Fantasy Fastlane: The superspeedway aces will shine at Talladega

This weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway presents an opportunity for an upset winner. Such was the case in this year's Daytona 500, when Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who is a force at superspeedway races but competes for a smaller team, took home the victory. Drivers currently outside the playoff cutline with Cup wins on superspeedways include Michael McDowell, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace, Aric Almirola, Erik Jones, Chase Elliott and Justin Haley. Expect some of those drivers to be in contention come the checkered flag on Sunday.

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MUST START:
Joey Logano | View stats
Team Penske, No. 22 Ford
Odds: 11-1
In Logano's last seven Talladega starts, he has just one top-10 finish, a third-place effort in 2021. However, his natural aggression tends to stand out on superspeedways, as the No. 22 car is typically near the front, even if he gets involved in a wreck. Through the opening two superspeedway races of 2023, Logano has scored the most points with 101, with finishes of first and second.

MUST START:
Brad Keselowski | View stats
RFK Racing, No. 6 Ford
Odds: 15-1
In many people's opinion, Keselowski is the most gifted superspeedway racer at the Cup level currently. He has a series-high six wins at Talladega, and top 10 finishes in nearly half of his starts. It was the No. 6 car that led much of the final stint to the Atlanta race until Logano made a late charge on the final lap.

MUST START:
Ryan Blaney | View stats
Team Penske, No. 12 Ford
Odds: 11-1
At a mere 29 years old, Blaney will start his Talladega weekend by being inducted into the Talladega Walk of Fame at Davey Allison Memorial Park. That must mean he's good at the 2.66-mile track. And he is, with a pair of victories in 17 starts. While the No. 12 team has had issues in both superspeedway races this season, this could be where he snaps his 55-race skid.

MUST START:
Chase Elliott | View stats
Hendrick Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet
Odds: 12-1
Odds are, you have a bunch of Elliott uses left for the regular season. Personally, I have all 10 and plan on using the No. 9 car this weekend as he won at Talladega in October. Another positive is that Elliott will only need to use his left leg -- the one he broke -- when getting on to pit road this weekend or avoiding a wreck. The No. 9 car had top 10s in both Talladega races in 2022.

SLEEPER PICK:
Aric Almirola | View stats
Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 10 Ford
Odds: 25-1
Almirola is a reputable superspeedway competitor, picking up wins at both Daytona (rain-shortened) and Talladega. It wasn't long ago that he had eight straight top 10s at NASCAR’s largest oval, spanning across two races teams and five seasons. The No. 10 team is coming off a much-needed top-10 finish, its first since last summer at Richmond Raceway.

SLEEPER PICK:
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | View stats
JTG Daugherty Racing, No. 47 Chevrolet
Odds: 18-1
Not sure if we can consider this year's Daytona 500 winner and a driver who’s won three times on superspeedways a sleeper, but here we are. Stenhouse is in the midst of his best season with JTG Daugherty Racing -- and possibly his best ever at the Cup level. With four top-10 finishes in the first quarter of the season, his average finish is 14.1, three positions higher than his next best season (2017). The Mississippi native also has nine top 10s in 19 Talladega starts.

SLEEPER PICK:
Erik Jones | View stats
Legacy Motor Club, No. 43 Chevrolet
Odds: 35-1
Buried in 28th in the standings with just one top-10 effort through nine races, Jones is going to need to win a race to make the playoffs. In this race last year, the No. 43 car was leading coming off Turn 4, but made a block high that allowed Ross Chastain to get by on the bottom. Jones has won at Daytona in the past and is considered by many drivers as an underrated superspeedway competitor.

STAY AWAY FROM:
Kyle Larson | View stats
Hendrick Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet
Odds: 18-1
Feel like I say this every time there's a superspeedway race, but it bears a reminder that Larson admittedly doesn’t have confidence to make necessary moves at this style of track. The numbers show it, as he has three top-10 finishes in 16 Talladega starts. However, he had similar numbers going into Martinsville last weekend and won.

STAY AWAY FROM:
Kyle Busch | View stats
Richard Childress Racing, No. 8 Chevrolet
Odds: 16-1
When looking at Busch's stats on superspeedways, I had to do a double take. Since 2014, Busch has nine top 10s in his last 35 races at Daytona and Talladega combined. That's on par with his Talladega numbers, recording nine top 10s in 35 career starts. There will be plenty of opportunities to play Busch this season; don't waste one at Talladega.

STAY AWAY FROM:
Martin Truex Jr. | View stats
Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 19 Toyota
Odds: 30-1
At Martinsville last weekend, the No. 19 team scored its first top-five finish since last September at Kansas Speedway. The odds are he won’t get a second straight this weekend, posting just three top fives in 36 Talladega starts. The good news for Truex, though, is the No. 19 team did earn the most points on superspeedways in 2022 and earned three top 10s.

FEATURED MATCHUP:
Erik Jones vs. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
This could very well go either way, as both drivers often showcase their talent on superspeedways. Because the No. 47 team is on a roll this season, I'll give the nod to Stenhouse (and he's in my lineup). He's already tied the second most top 10s he's had driving a JTG car -- one shy of tying his record -- and there's still three-quarters of the season remaining.

FEATURED MATCHUP:
Austin Dillon vs. Bubba Wallace
Talladega could be a big weekend for both drivers, who need to put a string of solid performances together to get back above the playoff cutline. Both drivers have a good feel for the draft and often run towards the front at superspeedways. Because he's a recent winner at the track, Wallace is the favorite.

FEATURED MATCHUP:
Aric Almirola vs. Corey LaJoie
LaJoie has become a proven commodity on superspeedways, particularly at Atlanta. All six of his Cup top 10s have come at such tracks. Almirola is the choice, though, as he's a previous winner at Talladega and even won the second Bluegreen Vacations Duel race earlier this season.

FEATURED MATCHUP:
Harrison Burton vs. Ty Gibbs 
Flying under the radar, Gibbs has had a very respectable first quarter to his rookie campaign with four top-10 efforts. When it comes to superspeedway, the No. 21 car seems to find its way at the front, no matter who the driver is. Plus, Ford has the sheer numbers advantage over Toyota, which could play out to be a big factor in the race.

MY LINEUP: Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
GARAGE: Aric Almirola