Last time out, Denny Hamlin punched his ticket to the championship race with a victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Now, NASCAR hits the chaotic corners of Talladega Superspeedway for the 2025 YellaWood 500.
With one win, seven drivers have the potential to join Hamlin in the Championship Four at Phoenix. Can a playoff driver secure a win, or will we see someone outside of the postseason play spoiler?
Let’s dive in.
2025 YellaWood 500 Entry List
We’ve got a full field of 40 this weekend with four drivers joining the 36 series regulars. Austin Hill will pilot the #33 for Richard Childress Racing while Anthony Alfredo is behind the wheel of the #62 for Beard Motorsports. Additionally, Casey Mears will drive the #66 while BJ McLeod drives the #78.
In need of a win? @Blaney has you covered at @TALLADEGA. 😏 pic.twitter.com/Dxmy4jH47F
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 16, 2025
The way drivers race at Talladega has changed with the combination of the NextGen Car and stage racing. Instead of running wide open around the high banks of Dega, drivers will run part throttle in packs to save fuel. However, with the added element of the playoffs and the points available at the end of each stage, I expect certain drivers to push extremely hard at the end of the stages.
The final stage will likely turn into a chaotic mess somewhere between 20 and 10 laps to go.
Playoff Picture Heading into Talladega
Several playoff drivers had tough days at Las Vegas, including a flat tire for Ryan Blaney and a pit entry incident that saw William Byron take massive damage. Meanwhile, with his victory, Denny Hamlin is completely safe from elimination, leaving just three spots available.
Check out the standings below.
- Denny Hamlin – One Win
- Kyle Larson +35
- Christopher Bell +20
- Chase Briscoe +15
- William Byron -15
- Chase Elliott -23
- Joey Logano -24
- Ryan Blaney -31
Outside of William Byron, I believe every driver below the cutline finds themselves in a must-win situation. I believe one of the drivers will find a win between now and Phoenix, shaking up the playoff picture further. Currently, I think both Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell will advance to Phoenix. That leaves Chase Briscoe as the odd man out, joining the three drivers I think will be eliminated. As for who wins, I’ll get into that with my race prediction.
2025 YellaWood 500 Race Predictions
As always, predicting the winner at a drafting-style track often feels like an exercise in futility. The chaos that often strikes at the end means surprise winners and underdogs coming out on top.
Yes, we will crank it up. 🔊 pic.twitter.com/lKmynfw8IV
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 17, 2025
However, there are several drivers who tend to excel at drafting style tracks. Among them are playoff drivers William Byron, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney.
From these drivers, I believe Ryan Blaney has the best shot of going to Victory Lane at Talladega. He represents my pick for this weekend. However, keep an eye out for some non-playoff drivers who have also had past success at drafting-style tracks. In particular, I’ll be keeping an eye on Michael McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action.
Friday 10/17
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying – 11:30 a.m. CT on FS2
Love’s RV Stop 225 (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series) – 3:00 p.m. CT on FOX
Saturday 10/18
NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying – 10:30 a.m. CT on the CW App
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 12:30 p.m. CT on TruTV
United Rentals 250 (NASCAR Xfinity Series) – 3:00 p.m. CT on the CW
Sunday 10/19
YellaWood 500 (NASCAR Cup Series) – 1:00 p.m. CT on NBC
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