For the second time this season, the Cup drivers and teams venture to Alabama and the famed Talladega Superspeedway to try and conquer the biggest, fastest, most-intimidating track on the schedule. Anything can happen here. That’s what the legacy of the track is built on as the speeds and type of racing lead to unpredictability in an odd way. In some ways, it’s the most predictable race of the year in that a “big one” will happen at least once during the race and it will be a partial dart throw to pick a winner. However, in another way, it’s unpredictable in that we don’t know who will be involved in the wrecks and whether or not riding around in the back or the front will keep you completely safe.
The 2.66-mile speedway banked at 33 degrees in the turns with 16.5 degrees of tilt in the front stretch leads to some of the highest consistent speeds of any track in the world. Typically, this has been a restrictor plate race much like Daytona but with the new rules package for this year, there was no need for the plate to be put on the engine, though the pack racing still persists. In the first race here, they were still hitting speeds over 200 mph into Turn 1 and the pack acted just like it had in the past when restrictor plates were used.
Starting Positions of Winners
Starting Pos. | Races Won | Starting Pos. | Races Won |
1 | 14 | 14 | 1 |
2 | 20 | 15 | 2 |
3 | 7 | 16 | 3 |
4 | 9 | 17 | 1 |
5 | 5 | 18 | 2 |
6 | 4 | 19 | 1 |
7 | 3 | 20 | 1 |
8 | 1 | 22 | 2 |
9 | 5 | 24 | 1 |
10 | 3 | 27 | 1 |
11 | 4 | 34 | 3 |
12 | 2 | 36 | 1 |
13 | 4 | | |
This track may have the most amount of winners from different spots in the starting grid with 25 different spots providing the eventual winner of the race. Out of the past 100 races at the track, 55 winners have come from the top-five starting spots and the entire top-20 spots have at least one winner.
Track Data
Drivers To Watch This Week:
I am unfortunately dealing with a cold/bronchitis this week and have not much of a voice to do the full Hot Pass video so instead, I will write up a few drivers to watch heading to Talladega.
Joey Logano ($9,400 DK, $14,500 FD) – He and his teammate Brad Keselowski ($9,600 DK, $12,500 FD) are two of the best plate racers in the field. Logano has two wins in the last five Fall Talladega races with four top-fives and an average finish of 4.4 in that span with a positive 13.4 PD mark. In the last 10 ‘Dega races he’s posted three wins and six top-fives and an 11.7 average finish. Keselowski has similar stats to those of Logano but he’s got worse average finishes in those same spans with the same amount of wins in each case.
Aric Almirola ($7,600 DK, $9,000 FD) – Almirola won this race last year after Stewart-Haas ran 1-4 all race long. It’s not just the win that makes him noteworthy as he has six top-10s in the last 10 Talladega races with an average finish of 13.1 and a positive 8.2 position differential. He’s not had a standout season this year but he’s still alive in the playoffs and could use a great finish or win to punch his ticket to the Round of 8.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($7,500 DK, $8,700 FD) – Stenhouse is perfect for this type of racing as it takes aggressive moves and confidence to be good at plate racing. He’s posted two top-fives and three top-10s in the last four Fall Talladega races and in his last nine races here, he’s posted a win, four top-fives, and five top-10s with a 12.9 average finish. His last Cup win came at a plate track and he wants to go out on a high note with RCR while trying to get a new ride for 2020.
There aren’t really any contrarian or fades this week simply because of the type of racing that this track involves.
There will be no momentum tables either since they don’t have much weight heading into the Talladega race.
