Race Results : Talladega Superspeedway

• Thursday, April 24th, 2025
• NASCAR Wire Service - Holly Cain

NASCAR’s Boldest Battle Returns: Talladega Promises Chaos, Comebacks, and Close Finishes

Following the only “off weekend” of the season, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to action this week at one of the sport’s most iconic venues, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Expectations are always high – and variable – for the high-speed, anything-goes brand of racing on a drafting track such as Talladega and Sunday’s Jack Links 500 (3 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will undoubtedly add to the track’s storied history.

Will the season’s most dominant drivers – Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson and William Byron, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin – add to their victory total? Will a driver from the perpetual championship contending Team Penske organization finally get that organization its first win of 2025? Or will Talladega produce a long-shot victor able to get it done in the frantic closing laps that make Talladega one of the most exciting venues on the schedule?

That unpredictability and genuine suspense is exactly what has made this race so compelling. Nine of the last 16 Talladega races have been decided on a last-lap pass. And there have been at least 66 lead changes in the last three races on the sport’s largest oval.

There are, however, drivers that have proven themselves favorites on the big track.

23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick is the defending winner of this Spring Talladega race and HYAK Motorsports’ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. claimed his second Talladega win in the Fall.

It’s been 10 races since someone claimed back-to-back Talladega wins, however. That nod belongs to Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, who has an impressive three Talladega wins, claiming trophies in 2019, 2020 and 2023.

He could really use a strong showing this weekend. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion has endured a series of bad-luck showings this season – the results hardly matching the day’s effort on track. The driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford is ranked sixth in the championship – one of six drivers in the top-10 without a victory yet.

His teammate, reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano is in a similar situation. The driver of the No. 22 Ford has had strong showings in-race but yet to earn a top-five finish in the opening nine events of the season.

This year’s Daytona 500 winner – and current championship points leader – Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron is the only repeat winner on the big drafting tracks such as Daytona, Talladega and Atlanta with three wins in the last 12 races. But the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has never won at Talladega.

Hamlin, a two-race winner, sits 30 points behind Byron in the standings. The longtime driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is considered a drafting track master with three Daytona 500 victories and a pair of Talladega trophies (2014 and 2020). Hamlin is the only driver to finish on the lead lap in all nine races of this season. His JGR teammate Christopher Bell – a series best three-race winner in 2025 – is ranked third in the championship and the driver of the No. 20 JGR Toyota is looking for his first Talladega win.

Hendrick’s Kyle Larson, a two-race winner this season, is another racing for his maiden Talladega series win. As dominating as the 2021 series champion has been throughout his career, he’s never won at a drafting style track. His teammate, 2020 series champ Chase Elliott, sits fifth in points and is racing for his first win of the year. He won at Talladega in 2019 and 2022.

Only five drivers have won this year – Byron, Hamlin, Bell, Larson and Wood Brothers Racing’s Josh Berry. Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing owner-driver Brad Keselowski leads all active drivers with six Talladega trophies, including the first of his championship career in 2009. He finished runner-up in both Talladega races last year. He’s currently ranked 31st in the points and badly needing a good showing to get back in the title talk.

“I still think Talladega is one of those racetracks where anybody can win. Next Gen has been a little bit fickle at Talladega in the way that it values different things than the car before did,” Keselowski explained. “It seems to really value the last pit stop and executing that at a very high level and then the fuel saving stuff, which I think is gonna be the word everybody hates after this weekend. So, it’s different.

“It’s a different type of racing than what Talladega was four or five years ago before the Next Gen car, but I think that’s part of what makes Talladega special is just how the racing there has evolved at least a half dozen times since I’ve been in Cup and its different eras of racing that values different things. I appreciate that. There are certainly types that you like more than others of racing there, but I do think that it’s a place where I think of the 39 entries, 33 of them have a realistic shot of winning.”

Two-time series champ Kyle Busch is also a multi-time Talladega race winner, last taking a trophy at the big track in 2023. The driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet sits 15th in the standings and is looking for his first win in the series since that 2023 season.

Defending Spring race winner Reddick and his 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace are winless in 2025 but also considered drafting track favorites. They are ranked seventh and eighth – respectively – in the standings. Wallace claimed his first series trophy at Talladega in 2021.

Of note, the driver that led the most laps in the last nine Talladega races failed to win.

Spire Motorsports driver Michael McDowell is the defending pole-winner. Interestingly, the pole winner hasn’t finished better than 17th in the last six Talladega races.

• Talladega Superspeedway
• Jack Link's 500
• Busch Pole Award Pole Winner: Zane Smith
• Age: 25
• Team : No 38 - TitleMax Ford
• Owner: Brad Jenkins
• Crew Chief: Ryan Bergenty
• Zane Smith won the Pole Award for the Jack Link's 500 with a lap of 52565 seconds, 182174 mph
• This is his first pole in 55 NASCAR Cup Series races
• This is his first pole and third top-10 start in 2025
• This is his first pole in four races at Talladega Superspeedway
• Kyle Busch (second) posted his fifth top-10 start of 2025 and his 12th in 40 races at Talladega Superspeedway
• Joey Logano (third) posted his 15th top-10 start at Talladega Superspeedway It is his sixth in ten races this season
• Riley Herbst (23rd) was the fastest qualifying rookie

• Sunday, April 27th, 2025
• NASCAR Wire Service - Holly Cain

Cindric Clinches Talladega Thriller with Photo Finish Pass Amid Post-Race Disqualifications

Austin Cindric’s dramatic last lap pass provided exactly the sort of Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway thrill that NASCAR fans have come to expect at the sport’s biggest track, earning the 2022 Daytona 500 winner Cindric – and Team Penske – their first trophies of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Cindric’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford pulled ahead of Roush Fenway Keselowski driver Ryan Preece’s No. 60 Ford by the length of a front hood to claim a .022-second victory in Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500 – the two Ford Mustangs exchanging the lead five times in the final six laps.

