By Roy J. Akers — www.skyviewsports.net
Talladega, Ala. — A huge points day barely scaled 200 after William Byron destroyed his Chevy running into the back of Ty Dillon at LVMS last weekend. The wreck cost me 50-plus points. Byron feels even worse than me. He is in a near must-win at the Yellawood 500.
Fantasy Possibilities and High Banked Fury Podcasts below
Solid Picks
William Byron 0-3-5-7. He needs a solid finish
Chase Elliote 1-2-4-6 Ditto
Alex Bowman 0-1-3-5 Not bad. All three drive for Rick Hendrick
Take a Chance
Erik Jones has three top fives in the last six races at drafting tracks, including each of the last two. … Jones has eight top 10s in 17 Cup starts at Talladega.
Carson Hocevar finished sixth at Talladega in April. … All three of Hocevar’s top 10s on drafting tracks came in the last four starts on such tracks.
Before Qualifying Fantasy Picks
More Zoomcasts with Roy J. Akers, Jerry Jordan, and Jeff Gluck
After Qualifying Changes
Qualifying was tough on my initial team. Superspeedway tracks like Talladega often do not produce accurate results where top qualifiers take it to the finish line.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. qualified poorly at 37. See you later, Ricky. Austin Cindric qualified fourth and replaces Christopher Bell after winning the spring race. Bell has only one start left, and he was only staying with a top finish. Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano stay. They have to have this race, although Logano answered my question and said Talladega is NOT a must-win race, although finishing strong with stage win points is a must. Elliott qualified less than stellar but has a terrific record at the track. My bench player Ross Chastain qualified 24th and only a hunch keeps him in the lineup. Bell, Hamlin, and Larson will race in the next two races to use up their playoff eligibility.
