RFK RACING
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Date: April 26, 2026
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Talladega Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval) – Lincoln, AL
Format: 500 miles, broken into three stages (completed at lap 98 / lap 143 / lap 188)
***Note: Qualifying was cancelled due to weather. Starting order was established by the rule book.
RFK Racing RACE SUMMARY:
Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing showcased race winning speed Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, leading a combined 43 laps, with all three cars running up front and remaining a constant presence in the lead pack. Ryan Preece set the tone early with a Stage One victory as RFK Racing ran an impressive 1-2-4 at the first break. Chris Buescher stayed among the leaders all day, making aggressive, timely moves to nearly claim victory. Brad Keselowski showed early strength with a second place Stage One finish, before sustaining damage in an unavoidable Stage Two crash.
DRIVER HIGHLIGHTS
Chris Buescher – No. 17 Kroger / Jack Link’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Finish: 2nd
Start: 10th
Laps Led: 22
Stage Results: S1 – 4th, S2 – 3rd
Headline takeaway: An incredibly strong race, finishing among the leaders in every stage of the event. In a four lap shootout to finish the race he battled to the checkers coming up just short of the victory, with a close runner up finish.
Buescher Quote: “We were pretty good. To have the day like we had today here and be in the hunt every stage and there at the end, I can’t thank everybody enough at Kroger and Jack Link’s and being here for their entitlement sponsor. This was a big race for us and we just couldn’t quite get this Mustang into Victory Lane. We came off turn four and I felt really good about where we were at and the run that we were gonna be able to build. Stenhouse went to make a race winning move and if we would have got clear of the 77, he would have gone for it and it may have been our drag race to the end. I don’t know, but it was a good race. It was good, strong racing all the way there to the end.”
Ryan Preece – No. 60 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Finish: 18
Start: 11th
Laps Led: 21
Stage Results: S1 – Winner, S2 – 6th
Headline takeaway: Bouyed by a stellar run in Stage One, where he was the winner of the segment, Preece proved to have a winning race car throughout the race. He collected stage points in each of the first two stages and, although he was caught up in a last lap crash coming to the checkers, had one of the best cars in the field Sunday
Preece Quote: “Man, so close. We had a rocket ship of a Ford Mustang. Led a bunch of laps and could move around and draft to the front at will. After winning stage one, we were pumped. Our confidence was sky high. So, with the checkers in sight on the final lap we thought there was a chance at the win. I’m not sure what happened with the crash but I’m leaving with my head high, knowing we had a race winning car.
Brad Keselowski – No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Finish: 31st
Start: 6th
Laps Led: 0
Stage Results: S1-2nd, S2 – 33rd
Headline takeaway: After a runner up Stage One finish, Brad Keselowski appeared poised for another strong Talladega run. However, while he raced inside the top ten, he was collected in a Stage Two crash. The team worked to repair extensive damage, eventually getting him back on the track to finish the race.
Keselowski Quote: “We got caught up in the big one and the team rallied really well to keep us from a DNF and get us as many points as we could.”
Point Standings:
Buescher: 7th
Keselowski: 10th
Preece: 13th
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is Sunday, May 30 at the Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, TX). The race begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and the Performance Racing Network.
