2026 YellaWood 500 Preview: NASCAR Chase Hits Final Stretch at Talladega

Tyler Reddick found his way to Victory Lane at Phoenix last week as chaos shook up the NASCAR Chase in a major way. With just three races left in the season, seven drivers have a real shot at claiming the championship. The final push begins this week at Talladega with the 2026 YellaWood 500.

Chaos has the potential to shake things up once more, as the calamity that often occurs at drafting-style tracks has the potential to strike the contenders once again. Could we see one of the contenders rise above to claim a win at the high banks of Talladega, or will the track produce yet another surprise winner on Sunday?

Let’s dive in.

2026 YellaWood 500 Entry List

We will have a full field of 40 cars on Sunday when cars take the track at Talladega. Joining the 36 chartered entries will be Joey Gase in the #44, Casey Mears in the #62, Gray Gaulding in the #66, and Daniel Dye in the #78.

NASCAR has once again made changes to the package for the cars this weekend at a drafting-style track. From the four-inch spoiler at Daytona for the regular season finale, NASCAR has subtracted another half-inch. The move is made to increase the ability to create runs in the draft and hopefully lead to more passing opportunities for drivers. Additionally, the stage lengths have changed with the hope of eliminating the fuel-saving we’ve seen at drafting-style tracks in the past. The shortened spoilers did appear to make a difference at Daytona, so theoretically, shortening the spoiler even more should increase those runs. I’m cautiously optimistic for the on-track product come Sunday.

Chase Standings

After an unbelievable start to the Chase, Kyle Larson’s luck in the #5 car finally turned. The team ran poorly all day before the #5 blew a tire late in the race, leading to a DNF and completely erasing any margin for error heading into Talladega. With Larson’s poor finish, the Chase picture has gotten incredibly interesting heading into a circuit known for chaos.

1. Kyle Larson
2. Christopher Bell -5
3. Chase Briscoe -24
4. Denny Hamlin -31
5. Ryan Blaney -40
6. Joey Logano -44
7. Tyler Reddick -56
8. Austin Cindric -130
9. Ty Gibbs -132
10. Chase Elliott -149
11. Carson Hocevar -158
12. Bubba Wallace -162
13. Daniel Suarez -188
14. William Byron -190
15. Chris Buescher -204
16. Ryan Preece -211

For the past couple of weeks, it looked like Larson would pull away with the championship. Now, it truly feels like anything could happen – especially at Talladega. The Penske cars have a penchant for running well together at drafting-style tracks. Tyler Reddick has found success at Dega as well. Denny Hamlin has shown his prowess at Talladega and Daytona in the past. In short, we very well could come away from Sunday’s race with a new points leader. Toss in the need for stage points balanced with the desire to avoid a poor finish, and you have to wonder how the race is going to shake out.

I’ve given a favorite to win the championship here in this section, shifting from Hamlin to Larson as the Chase wore on. Now? I truly have no clue who wins this points battle. However, the combination of Talladega and Martinsville in tandem does seem to favor one driver in particular. That’s Ryan Blaney, and he’s now my pick to win the 2026 Cup Championship*.

*typical Talladega chaos pending

2026 Yellawood 500 Race Predictions

I got ahead of myself a bit by talking about the drivers who tend to run well in this style of race up above. In addition to the major teams, a handful of drivers seem to always find themselves near the front at drafting-style tracks.

Chief among them is Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who has won multiple drafting-style races. Another of the drafting-style favorites is Michael McDowell in the #71. Of course, McDowell’s teammate Carson Hocevar won at Talladega back in the spring and should also be considered a contender come Sunday.

However, I think Blaney is the one to watch in this one, and he’s my pick for race winner as he makes a final push to win his second Cup Series Championship here in 2026. The Penske cars are simply too good at working together for me to pick from outside that camp.

Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action this week!

Friday 10/23

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 FS1

Saturday 10/24

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Qualifying – 10:00 a.m. CT on the ESPN App

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 12:00 p.m. CT on TruTV

The Progress Group 250 (NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) – 2:30 p.m. CT on the CW

Sunday 10/25

YellaWood 500 (NASCAR Cup Series) – 1:00 p.m. CT on NBC and HBO Max

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