Last Five 1000Bulbs.com 500 Races
| | Avg. | Run. | Avg. | Pos. | | Top | Top | Top | Top |
Driver | # | Start | Pos. | Finish | Diff. | W | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
Joey Logano | 5 | 17.8 | 11 | 4.4 | 13.4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
Brad Keselowski | 5 | 8.4 | 11.2 | 14.2 | -5.8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Aric Almirola | 5 | 19.6 | 20.6 | 13.8 | 5.8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 4 | 10.0 | 15.3 | 10.8 | -0.8 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Clint Bowyer | 5 | 21.4 | 19 | 13.2 | 8.2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Denny Hamlin | 5 | 15.8 | 16.6 | 13.6 | 2.2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Ryan Newman | 5 | 19.6 | 26.8 | 11.6 | 8.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
Kurt Busch | 5 | 8.8 | 9.6 | 12.0 | -3.2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Landon Cassill | 5 | 33.8 | 25 | 21.8 | 12.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Paul Menard | 5 | 18.6 | 15.8 | 15.2 | 3.4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
Kevin Harvick | 5 | 18.6 | 12 | 15.8 | 2.8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Kyle Larson | 5 | 27.0 | 13.8 | 14.2 | 12.8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| | Avg. | Run. | Avg. | Pos. | | Top | Top | Top | Top |
Driver | # | Start | Pos. | Finish | Diff. | W | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
Austin Dillon | 5 | 20.8 | 23 | 16.4 | 4.4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Jimmie Johnson | 5 | 7.2 | 12 | 19.2 | -12.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Erik Jones | 2 | 19.0 | 23 | 22.0 | -3.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Martin Truex Jr | 5 | 17.6 | 21.8 | 24.0 | -6.4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
David Ragan | 5 | 27.2 | 26.2 | 26.6 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Ty Dillon | 2 | 27.0 | 18 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Brendan Gaughan | 2 | 31.5 | 22.5 | 15.5 | 16.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Daniel Suarez | 2 | 13.5 | 12 | 15.5 | -2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Chase Elliott | 3 | 3.7 | 9 | 19.7 | -16.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Ryan Blaney | 5 | 11.2 | 14.2 | 24.6 | -13.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Reed Sorenson | 2 | 24 | 28 | 25.5 | -1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Kyle Busch | 5 | 19.2 | 22.6 | 26.8 | -7.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| | Avg. | Run. | Avg. | Pos. | | Top | Top | Top | Top |
Driver | # | Start | Pos. | Finish | Diff. | W | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
Bubba Wallace | 1 | 17.0 | 19 | 19.0 | -2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Chris Buescher | 3 | 29.0 | 22.3 | 20.0 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
William Byron | 1 | 8.0 | 16 | 20.0 | -12.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Ross Chastain | 1 | 36 | 31 | 24 | -5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Joey Gase | 2 | 37.0 | 26 | 25.0 | 12.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Michael McDowell | 5 | 22.0 | 24.2 | 31.0 | -9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Corey LaJoie | 1 | 40.0 | 34 | 32.0 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Matt DiBenedetto | 4 | 32.5 | 27.8 | 32.0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Alex Bowman | 4 | 19.3 | 21.3 | 36.3 | -17.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Daniel Hemric | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Matt Tifft | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ryan Preece | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Austin Theriault | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Spencer Boyd | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Blake Jones | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Parker Kligerman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | Laps | Laps Led | Fastest | Fast Laps | Top-15 | Avg. Driver |
