This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
YellaWood 500
Location: Talladega, Ala.
Course: Talladega Superspeedway
Format: 2.66-mile tri-oval
Laps: 188
Race Preview
William Byron snuck through to win last week at Texas Motor Speedway, becoming the first driver to move through to the penultimate round of playoff eliminations. Two wild card races are up next to finalize which seven drivers will join him to race for a spot in the championship finale. The first of those wild card races is Talladega Superspeedway's YellaWood 500. The giant 2.66-mile oval has a history of producing unexpected finishes and dashing the the hopes of many drivers with its multi-car accidents. Kyle Busch won at the track earlier this season, and he might just need another win this week if he hopes to continue his championship push. His early exit from Texas left him below the cutline to advance with Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, and Bubba Wallace all joining him in that danger zone. Having to produce a result at Talladega in order to stay alive in the championship battle is not a comfortable situation, and the level of aggression at Talladega could be ratcheted upward as drivers fight for every point and position on offer.
Key Stats at Talladega Superspeedway
- Number of races: 108
- Winners from pole: 14
- Winners from top-5 starters: 56
- Winners from top-10 starters: 74
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 8
- Fastest race: 188.354 mph
Previous 10 Talladega Winners
2023 spring - Kyle Busch
2022 fall - Chase Elliott
2022 spring - Ross Chastain
2021 fall - Bubba Wallace
2021 spring - Brad Keselowski
2020 fall - Denny Hamlin
2020 spring - Ryan Blaney
2019 fall - Ryan Blaney
2019 spring - Chase Elliott
2018 fall - Aric Almirola
Talladega is a full-throttle affair with drafting trains of cars running side by side through each race distance. The drafting bunches cars together to achieve maximum speeds, which means any small mistake can affect several cars. Drivers and teams often say they need a healthy dose of luck as much as they need speed in order to achieve success. Manufacturers have started to work together at these tracks, planning trips to pit road as one as well as pairing together on track to keep others from moving forward. Staying out of trouble until the final laps of stages and the race will be the aim, and drivers will have to move into position in time to have a chance at racing for those finishes. Given the importance of staying the draft, mistakes on pit road under green can be detrimental. Starting position isn't a huge factor at Talladega, but drivers will need a car that they can make passes with. If not, they could find themselves stuck in traffic with nowhere to go at critical moments.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the YellaWood 500 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Brad Keselowski - $10,500
Ryan Blaney - $10,200
Joey Logano - $10,100
Chris Buescher - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Denny Hamlin - $9,800
William Byron - $9,500
Chase Elliott - $9,300
Bubba Wallace - $9,200
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Ross Chastain - $8,800
Kyle Busch - $8,700
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $8,500
Christopher Bell - $8,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Erik Jones - $7,800
Aric Almirola - $7,500
Michael McDowell - $7,100
Chase Briscoe - $6,500
NASCAR DFS Picks for the YellaWood 500
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Brad Keselowski - $10,500
Bubba Wallace - $9,200
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $8,500
Erik Jones - $7,800
Aric Almirola - $7,500
Chase Briscoe - $6,500
This weekend's race at Talladega would be the perfect moment for Brad Keselowski (DK $10,500, FD $13,500) to score his first points race win for RFK Racing. Doing so would assure he advances in the championship battle and increase his win total at the track to seven. He is the winningest current driver at Talladega and the stakes this weekend are the highest they have been for him at any point since becoming part owner of the RFK organization. Bubba Wallace (DK $9,200, FD $10,500) is another driver with a huge opportunity at hand. He is a former Talladega victor and is typically at the front at Talladega and Daytona. A win this Sunday would advance him further than he has ever been in the playoffs. The rewards for a win this week don't include the playoffs, but Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (DK $8,500, FD $8,500) is another go-to driver for fantasy players at restrictor-plate tracks. Stenhouse has one Talladega win from pole in 2017. He also finished 15th there earlier this season and won at Daytona in February.
This track should also be a good opportunity for Erik Jones (DK $7,800, FD $8,200). Jones has stepped up in competitiveness recently, and that progress should be amplified this week in the draft. With seven top-10s from 13 Talladega starts, it would not be a surprise for the No. 43 to bring home another top-10 performance this week. He finished sixth and led laps in each of the last three Talladega races, too. The draft should also enable Aric Almirola (DK $7,500, FD $7,200) to outperform his 2023 average. Almirola is very competent at these tracks and won at Talladega in 2018. He led 11 laps there in the spring race and 36 laps in this race last season. Another driver poised to outperform usual expectations this week is Chase Briscoe (DK $6,500, FD $6,000). Briscoe has been on an upward swing of momentum recently and grabbed a top-10 finish last week at Texas. His fourth-place Talladega finish from earlier this season suggests a top-10 is within reach again this week.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Ryan Blaney - $10,200
Chase Elliott - $9,300
Ross Chastain - $8,800
Christopher Bell - $8,300
Michael McDowell - $7,100
Corey Lajoie - $6,200
Ryan Blaney (DK $10,200, FD $14,000) should be one of the top considerations for most fantasy games at Talladega. The Team Penske driver usually runs at the front of these races, and typically is in the mix for the win at the finish, too. Blaney is a two-time Talladega winner who has led laps in all but six of his 18 series starts at the track. He was the runner up here last fall as well as this season's spring visit. Chase Elliott (DK $9,300, FD $11,500) is also a two-time Talladega victor. He won this race last season with 10 laps led. He also led 18 laps in this season's spring race. Elliott is still seeking his first win of 2023, and with five finishes of 11th or better in the five most recent races, it feels like he could visit Victory Lane soon. Ross Chastain (DK $8,800, FD $9,500) adds another Talladega win to this lineup's tally. He won the spring race there last season. He finished fourth last fall and led three laps this spring before finishing 23rd. He was at the front of the field in overtime, though. Chastain's finishes have improved since the playoffs began and a little more aggression might see him through to Victory Lane.
Christopher Bell (DK $8,300, FD $7,800) will also be aiming for a top-10 this week. He finished eighth in the spring race and started from pole both times at this track last season. Bell has a number of Toyota teammates that will be looking out for each other this week, and that should play to his benefit. The last two choices in this lineup are drivers fantasy players should always consider at Daytona or Talladega. Michael McDowell (DK $7,100, FD $6,800) has a Daytona 500 win on his resume, and he typically finds his way to the front at these tracks. He has four Talladega top-10 finishes, and three of those came in the last five races. Corey Lajoie (DK $6,200, FD $4,200) is also known to be a restrictor-plate survivor. Talladega hasn't been as kind to him as Daytona, but he knows how to navigate the draft and has a good chance of being among the top runners at the finish this week.
