Category Archives: Guest Writer

Cash or Burn at Talladega Fantasy Report for the NASCAR Cup Series

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Cash or Burn at Tallladega Fantasy Report for the NASCAR Cup Series is from Taz Taylor in place of our regular YouTube Show on Fan4Racing Radio this week.

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to one of the biggest wild-card tracks on the schedule, known as Talladega Superspeedway. With passing happening so much every single lap, one small error can either “cash or burn” your race. Let’s take a look at the betting odds favorites.

The Top Five Favorites (based on betting odds on Action Network

  • Ryan Blaney (+1000)
  • Joey Logano (+1100)
  • William Byron (+1360)
  • Tyler Reddick (+1420)
    • Austin Cindric (+1420

Other notables take a look at based on betting odds;

  • Chase Elliott (+1500)
  • Bubba Wallace (+1520)
  • Brad Keselowski (+1560)

All three drivers are strong at Talladega and have won at the 2.66-mile track. If you are looking for some underdogs to consider based on betting odds, look no further than Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+2400), Ryan Preece (+3600), and Todd Gilliland(+4260).

NextGen Average Finishes at Talladega (based on iFantasyRace)

William Byron is the big favorite with an average finish of 9.3. Byron has carried a streak of five top-ten finishes at Talladega. Three of those finishes were second or third.

Next in line as favorites, based on the NextGen average finish, are Todd Gilliland (13.1), Chase Elliott (14.5), Chase Briscoe (15.3), and Alex Bowman (15.3).

Looking for other average finishes to consider?

Ryan Blaney has a 16.9 average finish. Blaney has three straight finishes of first or second. Brad Keselowski is another one to look at. His NextGen average is 16.8 and includes back-to-back second-place finishes in 2024.

Past Winners at Talladega in the NextGen Era

2022: Ross Chastain (spring) and Chase Elliott (fall)

2023: Kyle Busch (spring) and Ryan Blaney (fall)

2024: Tyler Reddick (spring) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (fall)

2025: Austin Cindric (spring) and Chase Briscoe (fall)

There are a ton of names to pick from for your fantasy lineup this week. But here are my top three drivers as MUST START, SIT OUT, and UNDERDOGS to help create your fantasy lineup for Talladega.

Must Start

William Byron: He ranks third for the Action Network betting odds and first in NextGen average finish. Byron has won the Daytona 500 twice, so he’s no slouch when it comes to drafting style tracks. Although he may not have won in the NextGen car at Talladega, this is someone I definitely consider for a big points day.

Chase Elliott: He ranks sixth in the Action Network betting odds list and has the third-best average finish in the NextGen car. Elliott has won in the NextGen car once and also won at Atlanta. Chase Elliot should be a starter consideration in your lineup this week.

Chase Briscoe: This one may shock you as to why I chose Briscoe as a must-start. While he ranks 11th in the Action Network charts (+1900), his NextGen finishes are really not terrible. Considering all but two of his races at Talladega are in the NextGen car with Stewart-Haas Racing’s somewhat subpar equipment. In the six races with SHR, Briscoe scored two top ten finishes, along with 12th and 13th finishes. He also won at Talladega this past fall in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 car, which is his current ride. So, I’m really liking Briscoe’s chances here.

Sit Out

Kyle Larson: If you know me, I don’t consider Kyle Larson for drafting style tracks. He is the “perfect” definition of “checkers or wreckers.” He has shown glimpses of good finishes. But allow me to tell you this: Larson has yet to win at a drafting style track. He has only three top-five finishes over eight NextGen races at Talladega. Outside of those finishes, he has closed races anywhere from 15th to 33rd. If you have used Larson for other races this year, I recommend you keep him for another week. This is not a driver for your lineup this week.

Ross Chastain: You may be asking…Why would I say Chastain is a Sit Out if he’s won here before? It’s a good question, and here’s my take. He ranks at 18th on the Action Network odds and carries a NextGen average finish of 18.9. After a pair of top-five finishes in 2022 (a win in the fall race), Chastain has yet to record a top-ten finish. His best finish is 13th (spring 2024 and fall 2025). Every other finish is 20th or worse. Trackhouse, as an organization, has struggled to start the 2026 season, especially for the veteran driver of the team.

