The biggest and baddest track on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule produced another thriller Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, leaving some drivers with excellent days and others with finishes to forget.
While Carson Hocevar scored an exhilarating first-career victory and delivered a celebration to remember, competitors behind him left with varied emotions. Let’s see who is on the upswing and who left feeling down following the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway and ahead of Sunday’s Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Talladega | Shop for Carson Hocevar gear
THREE UP ⬆️
1. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Started: 30th
Finished: 5th
What happened: After a poor Kansas Speedway showing placed him near the rear of the field for Talladega, Smith stormed toward the front of the field and was in the hunt late in the running. The end result earned him his first top-five finish of 2026 and first since a third-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway last fall. Smith has earned finishes of sixth (Daytona), seventh (EchoPark) and fifth in the three drafting-style races this season, proving his No. 38 team will be a force to be reckoned with when the series returns to EchoPark Speedway for the next drafting race in July.
What’s next: Smith’s numbers at Texas aren’t the most thrilling, with a 22.3 average finish in three starts, but he did earn his best finish there last fall with a 17th-place showing. The 1.5-mile ovals have been hit-or-miss for Smith so far this season, finishing 14th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway but 32nd at Kansas.
2. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Started: 24th
Finished: 7th
What happened: After weeks of answering questions about how poorly Trackhouse has performed, Chastain finally left the track with a good result to point to. His seventh-place result is his first top-10 finish since EchoPark in February, ending a seven-race stretch of finishes 16th or worse. Speaking of EchoPark, Chastain’s 22 laps led on Sunday are his most in a single race since the spring race at EchoPark … in February 2025. Thanks to winning Stage 2 and earning points in both stages, Chastain’s Talladega performance is a perfect momentum builder.
What’s next: While Texas is plenty different from Talladega, perhaps this top-10 performance at ‘Dega can be the light switch that turns things around for the No. 1 team. Chastain has finished second in two of the last three Texas races, with at least one lap led in three of the last four in Fort Worth.
3. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Started: 34th
Finished: 10th
What happened: Finally, Busch erased the goose egg and earned his first top-10 finish of the season Sunday at Talladega. That was the result of a gritty effort by the No. 8 group at RCR, which had to repair a broken right-front toe link after significant contact to the Chevrolet during the “Big One” on Lap 115. Sunday’s race marked Busch’s first Talladega start without leading a lap since the fall of 2020, but his 10th-place finish is his best and first top 10 at the 2.66-mile superspeedway since winning with RCR in the 2023 spring race.
What’s next: The No. 8 team will show up to Texas Motor Speedway with some significant changes. After just 10 races with Jim Pohlman atop the pit box, Andy Street will take over as crew chief for Busch and Co. immediately, RCR announced Monday morning, as Pohlman shifts to a leadership role within the organization’s competition department. Busch’s Texas results have been mixed at best since the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022, earning a ninth-place finish in 2024 but finishing 20th or worse with two DNFs in his three other attempts.
THREE DOWN ⬇️
1. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
Started: 6th
Finished: 31st
What happened: Despite entering the weekend with high hopes and optimism, Keselowski left Talladega brokenhearted and empty-handed Sunday afternoon. The six-time Talladega winner was one of 26 drivers collected in the Lap 115 melee but was among the fortunate ones — contrary to what a 31st-place finish says — as he was able to continue after damage repair, taking the checkered flag 22 laps down.
What’s next: Texas has been kind to Keselowski in recent years, 2025’s DNF notwithstanding. Keselowski has two top fives and six top 10s in his last seven Fort Worth appearances, including a runner-up effort in 2024. Still, the 2012 Cup champion is looking for his first Texas triumph after 30 previous starts.
2. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Started: 9th
Finished: 34th
What happened: The lows in NASCAR tend to come quicker than the highs. Gibbs was the latest to learn that lesson Sunday after damage from the “Big One” led to another crash nine laps later when his right-front tire blew from a fender rub. The JGR racer earned his first Cup win just two weeks prior at Bristol and hadn’t finished worse than ninth since February. Alas, his miserable streak on drafting tracks continued after finishing 23rd in the Daytona 500 and crashing out to a 37th-place finish at EchoPark.
What’s next: Thankfully, Gibbs won’t have to worry about another drafting-style track until July. He will head to Texas, hoping his recent run of top 10s on traditional ovals picks up where he left off. In four prior Texas starts, Gibbs has a best finish of 13th with one DNF and five laps led.
3. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
Started: 4th
Finished: 36th
What happened: If you’re going to wreck out, you’d might as well be leading the race. That was the case for Wallace, who was out front on Lap 115 when an errant shove from Chastain sent his Toyota out of control in front of the field, triggering the biggest multicar crash of the afternoon. His 36th-place result ends a streak of three consecutive top 10s at Talladega and marks his third finish of 34th or worse in the last five races.
What’s next: Wallace has either nailed it at Texas or … hasn’t. His 2023 performance at the 1.5-mile track was easily his best, winning pole position, leading 111 laps and ultimately finishing third, but that’s his only Texas top five in 11 starts. Wallace finished seventh there in 2024 but has otherwise finished 25th or worse in four of his last six Fort Worth showings.
