Picking a fantasy lineup for Talladega Superspeedway is a lot like predicting the 12 teams that will make this year’s College Football Playoff: The numbers only tell part of the story, and surviving the madness is often what matters most. With the Iron Bowl between the University of Alabama and Auburn University serving as a fitting football backdrop a stone’s throw away annually, this weekend’s race at NASCAR’s largest oval could shake up the 2026 championship picture even more.
Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick,
where you can come play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.
RELATED: NASCAR Fantasy Live hub | Play 36 for 36
MUST START
Driver: Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 1
Comment: After a dismal summer, Reddick is back in the championship fight following his victory at Phoenix Raceway. Two of his six wins in 2026 have come on drafting tracks, and he owns a 2024 Talladega triumph. Reddick leads all drivers with a 5.4 average finish and has earned 64 more points than any other driver across this year’s five superspeedway races. With only a start left, though, I’m stuck saving Reddick for Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Driver: Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: Hocevar ranks second in superspeedway points in 2026 with 169. He’s the only driver with top-10 finishes in the last three Talladega races, highlighted by a memorable celebration after winning in April.
Driver: Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
Selections remaining: 2
Comment: Blaney, a six-time winner at drafting tracks, sits third in points earned at superspeedways in 2026. Half of those triumphs have come at Talladega, and he has cracked the top two positions in 19% of his drafting starts (11 of 57).
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Meg Oliphant | Getty Images[/caption]
DRIVERS TO AVOID
Driver: Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 1
Comment: Missed opportunities
have hindered Hamlin’s 2026 title bid, but he remains within striking distance of the championship. His Next Gen superspeedway results have been underwhelming, with no top 10s in his last nine starts and 17 races since his last top five. He ranks 12th among the 16 Chasers in superspeedway points earned this season (107).
Driver: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 1
Comment: Among championship hopefuls, Larson’s 70 points on drafting tracks this year are tied with Ty Gibbs for the fewest. He has gone 58 starts without a superspeedway win, and his 30.6 average finish on drafting tracks in 2026 is the worst of all 35 full-time starters.
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Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media[/caption]
SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK
Driver: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: For the second time in three years, Stenhouse will look to play spoiler in the postseason at Talladega. The four-time Cup winner boasts a 15.0 average finish at the track, eighth-best all time among drivers with at least four starts. He also has six finishes of sixth or better in the last 12 drafting races.
Driver: Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: Gilliland scored a career-best runner-up finish in this race last year. He has four top 10s in nine Talladega tries, and a 12.9 average finish, best among active drivers with four starts minimum.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images[/caption]
FEATURED MATCHUPS
Joey Logano vs. Ryan Blaney
Pick: Blaney
Comment: This Penske showdown looks like a coin flip, but Logano has a habit of piling up stage points before late-race trouble strikes at drafting tracks. He has fared better in 2026, ranking seventh in points earned (147). Still, Blaney gets the nod after leading all drivers with 66 stage points and 184 laps led on drafting tracks this season.
Tyler Reddick vs. Chase Briscoe
Pick: Reddick
Comment: Reddick led the league in points earned at superspeedways in 2025 (199) and has put that number to shame with one race remaining this year (233). Briscoe is the defending winner here, but that was his lone top 10 in the last six Talladega races. The No. 19 team has the hot hand, though, gaining 99 points on the championship lead in the last three races.
Carson Hocevar vs. Bubba Wallace
Pick: Hocevar
Comment: Both drivers thrive on drafting tracks and earned their first Cup victories at the 2.66-mile behemoth. Wallace is tied with Reddick for the most superspeedway top 10s since 2024 with nine, but Hocevar has also excelled in this style of racing with Spire, where split-second decisions are key.
Kyle Larson vs. Christopher Bell
Pick: Bell
Comment: Neither driver boasts a strong track record on drafting tracks, though Bell won at EchoPark Speedway in 2025. He has four top 10s in 13 Talladega starts and led a race-high 31 laps in April. Larson’s outlook has improved, with Cliff Daniels noting last week that the No. 5 team has mastered two-thirds of a Talladega race. Encouragingly, two of Larson’s three Talladega top fives have come in his last four starts.
MY LINEUP
Starting five: Carson Hocevar, Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Garage pick: Brad Keselowski.
36 FOR 36
Pick: Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Comment: "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For" by U2 sums up my last two superspeedway picks, with Austin Hill at EchoPark and Cody Ware in the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway both missing the mark in the finishing column. This weekend, I’m turning to Gragson, who has shown he’s not afraid to mix it up at the front of the pack at Talladega. In eight starts, he has recorded a pair of top-five finishes and three top 10s, including a personal best finish of third.