After spending much of Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway among the race leaders, Josh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team were knocked out of contention by a late-race penalty for speeding on the final pit stop. While Berry was completing the final lap in 28th place, he was able to watch in the mirror as his Ford teammate Austin Cindric took the win, with another Mustang driver Ryan Preece grabbing the runner-up spot in a classic battle between Ford and Chevy.

Berry started Sunday’s race from eighth place and immediately moved into the top three and led Lap Four. He would go on to lead five more times for a total of 12 laps. Berry avoided potential damage when Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski wrecked just behind him as they headed to pit road on Lap 44. He got lucky again as his fuel held out until officials cleared pit road, allowing him to make his pit stop.

Once on pit road, the Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew serviced the No. 21 Mustang Dark Horse and took some extra time to remove the remains of a bird that was struck during the race. The delay left Berry in the back for the dash to the finish of Stage One, and he ended that 60-lap segment in 29th place.

After taking the green flag to start Stage Two from 13th place, he rejoined the leaders and ended the second Stage in 10th place, earning one Stage point. As the laps wound down in the third and final Stage and others began making their final pit stops, Berry cycled into the lead at Lap 168 and held the top spot for four circuits before heading to pit road for a splash of fuel.

But he incurred a penalty for speeding on pit road, and with only 16 laps left to run he was unable to recover the lost ground. The No. 21 team now turns its focus to next Sunday’s Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.

About Motorcraft®
Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to under hood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford Dealers and Lincoln Retailers, independent distributors and automotive-parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty* of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.
*See your dealer for limited-warranty details.

About Quick Lane® Tire & Auto Center
Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine maintenance, serving all vehicle makes and models. Quick Lane provides a full menu of automotive services, including tires, oil change and maintenance, brakes, batteries, alternator and electrical system, air conditioning system, cooling system, transmission service, suspension and steering, wheel alignment, belts and hoses, lamps and bulbs and wiper blades plus a thorough vehicle checkup report. Service is performed by expert technicians while you wait at any of nearly 800 locations in the U.S., with evening and weekend hours available and no appointment necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.
*See your dealer for limited-warranty details.”

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company’s Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for customers and deepen their loyalty. Ford develops and delivers innovative, must-have Ford trucks, sport utility vehicles, commercial vans and cars and Lincoln luxury vehicles, along with connected services. The company does that through three customer-centered business segments: Ford Blue, engineering iconic gas-powered and hybrid vehicles; Ford Model e, inventing breakthrough EVs along with embedded software that defines exceptional digital experiences for all customers; and Ford Pro, helping commercial customers transform and expand their businesses with vehicles and services tailored to their needs. Additionally, Ford is pursuing mobility solutions through Ford Next, and provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Ford employs about 177,000 people worldwide. More information about the company and its products and services is available at corporate.ford.com.

About Ford Performance
Ford Performance is based in Dearborn, Mich. It is responsible for Ford’s performance vehicle development and major racing operations globally, including NASCAR, IMSA, SRO British GT, FIA World Rally Championship, Supercars Championship, World of Outlaws, Ultra4, SCORE-International, FIA Rally-Raid, Formula Drift, NHRA, Rebelle Rally, Thailand Super Series and our latest commitment in Formula 1 with RedBull Ford Powertrains. Ford Performance also maintains a constantly evolving fleet of electric performance demonstrators to showcase the limits of electrification technology. In addition, the organization also oversees the development of Ford’s racing engines, as well as the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts. For more information regarding Ford racing’s activities, please visit Performance.Ford.com or follow @FordPerformance on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube.

About Wood Brothers Racing
Founded in 1950 by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood in Stuart, Virginia, Wood Brothers Racing holds a special place in NASCAR history as the sport’s longest-running team. Over eight decades, the team has earned 101 victories in the NASCAR Cup Series, along with 120 poles, and remains proud of its longstanding relationship with Ford Motor Company, fielding only Ford products since its inception. Glenn’s brother, Leonard Wood, played a key role in shaping modern racing by developing the techniques behind today’s pit stops. With a rich legacy rooted in innovation and tradition, Wood Brothers Racing continues to honor its heritage while adapting for the future as it competes in NASCAR’s premier series with Josh Berry.

