NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Can a Championship Contender Come in Clutch at Talladega?
Sunday marks Talladega Superspeedway’s annual spot in the NASCAR Playoff calendar. The daunting and dreaded Alabama track has never seen this much weight added onto its fall date, however. As the second Round of 8 race, the drafting chess match holds a Championship 4 spot at stake. Seven drivers head to the Heart of Dixie with unsure futures ahead. These championship hopefuls are racing for their entire season at the most unpredictable track. Can any of the select seven have all their cards fall right? A win by any of them would move their title aspirations one step closer. Here are a few who hope to leave Talladega Superspeedway yelling in celebration from the YellaWood 500.
Ryan Blaney
Few drivers across NASCAR history are as deft in the draft as Ryan Blaney. A five-time superspeedway winner, including Daytona in August, Blaney’s seen three Talladega triumphs. This included the YellaWood 500 two years ago, propelling the 12 onto his title-winning run. Following an early exit from Las Vegas, Blaney regroups and heads to Talladega tied as a co-favorite. There is perhaps no better track for Blaney in this pivotal place than Talladega. He’s one of very few drivers unfazed by it moving into the semifinal postseason round.
“When they came out with the schedule and I saw that Talladega was in the Round of 8 as opposed to 12, I didn’t really think anything of it,” Blaney said. “It’s still Talladega in the Playoffs and it’s gonna be just as important as always. Honestly, my mind was like, ‘OK, I only have to worry about seven other guys as opposed to 11.’ It’s just less guys to keep your eye on and have to worry about winning or racing for points. So it didn’t really change my outlook. You should have a superspeedway race in the Playoffs. I fully agree with that. You’ve got to have all forms of racetracks in the Playoffs. But I didn’t really think anything of it with the round change.”
“It stinks where we are on points. But we’ve still got two races left and I don’t personally think we are in a must-win quite yet. At Talladega, you never know what can happen. You can go have a massive points day and be short of the win. But maybe a couple other guys don’t have as good of a points day. [Then] you go into Martinsville maybe in a spot where you could point your way in if you go have another good day short of winning. Our prep is really no different. It’s how do we try to be efficient through the stages and gather up all the stage points. That could change. Let’s say the first two stages don’t go our way and, alright, maybe now it’s a must-win type scenario. That might switch up a little bit. But as far as our prep this week, it’s kind of business as usual and try to go gather the most points we can and go try to figure out a way to win the race, so pretty similar.”
Blaney went from 12th to the win in the closing laps at Daytona just eight weeks ago. This highlight reel moment proved his drafting mastery is as strong as ever. Blaney’s Daytona prestige is only a piece of Penske’s superspeedway mastery so far in 2025. The Captain’s trio of drivers are the three top-ranked drafters of 2025, led by Talladega spring winner Austin Cindric. With the 2 no longer fighting for a title, maybe Blaney will have an extra wingman helping him dice through the pack. 2023’s Playoff win here though was Blaney’s most recent Talladega result better than 20th. That day also wrapped up a three-race top-two stretch for Blaney at Talladega. Daytona proved that the 12 can never truly be counted out until the checkers wave. Blaney should be one of the most daring yet calculated drivers with every move made across Sunday’s 500 mile affair.
Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Dutch Boy/Menards Ford Mustang on the grid at Darlington Raceway before the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sunday, August 31. Photo Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Chase Elliott
April’s Talladega race surprisingly saw all four Hendrick Motorsports cars finish top-seven, with Chase Elliott sandwiched in fifth. A two-time Talladega winner, Elliott has kept the family winning tradition alive and well at his pseudo-home track. Elliott most recently won the YellaWood 500 in 2022. That day capped off a five-win campaign that ended with a Championship 4 bid. Now entering this year’s Talladega race sixth of eight contenders, Elliott aims for another banner Sunday on the high banks.
“I don’t see anyone being a standout,” Elliott said. “Everybody’s just really close and whoever gets themselves in a good spot and positions themselves well and has some good fortune, you know, is going to have a good day.”
Fifth in the spring marked Elliott’s second top-10 in the five Talladega races since his last win. The No. 9 Chevrolet did win another drafting race over the summer in Atlanta. That night showed Elliott still has the knowhow and wherewithal to find superspeedway success. Should Elliott line up in the lead pack late again on Sunday, the right help from other Chevrolets may just eek out another win for Georgia’s favorite son.
Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Napa Auto Parts Chevrolet on the grid at Darlington Raceway before the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sunday, August 31. Photo Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Bubba Wallace
Always in the mix as a Talladega contender is 2021 fall winner Bubba Wallace. No longer in the Playoffs, the 23XI Racing driver can throw care and caution to the wind. His mission ahead is simply chase another win at his home track. The No. 23 Toyota has a top-10 in each of the last two races here, combined with laps led in four of the last five Talladega trips.
