By Erin Harper

 

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Next Race: United Rentals 250

The Place: Talladega Superspeedway

Track Length: 2.66 Mile Asphalt Oval

The Date: Saturday, October 18

The Time: 4 p.m. ET

The Purse: $1,651,939

TV: CW, 3:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)

Distance: 250.04 miles (94 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 25),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 50), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 94)

 

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Talladega Superspeedway Storylines and Insights:

·       This weekend marks the 38th running of a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

·       Talladega was on the Xfinity Series schedule every year since inaugural race in 1992.

·       Talladega hosted four Playoff races, in 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2024.

·       All four previous Talladega Playoff races were in Round of 12.

·       Round of 8 races are Las Vegas, Talladega and Martinsville.

·       The lowest four drivers in points will be eliminated after Martinsville.

·       No drivers clinched into Championship 4 at Las Vegas.

·       Any win in the Round of 8 by a Playoff driver will advance them to Championship 4.

·       At least two drivers will advance to Championship 4 on points.

·       Any driver who leaves Talladega 57 points above 4^th place will clinch a spot in the Championship 4 on points.

·       Connor Zilisch enters Talladega 74 points above 4^th place after runner-up finish at Las Vegas.

·       Justin Allgaier enters Talladega 36 points above 4^th place after third-place finish at Las Vegas.

·       Sam Mayer in 4^th and Brandon Jones in 5^th are separated by eight points, all other drivers are at least 20 points above or below the Playoff cutoff.

·       Justin Allgaier and Sam Mayer are the only remaining Playoff drivers to make Championship 4.

·       Two rookies remain in the Playoffs: Connor Zilisch and Carson Kvapil.

·       No driver has won race #2 in Round of 8 and gone on to win championship.

·       No driver has won the Talladega Playoff race and gone on to win championship.

·       Four teams are represented in driver’s Round of 8: JR Motorsports (4), Haas Factory Team (2), Joe Gibbs Racing (1) and Richard Childress Racing (1).

·       Joe Gibbs Racing #19 advanced to owner’s Championship 4 with Aric Almirola’s Las Vegas win; Almirola will be in #19 for remainder of season.

·       Joe Gibbs Racing’s #19 and Richard Childress Racing’s #21 are still alive in owner’s Playoffs, while JR Motorsports #1 and #8 were eliminated after Round of 12.

·       Aric Almirola’s Las Vegas win was his third of 2025, matching his win total from last year.

·       Aric Almirola won four of last eleven Playoff races as non-Playoff drivers.

·       Joe Gibbs Racing won three of four Playoff races after only winning two races in regular season.

·       Talladega is the sixth and final drafting track race this season.

·       Austin Hill won at Talladega in April, his series record ninth career drafting track win, but first at Talladega.

·       Austin Hill is the only driver in series history to win at all three drafting tracks: Atlanta (5), Daytona (3) and Talladega (1).

·       The last seven Talladega races were won by seven different drivers.

·       Sheldon Creed and Jeb Burton each finished Top 10 in last four Talladega races, one away from tying the Talladega record.

·       Two of eight Playoff drivers finished in Top 10 at Talladega in April: Love 3^rd, Allgaier 4^th & Creed 9^th.

·       Richard Childress Racing won three of five drafting track races this season.

·       Three of last five Talladega races had a last-lap pass for the win.

·       Fifteen Talladega races had last-lap passes for the win; Daytona has the most with 16.

·       Three of last six drafting track races featured a last-lap pass for the win.

·       Five active drivers won in the Xfinity Series at Talladega, led by Jeb Burton with two wins.

·       Austin Hill and Jesse Love combined to lead 340 laps on drafting tracks this season; 49 other drivers combined to lead 329.

·       Richard Childress Racing won 11 of last 22 drafting track races.

·       Connor Zilisch returns to the track where he broke his back in a last-lap crash in April.

·       Connor Zilisch got his tenth win of season at the Charlotte Roval. He is the sixth driver in series history to win ten races in a season and the first since Kyle Busch in 2016.

·       After winning the Charlotte Roval, Connor Zilisch holds the track record as the youngest winner on 10 different tracks.

·       Connor Zilisch’s ten wins this season is the record for most wins by a rookie.

·       Connor Zilisch extended his all-time top-5 finish record streak to 18 after runner-up finish at Las Vegas.

·       Connor Zilisch’s 2.1 average finish in last 18 races is the best in series history in an 18-race span.

·       Connor Zilisch finished first or second in half of the 30 races this season.

·       Connor Zilisch won eight of last 12 races this season, the most in any 12-race span in series history.

·       Connor Zilisch won 33% of his starts, the best win percentage all-time.

·       Connor Zilisch led in his last 19 NXS starts, the record for most consecutive starts leading is 22 by Brad Keselowski.

·       Randall Burnett was announced as Connor Zilisch’s crew chief next season when he moves to Trackhouse Racing in the Cup Series.

·       JR Motorsports won 17 races this season with a series-record six different drivers (does not include Parker Kligerman who won in relief role at Daytona).

·       JR Motorsports had at least one car finish Top 5 in a record 32 straight races.

