The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for the YellaWood 500 on October 25 at 2 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
Last season, Michael McDowell captured the Busch Light Pole with a lap of 181.832 mph (52.664 seconds), and Chase Briscoe earned a thrilling overtime victory in the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 19, 2025.
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Point Standings after Phoenix Raceway
| Rank | Driver | No | Points | Behind | Next | Wins | Stage wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson (C) | 5 | 2370 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| 2 | Christopher Bell (C) | 20 | 2365 | -5 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Chase Briscoe (C) | 19 | 2346 | -24 | 19 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin (C) | 11 | 2339 | -31 | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney (C) | 12 | 2330 | -40 | 9 | 3 | 9 |
| 6 | Joey Logano (C) | 22 | 2326 | -44 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| 7 | Tyler Reddick (C) | 45 | 2314 | -56 | 12 | 6 | 2 |
| 8 | Austin Cindric (C) | 2 | 2240 | -130 | 74 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Ty Gibbs (C) | 54 | 2238 | -132 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 10 | Chase Elliott (C) | 9 | 2221 | -149 | 17 | 2 | 2 |
| 11 | Carson Hocevar (C) | 77 | 2212 | -158 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | Bubba Wallace (C) | 23 | 2208 | -162 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | Daniel Suárez (C) | 7 | 2182 | -188 | 26 | 1 | 1 |
| 14 | William Byron (C) | 24 | 2180 | -190 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 15 | Chris Buescher (C) | 17 | 2166 | -204 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Ryan Preece (C) | 60 | 2159 | -211 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
Track & Race Information for the YellaWood 500
Season Race #: 34 of 36 (10-25-26)
The Purse: $11,233,037
Track Size: 2.66 miles
Banking/Turns: 33 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 16.5 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 4,300 feet
Backstretch Length: 4,000 feet
Race Schedule, Length, and Stages for the YellaWood 500
Race Length: 188 laps / 500.08 miles
Stage 1 Length: 98 laps (Ends on Lap 98)
Stage 2 Length: 45 laps (Ends on Lap 143)
Final Stage Length: 45 laps (Ends on Lap 188)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23
12:30 AM – 1:00 PM: NCTS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
3:40 PM: NCTS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
4:00 PM: NCTS LOVES’S RV STOP 225 RACE (STAGES 20/40/85 LAPS = 226.1 MILES) ON FS1
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM: NOAPS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM: NCS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
3:05 PM: NOAPS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
3:30 PM: NOAPS THE PROGRESS GROUP 250 RACE (STAGES 25/50/94 LAPS = 250.04 MILES) ON THE CW NETWORK
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25
1:30 PM: NCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
2:00 PM: NCS YELLAWOOD 500 RACE (STAGES 98/143/188 LAPS = 500.08 MILES) ON NBC
*All times are Eastern. NASCAR Cup Series (NCS), NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS), NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS), ARCA Series (AMS)
Who and what should you look out for at Talladega Superspeedway?
This weekend, 12 of the 55 NCS race winners are entered, and Brad Keselowski leads all active drivers with six Talladega Superspeedway wins in 33 starts (2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021), an 18.1% win percentage. Keselowski also leads all active drivers with three runner-up finishes and 12 top-five finishes.
| Active Talladega Race Winners | Wins | Seasons |
| Brad Keselowski | 6 | 2021, ’17, ’16, ’14, ’12, ’09 |
| Ryan Blaney | 3 | 2023, ’20, ’19 |
| Joey Logano | 3 | 2018, ’16, ’15 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 2 | 2024, ’17 |
| Chase Elliott | 2 | 2022, ’19 |
| Denny Hamlin | 2 | 2020, ’14 |
| Carson Hocevar | 1 | 2026 |
| Chase Briscoe | 1 | 2025 |
| Austin Cindric | 1 | 2025 |
| Tyler Reddick | 1 | 2024 |
| Ross Chastain | 1 | 2022 |
| Bubba Wallace | 1 | 2021 |
Fifteen of the 114 NCS races (13.1%) have been won from the pole or first starting position, and Denny Hamlin last did so on October 4, 2020. The deepest starting position for an active race winner at Talladega is 34th, by Denny Hamlin in the 2014 spring race.
Joey Logano leads all active drivers in laps led at Talladega with 571 in 35 starts.
The Driver Picks for the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway!
- William Byron has five top-fives, seven top-10s, and an average finish of 15.706.
- Chase Briscoe has one win, two top-fives, three top-10s, and an average finish of 16.273.
- Denny Hamlin has two wins, 11 top-fives, 17 top-10s, one pole, and an average finish of 16.854.
- Kyle Larson has three top-fives and five top-10s, and an average finish of 22.087.
- Tyler Reddick has one win, one top-five, and four top-10s, and an average finish of 17.538.
