For the fifth time in the 2026 NASCAR season, Tyler Reddick found himself in Victory Lane. The #45 team hopes to continue this incredible run of success with a win at the high banks of Talladega for the 2026 Jack Link’s 500.
Talladega represents the third drafting-style track of the season, and chaos is sure to play a role. Can Reddick make it three straight wins at drafting-style tracks, or could a new face ride the chaos to their first win of the season?
Let’s dive in.
2026 Jack Link’s 500 Entry List
41 drivers will attempt to make the field for Sunday’s race, meaning one driver will be heading home after qualifying. The five open entries are reigning O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Champ Jesse Love in the #33, Joey Gase in the #44, Casey Mears in the #62, Chad Finchum in the #66, and Daniel Dye in the #78.
Ready for more @TALLADEGA thrills. pic.twitter.com/g6z5c5GvMF
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 24, 2026
Dye will be making his NASCAR Cup Series debut after being indefinitely suspended by NASCAR earlier this year while racing for Kaulig in the Truck Series due to offensive comments made about Penske IndyCar driver David Malukas. Dye resigned from Kaulig Racing in March. In his 97 starts across the Trucks and O’Reilly Auto Parts, the 22-year-old holds zero wins.
As mentioned above, Talladega represents one of the most chaotic tracks on the NASCAR circuit. The 2.66-mile oval is known for surprise winners, massive pile-ups, and thrilling closing laps. The iconic circuit regularly draws massive crowds, and I expect another massive turnout come Sunday.
2026 Jack Link’s 500 Race Predictions
Fuel saving has become a disdained part of the racing at Daytona and Talladega with the NextGen car. NASCAR has instituted new stage lengths at Talladega for the weekend in order to try to curb the issue. However, I still expect drivers to race a bit more patiently in the first two stages in order to make it to the final stage. Once that stage begins, though, sparks are likely to fly.
As to who claims the win on Sunday, it’s hard to bet against Tyler Reddick after his string of luck to kick off this year, as well as winning both previous drafting-style races.
However, I’m going to go in a different direction for my pick this weekend. I was impressed with the teamwork of the RFK Racing cars at Daytona and believe they will factor into this race in a major way on Sunday. A lot has been made of Ryan Preece’s knack for getting airborne at drafting-style tracks, but I think Preece will find his way to Victory Lane on Sunday for his first points-paying NASCAR Cup Series win.
Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action!
Friday 04/24
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Qualifying – 4:30 p.m. CT on the CW App
Saturday 04/25
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 9:30 a.m. CT on Prime
Alabama Manufactured Housing 200 (ARCA Menards Series) – 11:30 a.m. CT on FS1
Ag-Pro 300 (NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) – 3:00 p.m. CT on the CW
Sunday 04/26
Jack Link’s 500 (NASCAR Cup Series) – 2:00 p.m. CT on FOX and HBO Max
Stay locked into Apollo for more NASCAR and F1 coverage throughout the racing season, and check out our Instagram – Apollo NASCAR!