RICK WARE RACING
Jack Link’s 500
Date: April 27, 2025
Event: Jack Link’s 500 (Round 10 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval)
Format: 188 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/68 laps)

Race Winner: Austin Cindric of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing (Toyota)

RWR Finish:

● Cody Ware (Started 33rd, Finished 33rd / Running, completed 186 of 188 laps)

RWR Points:

● Cody Ware (36th with 52 points)

RWR Notes:

● Ware finished eighth in Stage 1 to earn three bonus points.

Race Notes:

● Austin Cindric won the Jack Link’s 500 to score his third career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Talladega. His margin of victory over second-place Ryan Preece was .022 of a second.

● This was Ford’s 743rd all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its second of the season. Josh Berry won for the Blue Oval March 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

● This was Ford’s 33rd NASCAR Cup Series victory at Talladega. Ford got its first win at Talladega on May 4, 1975 with NASCAR Hall of Famer Buddy Baker.

● This was Roush-Yates Engines’ milestone 200th NASCAR Cup Series victory with Ford Performance. Matt Kenseth scored the first win for Roush-Yates Engines when he drove his Ford Taurus to victory on Feb. 22, 2004 at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham.

● There were four caution periods for a total of 22 laps.

● All but nine of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● William Byron remains the championship leader after Talladega with a 32-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Sound Bites:

“Today we showed from green flag to checkered flag that we were a race-winning contender. I’m really proud of the pit crew and the road crew and everybody back at the shop for building a super fast Arby’s x AC Barbeque Sauce Ford Mustang. I’m really dejected with how the day ended. I sped leaving pit road, but we also ran out of fuel too, so our fate was kind of sealed after that last pit stop, no matter what. We just need to move forward knowing that we can do this. We just have to keep digging.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Arby’s x AC Barbeque Sauce Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY on Sunday, May 4 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The race begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY RACE RECAP

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 27, 2025) – The NASCAR Cup Series took on Talladega Superspeedway for the Jack Link’s 500 on Sunday afternoon. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries of John Hunter Nemechek in the No. 42 Jack Link’s Toyota Camry XSE rolled off in the 29th position while teammate Erik Jones in the No. 43 TriState Vacuum & Rental Toyota Camry XSE started from the 34th spot. Zane Smith led the 39-car field to the start of the 500-mile event.

Below is a look at how the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries fared:

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 JACK LINK’S TOYOTA CAMRY XSE RACE RECAP:
START: 29TH | FINISH: 32ND | POINTS: 26TH

John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 42 Jack Link’s Toyota Camry XSE started from the 29th position. The North Carolina native quickly worked his way forward in the opening stage of the Jack Link’s 500. By halfway through the 60-lap stage, Nemechek had climbed to ninth as the first pit window opened. He managed to avoid two multi-car accidents during the opening stage and was ultimately scored 14th when the green-white checkered flag flew.

Thanks to saving fuel during the first stage, the Jack Link’s crew only needed to add a small amount of fuel during their stop, vaulting the No. 42 up to third for the start of Stage 2. Nemechek ran inside the top 10 for more than a dozen laps, even leading a lap at lap 75. Playing the long game, he later dropped back in the pack to conserve fuel. On lap 112, crew chief Travis Mack called Nemechek to pit road for a fuel-only stop. However, while exiting pit road, Nemechek hit a wet spot on the apron, causing the No. 42 Jack Link’s Toyota Camry to spin. No caution was thrown, and Nemechek spent the remainder of the stage trying to make up lost ground. After the incident, Nemechek radioed, “I don’t know what happened there, I just went spinning.” He finished Stage 2 in 34th, one lap down.

Heading into the final stage, Nemechek’s goal was clear: get back on the lead lap and into contention. The first step was to outrun the No. 88 to earn the free pass position. Under green on lap 165, several cars, including the No. 42 came down pit road for fuel only. With 23 laps to go, Nemechek was staying patient that the opportunity would come to get back on the lead lap. Unfortunately, that opportunity didn’t come due to the lack of yellow flags in the final stage, and the No. 42 team finished in 32nd, one lap down.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTABLE:

“Overall, we just didn’t execute all day. We win and lose as a team. We’ll go back and review what we need to do better, the things that were positive, and try to get our superspeedway packages better.”

