The Jack Hyperlink’s 500 at Talladega was one other memorable superspeedway race with high-drama, huge wrecks, a brand new winner, and among the identical frustrations we have come to count on in these occasions.
Whereas Carson Hocevar turned the 208th completely different winner in NASCAR Cup Sequence historical past, Chris Buescher simply missed out on ending RFK’s win drought.
This is a glance again on the greatest winners and losers from Sunday’s Cup race at Talladega:
WINNER: Carson Hocevar for incomes his first win, but additionally that epic burnout
Watch: Hocevar emotional after first Cup win: ‘It took me awhile’
It appeared inevitable that Hocevar would develop into one of many 200+ drivers who’ve received a NASCAR Cup race. He averted the huge mid-race crash with no scratch, positioned himself completely within the remaining pit cease, and stayed in management for the ultimate 40 laps of the race whereas battling back-and-forth with Buescher. He now jumps as much as eight within the standings, delivering Spire its first win in virtually seven years. And the way about that burnout? Simply spectacular, if not somewhat unnerving.
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LOSER: RFK continues to narrowly miss out on checkered flags
Watch: Buescher on runner-up end: ‘We’re getting nearer’
When will RFK Racing return to Victory Lane? They’ve been ridiculously shut all through the 2025 and 2026 seasons, and Sunday was simply the newest instance. Buescher and Hocevar shared management of the race for the ultimate 40 laps, however ultimately, the No. 17 got here one place wanting the victory. That’s the Roush’s seventh runner-up end because the workforce’s final win.
WINNER: FRM after getting three automobiles within the prime 11
Noah Gragson, Entrance Row Motorsports
Photograph by: David Jensen / Getty Photos
In a race that featured a large race-halting accident, it is fairly spectacular to get all three automobiles to the checkered flag with none actual harm in any respect. However that is precisely what Entrance Row Motorsports did, with Zane Smith fifth and Noah Gragson ninth in what’s the greatest end for each automobiles to date this yr. Todd Gilliland wasn’t that far behind them both, putting eleventh. No different workforce even managed to get greater than two automobiles into the highest 25!
LOSER: Bubba Wallace and the numerous victims of the Huge One
A intelligent choice to short-pit put Wallace out entrance for the second stage of the race, and he remained there till Lap 115 when he crashed from the lead. Sadly, that wreck ended up collected no less than 25 automobiles. It ended the day for Wallace, but additionally Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Cole Custer. A number of others suffered vital harm. The DNF drops Wallace down 4 positions within the standings, and due to the choice to short-pit in Stage 1, he did not even get to depart with any stage factors after Talladega.
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WINNER: Alex Bowman lastly has one thing to smile about
Watch: Bowman reacts to Hocevar win: The Boulevard ‘would possibly burn down’
It has been a tricky yr for Bowman, was sidelined for a number of weeks as a result of vertigo. Coming into Talladega, he had only one prime 20 end this yr, however he managed to complete a powerful third, pushing the Hendrick-aligned Spire Chevrolet to the win. It was a constructive end result that the No. 48 workforce actually wanted, and Bowman’s first prime 5 since Richmond in August of final yr.
LOSER: The drivers who wrecked out of the highest ten on the ultimate lap
Ryan Preece, RFK Racing, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing
Photograph by: Sean Gardner / Getty Photos
There’s nothing worse than virtually making it to the end of a superspeedway race unscathed, just for it to all come aside within the tri-oval. At that time, Austin Dillon was moments away from a possible prime 5 end, whereas Ryan Preece and Shane van Gisbergen have been set for prime tens. Christopher Bell and Cody Ware additionally had an outdoor shot on the prime ten as properly, however as an alternative, all of those automobiles ended up crashing into the surface wall. Amongst them, Bell positioned the very best … in seventeenth. And all 5 automobiles sustained main harm as they crashed throughout the end line.
WINNER: Kyle Busch delivers RCR its first prime ten of the yr
Daniel Suárez, Spire Motorsports, Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing
Photograph by: David Jensen / Getty Photos
In a season just like the No. 8 workforce is having, you must take the small wins the place you possibly can. When a bunch of automobiles tangled collectively in entrance of him within the remaining seconds of the race, Busch secured a tenth-place end. After ten races this yr, that now stands because the very first prime ten for everything of Richard Childress Racing. Busch may even have a brand new crew chief subsequent weekend, as RCR introduced a change atop the pit field on Monday.
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LOSER: The superspeedway package deal, which nonetheless wants some work
Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet; Chris Buescher, RFK Racing Ford
Photograph by: David J. Griffin – Icon Sportswire – Getty Photos
To NASCAR’s credit score, the plan to carry preseason thunder in 2027 could assist to alleviate a few of these points, nevertheless it can not come quickly sufficient. Gas-saving stays paramount, however the stage changes merely modified at what portion of the race that occurs. And as soon as half the sector crashed, the race turned a two-wide gridlock on the entrance, and the complete area was mainly caught the place they have been operating for the ultimate 40 laps. Buescher, Hocevar, and bowman have been the primary three automobiles off pit street in the course of the remaining cease, and so they have been additionally the primary three automobiles to succeed in the checkered flag.
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WINNER: Chad Finchum leads some laps for the little guys
When the complete area was saving gasoline early in Stage 1, the part-time driver of the No. 66 Ford Mustang had a distinct concept. Finchum drove to the entrance, main eight laps for the Carl Lengthy-owned workforce. It was the primary time Finchum had led laps in any of the three nationwide ranges of NASCAR. Regardless of getting collected within the large mid-race crash, Finchum nonetheless went on to complete twenty eighth, which is his greatest end result but on the Cup degree.
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LOSER: Erik Jones has win shot snatched away
Jones was in an important place within the closing laps at Talladega, pushing Buescher out into the lead and positively had a possibility to go for the win himself. Sadly, that likelihood vanished with only a few laps to do when he spun out after being door-slammed by Hocevar, who slid sideways following an aggressive bump from behind. Jones went on to complete twenty third.
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