Driver | # | Led | /Race | Laps | /Race | Rate | Rating |
Joey Logano | 5 | 124 | 24.8 | 21 | 4.2 | 78% | 103.8 |
Brad Keselowski | 5 | 130 | 26.0 | 18 | 3.6 | 76% | 97.8 |
Aric Almirola | 5 | 1 | 0.2 | 21 | 4.2 | 37% | 75.5 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 4 | 14 | 3.5 | 19 | 4.8 | 54% | 87.9 |
Clint Bowyer | 5 | 2 | 0.4 | 34 | 6.8 | 45% | 83.4 |
Denny Hamlin | 5 | 22 | 4.4 | 25 | 5.0 | 58% | 84.7 |
Ryan Newman | 5 | 14 | 2.8 | 23 | 4.6 | 12% | 65.6 |
Kurt Busch | 5 | 112 | 22.4 | 18 | 3.6 | 82% | 101.5 |
Landon Cassill | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | 9 | 1.8 | 12% | 60.2 |
Paul Menard | 5 | 2 | 0.4 | 21 | 4.2 | 59% | 82.1 |
Kevin Harvick | 5 | 52 | 10.4 | 17 | 3.4 | 68% | 91.8 |
Kyle Larson | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | 17 | 3.4 | 64% | 87.2 |
| | Laps | Laps Led | Fastest | Fast Laps | Top-15 | Avg. Driver |
Driver | # | Led | /Race | Laps | /Race | Rate | Rating |
Austin Dillon | 5 | 1 | 0.2 | 25 | 5.0 | 21% | 67.8 |
Jimmie Johnson | 5 | 118 | 23.6 | 13 | 2.6 | 72% | 94.3 |
Erik Jones | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 7 | 3.5 | 33% | 60.4 |
Martin Truex Jr | 5 | 3 | 0.6 | 9 | 1.8 | 40% | 68.7 |
David Ragan | 5 | 3 | 0.6 | 14 | 2.8 | 18% | 56.4 |
Ty Dillon | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 11 | 5.5 | 34% | 76.4 |
Brendan Gaughan | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 6 | 3.0 | 15% | 64.5 |
Daniel Suarez | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 7 | 3.5 | 71% | 79.8 |
Chase Elliott | 3 | 35 | 11.7 | 13 | 4.3 | 85% | 90.7 |
Ryan Blaney | 5 | 36 | 7.2 | 7 | 1.4 | 69% | 81.3 |
Reed Sorenson | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 1.5 | 21% | 52 |
Kyle Busch | 5 | 18 | 3.6 | 22 | 4.4 | 40% | 66.8 |
| | Laps | Laps Led | Fastest | Fast Laps | Top-15 | Avg. Driver |
Driver | # | Led | /Race | Laps | /Race | Rate | Rating |
Bubba Wallace | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2.0 | 23% | 66.9 |
Chris Buescher | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 5 | 1.7 | 23% | 58.5 |
William Byron | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 7 | 7.0 | 38% | 74.1 |
Ross Chastain | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 2.5 | 3% | 41.5 |
Joey Gase | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1.0 | 6% | 50.8 |
Michael McDowell | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | 18 | 3.6 | 26% | 58.8 |
Corey LaJoie | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% | 33 |
Matt DiBenedetto | 4 | 14 | 3.5 | 6 | 1.5 | 7% | 48.2 |
Alex Bowman | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 17 | 4.3 | 39% | 60.9 |
Daniel Hemric | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Matt Tifft | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ryan Preece | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Austin Theriault | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Spencer Boyd | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Blake Jones | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Parker Kligerman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Top-20 Drivers Over Last 10 Talladega Races
| | Avg. | Run. | Avg. | Pos. | | Top | Top | Top | Top |
Driver | # | Start | Pos. | Finish | Diff. | W | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
Joey Logano | 10 | 16.1 | 12.3 | 11.7 | 4.4 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
Brad Keselowski | 10 | 8.1 | 10.7 | 14.7 | -6.6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 9 | 9.9 | 15.7 | 12.9 | -3.0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Aric Almirola | 10 | 21.3 | 17.7 | 13.1 | 8.2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Chase Elliott | 7 | 5.1 | 10.7 | 14.0 | -8.9 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Kurt Busch | 10 | 11.2 | 11.3 | 9.4 | 1.8 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 9 |
Ryan Newman | 10 | 19.3 | 25.1 | 13.4 | 5.9 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 7 |
Denny Hamlin | 10 | 14.2 | 16.6 | 16.9 | -2.7 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
