Published Apr 24, 2026 9:44 AM EDT

Audio By Carbonatix

Talladega is the great equalizer — survival matters more than speed and chaos replaces strategy. Three of the last four Gen 7 spring races here went to drivers who were not supposed to win. Stay patient, stay alive, and cash the ticket.

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Top DraftKings Picks for the 2026 Jack Link’s 500

1. William Byron ($9,800) — Nobody in this field has a better superspeedway DFS floor. Three top fives and five top tens in the last six at Talladega back that up. Byron is also a two-time Daytona 500 winner (2024 and 2025). The 25th-place finish last fall is just Talladega doing what Talladega does.
2. Ryan Blaney ($10,200) — The laps-led king at Talladega in the Gen 7 era has 119 across eight starts, with one win and three top fives. Survival has been the problem — recent finishes of 37th, 39th and 23rd. Speed and survival are two very different problems at this track, and Blaney only has one of them.
3. Tyler Reddick ($10,500) — Fading Reddick has been a disaster in 2026. The 23XI superstar is becoming the Michael Jordan of NASCAR while driving for Michael Jordan. Reddick won the two superspeedway races that kicked off the 2026 season (Daytona and Atlanta).
4. Kyle Larson ($9,500) — This could finally be the week Larson breaks through for a Cup Series superspeedway win. Finishes of fourth and second in the last three trips show a driver figuring it out — or on the right side of superspeedway luck. The 26th last fall is a reminder of the volatility of Talladega.
5. Brad Keselowski ($8,600) — Three top fives and four top tens in eight Gen 7 starts, including back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2024. The April 2025 36th place finish is the wreck-ticket that always hovers here. The market underprices BK’s resume every week.
6. Chase Elliott ($9,300) — One win, four top tens, and 43 laps led in eight Gen 7 Talladega starts. His last four finishes of 15th, 29th, fifth and 40th capture the ceiling and the chaos in equal measure. Another win here is always within reach.
7. Chase Briscoe ($8,500) — Defending his fall 2025 Talladega win is not a small thing. His last three finishes of 30th, 15th and first capture the variance honestly. Winning two pack races is difficult. Winning back-to-back in the pack is rare.
8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($7,500) — Three superspeedway wins — 2017 Talladega, 2023 Daytona 500, 2024 Talladega — establish a legitimate plate-track identity. His last three Talladega finishes of first, 12th and 38th show the full range this track produces. The aggressive style wins here, and he has proven it twice at Talladega alone.
9. Denny Hamlin ($9,000) — His last four super-speedway finishes of 31st (2026 Daytona 500), 24th (fall 2025 Talladega), 25th (summer 2025 Daytona) and 31st (summer 2025 Atlanta) are alarming. The alarm has been going off for a while — three top-10 finishes in the 17 Gen 7 races at Talladega and Daytona. Is Hamlin cold or old?
10. Ross Chastain ($8,100) — The Trackhouse No. 1 Chevy is struggling. Talladega could be a turn around. Chastain won at the superspeedway in April of 2022. His last three Talladega finishes of 40th, 20th and 13th are the honest survival concern. The speed is real, the finishing has been up and down.
11. Bubba Wallace ($8,800) — Three straight Talladega top tens make Wallace one of the hottest plate-track drivers in the field. The 23XI superspeedway program is a genuine advantage, and the numbers no longer need a caveat. Write him in, not off.
12. Joey Logano ($10,000) — No one is a superspeedway star forever. Logano entered the season with an average finish of 22nd at Talladega and Daytona in the Gen 7 era with three top-5 finishes in 16 races. The slump snapped in February. Logano finished third in the 2026 Daytona 500.
13. Noah Gragson ($5,900) — Although Gragson no longer drives for a big team (Stewart-Haas Racing), Front Row Motorsports is just as legit at the superspeedways. Gragson has plenty of experience at Talladega. He’s earned top-10 finishes in two of the last four races at Talladega.
14. Todd Gilliland ($6,400) — Four top tens at Talladega in eight starts is the most underrated number in this field, capped by a career-best second last fall. Front Row Motorsports’ superspeedway program has been competitive for decades.
15. Michael McDowell ($6,900) — The former Front Row Motorsports leader is looking to do the same at Spire. His Daytona 500 win garnered respect at FRM. A NASCAR crown jewel Talladega spring race win would go a long way in the garage.

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