If you’ve spent any time watching racing in Alabama, you know that the NASCAR at Talladega results are basically a coin flip held at 200 miles per hour. One second you're leading the pack, and the next you're spinning toward the catch fence. The most recent October 2024 (2025 season schedule) playoff race, the YellaWood 500, was the perfect example of why this track is both loved and absolutely loathed by drivers.
Chase Briscoe pulled off the unthinkable. He didn’t just win; he basically stole a ticket to the Championship 4.
Honestly, if you had told anyone at the start of the Round of 8 that Briscoe would be the one locking himself in early, they probably would’ve laughed. He hadn't won a superspeedway race in his entire career. Not in Cup, not in Xfinity, not even in trucks. But there he was, standing on his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, screaming his head off in Victory Lane.
How the YellaWood 500 Fell Apart for the Favorites
Talladega doesn't care about your points lead. It doesn't care if you're the "Most Popular Driver." Chase Elliott found that out the hard way just 51 laps into the 193-lap event. He got tangled in an eight-car mess near the front and ended up with a 40th-place finish. That’s a "zero" in the points column that basically forces him into a must-win situation at Martinsville.
The finish was pure chaos.
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We had an overtime restart that looked like a Hendrick Motorsports lockout. Kyle Larson and William Byron were lined up one-two. It felt like a done deal. Then, the "Talladega Tax" was collected. Larson, leading the inside line, ran out of fuel on the backstretch. Imagine leading the biggest race of your season and the tank just goes dry. He dropped like a rock, finishing 26th.
Byron didn't fare much better. He got spun out in the tri-oval just yards before the finish line, sliding across for a 25th-place finish.
Breaking Down the Top 10 Finishers
While the big names were crashing or running out of gas, some unexpected faces surged to the front. This is the beauty of the draft—it's a Great Equalizer.
- 1st: Chase Briscoe – Clinched his first Championship 4 berth.
- 2nd: Todd Gilliland – A career-best finish for the Front Row Motorsports driver. He was just 0.145 seconds short.
- 3rd: Ty Gibbs – Played the ultimate teammate role, pushing Briscoe to the lead.
- 4th: Bubba Wallace – Always a threat at superspeedways, he stayed clean while others didn't.
- 5th: Cole Custer – A massive run for the Haas Factory Team.
- 6th: Carson Hocevar – Continuing his impressive rookie-plus momentum.
- 7th: Tyler Reddick – Salvaged a top 10 to stay alive in the points race.
- 8th: Christopher Bell – The only other playoff driver besides Briscoe to finish in the top 10.
- 9th: Zane Smith – Another strong showing for the underdogs.
- 10th: Brad Keselowski – The master of Talladega somehow clawed back to 10th.
The Stats That Matter
There were 77 lead changes among 27 different drivers. That is a wild statistic. It means that nearly 70% of the field led at least one lap. You won't find that kind of parity anywhere else on the circuit.
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The margin of victory was a razor-thin 0.145 seconds. In superspeedway terms, that’s actually a "comfortable" win, which tells you everything you need to know about how close these finishes usually are.
What This Means for the Championship
Because of these NASCAR at Talladega results, the playoff bubble is a disaster zone. Briscoe and Denny Hamlin (who won at Las Vegas) are safe. They can go to Martinsville, eat a couple of hot dogs, and just cruise.
Everyone else? They’re sweating.
Christopher Bell is in a decent spot, sitting 37 points above the cutoff. Kyle Larson is +36. But look at the guys below the line: William Byron is 36 points out. Joey Logano is -38. Ryan Blaney, the defending champ who had a miserable day finishing 23rd, is 47 points back. And Chase Elliott? He’s basically 62 points in the hole.
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Why the Spring Race Was Different
It’s easy to forget, but the April race (the Jack Link’s 500) had a totally different vibe. Austin Cindric won that one in a photo finish over Ryan Preece. But that race was overshadowed by the technical inspection afterwards.
Preece and Joey Logano actually got disqualified.
NASCAR found illegal spoiler shims on Preece’s car and a missing bolt on Logano’s. It shifted the whole top 10 and reminded everyone that at Talladega, you don't just have to beat the track; you have to beat the rulebook too. Cindric’s win stood, but the reshuffle moved Larson and Byron into the top three, which seems like a lifetime ago given their recent struggles.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you’re looking at these results and trying to figure out how to predict the next Talladega race, here’s the reality: stop trying to pick the "fastest" car.
- Watch the Teammate Dynamics: Briscoe doesn't win without Ty Gibbs. If you're betting or playing fantasy, look for organizations that bring four strong cars. They can control the lines.
- Fuel Strategy is the New "Big One": We’re seeing more races decided by who saves gas rather than who survives the wrecks. Larson’s 26th-place finish wasn't because of a crash; it was because of a calculation.
- The Underdog Factor: When you see names like Todd Gilliland and Carson Hocevar in the top 10, it isn't a fluke. These drivers are aggressive because they have less to lose in the points standings.
The next time the series heads to Alabama, don't just look at the qualifying speeds. Look at who has friends in the pack. Because at the end of the day, Talladega is a team sport played at 200 mph.
Next Steps for You:
Check the current playoff standings heading into Martinsville to see how the points gap has shifted after post-race penalties. You should also watch the "Race Rewind" on NASCAR's YouTube channel specifically for the final two laps of the YellaWood 500 to see the exact moment Briscoe made his move on Wallace and Gilliland.