Talladega is this weekend, and what a weekend it always is! Producing close, intense racing and classic finishes, but who’s the best at the deadly Dega? I found out after reviewing the stats and watching some races, so let’s get into it right now!

Number 5 Pick for Talladega is No. 43 Erik Jones

While often forgotten at the struggling LMC, he was last in the headlines for his DQ at Martinsville.  The former Joe Gibbs Racing driver is a maestro at NASCAR’s biggest oval. Of all the full-time drivers, he has had the 4th-best average finish at Talladega since 2022. He has previously won at plate tracks, both at Daytona, but Daytona and Talladega are cousins. If you win at one, you can easily win at the other.

Number 4 is Ricky Stenhouse Jr

The driver of the No. 47, who won at Talladega in 2017. The last Daytona 500 showed that he is as likely to wreck as win at these types of tracks. His 2023 Daytona 500 win shows he can still win here, and with NOS Energy beginning their 2025 sponsorship here, it would make the brand-new Hyak Motorsports a potential galaxy of good.

Our 3rd Best Driver For This Weekend is Denny Hamlin

Last time I picked Denny Hamlin, he did pretty well, so why not again?  There are a few more reasons than that, of course, why he’s my third pick. He’s also won here twice, the last time being in 2021. He’s on a hot streak, too, finishing 1st, 1st, and 2nd in the previous three races, while not usually important at Dega. With an impressive 16.6 average finish, the 10th best average finish out of all the full-time drivers, it should be for him.

The 2nd Best Pick is NASCAR’s Ever-Popular Chase Elliott

Someone talked about on this site is the ever-popular Chase Elliott.  The Hendrick Motorsports driver has been great at Talladega, winning before and having the 5th-best average finish out of all drivers here. He’s also been one of the low-key better drivers this season. Currently 5th in the standings despite only having 2 top fives all year. He’s been patiently waiting and wanting that breakout moment, and Dega could be exactly that!

The Number 1 pick is William Byron

While he hasn’t won at Talladega, he’s had many wins at plate tracks. Including the last 2 Daytona 500s, the ultimate plate track race.  He has the best average finish out of all full-time drivers here, with a 14.3 average finish. Making him an easy pick to win this weekend! So with such a diverse range of drivers for our best drivers, you see why it’s a weekend of racing to look forward to! Thanks a bunch for reading!