Join me as I test my wits against various AI programs in picking the 2026 Cup races. Once they’ve made their picks, I’ll make my normal Favorite, Next Favorite, and Dark Horse picks (in addition to my regular O’Reilly & Truck Series picks). At the end of the year we’ll see who knows more—me, or a soulless machine gobbling up water and electricity.
Meta/Facebook AI (1 win) sez: “Nobody can guarantee a winner at Talladega — it’s a superspeedway where drafting packs and last-lap chaos decide it — but here’s who the oddsmakers and experts are circling:
Ryan Blaney: Team Penske is stacked at superspeedways. Blaney has 3 career Talladega wins and since the Next Gen car arrived in 2022 he’s got the most top-3s and leads the most laps behind only Logano. He also won Daytona in August.”
Truck Series (1 win) off
O’Reilly Series (1 win) Ag-Pro 300 Saturday 4pm ET on CW: RYAN SIEG—if its gonna happen anywhere, it’ll be here.
Cup Series Jack Link’s 500 Sunday 3pm on Fox FAVORITE (1 win): BRAD KESELOWSKI—it just might be… NEXT FAVORITE: ERIK JONES—I think it is… DARK HORSE (1 win): MICHAEL MCDOWELL—it is! An all-dark horse picks weekend.
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