So, last week in Martinsville, my Brilliant Pick Joey Logano came in second, Bold Pick Martin Truex Jr. showed up for a smooth third-place finish, and Ryan Blaney surprised everyone by pulling in seventh.
But the biggest shocker for me was Kyle Larson’s win. The number 5 was never really on my Martinsville radar simply for his past record, but I guess he showed me a thing or two. A lot of folks favored William Byron this week, including me, but the number 24 never quite got it together, ending up with a 23rd-place finish.
Bubba Wallace finished in the top ten this week, as did Ricky Stenhouse Jr, both superspeedway favorites. And Chase Elliot made his return to the Cup Series, working his behind off to finish 10th. After the race, both Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney kept Chase company as he sat on the ground outside of his car, catching his breath. Though Chase Elliot was tired, he was in good spirits. We wish him continued healing on his journey to Phoenix. And that, my friends, is all there is for Martinsville.
This week, NASCAR heads to Talladega for 500 miles of craziness. It’s never easy to make fantasy calls on a superspeedway, so trust the gut, or should I say trust my gut, and I’ll do my best to give you the down-low for this week’s Brilliant, Bold, and Bonkers NASCAR fantasy picks for the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
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Brilliant – These expert fantasy picks for NASCAR have the best shot at a win this weekend
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin made a bold declaration on his podcast a couple of weeks ago. He said that he was going to turn his season around and bring the heat at Martinsville. Though he didn’t win, he got his first top-five of the season, and I think he’ll commit that kind of a run from here on out. Keep your eye on the 11 car this week.
Talladega Wins: 2
Talladega Top 5s: 10
Talladega Top 10s: 15
Ryan Blaney
I can’t even believe that he’s here, but Ryan Blaney is one of the better Talladega drivers thanks to his multiple wins and top finishes combined with fewer DNFs than some of the others in the Cup Series. As long as he can avoid a wreck and steer clear of penalties, he’s going to give you some good points this week.
Talladega Wins: 2
Talladega Top 5s: 4
Talladega Top 10s: 6
Chase Elliott
Cinderella story here, folks. Chase Elliott wins his way into the playoffs with an amazing run in Talladega. I dunno—sounds possible to me. And that is why I’m putting him here on my brilliant NASCAR fantasy list. He has fantastic stats here, after all.
Talladega Wins: 2
Talladega Top 5s: 5
Talladega Top 10s: 7
Bold – Here’s my NASCAR fantasy advice on this week’s sleeper picks
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
I almost didn’t put Stenhouse Jr. on this list despite his past Talladega success, but he’s been having a good 2023 season so far. A win in Daytona and two top 10s is enough to make me look twice at the number 47 this weekend at the superspeedway.
Talladega Wins: 0
Talladega Top 5s: 1
Talladega Top 10s: 1
Bubba Wallace
So, Bubba Wallace has really been pouring it on, and this week he had a top-ten finish to go along with his 12th-place finish at the Bristol Dirt. As long as he can race clean and avoid penalties, look for the 23 to be near the front with his boss by the end of the race.
Talladega Wins: 1
Talladega Top 5s: 1
Talladega Top 10s: 1
Erik Jones
It’s been a rough season for the 43 so far, but Erik Jones knows his way around Talladega. Single-digit finishes in five of the last six races, the one exception was when he got wrapped up in an accident. Take a chance if you need a fresh pick that’s as bold as it gets.
Talladega Wins: 0
Talladega Top 5s: 2
Talladega Top 10s: 6
Bonkers – Chances are slim that these drivers will benefit your NASCAR fantasy points this week
Justin Haley
The rookie is having himself quite a season, but I feel like he’ll get swallowed up by the rest of the field before he can get up front. Take a pass on Justin Haley at the superspeedway.
Talladega Wins: 0
Talladega Top 5s: 0
Talladega Top 10s: 0
Kyle Busch
Not a good place for Kyle Busch to run. Yes, he has one win and a few top-tens, but he also has seven DNFs and the win was a long time ago. Hold off on the number 8 this week.
Talladega Wins: 1
Talladega Top 5s: 7
Talladega Top 10s: 9
Martin Truex Jr.
Yeah, don’t expect Martin Truex Jr. to have another great week. He has 13 DNFs at this track, the most of active Cup Series drivers. Though anything can happen on a superspeedway, I’m not touching the number 19 for Talladega.
Talladega Wins: 0
Talladega Top 5s: 3
Talladega Top 10s: 9