Wallace has an uncanny ability to survive carnage and seemingly be a regular threat at Talladega in particular. Results may not reflect effort and performance from this team, but Talladega is one of Wallace’s most prolific tracks. 2025 is also knocking on the door of being a career-best season for Wallace. An Alabama homecoming may be Wallace’s best shot yet at a multi-win season and another Toyota upset.
Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry on the grid at Darlington Raceway before the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sunday, August 31. Photo Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Brad Keselowski
One of Talladega’s all-time winningest men, Brad Keselowski hopes to close out 2025 with a high note. The six-time Talladega conquerer has not mastered the high banks in four years, a span he’s never gone without winning here. RFK Racing has been nothing if not perpetually close to multiple superspeedway wins in recent memory. Keselowski himself was a painful runner-up in both 2024 Talladega appearances. These marks two of Keselowski’s three times as Talladega bridesmaid since his last victory. Teammate Ryan Preece was also second here before an April DQ.
With no dog in the championship fight, Keselowski and all of RFK’s trio can disregard points racing entirely and hunt another trophy. This Ford outfit has three of today’s best superspeedway racers in their stable, as shown with a triple top-10 from Atlanta. If Keselowski can sniff the front late, do not be surprised to see him take a bold move for this win.
Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 BuildSubmarines.Com Ford Mustang on the grid at Darlington Raceway before the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sunday, August 31. Photo Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Joey Logano
Another venerated drafter who cannot be overlooked is Joey Logano. Entering Talladega eighth and last on the Playoff grid, the Penske 22 team is swinging for the fences. They’re hoping for a clutch home run to fall their way. Logano is a three-time Talladega winner just like Ryan Blaney, but his last win here was seven years ago. The 22 does boast laps led in all but one start since then, however. Alas, Logano’s best Next Gen Talladega finish is 19th. This is despite leading six of the seven Next Gen races here. Logano is often up front in drafting races, as shown with 228 laps led in 2025 alone. He often does not finish well though, due to his bold and daring driving style. Logano touched on how Talladega’s mood has changed being moved back in this year’s championship hunt.
“There’s definitely a difference,” Logano said. “I hate calling them wild cards because I just hate saying that – but it’s a race where a lot of things can happen. A wreck can take out a few cars more than normal, so it just becomes interesting that way. I don’t know if I’m a huge fan of that where it is in the Playoffs, but the rules are the rules and we’re gonna play by them. That’s the whole thing with this whole Playoff system. When we start in Daytona, those are the rules. We all know it, we all know the schedule. We all know how everything goes and it’s up to us to figure out how to do it the best. They’re not gonna change because we don’t like it. They are what they are, so let’s go figure out how to win with it.”
Logano tried throwing a Hail Mary last week only to come up short and finish sixth. Perhaps no track offers Logano a better shot at a Championship 4 repeat than Talladega, but so little does lie in his control here. Similar to Brad Keselowski in 2014, a Logano win here would rank high in all-time clutch Playoff victories and turn this postseason on its head.
Joey Logano’s No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang on the grid at Darlington Raceway before the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sunday, August 31. Photo Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Kyle Larson
As insane as it may be to believe, Kyle Larson is slowly becoming a very consistent superspeedway racer. The man who’s on record loathing this style of racing boasts three top-10s in five drafting starts for 2025, including Talladega runner-up in April. The 5 was also fourth here one year ago, helping push Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to the ultimate win. Unlikely as it seems, Larson has a realistic shot ahead at a first superspeedway win based on his recent track record.
“Hopefully we can go to Talladega and do what we’ve done on superspeedways for a while now,” Larson said. “By scoring stage points and get good finishes by getting to the checkered flag like we have been doing this year. We’ll just try to execute again; have a good points day at Talladega and be in a good position heading into Martinsville.”
Larson finds himself in the best position of those still fighting for the Championship 4. The 5 is second on the grid and clear of the cut line by 35 points. Any cushion cannot be safe with Talladega looming, though. In short, Larson cannot rest on any laurels this Sunday. Expect the 5 to be in the mix at some point and possible complete a career arc of winning on each track type. A drafting win is the lone NASCAR achievement not yet conquered by Larson, that may change in a matter of days.
Kyle Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.Com Chevrolet on the grid at Darlington Raceway before the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sunday, August 31. Photo Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Seen as recently as last season, Talladega has the opportunity to completely turn the Playoff picture upside down. Upset winners are far from a strange sight in Alabama as well, shown in two of the last four fall races. To sum it up, nobody truly knows what the YellaWood 500 has in store or who will leave Talladega sleeping easy. The final superspeedway green flag of the season flies Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. We’re guaranteed to either get a new Championship 4 driver or see a surprise driver tame the high banks.
Written by Peter Stratta
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