For the primary time because the season-opening Daytona 500, NASCAR can have a full subject for Talladega Superspeedway with one automotive being despatched residence after qualifying.
There are a complete of 41 entries, with 5 uncharted automobiles competing over the ultimate 4 spots on the grid.
Here is a take a look at the part-time drivers and groups aiming to participate on this Sunday’s race at Talladega:
Driver: Love, 21, is the reigning NASCAR O’Reilly Sequence champion and is hoping to make his seventh profession Cup Sequence begin. He is additionally a confirmed winner at Talladega in each the O’Reilly Sequence (2024) and ARCA Menards Sequence (2023).
Crew: RCR has introduced a 3rd entry to a few races to date this 12 months with each Love and Austin Hill sharing the seat. It is best displaying of the 2026 season got here at Phoenix, with Hill beginning twenty seventh and ending twenty first.
Driver: The 33-year-old Gase has 93 earlier Cup begins courting again to 2014, however ought to he make the sector, this shall be his first begin of the 2026 season. His two finest showings on the Cup degree each got here at Talladega, incomes a career-best end of seventeenth in 2020. His lone prime 5 within the O’Reilly Sequence additionally got here at Talladega in 2015.
Crew: NY Racing Crew failed o qualify for the Daytona 500 with JJ Yeley, but in addition ran the latest drafting race at Atlanta. Yeley was once more driving then, ending thirty first. Final 12 months, they ran over a 3rd of the season, together with the spring Talladega race.
Driver: Mears is by far essentially the most skilled driver among the many open entries. The 48-year-old has 495 profession begins with one Cup win (2007 Coke 600). His finest end at Talladega additionally got here in 2007, inserting sixth. If he makes the sector, will probably be his thirtieth Cup race at Talladega.
Crew: The RCR-aligned outfit has run dozens of Cup races up to now decade, primarily specializing in superspeedways. They’ve positioned as excessive as fifth at Daytona and sixth at Talladega, and most lately tried the Daytona 500 however did not make the race. Mears has signed a take care of the crew with the objective of reaching 500 profession begins by the tip of the 12 months.
Chad Finchum — No. 66 Storage 66 Ford
Driver: Finchum, 31, shall be trying to make his 14th profession begin and his second of the 2026 season after ending thirty sixth at Bristol. He is by no means run a Cup race at Talladega, and he is by no means completed greater than thirty third in any earlier appearances.
Crew: The Carl Lengthy-owned crew is the one open entry representing Ford, and final appeared within the Daytona 500 with Mears behind the wheel, ending thirty second. Lengthy has been a crew proprietor in NASCAR for many years.
Driver: Dye, 22, is hoping to make his NASCAR Cup Sequence debut after signing a four-race take care of the crew. He was lately reinstated by NASCAR following a short suspension for making insensitive feedback on a livestream, and has since accomplished sensitivity coaching. He has expertise at Talladega within the decrease divisions, with a third-place end in Vans and a tenth-place end within the O’Reilly Sequence.
Crew: The BJ McLeod-owned crew has made two earlier begins this 12 months, with McLeod himself driving the automotive within the Daytona 500 and at Atlanta. As soon as a full-time entry earlier than promoting its constitution for round $40 million, the crew now seems in a handful of races yearly, and has completed inside the highest 20 at Talladega up to now.
NOTE: If qualifying will get rained out, the No. 62 with Casey Mears would DNQ
Jack Hyperlink’s 500 Full Entry Listing — 2026 NASCAR Cup Talladega
Open entries italicized
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