Larson Triumphs at Talladega: Kyle Larson captures a chaotic, wild victory at Talladega to clinch his spot, continuing a historic playoff run where he is averaging just 2.9 fantasy points per race.

Thundercrotch 37 Takes 1st Overall: Thundercrotch 37 jumps 17 spots in one week (and up 78 spots since the start of the Chase) to take over 1st place overall for the first time this season. Justin’s daughter Sophie (The Trial of Apollo) bounces back to 2nd place overall.

High Scores & Big Movers: Wrecks taking out five Chase contenders at the back of the pack drive massive fantasy scores across the board (averaging 105 points). Team Malibu earns the week's best score with 18 points. Pepita's Race Team and Chakira 13 share Biggest Riser honors in the Chase bracket, both climbing 34 spots.

H2H & Martinsville Picks: Justin wins his eighth consecutive head-to-head matchup as Brad Keselowski (P24) edges out Josh's pick of Austin Cindric (P27). Justin takes his first head-to-head lead of the season at 20–19. Looking ahead to Martinsville, Justin selects Denny Hamlin while Josh goes with Joey Logano.

Reddick Wins Phoenix: Tyler Reddick claims the race win at Phoenix without winning any stages or claiming fastest lap, scoring 7 fantasy points.

RIT Racing Holds Top Spot: RIT Racing retains 1st place overall for the second consecutive week and 17th time overall this season.

Playoff Shakeup & Big Risers: A rough race for Kyle Larson (P30 / 34 pts) and Denny Hamlin (speeding penalty after a blown tire / 28 pts) causes major shifts across the leaderboard. Speed Racer claims the week's best score with 15 points to leap from 36th into 10th place overall. MN Racers earns Biggest Riser in the Chase bracket, jumping 30 spots to P46.

H2H & Talladega Picks: Justin picks up another head-to-head win as Ryan Blaney (P2) edges out Josh's pick of Christopher Bell (P4), bringing their season matchup to a 19–19 tie. Heading into Talladega, Justin selects Brad Keselowski while Josh goes with Austin Cindric.

• Briscoe Goes Back-to-Back: Chase Briscoe captures another victory at Charlotte, scoring -6 fantasy points. Stage win and fastest lap bonus points went to Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson, respectively.
• RIT Racing Reclaims the Lead: RIT Racing posts 28 points to climb back into 1st place overall, edging past Justin’s daughter Sophie (The Trial of Apollo) by just a single point.
• Big Movers & Shakers: Flag Hunting #2 claims Biggest Riser in the championship bracket by jumping 29 spots to P55 after co-winning the week's best score (11 points). Chawkiira 7 moves up into 4th place overall.
• H2H & Phoenix Picks: Justin extends his head-to-head winning streak to six straight as Bubba Wallace (P37) survives a massive wreck to beat William Byron (P39), trimming Josh’s lead to 19–18. For Phoenix, Justin locks in Ryan Blaney while Josh counters with Christopher Bell.

Briscoe Dominates Las Vegas: Chase Briscoe captures both stage wins and the race victory, scoring a near-clean sweep of -12 fantasy points. Denny Hamlin nabs the fastest lap bonus point to barely prevent back-to-back sweeps.

Sophie Extends Chase Lead: Justin’s daughter Sophie (The Trial of Apollo) holds onto 1st place for the second straight week, expanding her lead to 23 points.

Playoff Standings Shakeup: Chikaira 7 claims Biggest Riser honors by jumping 38 spots into the money at P11. Mother’s Meatloaf (JP), Twin Tokers 2, and Rit Racing sit locked in a three-way tie for 3rd place overall.

H2H & Charlotte Picks: Justin wins his 5th straight head-to-head match (William Byron P6 over Chase Elliott P7), closing Josh’s overall lead to 19–17. Looking ahead to Charlotte, Justin picks Bubba Wallace, while Josh takes William Byron.

Larson’s Historic Clean Sweep: Live in front of Josh and his daughter at Kansas Speedway, Kyle Larson sweeps both stages, the race win, and the fastest lap to deliver an unprecedented -13 fantasy points.

All-Time League Record: Exceptionally clean racing resulted in a 46-point league average, breaking the all-time lowest average score in Atop the Pit Box history.