Clint Bowyer | 10 | 17.9 | 21.5 | 17.7 | 0.2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Kyle Busch | 9 | 18.2 | 16.7 | 18.0 | 0.2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| | Avg. | Run. | Avg. | Pos. | | Top | Top | Top | Top |
Driver | # | Start | Pos. | Finish | Diff. | W | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
Paul Menard | 10 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 16 | -1.1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
Kevin Harvick | 10 | 17.2 | 14.7 | 16.7 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
Jimmie Johnson | 10 | 11.3 | 13.3 | 17.3 | -6.0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Austin Dillon | 10 | 16.3 | 20.6 | 20.5 | -4.2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
Ryan Blaney | 10 | 12.4 | 13.6 | 20.8 | -8.4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Martin Truex Jr | 10 | 17.2 | 17.8 | 21.9 | -4.7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Alex Bowman | 7 | 19.1 | 18.6 | 24.4 | -5.3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Landon Cassill | 9 | 32 | 26.9 | 24.7 | 7.3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Ryan Preece | 1 | 30 | 21 | 3.0 | 27.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Daniel Hemric | 1 | 5 | 15 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| | Laps | Laps Led | Fastest | Fast Laps | Top-15 | Avg. Driver |
Driver | # | Led | /Race | Laps | /Race | Rate | Rating |
Joey Logano | 10 | 247 | 24.70 | 36 | 3.60 | 74% | 98.6 |
Brad Keselowski | 10 | 238 | 23.80 | 36 | 3.60 | 76% | 99.3 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 9 | 49 | 5.44 | 47 | 5.22 | 53% | 83 |
Aric Almirola | 10 | 29 | 2.90 | 31 | 3.10 | 47% | 78.9 |
Chase Elliott | 7 | 107 | 15.29 | 25 | 3.57 | 74% | 93.4 |
Kurt Busch | 10 | 118 | 11.80 | 43 | 4.30 | 75% | 97 |
Ryan Newman | 10 | 17 | 1.70 | 54 | 5.40 | 16% | 64.1 |
Denny Hamlin | 10 | 86 | 8.60 | 39 | 3.90 | 55% | 83.3 |
Clint Bowyer | 10 | 12 | 1.20 | 60 | 6.00 | 37% | 72.3 |
Kyle Busch | 9 | 82 | 9.11 | 39 | 4.33 | 60% | 83.1 |
| | Laps | Laps Led | Fastest | Fast Laps | Top-15 | Avg. Driver |
Driver | # | Led | /Race | Laps | /Race | Rate | Rating |
Paul Menard | 10 | 11 | 1.10 | 42 | 4.20 | 55% | 80.8 |
Kevin Harvick | 10 | 89 | 8.90 | 38 | 3.80 | 60% | 86.6 |
Jimmie Johnson | 10 | 171 | 17.10 | 27 | 2.70 | 68% | 89.4 |
Austin Dillon | 10 | 1 | 0.10 | 50 | 5.00 | 30% | 69.8 |
Ryan Blaney | 10 | 40 | 4.00 | 31 | 3.10 | 67% | 86.7 |
Martin Truex Jr | 10 | 14 | 1.40 | 22 | 2.20 | 53% | 78.6 |
Alex Bowman | 7 | 33 | 4.71 | 31 | 4.43 | 44% | 71.8 |
Landon Cassill | 9 | 0 | 0.00 | 20 | 2.22 | 12% | 57.2 |
Ryan Preece | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 5.00 | 18% | 74.7 |
Daniel Hemric | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 5.00 | 52% | 85.5 |
Top-20 Drivers Over Similar Races (Daytona and Talladega)
| | Avg. | Run. | Avg. | Pos. | | Top | Top | Top | Top |
Driver | # | Start | Pos. | Finish | Diff. | W | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
Joey Logano | 20 | 12.9 | 13.7 | 13.2 | -0.3 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
Brad Keselowski | 20 | 13.2 | 13.7 | 20.8 | -7.6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 |
Denny Hamlin | 20 | 14.8 | 15.1 | 15.2 | -0.4 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 14 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 19 | 12.7 | 15.8 | 16.1 | -3.4 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 11 |
Kurt Busch | 19 | 12.4 | 13.9 | 13.6 | -1.2 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 13 |
Aric Almirola | 19 | 22.4 | 18.4 | 15.2 | 7.2 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 14 |
Chase Elliott | 15 | 6.3 | 15.1 | 21.5 | -15.2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
Austin Dillon | 20 | 15.8 | 18.9 | 17.8 | -2.0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 14 |
Erik Jones | 11 | 19.8 | 21.1 | 22.4 | -2.6 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
Kyle Busch | 18 | 15.6 | 17.1 | 17.6 | -2.0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 11 |
| | Avg. | Run. | Avg. | Pos. | | Top | Top | Top | Top |
Driver | # | Start | Pos. | Finish | Diff. | W | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
