NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Can Master the Draft at Talladega Superspeedway?
It’s more than just a race, this weekend is Talladega. Perhaps the greatest and most unique NASCAR institution is inching ever-closer for another 500-mile marathon. The Jack Links 500 is a prime opportunity for most of the field to define their season and career with a victory. Here are a few that hope to find the Talladega winning magic, leaving Sunday with a very prized trophy.
Ryan Blaney
If one driver is to be called the Next Gen’s Pied Piper of Talladega, it’s Ryan Blaney. Across six races here with this car, the 12 has been first or second three times. This span also includes laps led in every start, flexing Ford and Penske drafting muscles. Blaney’s last Talladega triumph was en route to his championship amidst the 2023 Playoffs. Since then, however, he’s been 20th and 39th in Alabama.
Blaney has been nothing if not a consistent threat at almost every stop this year. Team 12 is still trying to win for the first time though, being shut out across the first nine weeks. Team Penske hopes that a pit crew change over the off-week may lead to better fortunes for Blaney. The apparent bad luck that’s defined Blaney in recent weeks has to run out eventually, right? If the 12 can survive the inevitable carnage and stay on top of strategy, Blaney is favored for a fourth career Talladega trophy.
William Byron
Shockingly still winless at Talladega is one of the most prolific drafters today–William Byron. The two-time defending Daytona 500 champion has a best result of second in Alabama, and a series-best 14.4 average finish. Byron wants nothing more than to erase his 0-14 record here with a breakthrough win. This would likewise complete the superspeedways cycle for the 24.
“Talladega is the only drafting track I haven’t been able to win at,” Byron said. “We’ve been close a lot, especially the last couple races. I think we really have our drafting package in a good place. It would be nice to come back from the break and start it off with a win. But the main goal is to survive and get a good showing in the end.”
Entering Sunday as the points leader by 30, Byron hopes to find winning success for the first time since February. Arguably the most consistent driver in the series aims to join the multi-win club. The drafting ace tops many oddsmakers’ lists as a Talladega contender.
Bubba Wallace
Already off to the best start of his career, Talladega is a heavily underlined race for Bubba Wallace. The 2021 fall winner has laps led in all but two races here since that historic day. Wallace and superspeedways are an apparent duo that fit hand in glove. The 23’s results have been lacking in Next Gen, however. Wallace only owns one Talladega top-10 in the last three years, ninth in October.
So far in 2025 though, Wallace has proven to be an entirely new and refreshed driver in every statistical category. The Alabama native has three top-10s through nine weeks, placing him eighth in points. Being technical, he already has a drafting win this year from his Duel race. The typical summer heat up for Wallace is happening before our eyes now. 23XI Racing are the defending Jack Links 500 winners with Tyler Reddick. Wallace hopes to deliver this team another huge victory.
Austin Cindric
Seen by some of his competitors as the best Next Gen superspeedway racer, Austin Cindric is seemingly due for a Talladega win. Many may remember last fall’s race for the biggest crash in Cup Series history. What few will recall is that Cindric’s 2 cycled to the point and was well in control that day.
Cindric’s superspeedway prowess was on display again in February. The No. 2 Mustang won the second Duel and led the most laps in the Daytona 500. Expect to see Cindric leading the train again at some point on Sunday. Whether or not it’s with the checkers waving remains to be seen, but Cindric and Penske are always drafting threats.
Kyle Busch
Hearkening back to past generations of dominance, RCR cars and Kyle Busch are seemingly always a threat at superspeedways. The 2023 spring Talladega winner, Busch has led laps in every Alabama trip with the No. 8. This streak extends further to 12 of the last 13 races. Luck may have only been on his side once in this span, but Busch has adapted well to Next Gen superspeedway racing.
“Honestly the energy in the draft now is not necessarily coming from ahead of you, it’s more so coming from behind you,” Busch said. “Two, three, four, five cars behind you is where that energy really develops, and you get pushed forward from that energy. So, the draft is different than what it used to be. Years ago, you would suck up to the guy in front of you and slingshot past him and make him move that way. Now, you’re really relying on everything happening behind you and building from behind.”
“The strategy to superspeedway racing has entirely changed. The fuel save action and what you have to do to try to prolong your time on track, to cut your time on pit road, to do the leapfrog strategy is what we call it. It is really different. I would say we all want to go out there and run as hard as we can, as fast as we can, pass and mix it up and do all that sort of stuff. But a lot of times it’s just better and it’s easier and it’s safer to just ride in line, part throttle and save fuel. So it’s definitely a whole new arena that we’ve got to get used to of what speedway racing is.”
Busch may have failed to ever lead this year’s Daytona 500, but the 8 was in prime position to pounce late. Should Busch stay clean and avoid The Big One, Talladega may be a golden opportunity to erase his 66-race losing streak. Busch is co-favored for the Jack Links 500 win alongside Blaney and Joey Logano.
Brad Keselowski
No list of potential Talladega winners is complete without mentioning Brad Keselowski. The active wins leader here with six checkered flags, Keselowski’s drafting prowess is among the all-time greats. Keselowski was within eyesight of a seventh Talladega trophy twice last year, walking away from both races in second. The RFK Racing co-owner has a top-five in three of the last four races here. It would appear that things in Talladega are trending upwards for BK.
Keselowski’s season needs some drastic change; Talladega could easily be that lifeline. The No. 6 finds itself a dreadful 31st in points, with a best result of 11th. Owning 16 top-10s here, Talladega is one of Keselowski’s best statistical tracks. This could be a breath of fresh air in 2025. RFK Racing Fords are always ones to beat when drafting. Sunday may just be the boss’ turn to bask in the spotlight.
Talladega will be a 200 mph chess match made only more difficult with the Next Gen Car. Passing and deciding when to charge came with relative ease previously, now a lot more must happen. Generating runs by yourself is next to impossible. A driver will need others’ help to find the front from deep in the pack. Adding fuel savings into this is an entirely new X-factor that will leave calculators smoking across pit road. Who does all of this perfectly and finds victory lane will earn a deserving win in the Jack Links 500. The Alabama green flag flies Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to Sean Gardner/Getty Images