New Leader at the Top: Justin’s daughter Sophie takes over 1st place overall with The Trial of Apollo behind Larson’s masterclass, dropping Radical 5 to 6th and Rit Racing to 5th.

H2H & Las Vegas Picks: Justin stays a perfect 4-for-4 in the Chase as Chase Elliott edges Tyler Reddick, slashing Josh's overall lead to 19–16. Looking ahead to Las Vegas, Justin steals William Byron off the board, forcing Josh to counter with Chase Elliott.

Bristol Drama & Garage Scuffle: Joey Logano steals another victory to score -9 fantasy points, while late-race contact between Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney sparked a wild post-race garage confrontation.

Driver Rankings & Milestones: Kyle Larson overtakes Denny Hamlin for the real-life Chase points lead, Ty Gibbs climbs to a season-best 2nd in overall fantasy rankings, and Josh Berry secures his 5th straight top-10 to officially break out of the bottom five.

Playoff Standings Shakeup: Radical 5 claims 1st place overall by four points over Brandon1230Wall2, Rit Racing slips to 8th, Hobbit's Toast (P5) takes over as top rookie, and The Rear-Enders take Biggest Riser (+25 spots to P30).

H2H & Kansas Picks: Justin edges Josh (Christopher Bell P4 over Ty Gibbs P5) for his third straight head-to-head victory, cutting Josh’s lead to 19–15. For Kansas, Justin locks in Chase Elliott while Josh counters with Tyler Reddick.

Gateway Crashfest & Guest Host: With Justin on vacation in the Ozarks, Brian (GOATS Sports Podcast) steps in to break down a chaotic 19-caution race at Gateway won by Kyle Larson—right in front of an in-person Justin—while Ryan Blaney suffered a 35-point stumble.

Driver Movers & Rebounds: William Byron snaps his slump with a 4-point day, Alex Bowman charges to a runner-up finish, and Joey Logano posts -1 fantasy points to crack the overall top 10, while Denny Hamlin stays steady at #1 overall.

Gateway Records & Leaderboard Flip: Gateway set new all-time track records across the board (including an 83-point average), paving the way for Brandon1230Wall2 to seize 1st place overall and knock 15-week leader Rit Racing down to 3rd.

H2H & Bristol Picks: Justin takes another head-to-head win (Logano over Buescher) to close Josh's overall lead to 19–14. Looking ahead to Bristol, Justin locks in Christopher Bell while Josh counters with Ty Gibbs.

Darlington Chase Opener: Christopher Bell finally snaps his seven-time runner-up streak to capture the Southern 500 victory (-10 fantasy points), while Tyler Reddick bounces back with a clean 0-point day and William Byron tanks playoff lineups with a 37th-place disaster.

Leaderboard Shakeup & New Record: The 101-team Chase officially gets underway with Rit Racing clinging to 1st place overall for a 15th week, while Brandon1230Wall2 shatters the all-time ATBB Darlington record with a 7-point performance.

Swaps Officially Lock: Roster swaps are closed for the season, finishing with Tyler Reddick as the most added driver (35 teams) and Alex Bowman as the most dropped (44 teams), while free-agent sensation Josh Berry locks down his fifth consecutive top-10 finish.

H2H & Gateway Picks: Justin capitalizes on Kyle Larson's top-5 finish over Denny Hamlin's P18 to close Josh's head-to-head lead to 19–13. Heading to World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway), Justin locks in Joey Logano while Josh pivots to Chris Buescher—with a teaser that their wives might hijack the show next week.

Daytona Drama: Ryan Preece steals a Chase spot with his first career Cup win (-6 fantasy points) to eliminate SVG, while Daniel Suarez (P2) caps an elite regular season tied as the 7th-best fantasy driver.

Playoff Cutline & Champion Crowned: Rit Racing officially locks up the regular-season championship, while Green Flag Pit Stop (P100) and Killer Bees (P101) narrowly snag the final playoff berths over a heartbroken EJ Racing (P102, out by 3 points).

Market Reality Check: Josh Berry officially climbs out of the bottom five behind five consecutive top-10s, while Connor Zilich closes the regular season with an astonishing 714 fantasy points—more than Hamlin, Blaney, and Reddick combined.