Ryan Newman | 20 | 19.3 | 23.5 | 13.5 | 5.8 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 15 |
Jimmie Johnson | 20 | 13.4 | 14.2 | 17.5 | -4.1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 11 |
Kevin Harvick | 20 | 13.8 | 15.3 | 18.8 | -5.0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 11 |
Clint Bowyer | 20 | 15.6 | 19.9 | 18.1 | -2.5 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
Paul Menard | 20 | 18.4 | 16.3 | 17.1 | 1.3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 13 |
Martin Truex Jr | 20 | 17.9 | 17.1 | 21.0 | -3.1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
Ryan Blaney | 19 | 12.6 | 13.9 | 22.2 | -9.6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 10 |
Michael McDowell | 18 | 24.1 | 21.3 | 22.8 | 1.3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
Chris Buescher | 16 | 27.1 | 23.2 | 22.8 | 4.3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
Ty Dillon | 13 | 23.5 | 18.4 | 17.3 | 6.2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 9 |
| | Laps | Laps Led | Fastest | Fast Laps | Top-15 | Avg. Driver |
Driver | # | Led | /Race | Laps | /Race | Rate | Rating |
Joey Logano | 20 | 354 | 17.7 | 83 | 4.2 | 69% | 94 |
Brad Keselowski | 20 | 400 | 20.0 | 57 | 2.9 | 66% | 90.1 |
Denny Hamlin | 20 | 275 | 13.8 | 61 | 3.1 | 61% | 85.9 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 19 | 146 | 7.7 | 88 | 4.6 | 51% | 83.5 |
Kurt Busch | 19 | 143 | 7.5 | 81 | 4.3 | 66% | 88.6 |
Aric Almirola | 19 | 32 | 1.7 | 73 | 3.8 | 43% | 75.8 |
Chase Elliott | 15 | 171 | 11.4 | 60 | 4.0 | 61% | 81.9 |
Austin Dillon | 20 | 64 | 3.2 | 85 | 4.3 | 40% | 73.5 |
Erik Jones | 11 | 25 | 2.3 | 46 | 4.2 | 36% | 69.7 |
Kyle Busch | 18 | 176 | 9.8 | 70 | 3.9 | 55% | 81.4 |
| | Laps | Laps Led | Fastest | Fast Laps | Top-15 | Avg. Driver |
Driver | # | Led | /Race | Laps | /Race | Rate | Rating |
Ryan Newman | 20 | 20 | 1.0 | 107 | 5.4 | 23% | 64.5 |
Jimmie Johnson | 20 | 284 | 14.2 | 67 | 3.4 | 65% | 88.2 |
Kevin Harvick | 20 | 170 | 8.5 | 69 | 3.5 | 59% | 87.8 |
Clint Bowyer | 20 | 23 | 1.2 | 99 | 5.0 | 42% | 72.3 |
Paul Menard | 20 | 13 | 0.7 | 79 | 4.0 | 54% | 79.7 |
Martin Truex Jr | 20 | 44 | 2.2 | 58 | 2.9 | 53% | 78.7 |
Ryan Blaney | 19 | 183 | 9.6 | 63 | 3.3 | 67% | 87.2 |
Michael McDowell | 18 | 20 | 1.1 | 72 | 4.0 | 33% | 65.6 |
Chris Buescher | 16 | 3 | 0.2 | 36 | 2.3 | 25% | 61 |
Ty Dillon | 13 | 20 | 1.5 | 62 | 4.8 | 38% | 74.6 |
Team Averages at Talladega (since Feb. 2017)
| Avg. | | | Top | Top |
Driver | Finish | Races | Wins | 5 | 10 |
Germain Racing | 14.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Team Penske | 14.54 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
Roush Fenway Racing | 15.8 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
Hendrick Motorsports | 16 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
Richard Petty Motorsports | 16.6 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Joe Gibbs Racing | 16.7 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
Tommy Baldwin Racing | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Beard Motorsports | 17.4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Price Changes At Talladega
DraftKings
DraftKings Price Changes |
| April | Oct. | |
Driver | $ | $ | Diff. |
Kyle Busch | $12,000 | $10,900 | -$1,100 |
Martin Truex Jr | $10,100 | $10,700 | $600 |
Kevin Harvick | $11,600 | $10,500 | -$1,100 |
Denny Hamlin | $9,200 | $10,300 | $1,100 |
Chase Elliott | $9,500 | $10,100 | $600 |
Kyle Larson | $8,500 | $9,800 | $1,300 |
Brad Keselowski | $10,700 | $9,600 | -$1,100 |
Joey Logano | $11,200 | $9,400 | -$1,800 |
Clint Bowyer | $8,900 | $9,200 | $300 |
Ryan Blaney | $9,800 | $9,000 | -$800 |
Kurt Busch | $9,000 | $8,800 | -$200 |
William Byron | $6,800 | $8,600 | $1,800 |
| April | Oct. | |
Driver | $ | $ | Diff. |
Alex Bowman | $7,200 | $8,400 | $1,200 |
Jimmie Johnson | $8,300 | $8,200 | -$100 |
Erik Jones | $8,700 | $8,100 | -$600 |
Matt DiBenedetto | $7,000 | $7,900 | $900 |
Daniel Suarez | $7,900 | $7,700 | -$200 |
Aric Almirola | $8,100 | $7,600 | -$500 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr | $7,400 | $7,500 | $100 |