Chris Buescher: He has a third-place finish in the spring of 2023. But Buescher has struggled to finish inside the top 20. Buescher and RFK have done well at drafting style tracks, but it seems drafting tracks are Buescher’s kryptonite. I would keep him for a stronger track style and sit him out this week.

Underdogs

Todd Gilliland: He ranks second in the NextGen average finishes with a 13.1. That includes four top ten finishes in eight NextGen races at Talladega. Gilliland finished runner-up to Briscoe in the 2025 fall race. This is a driver, I would definitely not sleep on this week.

Erik Jones: Jones has a NextGen average finish of 17.1, including three straight sixth-place finishes, spanning from the spring of 2022 through the spring of 2023. He also has a fifth-place finish in the 2024 fall race. Jones has shown some hope on this track. Keep your eyes open for “that Jones Boy.”

Noah Gragson: Gragson currently sits on back-to-back top-five finishes in the spring Talladega races with a third in 2024 and a fourth in 2025. I think Gragson could find something this week and really team up with Gilliland to find their way to the front. Hopefully, they give Front Row Motorsports a real shot at victory or a huge finish this week.

Taz’s Starting Lineup

Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace. And in the Garage is Chase Briscoe.

Head-to-Head Match-Up Picks

Daniel Suarez vs. Ryan Preece

Suarez is my pick. Spire ran strong at Daytona and Atlanta to start the year. Preece is not someone I can see as much of a threat at drafting tracks.

Tyler Reddick vs. Ryan Blaney

Blaney is my pick here. I know the momentum Reddick and 23XI carry is strong heading into Talladega. Going against a Daytona 500 champion and against a past Talladega winner seems unlikely. But Blaney has won multiple times at Talladega and is very strong on drafting style tracks.

Austin Cindric vs. Joey Logano

A battle of teammates this week shows us a ‘can the teacher outmaster the student?” match-up. My pick is Cindric. He is the defending spring Talladega winner and has had stronger finishes in recent weeks over Logano. So I like Cindric going into this match-up.

Bubba Wallace vs. Chris Buescher

Wallace is my pick. He is on a three-race streak of top-ten finishes. Buescher, however, struggles to finish in the top 20. This is a no-brainer for me.

Frustation and Dilemma for No. 24 Jeff Gordon Fans

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Photo - Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Photo – Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Sounds a bit as blasphemy now, but during the 90’s I was sick and tired of watching Dale Earnhardt win all the time. So, when Jeff Gordon came on the scene and finally gave the Intimidator some competition in the Winston Cup, now the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – immediately, I became a fan. All these years later, after witnessing the end of Gordon’s storied career, I am having a little trouble accepting Chase Elliott taking over the reins of the No. 24 and trust me, even going as far as resenting him for it. Perhaps others can relate to these feelings of frustration and understand the dilemma. Continue reading →

In Race with Sports World, Fuel Tank of NASCAR is Infinite

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Photo - AP

Photo – AP

If you can remember a televised race without a leaderboard when, after going to use the restroom coming back and just assuming the car being shown on television was the leader, maybe you can relate to this.

A lot of negativity, concern and speculation are very present for some NASCAR fans about the steadily diminishing ratings and numbers on all fronts of the sport year after year. An in-depth investigation into the continued trends of what is happening could lead one to believe there won’t much of a sport left in a few more seasons. What the statistics cannot show and express is an overwhelming rise in popularity for the sport and the slow decline and aftermath that has followed from that point.

At the height of Dale Earnhardt’s career and during Jeff Gordon’s early stardom there was a lot of growing interest for the sport of NASCAR which was continually gaining and spreading across the country. By the turn of the century, uproar of new fans and a myriad of businesses were ready to affiliate themselves and join the bandwagon of professional stock car racing. Continue reading →

Roar Before the 24 Test Days Report – Wayne Taylor Racing

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Jordan Taylor at 8:40 pm ET

Jordan Taylor at 8:40 pm ET

Jordan Taylor is our next guest on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, January 12, 2015 at 8:40 pm ET.  Call 714-202-9918 during the LIVE broadcast with any questions or comments. 