H2H & Darlington Picks: Josh wins the head-to-head battle (Bubba Wallace over Chris Buescher's 40-point crash) to stretch his lead to 19–12. Heading into the playoff opener at Darlington, Josh locks in Denny Hamlin while Justin counters with Kyle Larson.

New Hampshire Apology Tour: Justin formally retracts his New Hampshire slander after Ryan Blaney captures a wet-to-dry tire thriller (-9 fantasy points), while Josh Berry scores his 4th straight top-10 finish—the Wood Brothers' best streak since 1994.

Driver Movers & Slumps: Christopher Bell surges to 6th in the overall driver rankings, while Ross Chastain (dead last) and William Byron (P30 after losing a wheel) severely damage playoff bubble rosters.

Throne Reclaimed: Rit Racing retakes the #1 overall league spot by 5 points over Radical 5, setting up an all-out title clash at Daytona with the top three teams separated by only 25 points.

H2H & Daytona Picks: Justin takes the weekly head-to-head matchup (Ryan Preece over Austin Cindric) to narrow Josh's lead to 18–12. Heading into the regular-season cutoff at Daytona, Justin locks in Chris Buescher while Josh counters with Bubba Wallace.

Logano's Hot Streak: Joey Logano captures the Richmond victory to post an elite -9 fantasy score, continuing an incredible late-season surge with a 1.6-point average over his last five starts.

Driver Movers & Slumps: Denny Hamlin (P4) and Christopher Bell (P7) log steady top-10 days, while Carson Hocevar finishes dead last with 37 points and Kyle Larson slides further down to 14th in the overall driver rankings.

New League Leader: Radical 5 claims the #1 overall spot, ending an 11-week reign by Rit Racing and tightening the championship gap to just four points.

Blockbuster Swaps: Hobbitstoast pulls off the first Tyler Reddick drop of the season to pick up Joey Logano, while Rit Racing makes a rare swap from 1st place, trading William Byron for Christopher Bell.

H2H & New Hampshire Picks: Josh snaps Justin’s 4-race winning streak with Logano's win over Ty Gibbs, extending the head-to-head lead to 18–11. For New Hampshire, Josh selects Austin Cindric while Justin pivots to Ryan Preece.

Iowa Recap & Richmond Preview

• Iowa Action: Ty Gibbs edges out Christopher Bell (who locks in his 7th runner-up finish), while Tyler Reddick finishes dead last and Kyle Larson posts a 33-point disaster.
• Standings & Swaps: Rit Racing holds the overall league lead for a 12th straight week, though Radical 5 has trimmed the gap to just four points. Meanwhile, Jeff Paulson earns Biggest Riser honors by setting the Iowa low-score record (10 points).
• H2H & Richmond Picks: Justin snags his 4th straight head-to-head win (Chase Briscoe over Brad Keselowski) to tighten Josh's overall lead to 16–11. Looking ahead to Richmond, Justin locks in Ty Gibbs while Josh counters with Joey Logano.

Indianapolis Race Recap: The hosts reflect on a hot race day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While truck star Corey Heim captured an impressive win, Josh and Justin critique the drawn-out single-file racing, echoing the dismal ~24% positive rating on Jeff Gluck's race poll.

Fantasy Winners & Losers: Joey Logano stays hot with a P3 finish following his recent victory, while Christopher Bell earns winner honors after snagging his 6th runner-up finish of the season. On the flip side, tire failures caused disastrous days for fantasy heavyweights Kyle Larson (P39) and Chase Elliott (P37).

League Standings & Record Breakers: RIT Racing maintains its dominant grip on 1st place for the 11th consecutive week. Dave Brahman set an all-time Brickyard high score record with 159 points, fueled by being the only owner of Riley Herbst in the entire league. Meanwhile, Team Farm Boy No. 2 took low-score honors for the week with 28 points, jumping an astounding 72 spots up to P146.

Key Roster Swaps: Three fantasy swaps were made before Indy, including "Chastain's wife" finally parting ways with Ross Chastain for Ty Gibbs, and Justin's daughter making a power move from Kyle Larson to Denny Hamlin.

Iowa Speedway Preview & Host Picks: Looking ahead to Iowa Speedway after a two-week mid-season break, past standouts like William Byron, Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski top the watch list. With Josh leading the host rivalry 16-10, Justin selects Chase Briscoe while Josh counters with Brad Keselowski.