Ryan Newman | $7,800 | $7,300 | -$500 |
Austin Dillon | $7,600 | $7,100 | -$500 |
Paul Menard | $6,700 | $7,000 | $300 |
Ty Dillon | $6,500 | $6,800 | $300 |
Chris Buescher | $6,900 | $6,600 | -$300 |
| April | Oct. | |
Driver | $ | $ | Diff. |
Daniel Hemric | $6,200 | $6,400 | $200 |
Bubba Wallace | $6,000 | $6,200 | $200 |
Ryan Preece | $6,400 | $6,100 | -$300 |
Michael McDowell | $5,300 | $5,900 | $600 |
Brendan Gaughan | $5,600 | $5,700 | $100 |
Ross Chastain | $5,800 | $5,600 | -$200 |
Corey LaJoie | $5,000 | $5,500 | $500 |
David Ragan | $5,400 | $5,400 | $0 |
Matt Tifft | $6,100 | $5,300 | -$800 |
Landon Cassill | $4,800 | $5,200 | $400 |
Reed Sorenson | $4,600 | $4,900 | $300 |
Parker Kligerman | $5,200 | $4,800 | -$400 |
FanDuel
FanDuel Price Changes |
| April | Oct. | |
Driver | $ | $ | Diff. |
Joey Logano | $13,500 | $14,500 | $1,000 |
Denny Hamlin | $12,800 | $14,000 | $1,200 |
Kevin Harvick | $13,000 | $13,500 | $500 |
Kyle Busch | $14,000 | $13,000 | -$1,000 |
Brad Keselowski | $13,200 | $12,500 | -$700 |
Chase Elliott | $12,000 | $12,000 | $0 |
Martin Truex Jr | $11,000 | $11,500 | $500 |
Clint Bowyer | $11,400 | $11,000 | -$400 |
Alex Bowman | $7,500 | $10,500 | $3,000 |
Ryan Blaney | $11,600 | $10,200 | -$1,400 |
William Byron | $7,200 | $10,000 | $2,800 |
Kurt Busch | $11,200 | $9,700 | -$1,500 |
| April | Oct. | |
Driver | $ | $ | Diff. |
Jimmie Johnson | $9,500 | $9,500 | $0 |
Kyle Larson | $9,000 | $9,200 | $200 |
Aric Almirola | $12,500 | $9,000 | -$3,500 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr | $10,500 | $8,700 | -$1,800 |
Erik Jones | $8,500 | $8,300 | -$200 |
Daniel Suarez | $10,000 | $8,000 | -$2,000 |
Ryan Newman | $7,300 | $7,500 | $200 |
Paul Menard | $7,800 | $7,000 | -$800 |
Matt DiBenedetto | $7,000 | $6,500 | -$500 |
Ty Dillon | $6,500 | $6,000 | -$500 |
Chris Buescher | $6,200 | $5,500 | -$700 |
Austin Dillon | $8,300 | $5,000 | -$3,300 |
| April | Oct. | |
Driver | $ | $ | Diff. |
Bubba Wallace | $4,500 | $4,500 | $0 |
Daniel Hemric | $5,500 | $4,500 | -$1,000 |
David Ragan | $5,000 | $4,000 | -$1,000 |
Michael McDowell | $4,000 | $4,000 | $0 |
Ryan Preece | $6,000 | $4,000 | -$2,000 |
Brendan Gaughan | $5,000 | $3,500 | -$1,500 |
Corey LaJoie | $3,000 | $3,000 | $0 |
Ross Chastain | $4,000 | $3,000 | -$1,000 |
Matt Tifft | $4,500 | $2,500 | -$2,000 |
Landon Cassill | $4,000 | $2,000 | -$2,000 |
Parker Kligerman | $3,500 | $2,000 | -$1,500 |
Reed Sorenson | $3,000 | $2,000 | -$1,000 |
DraftKings Scoring Averages
Driver | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | Last 2 Avg | Last 5 Avg | DK Seas. Avg. |
Kyle Busch | 4.25 | 7.5 | 3 | 42.75 | 6 | 5.88 | 12.70 | 61.59 |
Martin Truex Jr | 10.5 | 20.5 | -34.5 | 74 | 2.75 | 15.50 | 14.65 | 53.37 |
Kevin Harvick | 6 | 27.5 | 52.5 | 24 | 66.5 | 16.75 | 35.30 | 48.77 |
Denny Hamlin | 49 | 49 | 50 | -18.25 | 51.25 | 49.00 | 36.20 | 45.39 |
Chase Elliott | -8.5 | 22 | 26.75 | | | 6.75 | 13.42 | 40.11 |
Kyle Larson | 60 | 32 | 56.5 | 19.5 | 53.5 | 46.00 | 44.30 | 40.52 |
Brad Keselowski | 17.25 | 54.75 | -7 | 47.5 | 55 | 36.00 | 33.50 | 45.24 |
Joey Logano | 56 | 56.75 | 73.75 | 61 | 65 | 56.38 | 62.50 | 45.7 |
Clint Bowyer | 45 | -15.5 | 48 | 60 | 75 | 14.75 | 42.50 | 28.68 |
Ryan Blaney | 8 | 24.25 | 39.25 | -33 | 7.75 | 16.13 | 9.25 | 35.75 |
Kurt Busch | 48 | 2.25 | 43.5 | 38.75 | 48.5 | 25.13 | 36.20 | 36.54 |
William Byron | 16.75 | | | | | 16.75 | 16.75 | 31.34 |
Driver | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | Last 2 Avg | Last 5 Avg | DK Seas. Avg. |
Alex Bowman | -12.5 | | -7 | 17 | -26 | -12.50 | -7.13 | 36.48 |
Jimmie Johnson | 38.5 | 4.5 | 16.5 | 20.5 | 20 | 21.50 | 20.00 | 28.57 |
Erik Jones | 46.5 | -5 | | | | 20.75 | 20.75 | 31.92 |
Matt DiBenedetto | 12 | 18.5 | 26 | 0 | | 15.25 | 14.13 | 32.06 |
Daniel Suarez | 27.5 | 31.75 | | | | 29.63 | 29.63 | 31.53 |
Aric Almirola | 53.25 | 61 | 55 | 38.5 | -14 | 57.13 | 38.75 | 30.17 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 51.5 | -0.5 | 43.5 | 48.5 | | 25.50 | 35.75 | 21.52 |
Ryan Newman | 17.5 | 69.75 | 39.5 | 40.75 | 49.5 | 43.63 | 43.40 | 35.76 |
Austin Dillon | 33.5 | 7.5 | 36.25 | 44.5 | 51 | 20.50 | 34.55 | 23 |
