NASCAR Talladega predictions 2024: Expert picks for Cup Series race

The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs continue Sunday with the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway .

The fall Talladega race is often the most chaotic event on the playoff schedule, and Sunday should be no different given the non-playoff drivers gunning for a win.

Last week, Ross Chastain claimed the win at Kansas in an odd day for a large portion of the playoff field.

Here are The Tennessean's expert picks for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega:

WEEKEND SCHEDULE: NASCAR Talladega full weekend track schedule, TV schedule for the YellaWood 500, other races

NASCAR predictions for Cup Series Talladega race: Here's who wins the YellaWood 500

Mike Organ's pick: Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

I like Ryan Blaney's chances to repeat as the Cup Series champion and a win Sunday at Talladega would put him in position to do that. He's a three-time Talladega winner who will move ahead of William Byron in the playoff points standings with a win in the YellaWood 500.

Tom Kreager's pick: Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

Logano has three victories at Talladega as a Penske driver. He led 22 laps in the spring race before finishing 19th. He misses the big one this weekend for win No. 4 at the track.

Nick Gray's pick: Michael McDowell, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

McDowell led coming off of turn 4 on the final lap of the spring race and has been one of the best pack-racing drivers on the circuit. Combine McDowell's impending exit from FRM, the FRM-23XI lawsuit against NASCAR and a chaotic race, and you get a perfectly chaotic result.