Talladega II Event Info:
Date: Sunday, October 25th
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Lincoln, Alabama
Format: 188 Laps, 500.08 Miles, Stages: 98-143-188
TV: NBC Sports
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)
Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 1:00 PM ET, Cup Qualifying (TruTV, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 2 p.m. ET, Cup Race (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Pace Laps:
- Talladega hosts its annual fall race date this weekend, race number 34 on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
- Overall, Jack Roush has eight wins at Talladega Superspeedway with five in the Cup Series.
- Brad Keselowski has the sixth best average finishing position at Talladega (15.9) in the Cup Series among full time active drivers, anchored by 17 top 10 finishes.
- Brad Keselowski enters the weekend as the active winningest driver at Talladega with six victories, accounting for 16 percent of his career wins in the Cup Series.
- Chris Buescher returns to Talladega where he led 22 laps in the spring and nearly found victory lane, he finished 2nd.
- RFK Racing has placed a car in the top-5, in both Daytona races and at Talladega this year, including Ryan Preece’s Daytona win in August.
6 Team Info:
Driver: Brad Keselowski
Crew Chief: Mike Skarbowski
Partner: Consumer Cellular
17 Team Info:
Driver: Chris Buescher
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Kroger / Thomas Protein English Muffins/Oscar Mayer
60 Team Info:
Driver: Ryan Preece
Crew Chief: Derrick Finley
Partner: BuildSubmarines.com
Keselowski at Talladega
Starts: 35
Wins: 6 (2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021)
Top-10s: 17
Poles: —
- Keselowski enters the weekend once again as the winningest active driver at Talladega with six wins in the NCS, tied for second all-time with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon.
- First win of season came at Talladega three times (4/09, 5/12 & 4/21)
- Since 2014 Keselowski has four wins – two each in the spring race (2016, 2021) and two each in the fall race (2014, 2017). He finished runner-up in both races at Dega in 2024, and was 10th in the 2025 fall race
- Keselowski won his first-ever start at Talladega back in 2009 in the No. 09 car, and again won the spring race three years later in 2012.
- Keselowski also made five O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at Talladega with one win (2010).
Buescher at Talladega
Starts: 22
Wins: —
Top-10s: 4
Poles: —
- Buescher makes his 23rd Cup start on the high banks of Talladega this weekend where he has four top-10s. He posted his best finish this seasin this past spring at Talladega, finishing runner up and leading 22 laps of the race.
- Has led in six straight Talladega races – 49 laps led.
- Buescher has an average starting position of 22.3 with a career-best sixth starting spot in this race earlier this spring.
- He also made a pair of NXS starts in the No. 60 with finishes of second (2014) and sixth (2015).
Preece at Talladega
Starts: 13
Wins: —
Top-10s: 3
Poles: —
- Preece is set for his 14th Cup start at Talladega this weekend, where he has a career-best finish of third at the track in 2019.
- Preece captured a stage win this past spring race and led a total of 21 laps.
- He has three top-10s at Talladega, with an average finish of 19.5.
- Has led a total of 50 laps in the NASCAR Cup Series at the track.
- Preece has qualified inside the top-5 in two of his last three Talladega races.
RFK Historically at Talladega
Cup Wins: 5 (Mark Martin, 1995, 1997; Jamie McMurray, 2009; Matt Kenseth, 2012; Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2017)
Superspeedway Snapshot: RFK Racing returns to Talladega Superspeedway with a strong Cup Series history at the 2.66-mile Alabama track, highlighted by five NASCAR Cup Series organization wins and a deep list of front-running performances over the years.
Victory Lane History: RFK’s Talladega Cup wins span more than two decades, beginning with Mark Martin’s victories in 1995 and 1997, followed by wins from Jamie McMurray (2009), Matt Kenseth (2012) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2017). Those five triumphs remain the organization’s most recent Talladega Cup victories entering this weekend.
A Talladega Classic: Mark Martin delivered one of the signature moments in RFK’s Talladega history on May 10, 1997, winning what remains the fastest NASCAR Cup Series race ever recorded at the track. Driving the No. 6 Ford, Martin started 18th, led 47 laps and held off Dale Earnhardt in a race that featured 26 lead changes and an average speed of 188.354 mph.
RFK Talladega Wi
1995 Martin Cup
1997 Martin Cup
2009 McMurray Cup
2012 Kenseth Cup
2017 Stenhouse Cup
1997 Martin NOAPS
2009 Ragan NOAPS
2006 Martin Truck
Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Phoenix: RFK Racing showed up with tenacity in Phoenix last week, with Brad Keselowski securing a 16th place finish, the No. 6 team banded together to execute on pit road and work through adjustments to maximize the cars’ performance. Ryan Preece gained eight positions from his starting position to finish 18th even with the ongoing battle of tire wear and lack of grip, while Chris Buescher and the No. 17 team showed promising speed, even with a battle of handling adjustments through the course of the day.
Points Standings: Buescher: 15th, Preece: 16th, Keselowski: 18th
About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 39th season in 2026, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox and English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit https://www.rfkracing.com/ and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.