Paul Menard | 57 | 43.5 | 30.5 | 48 | -7 | 50.25 | 34.40 | 29.02 |
Ty Dillon | 45.5 | 50 | | | | 47.75 | 47.75 | 28.25 |
Chris Buescher | 28 | 39 | 34.5 | | | 33.50 | 33.83 | 29.7 |
Driver | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | Last 2 Avg | Last 5 Avg | DK Seas. Avg. |
Daniel Hemric | | | | | | | | 17.41 |
Bubba Wallace | 24 | | | | | 24.00 | 24.00 | 23.9 |
Ryan Preece | | | | | | | | 22.3 |
Michael McDowell | -21.5 | 17.5 | 46.5 | 17.5 | -31 | -2.00 | 5.80 | 17.36 |
Brendan Gaughan | | 44.5 | | | | 44.50 | 44.50 | 40.75 |
Ross Chastain | 32.25 | | | | | 32.25 | 32.25 | 21.93 |
Corey LaJoie | 20 | | | | | 20.00 | 20.00 | 22.66 |
David Ragan | -18 | 59.5 | 36.5 | 9.25 | 10.5 | 20.75 | 19.55 | 15.98 |
Matt Tifft | | | | | | | | 20.99 |
Landon Cassill | 38 | 19 | 35 | 18.5 | 65.25 | 28.50 | 35.15 | 17.44 |
Joey Gase | 45.5 | 17.5 | | | | 31.50 | 31.50 | 16.25 |
Reed Sorenson | | | -18 | | 53.5 | | 17.75 | 14.5 |
Parker Kligerman | | | | | | | | 22.83 |
Blake Jones | | | | | | | | 0 |
Austin Theriault | | | | | | | | 9.62 |
Spencer Boyd | | | | | | | | 6.5 |
FanDuel Scoring Averages
Driver | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | Last 2 Avg | Last 5 Avg | FD Seas. Avg. |
Kyle Busch | 25.9 | 26 | 22.4 | 53.2 | 16 | 25.95 | 28.70 | 63.02 |
Martin Truex Jr | 31.3 | 34.1 | -14.2 | 71.6 | 26 | 32.70 | 29.76 | 61.15 |
Kevin Harvick | 24.4 | 39.6 | 60.7 | 42 | 66.6 | 32.00 | 46.66 | 57.11 |
Denny Hamlin | 59.3 | 58.7 | 60.9 | 9.2 | 52.5 | 59.00 | 48.12 | 59.14 |
Chase Elliott | 16.2 | 38.8 | 45.1 | | | 27.50 | 33.37 | 52.98 |
Kyle Larson | 60.8 | 46.3 | 63.2 | 36.1 | 55.9 | 53.55 | 52.46 | 52.97 |
Brad Keselowski | 30.9 | 65 | 8.4 | 60.1 | 65.6 | 47.95 | 46.00 | 56.75 |
Joey Logano | 62.8 | 61.2 | 74.2 | 69.1 | 63.9 | 62.00 | 66.24 | 59.12 |
Clint Bowyer | 59.3 | 7.5 | 51.2 | 63.3 | 72.4 | 33.40 | 50.74 | 49.28 |
Ryan Blaney | 26.9 | 38.9 | 51.5 | -7.6 | 30.9 | 32.90 | 28.12 | 52.28 |
Kurt Busch | 50.6 | 22.9 | 57.7 | 52.7 | 58.9 | 36.75 | 48.56 | 54.68 |
William Byron | 34.8 | | | | | 34.80 | 34.80 | 52.01 |
Driver | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | Last 2 Avg | Last 5 Avg | FD Seas. Avg. |
Alex Bowman | 14.1 | | 15.6 | 29.4 | -3.3 | 14.10 | 13.95 | 54.21 |
Jimmie Johnson | 52.8 | 26.1 | 34.2 | 38.5 | 33.8 | 39.45 | 37.08 | 50.38 |
Erik Jones | 55.8 | 1.1 | | | | 28.45 | 28.45 | 49.57 |
Matt DiBenedetto | 28.9 | 28.8 | 37.2 | 16.7 | | 28.85 | 27.90 | 50.67 |
Daniel Suarez | 42.8 | 45 | | | | 43.90 | 43.90 | 51.54 |
Aric Almirola | 63.9 | 65.3 | 61.2 | 49.1 | 7.6 | 64.60 | 49.42 | 50.19 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 61.8 | 22.2 | 56.3 | 55.8 | | 42.00 | 49.03 | 44.38 |
Ryan Newman | 33.8 | 71.6 | 49.2 | 51.7 | 59.4 | 52.70 | 53.14 | 55.38 |
Austin Dillon | 45.3 | 23.6 | 51.3 | 52.6 | 55.9 | 34.45 | 45.74 | 44.68 |
Paul Menard | 61.8 | 51.8 | 45.7 | 58.3 | 15.8 | 56.80 | 46.68 | 50.77 |
Ty Dillon | 52.3 | 55.8 | | | | 54.05 | 54.05 | 49.12 |
Chris Buescher | 41.8 | 47.7 | 43.7 | | | 44.75 | 44.40 | 50.24 |
Driver | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | Last 2 Avg | Last 5 Avg | FD Seas. Avg. |
Daniel Hemric | | | | | | | | 40.71 |
Bubba Wallace | 40.3 | | | | | 40.30 | 40.30 | 44.62 |
Ryan Preece | | | | | | | | 44.29 |
Michael McDowell | 3.5 | 27.6 | 53.2 | 32 | -3.8 | 15.55 | 22.50 | 39.23 |
Brendan Gaughan | | 48.3 | | | | 48.30 | 48.30 | 45.30 |
Ross Chastain | 42.4 | | | | | 42.40 | 42.40 | 39.96 |
Corey LaJoie | 32.1 | | | | | 32.10 | 32.10 | 42.88 |
David Ragan | 7.8 | 61.3 | 44.2 | 26.6 | 28.1 | 34.55 | 33.60 | 39.60 |
Matt Tifft | | | | | | | | 41.85 |
Landon Cassill | 46.3 | 31.1 | 44.2 | 29.9 | 69 | 38.70 | 44.10 | 37.34 |
Joey Gase | 51.8 | 27.9 | | | | 39.85 | 39.85 | 30.93 |
Reed Sorenson | | | 9.4 | | 57.4 | | 33.40 | 32.18 |
Parker Kligerman | | | | | | | | 35.84 |
Blake Jones | | | | | | | | 47.60 |
Austin Theriault | | | | | | | | 30.20 |
Spencer Boyd | | | | | | | | 29.55 |
Weekly Rankings (1=Best, 40=Worst)
Race History, Track History, Track Type History columns are all ranked on average finishes over those spans. Scoring columns are ranked from highest scoring to lowest scoring over those spans.
