | View stats

RFK Racing, No. 6 Ford

Odds: 10-1 (DraftKings)

Keselowski hasn’t visited Victory Lane at Talladega since 2021, but his six triumphs is tied with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon for second all-time at the track, only behind Dale Earnhardt (10). Keselowski lost each Talladega race in 2024 by a sliver, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Tyler Reddick coming out on top. Ranking 31st in the regular season standings, Keselowski desperately needs a good outing.

SLEEPER PICK:

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | View stats

Hyak Motorsports, No. 47 Chevrolet

Odds: 28-1 (DraftKings)

While the overall result at superspeedways might be fully out of a driver’s control, many of the same drivers contend at the front time and again. Stenhouse is among them, with all four of his Cup wins coming in the draft, including one in each of the last two seasons. Along with being the most recent winner at Talladega, No. 47 team earned top fives in both events in 2024.

SLEEPER PICK:

Erik Jones | View stats

Legacy Motor Club, No. 43 Toyota

Odds: 40-1 (DraftKings)

Jones tends to fly under the radar, but he’s another driver who’s usually in the mix at superspeedways. At Talladega, specifically, he has seven top-10 finishes in his last 10 starts at the track, with only one of those being worse than sixth. The No. 43 team is still searching for its first top 10 in 2025. 

SLEEPER PICK:

Todd Gilliland | View stats

Front Row Motorsports, No. 34 Ford

Odds: 25-1 (DraftKings)

Compared to much of the Cup field, Gilliland has minimal Talladega starts, but the numbers are solid in those races. Having a technical alliance with Penske doesn’t hurt, and Gilliland has made the most of it with four finishes of 12th or better in six starts. 

STAY AWAY FROM:

Kyle Larson | View stats

Hendrick Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet

Odds: 14-1 (DraftKings)

In the series’ most recent drafting race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Larson earned his best career finish on a superspeedway at third. That was a rare occurrence, however, as his glaring weakness – admittedly – is superspeedways. The good news for Larson is both of his Talladega top fives have come since joining HMS in 2021. His other six Talladega finishes with Hendrick are 15th or worse. 

STAY AWAY FROM:

Tyler Reddick | View stats

23XI Racing, No. 45 Toyota

Odds: 16-1 (DraftKings)

Winning last year’s spring Talladega race bleeds off the page when looking at Reddick’s numbers here. In the last seven races at NASCAR’s biggest oval, it’s his only finish better than 16th, which includes three finishes of 28th or worse. Consider that Reddick has five finishes of 25th or worse in the last seven races at Daytona International Speedway and it’s apparent that superspeedways aren’t his forte yet.

STAY AWAY FROM:

Ross Chastain | View stats

Trackhouse Racing, No. 1 Chevrolet

Odds: 25-1 (DraftKings)

Aside from top fives in both 2022 Talladega races, including a win, Chastain has faced recent hardships at the 2.66-mile track. Three of his last four Talladega finishes have been 23rd or worse, including a last-place result in October. Chastain is a comparable superspeedway competitor, though, so this could go the other direction and the No. 1 team may contend for the win. 

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Kyle Larson vs. Ross Chastain

Welp, as you can see, I’m not incredibly high on either driver this weekend. But the numbers swing in Larson’s favor this weekend, earning top fives in two of the last three superspeedways. You can’t ever count Chastain out, but I’m angling towards the No. 5 car. 

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Alex Bowman vs. Austin Cindric

Bowman is a methodical competitor at superspeedways, still searching for his first victory in this type of race. Meanwhile, Cindric makes daring yet strategic moves. Cindric deserves a lot of credit for blossoming into one of the Cup Series’ best at superspeedways. This is a golden chance for him to stamp his name into the postseason. 

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Joey Logano vs. Kyle Busch

Prior to joining Richard Childress Racing in 2023, you wouldn’t even consider Busch in your lineup at superspeedways because of his maddening track record at these tracks. However, he won this race two years ago and is a threat now at every drafting track. Logano is known to lead a plethora of laps and get buried in the finishing order at Talladega, but I can’t bet against that Penske power.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Noah Gragson vs. Austin Dillon

Neither driver is off to a booming start in 2025, but Dillon is always a threat at superspeedways. Both of his superspeedway wins are at Daytona International Speedway, but he also has a pair of podium results at Talladega. Gragson is a winner here in the Xfinity Series and finished third last season. Front Row’s superspeedway program is also underrated. Still, I’d lean with the ECR motors with the No. 3 car.

MY LINEUP: Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

GARAGE: Erik Jones

36 for 36: Only six current full-time Cup drivers have won multiple races at Talladega. Five of them are former champions with the outlier being Stenhouse. The No. 47 team is always hunting wins at superspeedways, putting added emphasis at these types of tracks. Stenhouse placed inside the top five in both Talladega races last season, visiting Victory Lane in the fall.