North Wilkesboro Dominance: Joey Logano laps nearly the entire field to score an elite -9 fantasy points, while SVG impresses with a P5 short-track finish.

Driver Rankings Shakeup: Denny Hamlin holds the #1 overall spot, Ryan Blaney leaps to #2 despite pit road penalties, and Tyler Reddick slides to #3 after a 30-point outing.

League Wire: Rit Racing leads for a 9th straight week, Team Skunk takes Biggest Riser (+50 spots), and Justin executes major swaps to load up on Denny Hamlin.

H2H & Indy Picks: Justin wins the weekly head-to-head match (Blaney over Gibbs) to pull the total score to 16–9 in favor of Josh. For Indianapolis, Justin locks in Bubba Wallace while Josh selects Kyle Larson.

Welcome back to another action-packed episode of the Atop the Pit Box Podcast! Join your host Josh Rolfes and league commissioner Justin Norton as they dive deep into the latest fantasy NASCAR results, league standings shifts, and look ahead to a historic short-track weekend.

In This Episode:

• Atlanta Race Recap: The guys discuss the wild, rain-delayed night of racing at Atlanta, including a clutch transition to a YouTube TV "ad read" after it perfectly captured every single lap of the delay.
• Fantasy Winners & Losers: Breakdown of Ryan Blaney’s phenomenal front-running speed and Christopher Bell’s continued hot streak, contrasted with tough weeks for Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe. Plus, they unpack the massive 27-point fantasy swing caused by Bubba Wallace’s late-race double-line disqualification.
• League Standings & Historical Records: RIT Racing holds onto the league lead for an impressive eighth week in a row. Meanwhile, Brandon1230Wall2 shatters the all-time league record for the lowest score at Atlanta, registering a jaw-dropping 5-point finish.
• North Wilkesboro Preview: The podcast looks ahead to NASCAR's historic return to North Wilkesboro for its first points race in 30 years. The hosts evaluate short-track dark horses like Eric Jones and SVG.
• Head-to-Head Host Picks: With Josh holding a commanding 16-8 lead in their personal season rivalry, Justin aims to kickstart a comeback by locking in Ty Gibbs. Josh, looking to twist the knife, doubles down on his "Blaney Boy" status by selecting Ryan Blaney.

Chicagoland Recap: The hosts celebrate getting off the road courses and back onto an oval track, praising the compelling storylines and drama of the Chicagoland race.

Fantasy Winners & Losers:

• Winners: Chase Briscoe takes the fantasy victory with a dominant $-6$ points performance, while Christopher Bell secures a solid 2 points despite nursing a broken wrist.
• Losers: Season-long dominator Tyler Reddick suffers terrible luck with radiator issues to finish with 36 points, while Kyle Larson hits another rough patch, spinning out to finish P34 (32 points).

Standings & Risers: The top two positions remain locked down by Rit Racing and Chawkiira 3. Meanwhile, Rattled Cage Podcast 2, ZacDick2, and Sunday Money are the week's massive risers, all jumping up 73 spots in the standings.

Next Track Preview (Atlanta): The league shifts to the high-stakes drafting track of Atlanta. For their weekly head-to-head picks, Josh selects Daniel Suarez, while Justin locks in Austin Cindric.

🏁 Sonoma Recap: The SVG Show & Reddick’s Disaster

• The Routine Restored: Commissioner Justin Norton returns to the booth after his bullpen replacement last week.
• The King of Road Courses: Shane van Gisbergen dominates Sonoma, storming from the back to score a massive -6 fantasy points for 69 managers.
• The Points Lead Flips: Regular-season leader Tyler Reddick suffers a brutal steering pump failure, finishing dead last with 35 points and surrendering the overall lead to Denny Hamlin.
• Historical Benchmarks: Young Money and the Boys reeled in a spectacular 3-point performance, tying the all-time lowest score in ATBB history.

📈 Fantasy Roster & Swap Tracker

• Rookie Holdout: Rit Racing retains the overall league lead for the seventh consecutive week.
• The Trading Floor: Three permanent swaps hit the wire before Sonoma, including Justin’s future stepmom finally dumping Joey Logano for Reddick.
• Hall of Fame vs. Shame: His Grace 2 retains the best swap crown (+300 points), while Deez Lugnutz manager Jody holds the worst move in league history (-87 points).

