TALLADEGA, Ala. — Austin Cindric’s dramatic last-lap pass provided exactly the sort of Talladega Superspeedway thrill that NASCAR fans have come to expect at the sport’s biggest track, earning the 2022 Daytona 500 winner Cindric — and Team Penske — their first trophy of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Cindric’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford pulled ahead of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver Ryan Preece’s No. 60 Ford by the length of a front hood to claim a 0.022-second victory in Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500 — the two Ford Mustangs exchanged the lead five times in the final six laps and ultimately finished side-by-side holding off a pair of hard-charging Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet teammates just behind in Kyle Larson and William Byron.
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However, the Fords driven by Preece and fifth-place finisher, Cindric’s Penske teammate Joey Logano, were subsequently disqualified following post-race inspection for technical violations. NASCAR officials found an illegal spoiler on Preece’s Mustang and a spoiler violation on Logano’s No. 22 Mustang that also violated Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules.
The disqualifications moved Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron into second and third place in the race’s final standings.
“I’m just so proud of this team from the [pit] cycles to the fast cars to the fuel-only stops,” said the 26-year old Cindric, whose team — with 17 laps remaining — turned in the fastest final pit stop putting him back out front and able to contend for the win in a race that featured 67 lead changes among 23 drivers.
“It definitely wasn’t easy,” Cindric said of holding off the Hendrick teammates for the checkered flag. “I give a lot of credit, Kyle [Larson] did a lot to take care of me, pushing me at the right times in the tri-oval, and as mad as I was at him after Atlanta [race], I feel like we’re good now. That was great and having a photo-finish at Talladega and get in the playoffs in front of this amazing crowd, beautiful day in Alabama.”
WATCH: Cindric discusses electric victory
The Hendrick teammates Larson and Byron acknowledged lapped traffic in front of the lead pack, looming just beyond the finish line, certainly created an extra consideration. Yet the second-place showing for Larson, who won Stage 1 and led three laps on the day, was a career-best effort at Talladega. It was a major move forward personally on the large drafting tracks such as Talladega, Daytona and Atlanta, where the 2021 Cup Series champion and 31-race winner has yet to earn a trophy.
“I wanted to take it, but just felt like the gap was too big,” said Larson, who ran directly behind Cindric in the closing laps. “I was just second row inside and just going to do everything I could to try and advance our lane and maybe open it up so maybe then I could get to the outside, but we were all pushing so equally that it kept the lanes kind of jammed up.
“I needed something else to kinda happen, maybe them to get blocking each other or something, but still a great day. A stage win, [P2] in the second stage, and [P2] in the final, so great points day and best career finish on a superspeedway, so happy with the performance in the Hendricks.com Chevy.”
Cindric is the 10th different winner in the last 10 Talladega races — a record streak at the iconic 2.66-mile high-banked track. Yet Sunday’s race was relatively calm compared to previous editions at the high-action drafting track. It marked the fourth time a Talladega race had only four caution flags — two of which were scheduled stage caution breaks.
MORE: Keselowski, Blaney wreck during Stage 1
With the two disqualifications, Front Row Motorsports’ Noah Gragson and Hendrick’s Chase Elliott round out the top five.
Chevrolet drivers, Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar and Hendrick’s Alex Bowman finished sixth and seventh with former Talladega winner, and Sunday’s Stage 2 winner, Bubba Wallace eighth in the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota. Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon completed the updated top 10.
Although their teammates ran well and earned stage points, it was a frustrating afternoon for Penske’s Ryan Blaney and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Brad Keselowski.
The two former champions and past multi-time Talladega winners were collected in an accident on Lap 43 during a pit stop cycle before the first stage break. Keselowski and Chevy’s Kyle Busch collided on track as Keselowski was moving toward pit road — their contact collected Blaney, spinning him out as well.
The owner-driver of the No. 6 Ford, Keselowski, who was already mired in a disappointing early season, finished 36th and is now ranked 32nd in the championship standings.
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“It was just a stack of guys trying to come to pit road as fast as they could, and we were kind of the ham in the sandwich that got squeezed,” said Keselowski, who leads all active drivers with six Talladega wins. “I waved down the backstretch to let everybody know I was gonna pit, and I came off of [Turn] 4, and everybody was so tight behind me that I didn’t even have a chance to turn left. I hate that it ruined not just our day, but several other people’s day. I don’t think I could do anything different.”
Blaney, who drives the No. 12 Penske Racing Ford, was scored 37th. It marked his fourth DNF in the 10-race season, and the 2023 Cup Series champion now ranks eighth in the standings.
“Another DNF — it just sucks,” Blaney said. Just when we were kind of getting our momentum and didn’t even get to race today. We’ll just move on to Texas.”
MORE: Cup Series standings | Cup Series schedule
With his third-place finish, Byron continues to lead the championship standings, now 31 points ahead of his teammate Larson. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who had been second in points going into Talladega, is now ranked third, 52 points behind Byron.
The NASCAR Cup Series now heads West to Texas Motor Speedway for next Sunday’s Würth 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Elliott is the defending race winner.
NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Cup Series garage concluded with Cindric confirmed as the race winner. The No. 60 RFK Racing Ford and No. 22 Team Penske Ford were disqualified due to spoiler violations. The Nos. 5, 10, 21 and 23 will return to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina for engine dyno; the Nos. 5 and 21 will be additionally inspected.