There’s no place like Kansas Speedway, with the 1.5-mile Midwest track again delivering in thrilling fashion, culminating with Tyler Reddick making history via his fifth win in nine NASCAR Cup Series races, the first pilot to do so since Dale Earnhardt in 1987.
Though the spotlight again shone brightest on Reddick, other drivers — and teams — had illuminating performances that could very well be the dose of momentum needed to begin a hot stretch. On the flip side, other performances will look to be forgotten as soon as possible. Let’s see who is on the upswing and who is on the downturn following the AdventHealth 400 and before Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (3 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Kansas
THREE UP ⬆️
1. RFK Racing
Started: 7th (Chris Buescher); 12th (Ryan Preece); 21st (Brad Keselowski)
Finished: 6th (Brad Keselowski); 10th (Chris Buescher); 11th (Ryan Preece)
What happened: Steady would best describe RFK Racing’s Kansas performance. All three drivers improved or maintained their positions through Stages 1 and 2, and the trio additionally finished the race inside the top 11 for the first time since Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. Team co-owner Keselowski stood out the most, collecting his sixth consecutive top-15 finish and best result since a Darlington Raceway runner-up last month.
What’s next: It’s been a mixed bag at Talladega for RFK Racing. Keselowski is a six-time winner there, and while he hasn’t found Victory Lane at the track since joining the organization, he does have two runner-ups to his ledger since 2022. Buescher and Preece, meanwhile, will have more work cut out for them; the pair have combined for only two top fives and six top 10s in 33 Talladega Cup starts.
2. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
Started: 10th
Finished: 5th
What happened: Reddick might’ve stolen the show, but his 23XI teammate sure stood out, too. After starting 10th, Wallace finished Stages 1 and 2 in ninth and sixth, respectively, with the 32-year-old pilot eventually clinching his first top-five finish of the 2026 campaign. Wallace now has two consecutive top-five finishes at Kansas dating back to the fall 2025 contest.
What’s next: Such a momentum boost from Kansas couldn’t come at a better time, with Talladega the site of Wallace’s first career Cup Series victory, finding Victory Lane there in 2021. More recently, Wallace’s success at Talladega has continued, with three straight top-10 finishes dating back to the 2024 fall race.
3. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Started: 34th
Finished: 12th
What happened: The 27-year-old driver quickly put his 34th-place starting position in the rearview, working his way into the top 25 five laps into the race and into the top 20 not long after. Adjustments to the No. 2 Ford during ensuing pit stops eventually culminated with Cindric battling within the top 10 following a two-tire call entering NASCAR Overtime, with the No. 2 Ford crossing the start/finish line in 12th.
What’s next: Like Wallace, Cindric is finding positive headway at the right time. Cindric is the defending Talladega spring winner, and though he logged a 34th-place result there last fall, there is still much to look forward to for the No. 2 Team Penske camp.
THREE DOWN ⬇️
1. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Started: 11th
Finished: 20th
What happened: This one is going to sting. Bell’s No. 20 Toyota looked to be a Victory Lane contender, and after finishing fifth in Stages 1 and 2, the 31-year-old Oklahoma native made his move, overtaking Denny Hamlin between Turns 1 and 2 for the race lead. Bell led for 47 laps and remained in winning reach as the circuits waned, but trouble ensued in overtime, with contact from Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota resulting in a wall brush and broken toe link.
What’s next: Talladega is a coin flip for Bell and the No. 20 camp, though in the Next Gen era, Bell has finished OK at the Alabama facility. In eight Cup starts at the track since 2022, Bell has started inside the top 15 in seven contests and finished in the top 15 in four races. Bell will look to find similar — if not more — success this weekend.
2. Trackhouse Racing
Started: 17th (Shane van Gisbergen); 31st (Ross Chastain); 36th (Connor Zilisch)
Finished: 26th (Ross Chastain); 29th (Connor Zilisch); 36th (Shane van Gisbergen)
What happened: Things went poorly for the Trackhouse Racing stable from qualifying to the race itself, with all three drivers mired in the back of the pack for practically the entire race. The trio all finished multiple laps down, and the conclusion was a race weekend in need of forgetting, and fast.
What’s next: To a degree, Talladega is still uncharted waters for the organization; while Chastain has logged 14 career Cup starts at the track (and won there with the team in 2022), van Gisbergen only has four career Cup races at the superspeedway. The rookie Zilisch, meanwhile, will get his first Talladega taste in a Cup car this weekend. In other words, the spectrum of potential outcomes is quite wide-reaching.
3. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Started: 15th
Finished: 30th
What happened: A 15th-place starting position was upended before a lap was even logged Sunday as the No. 22 Ford dropped to the rear for a steering rack change. Unfortunately for Logano, finding top-15 track position once again wouldn’t be achieved, with finishes of 24th and 28th in Stages 1 and 2, respectively. Logano finished two laps down, his second race in the last four in which the No. 22 driver has finished multiple circuits behind the top of the field (Darlington, three laps).
What’s next: Talladega has been good to Logano in the past — thanks to three Cup Series victories — and the 35-year-old Connecticut native will seek to find former glory there once again. That said, those victories occurred in 2015, 2016 and 2018, and since the start of the Next Gen era in 2022, Logano has finished 16th or worse in all eight Talladega races. Tough sledding could continue.