ERIK JONES
NO. 43 TRISTATE VACUUM & RENTAL TOYOTA CAMRY XSE RACE RECAP:
START: 34TH | FINISH: 20TH | POINTS: 30TH

After starting 34th, Erik Jones and the No. 43 TriState Vacuum & Rental team rode in the 29th position for the first 20 laps, which was unusually calm for Talladega.

On Lap 40, Jones was 25th and said the No. 43 was too free. While Jones was about to make his way to pit road, cars wrecked in front of him, and he stayed on the track. The team pitted on Lap 45 under caution for four tires, fuel, and an air-pressure adjustment. He finished Stage 1 in 24th position.

The team pitted at the stage break for fuel only, and Jones started Stage 2 in 12th. Jones maintained positions in the top 15 throughout the second stage, battling three and sometimes four wide racing. With nine laps remaining in the stage, Jones pitted for three seconds of fuel and a chassis adjustment. He finished Stage 2 16th.

Jones said the car was loose, so at the stage break, the team put on four tires and fuel with an adjustment in the front of the car. He would restart the final stage from the 27th position. Jones topped off with fuel before the stage began.

With 40 laps remaining in the race, Jones and the No. 43 TriState Vacuum & Rental team were in 10th place. Jones was quiet on the radio as the team strategized how much fuel they would need to get to the end of the race. Jones pitted with 24 to go in the 188-lap race for five seconds of fuel. With ten laps remaining, Jones was 18th, and business started to pick up in the field. Lined up with six Toyotas, Jones led the charge to the front. Ultimately, he would finish 20th in line in the Jack Link’s 500.

ERIK JONES QUOTABLE:

“It’s hard to win from 15th or 20th, but we had a plan to organize and couldn’t get it going. So from there, I just rode in line. It would have been nice to see if we could have gotten the top going, but we didn’t. Not much you can do about it.”

(Photo Credit: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB / NKP)
NEXT UP: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Lone Star State and Texas Motor Speedway for the Wurth 400 on Sunday, May 4. The race begins at 3:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1, MAX, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: (LEGACY MC) is a premier auto racing organization co-owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmie Johnson and Knighthead Capital Management, LLC. Drawing from a rich tradition of success, LEGACY MC is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of motorsport and setting new standards of excellence. The CLUB competes under the Toyota Gazoo Racing banner in the NASCAR Cup Series with the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE piloted by Erik Jones and the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek. Johnson also races on a limited basis in the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE. With NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Richard Petty, “The King”, serving as CLUB Ambassador, LEGACY MC blends timeless racing traditions with a new forward-thinking vision. As an inclusive community for motorsport enthusiasts, LEGACY MC honors both its storied past and the promising future of its members, always striving for victory and championship glory at the pinnacle of NASCAR competition.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
APRIL 27, 2025

Larson, Byron Lead Chevrolet with Top-Five Finishes at Talladega Superspeedway

 TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
3rd – Kyle Larson
4th – William Byron
7th – Chase Elliott
8th – Carson Hocevar
9th – Alex Bowman

•  Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson led Chevrolet to the checkered-flag at Talladega Superspeedway – collecting a third-place finish in his No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet. Larson led a brigade of five Team Chevy drivers to top-10 finishes in the 500-mile race, including his fellow teammates William Byron in fourth, Chase Elliott in seventh and Alex Bowman in the ninth position. Joining his fellow Chevrolet drivers in the top-10 included Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar, who drove his No. 77 Chili’s Ride the ‘Dente to an eighth-place result.
• The series’ most recent winner, Kyle Larson, turned a 25th-place qualifying effort into a win of the first stage – leading a quartet of Team Chevy drivers to the top of the leaderboard at the green-white checkered flag. But the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver quickly lost the track position when the team was faced with a speeding penalty under the stage break. Restarting in the 33rd position, patience was a virtue for the California native – progressively making his way through the pack to lead the Chevrolet camp to the end of the stage yet again with a third-place result.
• It was a turbulent day for Kyle Busch and the Randall Burnett led Chevrolet team. Leading the field to the green-flag from a front-row start position, the day quickly became an uphill battle when mayhem entering pit road under the first green-flag cycle collected the No. 8 Chevrolet. Quickly going to work on a broken toe link, the team fell just one lap down but quickly found his way back to the lead lap by the end of the Stage One. The right combination of patience and strategy kept the team in the lead pack, making their way back up into the top-10 with 38 laps remaining before an untimely pit road speeding penalty took them out of contention.
• Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill continued his superspeedway dominance by picking up his series-leading third victory of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season in Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300, leading the Bowtie brigade to a sweep of the top-seven finishing positions in the 300-mile race – the first time since Sept. 2004 that a single manufacturer has swept the top-seven of a race in the division.