🔮 Chicagoland Preview & Picks

• The Unknown Oval: With no prior fantasy data for Chicagoland, the league is setting a brand-new benchmark on a worn-out mile-and-a-half track.
• The Head-to-Head: Justin capitalizes on SVG's dominance to snatch a pick victory over Josh's Ty Gibbs swing, narrowing Josh's total score lead to 15 - 7.
• Next Week's Picks: Holding the pit box, Justin locks in Tyler Reddick for a redemption weekend, while Josh rolls the dice on Ryan Preece.

With Justin taking the week off, host Josh Rolfes brings Julian Austin (Deez Lug Nutz) out of the bullpen to break down the historic, tire-shredding chaos at Naval Base Coronado.

• The Track Action: Corey Heim claims a historic first win, while a brutal restart wreck derails SVG’s playoff bubble hopes and snaps Denny Hamlin's hot streak.
• Fantasy Market Report: Bubba Wallace and Zane Smith salvage the weekend with elite top-5 finishes. Meanwhile, Deez Lug Nutz Jody gets publicly roasted for executing the league's worst roster swap (-87 points).
• 🚨 Live On-Air Swap: Julian shakes up his 83rd-place team live on the show, dropping a slumping William Byron to ride with Chase Elliott.
• Silly Season & Gaming: The guys talk through the Alex Bowman retirement rumor mill, Riley Herbst's potential move to Legacy, and a proposed NASCAR 26 online league that intentionally bans Jody for only owning a PlayStation 1.
• Sonoma Picks: Looking ahead to Wine Country, Julian locks in Connor Zilich, while Josh rides the Spire momentum with Daniel Suarez—extending his head-to-head lead over Justin to 15-5.

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• Standings & Driver Trends: The top four fantasy drivers remained perfectly locked (Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, and Tyler Reddick), while Ty Gibbs bounced back into the top 5. Daniel Suarez was highlighted as the league's biggest overperformer. On the team side, Ms. Diddler and Rick Pedraza were called out as massive fallers, dragged down by poor performances from Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Kyle Busch.
• Swap Activity: Total league swaps have hit 145 (meaning roughly 36% of all teams have made a move). Action was light this week with only four trades, featuring managers bailing on Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain, and William Byron to pick up premium drivers like Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney.
• San Diego Picks & Chaotic Outro: Looking ahead to the San Diego street course, Justin stuck to his pre-planned list and took heavy favorite Shane Van Gisbergen. Josh went completely rogue, picking the massively underperforming rookie Connor Zilisch simply because he "wants to root for him". The episode then hilariously derailed as things got inexplicably negative, forcing the guys to abruptly cut the recording short with a rushed outro before they "break up the podcast".

Race Recap & Standings Denny Hamlin dominated the Michigan race and emerged as the undeniable fantasy winner, while drivers like Brad Keselowski and Ryan Preece acted as massive anchors for their teams with poor performances. For the season overall, Tyler Reddick and Hamlin continue to completely distance themselves from the rest of the league, leading a top five that also features Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, and Daniel Suarez. On the other end of the spectrum, Josh Berry and Connor Zilisch remain stuck at the absolute bottom of the driver rankings, with Berry failing to finish inside the top 25 for eight consecutive races.

Swaps & Playoff Bubble Fantasy managers were highly active this week, executing a surprising 15 total roster swaps. In the standings, Twin Tokers 2 and Mother's Meatloaf saw massive 159-spot surges over the last month, while Team Swayze suffered a catastrophic 201-spot drop out of the playoff picture. On the playoff bubble, 3 Laps Away :( managed to sneak right onto the cutline into 100th place.

Pocono Preview & Picks Looking ahead to the next race at Pocono, the hosts expect historically lower fantasy scores, noting that past averages typically sit between 54 and 78 points. Denny Hamlin, who is going for his third straight win at the tricky triangle, was highlighted as a major driver to watch alongside Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski. Wrapping up the episode, the hosts locked in their weekly podcast picks with a "Battle of the Chases," as Justin selected Chase Briscoe and Josh rolled with Chase Elliott.