NASCAR Fantasy Picks: Dega Do’s And Dont’s

NASCAR fantasy picks are always tricky at the restrictor plate tracks. Should you gamble and choose a few sleeper picks that you have been eyeing all season? Or, should you go with the favorites and take your chance at avoiding the big one?

Do you play fantasy NASCAR? Are you struggling to figure out which drivers you should have on your team for this weekend’s race in Talladega? If so, that’s okay because BTF is here to help with our weekly NASCAR fantasy guide. Below you will find some of the best fantasy options to have in your corner this weekend.

Begin with drivers starting lower than 20th place

Why? For starters, qualifying at restrictor plate racetracks have no indication on race day performance. With that in mind, take a look at the practice chart and see which drivers showed good speed in the draft. Next, compare that with the bottom order of the starting lineup and see which drivers overlap.

Talladega and Daytona are great tracks for the pass-differential category since it is very easy for drivers to make their way to the front of the field. However, the same can be said for drivers that start at the front of the field as well. You won’t always strike gold, but if you hit on the right combo you could have Martin Truex Jr. finishing fifth after starting 36th.

Toyota, Toyota, Toyota

That is what was listed in the box score under the manufacture for the top three in this year’s Daytona 500. Joe Gibbs Racing, and their unofficial teammate Martin Truex Jr., put on a clinic leading 156 of the 200 laps. The only JGR driver to not lead a lap was Carl Edwards but don’t worry, he still finished in fifth.

Caught up in the frenzy of how great the finish was, many overlooked the fact that four Toyota’s were not only the class of the field, but all put themselves in a place to win on the last lap.

Talladega can be much more unpredictable than Daytona, but when it comes to making NASCAR fantasy picks, taking a look at recent history is helpful. Talk of Toyota dominated Speedweeks and they backed it up on the track. And don’t forget David Ragan is also in a Toyota and we all know what he can do on the restrictor plate tracks.

Will Amelia be the same?

Much like the Toyota talk, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his car “Amelia” dominated headlines heading into the Daytona 500. The car named after pilot Amelia Earhart, was fast during all of Speedweeks and visited victory lane during the first Can-Am Duel 150 but after a crash in the 500, many thought Amelia was toast.

That was until earlier this week when Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief Greg Ives confirmed that Amelia would be back on the track at Talladega.

Talladega and Earnhardt Jr. go very well together. Of the two restrictor plate race tracks, Earnhardt Jr. has scored six victories at Talladega compared to four at Daytona. Either way you look at it, Earnhardt Jr. at a restrictor plate track with on of his favorite cars is a tough option to ignore.