Chevrolet’s all-time NASCAR Cup Series statistics at Talladega Superspeedway:

Wins: 45
Poles: 37
Top-Fives: 212
Top-10s: 415

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 10 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:

Wins: 3
Poles: 5
Top-Fives: 19
Top 10s: 46
Stage Wins: 8

UP NEXT: The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Texas Motor Speedway with the Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY on Sunday, May 4, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes:

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 3rd

“There wasn’t really much I could do the final five laps. I wanted to go to the outside lane when we got clear of William (Byron), but I felt like the gap was too big to move up and the No. 60 (Ryan Preece) was able to fill it. I was still happy to be second-row on the inside lane, obviously happy to be front row, but I just didn’t know how it was going to play out from there. There at the end, you’re just trying to give the right pushes to get clear and then maybe he starts blocking lanes and something would open up for me. I was just kind of jammed up there.

I will take a third-place finish. We had a great day, points-wise, for this No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet team. Winning the first stage was a bit unexpected, and then finishing third in the second stage from where we were on the final restart was also unexpected. Just a really good day, overall, for the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy.”

Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 25th

“We were having a pretty smooth day with our No. 10 Sea Best Chevy and our car was fast. We did our job on pit road pretty much and on the track, we put ourselves in position and where we needed to be at the end. We were running in seventh and ran out of the gas. We’ve got to get that cleaned up. Running out of gas has robbed us of a lot of finishing positions and points over the last two weeks. We’ve shown a lot of really good speed on the super speedways, and that’s been really good. It’s nice to see the hard work paying off when we show up at the track. We’ll keep grinding and the finishes we deserve will come.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 26th

“Overall, our day was going well. We were racing our own race there of hanging back and going at the end of the stages. That worked out for the first stage, almost worked out for the second stage and I thought we were in a decent position in the third stage. We ended up with a combination of bad luck and not a great last stop at the end, just having to go around the No. 1 car and everything that happened there. That cost us there at the end and that’s disappointing.”

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 4th

“I don’t know about that. We had the No. 48 (Alex Bowman) behind us and he was doing a good job pushing. It just seemed like we couldn’t get enough help from the third guy in line and that’s what it takes. For whatever reason, the top lane just couldn’t get the runs off the corner at the right time to get connected. We’d get connected too late and then get a little bit squirrely and lose our momentum. I wish just that one time, we could have connected a little better to stay even with the bottom lane, but we were working really hard to do that with the No. 2 (Austin Cindric). It just seemed like it took a lot of effort for us to maintain the track position on the front row.

Live and learn. The No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet team did a good job today. We had some issues and had to work on it. We got it better and then we were able to race there in the final stage, so really happy with that. We always want a little bit more. I feel like we were in the perfect position there with 10 laps to go.”

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 13th

“Not the day we were hoping for at Talladega. Our No. 71 GUNK Chevrolet was fast. Early on in the race, we were able to get to the lead and kind of control the lanes. We just lost track position there at the end and never could really get it back. It was unfortunate, but we learned a lot this weekend. We’ll keep plugging away at it. Not what we hoped for, but we’ll take a solid finish and move onto Texas.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 11th

“It was an up-and-down day for the No. 99 Wendy’s Frosty Chevrolet team. I wasn’t in love with the balance of the car. I thought the speed was decent, but I just felt like the balance of the car, we have a little bit of work to do to fight consistently at the front. We made a couple of mistakes on pit road, but when it counted the most at the end, we executed well.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Jack Link’s 500
Sunday, April 27, 2025

AUSTIN CINDRIC PUTS FORD MUSTANG IN TALLADEGA VICTORY LANE

• Austin Cindric drove to his first victory of 2025 today and third of his career..
• It also marks Team Penske’s 102nd series win with Ford.
• This is also the 200th NASCAR Cup Series points win for Roush Yates Engines since the company was formed in 2004.
• Overall, 25 different drivers have won at least one NASCAR Cup Series race with a Roush Yates engine.
• Joey Logano has won the most races (34) while Brad Keselowski is second (27).
• Today’s win is Ford’s 743rd all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition

FORD FINISHING RESULTS

1st – Austin Cindric

2nd – Ryan Preece

5th – Joey Logano

6th – Noah Gragson

15th – Cole Custer

18th – Todd Gilliland

21st – Zane Smith

28th – Josh Berry

33rd – Cody Ware

36th – Chris Buescher

38th – Brad Keselowski

39th – Ryan Blaney

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Quaker State Ford Mustang Dark Horse – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW:

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WIN AS A TEAM LIKE THIS? “It takes everything and we’ve had it so many races here and you’ve got to have a little bit more. I’m just so proud of everybody on this race team. Team Penske, the entire shop deserves wins at these racetracks with how fast our race cars are and I’m just so proud to be able to win for John Menard and the Menards team – to get this yellow car in Victory Lane and get in the playoffs.”

WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND ON THOSE FINAL LAPS? “You’re waiting for it to go wrong, but you’ve got to stay in the zone. There are so many times at the end I was just focused on the feedback Doug Campbell was giving me and what I knew about our car and maybe other cars I observed throughout the field today, so just an absolutely fantastic job by everybody involved.”

DESCRIBE THE EMOTION FOR TEAM PENSKE TODAY? “We’re gonna celebrate this one at the shop. The guys really deserve it and I couldn’t be happier.”

YOU RAN IT OUT OF GAS GOING AROUND CELEBRATING? “I figured I’d do the full lap. Sometimes guys do the half lap, but you never know when you’re gonna win these races again. I’m not saying we can’t do it, but you’ve got to appreciate it and have a moment by myself there with the race car and prove how good we got that cycle down. It was really cool.”

NOAH GRAGSON, No. 4 Rural King Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We were in the third row on the outside and was trying to keep Cindric out front and keep the outside lane that I was in from getting there and then the 60 was able to pull up and we had two Fords out front. I’m happy for Ford and Penske for the win, but this is a good reset and good points today after the first 10 races of the season. We haven’t had the results we want, so it’s a good reset after the off weekend and a good way to start off the next part of the season.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – YOU GOT BOXED IN AT THE END. “Yeah, it’s all about the cycle and then once it got two-by-two there you’re kind of there just watching it all happen in front of you and you really don’t play much of a part. You just hope that your lane clears enough to where you can possibly make a move, but there are no lanes to make a move there. We just got beat on the cycle there. I’m not even really sure exactly how yet. I have to go back and look at it, but, overall, it was a solid day for the Shell/Pennzoil Ford. We almost had a stage win and a top five, so I can’t be too frustrated with that I guess.”

YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN SO CLOSE. HOW NICE TO SEE A TEAMMATE IN VICTORY LANE? “It’s about time one of us wins these things. You think about the amount of laps led by Team Penske and Ford in general and we just haven’t been able to close, so to see a couple Fords there on the front row duking it out, I wish one of them was me in a selfish way, but it’s also good to see those guys running up there and being able to click one off for Penske.”

CODY WARE, No. 51 Arby’s/AC Barbeque Sauce Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I think that today we showed from green flag to checkered flag that we were a race-winning contender today. I’m really proud of the pit crew and the road crew and everybody back at the shop for building a super fast Arby’s Barbeque Ford Mustang. I’m really dejected with how the day ended. I sped leaving pit road, but we also ran out of fuel, too, so our fate was kind of sealed after that last pit stop no matter what. I’ll work on the things I need to work on and I know the team is going to work on the things they need to work on and we just need to move forward knowing that we can do this. We just have to keep digging.”

RYAN PREECE, No. 60 Kroger/Celsius Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We did all we could. I felt like we executed Stage Three exactly like we needed to. We came out in the front of our group and worked our way through that traffic. We had the opportunity to get to the top lane and then from there it was just managing those cars behind us and not giving up what we gained. I’m really proud of everybody at RFK for this race car. I’m just really super appreciative from Jack, Brad, the Fenway Group for this opportunity. Honestly, without Kroger and BAM and Celsius and a lot of the other partners today, I’d probably be back in Connecticut. I’m really excited about the rest of this year. It’s a great day, but I wanted to win.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “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. 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.”

WHAT HAPPENED? “I just got hit from behind. I didn’t really have a chance to do anything and got turned and wrecked our race car and a few others. That really stinks but that’s the way it’s been.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We just broke too many pieces in the right-rear. That took all the damage. The right-rear wheel and it broke everything. We couldn’t fix it, unfortunately, but I don’t really know. I kind of saw a little bit of a replay. It looked like a group of guys trying to get to pit road and maybe some guys not knowing that they were coming to pit road and not giving them any room. I saw the 8 and 6 kind of get hooked together and they were going up the track, so I kind of picked the bottom and tried to get out of there and I think they clipped someone outside of them and the 6 came back into me and I got clipped in the right-rear. Oh gosh, man, another DNF. It just sucks. Just when we were kind of getting our momentum and didn’t even get to race today. We’ll just move on to Texas.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Travel Centers of America Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Everything was great out the windshield. I have no clue what happened yet. I imagine it was a bad push. That’s all it can really be. I know we’re all going for it there at the end. We’re in a great spot with our Travel Centers Ford Mustang. We had our teammate behind us. We had fuel to go wide-open and not worry about it all the way to the end of that stage and it certainly didn’t work out. I don’t know what happened at this point. I’m assuming we were just two-wide. I have no clue to really say, but we had worked really well with Preece early on in the race and had been really smart about how we linked up and got to pushing and it worked really well for us. We were right there off the corner, just kind of backing up to him to receive that first big push down the back and just seen the 20 come across the nose. Until I dive into it, I don’t know anything else yet.”

BUBBA WALLACE GETS STAGE WIN AND TOP-10 FINISH AT TALLADEGA

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 27, 2025) – Bubba Wallace led the Toyota Camry XSEs Sunday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway, coming home in 10th when the checkered flag flew. The driver of the No. 23 Leidos Toyota Camry XSE finished fifth in Stage 1 and won Stage 2, his second stage win of the season, as he gained valuable points on the day. The result for Wallace is his fourth top-10 finish of the season in just 10 races so far.

Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs finished 17th and 19th, respectively, but were towards the top of the race’s lap leaders, with Gibbs leading the most laps on the day with 32.

The NASCAR Cup Series heads back to the Lone Star State and Texas Motor Speedway, next Sunday, May 4th.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Talladega Superspeedway
Race 10 of 36 – 500.08 miles, 188 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Austin Cindric*

2nd, Ryan Preece*

3rd, Kyle Larson*

4th, William Byron*

5th, Joey Logano*

10th, BUBBA WALLACE

16th, TYLER REDDICK

17th, CHASE BRISCOE

19th, TY GIBBS

20th, ERIK JONES

23rd, DENNY HAMLIN

24th, RILEY HERBST

32nd, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK

37th, CHRISTOPHER BELL

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 Leidos Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 10th

A stage win and a top-10 finish today. Take us through your race.

“I don’t really know what to think as I think we were all waiting for a big wreck there at the end and it never happened. We ended up 10th, so that’s a good day for us. We didn’t need a new winner, but congrats to Austin (Cindric). All-in-all, our Leidos Toyota Camry was pretty solid today. Was nice not having to riding around, running half throttle and save fuel. We did at times, but not as much. Clean race and now, onto Texas.”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 37th

How are you after that hit?

“I think I feel really good. I don’t know, my HANS device, my seat, my belts, everything seemed like it did well. It was a big one, that’s for sure.”

What control do you have in these situations?

“Nothing. Whenever you’re the car getting pushed, you’re completely at the mercy of the guy behind you. You know, Denny (Hamlin) didn’t do anything wrong. You have to push, you have to push to be successful. It’s a product of the cars we race with this rules package.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.