No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP for Wayne Taylor Racing

Date: Jan. 9-11, 2015

Event: Roar Before the 24 Test Days

Series: Prototype division of the Tudor United SportsCar Championship

Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (3.56-mile, 12-turn superspeedway road course)

WTR Fastest Lap: 1:39.181 at 129.218 mph by Jordan Taylor

Overall Fastest Lap: 1:39.181 at 129.218 mph by Jordan Taylor of Wayne Taylor Racing (Corvette DP)

It was ten years ago this month that Wayne Taylor and Max Angelelli co-drove with Emmanuel Collard to victory in the 43rd Rolex 24 At Daytona to kick off a remarkable and dominating run to the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series championship. This weekend, the veteran Italian Angelelli and Taylor’s sons Ricky and Jordan Taylor set the stage for quite the anniversary celebration by clocking the fastest lap at the annual three-day Roar Before the 24 Test Days at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.  Continue reading →

Five Flags Speedway Features 47th Annual Snowball Derby

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Snowball Week at Five Flags More Than Just a Race

Tim Bryant, General Manager at Five Flags Speedway is our next guest on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, December 1, 2014 at 9 pm ET.  Call 714-202-9918 during the LIVE broadcast with any questions or comments. 

Derby_Crowd-537x350The 47th Annual Snowball Derby is by far the biggest event in short-track racing, but there’s so much more to it than just the big 300-lap Super Late Model race on Sunday afternoon.  No matter what type of racing you enjoy, Five Flags Speedway has you covered throughout the first week of December.

This is the type of weekend that racers and race fans live for.  It’s best in person, but if you can’t make it to Pensacola, don’t fret.  51 TV will have you covered as it will be airing all the racing action live on pay-per-view for the very first time.

All four nights of feature racing on 51 TV is available for a total of $54.99.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE LIVE PAY-PER-VIEW BROADCAST

The action starts on Thursday, December 4th when the Super and Pro Late Models take to the historic half-mile oval in Pensacola, Florida for the first time, but the real fun starts when the Butler U-Pull It Bombers and Beef ‘O Brady’s Sportsmen divisions hit the track for the first feature racing action of the weekend.  The only way to see Thursday’s action is to buy the $54.99 package on 51 TV.

Friday might be the most important day of the weekend.  It’s NASH 102.7 Pole Night.  Talk to any driver attempting to race the Snowball Derby and they’ll tell you that qualifying for the Snowball Derby is one of the most stressful experiences in racing.  As of November 26th, 67 cars are vying for 37 spots, only 30 of which we’ll know by time trials.

In addition to Snowball Derby qualifying there’s more feature racing on Friday night as the Super Stock and Modified divisions race for 50 laps each.  Both races have been chock full of excitement from the green flag to the checkered flag in recent years.

The next to the last night of Snowball Derby weekend features the last chance qualifier for Sunday’s race. The drivers who failed to make the big show through qualifying will have 50 laps to settle the last four qualifying spots.  It’s a race that features some big names, and now you can see it live on 51 TV.

Saturday night will also feature a 50-lap event for the Pro Trucks, and one of the most highly anticipated Pro Late Model races in the country.  The Allen Turner Snowflake 100 has 80 cars on the entry list, which includes names like Bubba Pollard, Augie Grill and hometown favorite Johanna Long.

All of that racing action is just a tease for what’s to come on Sunday when the stars of the Super Late Model world, and even the NASCAR world, take to the track for the biggest short track race in North America.  The 47th Annual Snowball Derby goes green on Sunday, December 7 and for the first time it is now available to watch live on 51 TV.

51 TV has multiple packages that can meet just about any race fan’s needs.  Packages range in price from $14.99 for Friday’s action only, to $54.99 which includes all four days of feature racing action.

Of course, nothing can duplicate the sights and smells and fun of physically being at Five Flags Speedway for the Snowball Derby.

Tickets and reserved camping spots are still available, but going fast.  To order tickets or to reserve a camping spot, call the Five Flags Speedway box office at (850) 944-8400.

For more information on 51 TV, visit Speed51.com.  51 TV has advertising opportunities available.  To be seen during the 51 TV broadcast and Speed51.com’s most viewed event all season, the Snowball Derby, email marketing @speed51.com.

The full 47th Annual Snowball Derby weekend schedule is available at www.snowballderby.com.

For more information about Five Flags Speedway and the 47th Annual Snowball Derby weekend, please visit www.5flagsspeedway.com, www.snowballderby.com or contact the track by calling (850) 944-8400.