TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - APRIL 27: A general view of the grandstands during the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2025 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - APRIL 27: A general view of the grandstands during the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2025 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) | Getty Images
2025 Fall Talladega Race All News Cup News

NASCAR Cup Series News & Notes – Talladega Superspeedway

October 15, 2025 at 2:32 PM

NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: YellaWood 500
The Place: Talladega Superspeedway
Track Length: 2.66 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Sunday, October 19
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
The Purse: $9,797,935
TV: NBC, 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 500.08 miles (188 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 120), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 188)

Where To Watch NASCAR This Week:

Friday, Oct. 17
NCTS Practice & Kennametal Pole Qualifying (FS2 at 12:30 p.m. ET)
NCTS Race: Love’s RV Stop 225 (FOX, NRN, SiriusXM at 4 p.m. ET)

Saturday, Oct. 18
NXS Practice & Kennametal Pole Qualifying (CW App at 11:30 p.m. ET)
NCS Practice & Busch Light Pole Qualifying (truTV, PRN, SiriusXM at 1:30 p.m. ET)
NXS Race: United Rentals 250 (CW, MRN, SiriusXM at 4 p.m. ET)

Sunday, Oct. 19
NCS Race: YellaWood 500 (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM at 2 p.m. ET)

NASCAR Cup Series

Talladega Superspeedway Storylines and Insights:

  • This weekend marks the 113th running of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, the 34th of 2025 and the second of the three races in the Round of 8.
  • Talladega hosted a Playoff race in all 22 years of the Playoffs, but this is the first season it was in the Round of 8.
  • The April Talladega race started a 28 straight week (189 days) stretch of races to end the season (includes the All-Star race); the longest stretch of consecutive weeks raced in series history.
  • Qualifying at Talladega consists of two rounds with the fastest 10 from Round 1 moving to Round 2 to compete for the top-10 starting positions.
  • Ford drivers won the pole for the last four races at Talladega; Front Row Motorsports won the pole for the last three.
  • Ford drivers account for 63% of the top-10 starting positions at Talladega in the last four races.
  • Each of the last 10 Talladega races was won by a different driver, the longest streak of races there without a repeat winner.
  • Only two of the last nine races at Talladega was won by a current Playoff driver: Ryan Blaney (10/23), Chase Elliott (10/22).
  • The eventual winner led 19 laps or less in each of the last nine Talladega races.
  • The driver leading the most laps failed to win each of the last 10 Talladega races.
  • The final green flag stretch at Talladega in April was 62 laps, the second longest green flag stretch to end a race there in the last 45 races.
  • Each of the last four races at Talladega had only four cautions.
  • Four of the 12 races with the most lead changes in Cup all-time came in the last four Talladega races.
  • Only twice has the Stage 1 winner at Talladega gone on to win the race, only three times has the Stage 2 winner won.
  • The Talladega pole winner finished 17th or worse in each of the seven races there in the Next Gen car.
  • Austin Cindric won at Talladega in April after starting seventh, the best starting position of a Talladega race winner in the last nine races.
  • 14 drivers earned their final Cup Series win at Talladega, the most among all tracks.
  • Stage 2 was caution free in each of the last six Talladega races.
  • Brad Keselowski leads all active drivers with six Talladega wins; he finished runner-up there three times since his last win in April 2021.
  • Four of the five drafting track races in 2025 were won by active playoff drivers.
  • The last 10 drafting track races were each won by a different driver.
  • Joey Logano leads all drivers with 228 laps led on drafting tracks in 2025 but has a best finish of 12th.
  • Since 2017, two of the six previous drivers that DNF in the opening race of the Round of 8 moved on to the Championship Four (Bell 2022, Reddick 2024).
  • 11 of the 12 Playoff drivers had an issue at Talladega in the 2024 Playoff race.
  • Seven of the last 11 Talladega races ended with a last lap pass, 33 total in 112 races.
  • The seven last lap passes for the win in 2025 is the most in a single season, second most was 6 in 2024.
  • Kyle Larson gained 31 points to the cutline at Las Vegas – the largest gain ever by any driver in the opening race of the Round of 8.
  • Ryan Blaney lost 37 points to the cutline at Las Vegas – he also lost 43 points in that race in 2024 but went on to win at Martinsville to advance the Championship 4 Round.
  • Ryan Blaney was 47 points below the cutline when he won at Martinsville to advance to the Championship last season – the largest deficit ever overcome in the Round of 8.
  • The four drivers below the cutline have a combined 17 wins at Talladega and Martinsville, including 3 of the last 4 at Martinsville.
  • The Talladega playoff race was won by a playoff driver in nine of 11 seasons of the elimination format.
  • Seven of the nine playoff winners of the Talladega playoff race were at or below the cutline entering the race.
  • Kyle Larson won three of the last seven drafting track stages, his only drafting track stage wins.
  • Kyle Larson is making his 400th Cup start this weekend at Talladega.
  • Denny Hamlin (two) and Ryan Blaney (two) combined won four of the last eight races of 2025.
  • Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske have combined to win 13 races at drafting tracks in the Next Gen car, more than all other teams combined.
  • Team Penske/Wood Brothers have spent 249 laps running together in first and second place at drafting tracks this year – more than double the laps of all other teams combined.
  • Denny Hamlin made the Championship Four for the fifth time and the first since 2021, his crew chief Chris Gayle is making his first appearance in the Championship 4.
  • Joe Gibbs Racing won four of the last seven races of 2025 with three different drivers: Denny Hamlin-2, Christopher Bell-1, Chase Briscoe-1.
  • Kyle Larson leads all drivers with 1100 laps led, it’s his third straight season leading over 1,000 laps and his fourth in five seasons with Hendrick Motorsports.

NCS Clinch Scenarios for Talladega Superspeedway (Playoff Race #8):

Already Clinched

  • The following driver has clinched a spot in the 4-driver field of the next round: Denny Hamlin.

Can Clinch Via Points

  • If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 57 points above the 3rd winless driver in the standings.  The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Kyle Larson or Christopher Bell.
    • Kyle Larson: Could only clinch with help
    • Christopher Bell: Could only clinch with help
  • If there is a new winner from Chase Briscoe or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 57 points above the 2nd winless driver in the standings.
    • Kyle Larson: Could only clinch with help

Can Clinch Via Win

  • The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney.

— NASCAR —