This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Sparks 300
Location: Talladega, Ala.
Course: Talladega Superspeedway
Format: 2.66-mile tri-oval
Laps: 113
Race Preview
Josh Berry won again last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway while filling in for Michael Annett. His win headed a sweep of the top three positions for JR Motorports with Justin Allgaier and Noah Gragson following him to the finish line. The win also meant that no playoff drivers locked themselves into the next round of championship eliminations. This week the series returns to Talladega Superspeedway where Jeb Burton won in April. Allgaier will led the field to green from pole position with Austin Cindric alongside on the front row. Twenty-five different race winners have come from the 31 series races held at the track, but only three times has the race been won from the pole. Burton led 20 laps in his April victory, and a Chevrolet has won the last five Talladega races.
Key Stats at Talladega Superspeedway
- Number of races: 31
- Winners from pole: 3
- Winners from top-5 starters: 11
- Winners from top-10 starters: 16
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 7
- Fastest race: 168.937 mph
Previous 10 Talladega Winners
2021 spring - Josh Berry
2020 fall - Justin Haley
2020 spring - Justin Haley
2019 - Tyler Reddick
2018 - Spencer Gallagher
2017 - Aric Almirola
2016 - Elliott Sadler
2015 - Joey Logano
2014 - Elliott Sadler
2013 - Regan Smith
Drivers will have to avoid trouble and work well in the draft in order to have a chance of winning this week. Moving forward through the pack on the two superspeedways requires horsepower and teammates. Manufacturers will work together to climb higher in the running order in an effort to be in position to make a move for the lead in the final laps. Talladega's pack racing can easily trigger big crashes that can collect many innocent bystanders. Avoiding those pileups and being in position to push or be pushed to the front in the final laps is what drivers will spend the day trying to figure out. The rain-shortened race earlier this season had four cautions. Thirty-four cars finished the race with 31 of them finishing on the lead lap.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Jeb Burton - $10,600
AJ Allmendinger - $10,400
Justin Haley - $10,200
John Hunter Nemechek - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Noah Gragson - $9,800
Harrison Burton - $9,600
Austin Cindric - $9,300
Justin Allgaier - $9,100
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Riley Herbst - $8,900
Josh Berry - $8,700
Brett Moffitt - $8,400
Brandon Jones - $8,200
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Myatt Snider - $7,900
Alex Labbe - $7,500
Jeremy Clements - $6,800
Brandon Brown - $6,600
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Justin Haley - $10,400
Daniel Hemric - $9,400
Austin Cindric - $9,300
Josh Berry - $8,700
Jeremy Clements - $6,800
Landon Cassill - $5,400
Justin Haley might be the favorite this week. He won two of his four Talladega races in the series and finished in the top 10 the other two as well. He is one of the best of the bunch on superspeedways, and this could be his chance to become the first driver to claim one of the final eight championship spots. Daniel Hemric has also been quick at this track. He led 57 laps in his four Xfinity starts at the track and has a best finish of fifth in this race last year. Team Penske's Cindric is no slouch at superspeedways either. Cindric will start on the front row this week, was the runner up in April, and has three top-fives from five Talladega starts. Berry grabbed his second career win last week at Las Vegas. The JR Motorsports driver was filling in for Michael Annett ahead of joining the series full time with JR Motorsports in 2022. Berry's first win also came the week before racing at Talladega where he spun and finished 31st. He'll be hoping for a better result than that this time starting third. Jeremy Clements has four Talladega top-20s and finished 14th at the track in the spring. His best finish was fourth in 2016 and he will start 15th this week. Finally, Landon Cassill can be a valuable asset for fantasy rosters at superspeedways. He has three finishes of 11th or better in five Xfinity Talladega starts and should be a confident top-20 option this week starting in 21st position.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
John Hunter Nemechek - $10,000
Justin Allgaier - $9,100
Riley Herbst - $8,900
Myatt Snider - $7,900
Alex Labbe - $7,500
Brandon Brown - $6,600
John Hunter Nemechek has been a sensation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this season and he'll make his third Xfinity start of the season this week. He has two prior Xfinity starts at Talladega with finishes of sixth and seventh. Allgaier will have the privilege of leading the field to green this week. He finished in the top 10 in six of his 12 Talladega starts but hasn't finished better than 28th in the last four. Riley Herbst will line up 13th this week and needs a good outing to overcome his 33rd-place finish at Las Vegas. He still has a chance of advancing in the playoffs but needs as many points as possible this week if not a victory. He finished fourth in the spring race. Myatt Snider finished 15th last week and will start 10th on Saturday. He has one top-10 from three Talladega starts, which was his ninth-place finish in April. Two top-10s from five Talladega visits could be a good sign to fantasy players about Alex Labbe, too. He will start deep in the field in 32nd, which could also give rosters finish differential points if he is able to avoid trouble. Nineteenth-place starter Brandon Brown should be another good option this week. He has two top-15s from the last five races and has also finished in the top 15 in all four of his Talladega starts in the series.