However, the Fords driven by Preece and fifth place finisher, Cindric’s Penske teammate Joey Logano were subsequently disqualified following post-race inspection for technical violations. NASCAR officials found an illegal spoiler on Preece’s Mustang and a spoiler violation on Logano’s No. 22 Mustang that also violated Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules.

The disqualifications moved Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron into second and third place in the race’s final standings.

“I’m just so proud of this team from the [pit] cycles to the fast cars to the fuel-only stops,’’ said the 26-year old Cindric, whose team – with 17 laps remaining – turned in the fastest final pit stop putting him back out front and able to contend for the win in a race that featured 67 lead changes among 23 drivers.

“It definitely wasn’t easy,’’ Cindric said of holding off the Hendrick teammates for the checkered flag. “I give a lot of credit, Kyle [Larson] did a lot to take care of me, pushing me at the right times in the tri-oval and as mad as I was at him after Atlanta [race], I feel like we’re good now. That was great and having a photo-finish at Talladega and get in the Playoffs in front of this amazing crowd, beautiful day in Alabama.’’

The Hendrick teammates Larson and Byron acknowledged lapped traffic in front of the lead pack, looming just beyond the finish line, certainly created an extra consideration. Yet the runner-up showing for Larson, who won Stage 1 and led three laps on the day, was a career best effort at Talladega. It was a major move forward for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion drafting tracks such as Talladega, Daytona and Atlanta – all venues where the 31-race winner has yet to earn a trophy.

“I wanted to take it, but just felt like the gap was too big,’’ said Larson, who ran directly behind Cindric in the closing laps, adding. “I was just second row inside and just going to do everything I could to try and advance our lane and maybe open it up so maybe then I could get to the outside, but we were all pushing so equally that it kept the lanes kind of jammed up.

“I needed something else to kinda happen, maybe them to get blocking each other or something, but still a great day. A stage win, P3 in the second stage and P3 in the final, so great points day and best career finish on a superspeedway so happy with the performance in the Hendricks.com Chevy.”

Cindric is the 10^th different winner in the last 10 Talladega races – a record streak at the iconic 2.66-mile high-banked track. Yet Sunday’s race was relatively calm compared to some previous editions at the high-action drafting track. It marked the fourth time a Tallladega race had only four caution flags – two of which were scheduled stage caution breaks.

With the two disqualifications, Front Row Motorsports’ Noah Gragson and Hendrick’s Chase Elliott round out the top-five.

Chevrolet drivers, Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar and Hendrick’s Alex Bowman finished sixth and seventh with former Talladega winner, and Sunday’s Stage 2 winner Bubba Wallace eighth in the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota. Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon completed the updated top-10.

Although their teammates ran well and earned stage points, it was a frustrating afternoon for Penske’s Ryan Blaney and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Brad Keselowski.

The two former champions and past multi-time Talladega winners were collected in an accident on lap 43 during a pit stop cycle before the first Stage break. Keselowski and Chevy’s Kyle Busch collided on track as Keselowski was moving to pit road for a stop – their contact collected Blaney spinning him out as well.

The owner-driver of the No. 6 Ford, Keselowski, who was already mired in a disappointing early season, finished 36^th and is now ranked 32^nd in the championship standings.

“It was just a stack of guys trying to come to pit road as fast as they could and we were kind of the ham in the sandwich that got squeezed.’’ said Keselowski, who leads all active drivers with six Talladega wins. “I waved down the backstretch to let everybody know I was gonna pit and I came off of four and everybody was so tight behind me that I didn’t even have a chance to turn left. I hate that it ruined not just our day, but several other people’s day. I don’t think I could do anything different.”

Blaney, who drives the No. 12 Team Penske Ford was scored as 37^th – ahead of the two disqualified drivers. It marked his fourth DNF in the 10-race season, but the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion has led 198 laps on the season and is still ranked eighth in the standings.

“Another DNF – it just sucks,’’ Blaney said. Just when we were kind of getting our momentum and didn’t even get to race today. We’ll just move on to Texas.”

With his third-place finish, Byron continues to lead the championship standings, now 31 points ahead of his teammate Larson. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who had been second in points going into Talladega is now ranked third, 52 points behind Byron.

The NASCAR Cup Series now heads West to Texas Motor Speedway for next Sunday’s Wurth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY. Chase Elliott is the defending race winner.

• Drivers Entered: 39
• Laps Scheduled: 188
• Margin of Victory: 0.022 Seconds
• Time of Race: 3 Hours 10 Minutes 52 Seconds
• Average Speed: 157.203
• Cautions: 4 for 22 laps
• Lead Changes: 67
• Green Flag Passes: 19,410 (116.9 passes per green flag lap)

• Talladega Superspeedway
• Jack Link's 500
• Race Winner: Austin Cindric
• Age: 26
• Team : No 2 - Menards/Quaker State Ford
• Owner: Roger Penske
• Crew Chief: Brian Wilson
• Austin Cindric won the Jack Link's 500, his third victory in 125 Cup Series races
• This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in 2025
• This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in seven races at Talladega Superspeedway
• Ryan Preece (second) posted his fourth top-10 finish in 11 races at Talladega Superspeedway It is his fourth top-10 finish in 2025
• Kyle Larson (third) posted his fifth top-10 finish in 21 races at Talladega Superspeedway
• Riley Herbst (24th) was the highest finishing rookie
• William Byron leads the point standings by 32 points over Kyle Larson