Driver | DK$ | FD $ | Race History | DK Avg L2 | FD Avg L2 | DK Avg L5 | FD Avg L5 | Talladega History | Track Type History |
Kyle Busch | $10,900 | $13,000 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 17 | 11 |
Martin Truex Jr | $10,700 | $11,500 | 23 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 22 | 19 |
Kevin Harvick | $10,500 | $13,500 | 14 | 23 | 26 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
Denny Hamlin | $10,300 | $14,000 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 5 |
Chase Elliott | $10,100 | $12,000 | 18 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 25 | 8 | 23 |
Kyle Larson | $9,800 | $9,200 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 21 | 19 |
Brad Keselowski | $9,600 | $12,500 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 18 |
Joey Logano | $9,400 | $14,500 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
Clint Bowyer | $9,200 | $11,000 | 6 | 28 | 22 | 6 | 5 | 16 | 13 |
Ryan Blaney | $9,000 | $10,200 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 31 | 30 | 19 | 24 |
Kurt Busch | $8,800 | $9,700 | 4 | 16 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 3 |
William Byron | $8,600 | $10,000 | 19 | 23 | 19 | 26 | 22 | 24 | 21 |
Driver | DK$ | FD $ | Race History | DK Avg L2 | FD Avg L2 | DK Avg L5 | FD Avg L5 | Talladega History | Track Type History |
Alex Bowman | $8,400 | $10,500 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 26 | 22 |
Jimmie Johnson | $8,200 | $9,500 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 22 | 21 | 15 | 10 |
Erik Jones | $8,100 | $8,300 | 22 | 19 | 28 | 21 | 29 | 32 | 26 |
Matt DiBenedetto | $7,900 | $6,500 | 31 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 34 | 32 |
Daniel Suarez | $7,700 | $8,000 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 31 |
Aric Almirola | $7,600 | $9,000 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr | $7,500 | $8,700 | 2 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 7 |
Ryan Newman | $7,300 | $7,500 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
Austin Dillon | $7,100 | $5,000 | 15 | 21 | 21 | 13 | 14 | 18 | 12 |
Paul Menard | $7,000 | $7,000 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 8 |
Ty Dillon | $6,800 | $6,000 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 9 |
Chris Buescher | $6,600 | $5,500 | 19 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 23 | 27 |
Driver | DK$ | FD $ | Race History | DK Avg L2 | FD Avg L2 | DK Avg L5 | FD Avg L5 | Talladega History | Track Type History |
Daniel Hemric | $6,400 | $4,500 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 2 | 15 |
Bubba Wallace | $6,200 | $4,500 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 20 | 19 | 29 | 17 |
Ryan Preece | $6,100 | $4,000 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 1 | 4 |
Michael McDowell | $5,900 | $4,000 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 36 | 27 |
Brendan Gaughan | $5,700 | $3,500 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 20 | 16 |
Ross Chastain | $5,600 | $3,000 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 17 | 18 | 31 | 40 |
Corey LaJoie | $5,500 | $3,000 | 31 | 22 | 25 | 22 | 26 | 24 | 24 |
David Ragan | $5,400 | $4,000 | 28 | 19 | 20 | 24 | 23 | 26 | 29 |
Matt Tifft | $5,300 | $2,500 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 37 | 33 |
Landon Cassill | $5,200 | $2,000 | 21 | 14 | 17 | 12 | 16 | 29 | 30 |
Joey Gase | $5,100 | $2,000 | 26 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 28 | 40 |
Reed Sorenson | $4,900 | $2,000 | 27 | 40 | 40 | 25 | 24 | 35 | 34 |
Parker Kligerman | $4,800 | $2,000 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 32 | 40 |
Blake Jones | $4,700 | $2,000 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
Austin Theriault | $4,600 | $2,000 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
Spencer Boyd | $4,500 | $2,000 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |