TALLADEGA, Ala. – It’s a case of mixed expectations for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers as they anticipate Sunday’s YellaWood 500 (2 p.m. ET on MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the famous Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway high banks.
Some consider Talladega a prime opportunity to formalize a spot in the Nov. 2 Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway, others approach this traditional wildcard race more cautiously with its history of unexpected trophy hoists and intense racing.
One driver that doesn’t have to worry about Talladega’s typical all-holds bar style is Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who clinched his position in the title race with an exciting victory last week at Las Vegas – earning him his first championship bid since 2021.
It not only re-energizes Hamlin’s No. 11 team and the 44-year-old veteran still seeking his first career NASCAR championship, but it could also be an intimidating scenario for this competition considering the three-time Daytona 500 winner is so good on superspeedways and now lines up on the grid with his title chance already secure.
Three more positions are still to be decided in the round’s two final races, Talladega and next week at the half-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
The last 10 Talladega races have been won by different drivers – the longest streak without a back-to-back race winner in the track’s 112-race history. The only two current Playoff drivers to win in that span are local favorite, Georgia-native Chase Elliott (2022) and fellow NASCAR Cup Series champion, Ryan Blaney (2023).
Both Elliott and Blaney could use a quality runs this weekend as they are both ranked below the cutoff line in the Playoff standings. Interesting to that point, however, seven of the nine Talladega Playoff race winners were at or below the cutline at the green flag.
Beyond Hamlin, who has advanced with a victory already, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson – who finished runner-up at Vegas – now leads the standings, 35 points above the cutoff line. Hamlin’s JGR teammates Christopher Bell (+20) and Chase Briscoe (+15) round out the current top-four drivers.
Regular Season Champion, Hendrick’s William Byron is 15 points below the cutoff after a heart-breaking accident at Vegas last week. He’s followed by his teammate Chase Elliott (-23) and Team Penske drivers, the reigning series champion Joey Logano (-24) and 2023 series champ Blaney (-31).
Their Penske teammate, Austin Cindric, won at Talladega this April. And this season, Logano leads all drivers in laps led (228) at drafting tracks (Daytona, Talladega and Atlanta) but his best finish is 12th.
The four drivers below the cutoff line have a combined 17 victories at Talladega and Martinsville.
At Talladega, specifically, Larson, Bell and Briscoe have never won a NASCAR Cup Series race. Blaney and Logano each have three Talladega trophies and Elliott has two.
“Talladega is where anything and everything can happen and change quickly,” acknowledged Byron, who has won the last two Daytona 500s in the No. 24 Hendrick Chevrolet.
“We would like to collect stage points but also strategy will be big when it comes to fuel. Plus, you don’t want to put yourself in a situation where your race could end early all because you pushed too hard for stage points. It’s going to be a very fine balance and all we can do is execute and see where the chips fall at the end.”
There is no practice this weekend. Busch Light Pole Qualifying is set for Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET (truTV, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell won the pole position for this race last Fall. Hamlin is the last driver to win at Talladega from pole (2020).
-NASCAR Wire