·       Justin Allgaier earned his 300^th career Top 10 at Las Vegas, the first driver in series history to reach 300 Top 10s.

·       Connor Zilisch leads the series with 10 wins, 19 Top 5s, 21 Top 10s, 985 laps led, a 7.7 average finish and eight poles this season.

·       Connor Zilisch won Fastest Lap Award seven times this season, Justin Allgaier is second with five.

·       Justin Allgaier leads the series with 13 stage wins this season.

·       Justin Allgaier’s 28 career wins are 9^th on the all-time wins list and one away from tying Matt Kenseth.

·       Chevrolet led 3,583 of 4,770 laps this season (77%).

·       Chevrolet won 24 of 30 races, tied for the most all time by a manufacturer through 30 races in series history.

·       Five crew chiefs got their first NXS win in 2025: Chad Haney at Atlanta, Sam McAulay at Darlington, Adam Wall at Bristol, Cory Shea at Mexico City & Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Pocono.

·       Five races this year ended with a last lap pass.

 

NXS Clinch Scenarios for Talladega Superspeedway (Playoff Race #5)

Already Clinched

·       No drivers have clinched a spot in the 4-driver field of the next round.

 

Can Clinch Via Points

·       If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 57 points above the 4th winless driver in the standings.  The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Connor Zilisch, Justin Allgaier or Jesse Love.

•       Connor Zilisch: Would clinch with 39 points

•       Justin Allgaier: Could only clinch with help

•       Jesse Love: Could only clinch with help

·       If there is a new winner from Sam Mayer or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 57 points above the 3rd winless driver in the standings.

•       Connor Zilisch: Would clinch with 51 points

•       Justin Allgaier: Could only clinch with help

 

Can Clinch Via Win

·       The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: Connor Zilisch, Justin Allgaier, Jesse Love, Sam Mayer, Brandon Jones, Sheldon Creed, Carson Kvapil, Sammy Smith

 

NASCAR & Talladega, Etc.

Historical & Significant Events at Talladega Superspeedway:

·       Dream Big: Anniston, AL race car driver and insurance sales associate Bill Ward has a casual conversation at Daytona with International Speedway Corporation and NASCAR founder William H.G. (Bill) France about the possibility of building a speedway in Alabama.

·       The 1968 Meeting of the Minds: Bill Ward orchestrates a meeting between then-Talladega Mayor James Hardwick and other city officials to consider the idea of building a major race track on land owned by the City of Talladega. After a trip to Daytona, the men were convinced.

·       May 23, 1968 – Construction begins on what will become the Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS).

·       Sept. 14, 1969 – Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) opens with its first race, the Talladega 500, named in honor of the local people who helped bring the track from vision to reality. Richard Brickhouse won the inaugural event. Richard Childress makes his first NASCAR Cup Series career start and later credits his winnings with getting the ball rolling on forming Richard Childress Racing. The day before, Ken Rush won the first race ever run at AIMS in the BAMA 400 NASCAR Grand Touring event in a Chevrolet Camaro.

·       In late 1969 and early 1970, Talladega Super Speedway undergoes its first repave.

·       In 1970, Don Naman becomes the first general manager of Alabama International Motor Speedway.

·       March 24, 1970 – Buddy Baker becomes the first driver to officially eclipse the 200 mph mark on a closed course while testing at AIMS driving the blue No. 88 winged Dodge Charger Daytona. His speed of 200.447 mph was a world record at the time.

·       April 12, 1970 – The second NASCAR Cup Series race – the Alabama 500 – is held at AIMS, marking the beginning of twice-a-year visits by the sanctioning body’s top series.

·       May 16, 1971 – Donnie and Bobby Allison, famed “Alabama Gang” brothers finish 1st and 2nd, respectively, in the 1st Winston 500 at AIMS. Winston begins a race sponsorship at AIMS that endures until 2000.

·       May 5, 1974 – Energy Crisis: Neil Bonnett makes his first Talladega start in the 1974 Winston 500. The race is stopped twice by rain but is shortened in laps because of the international energy crisis. Although it is scored as a 188-lap race, only 170 are run because it is one of 15 events NASCAR voluntarily cut short for the sake of fuel conservation in cooperation with the energy council. David Pearson ended that day the winner, capturing his 3rd career Winston 500 victory.

·       August 9, 1975 – Mark Donohue replaces A.J. Foyt as the world record holder for speed on a closed course by driving a Porsche 917-30 owned by Roger Penske around AIMS at 221.160 mph. Donohue’s world record stood for four years until it was broken in Italy. His national record stood until 1986 when it was broken by Rick Mears at Michigan International Speedway.

·       May 2, 1976 – Buddy Baker takes a third consecutive Talladega win, a streak that goes unbroken until 2003 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. racks up four straight wins.

·       In 1979, the 2.66-mile Talladega tri-oval is paved for the third time since the track was constructed (including initial construction and then repaving in late 1969-early 1970).

·       April 29, 1982 – Benny Parsons becomes the first NASCAR Cup Series driver to break the 200 mph mark in qualifying at a speed of 200.176 mph.

·       July 31, 1983 – Dale Earnhardt posts his first NASCAR Cup Series win at Talladega in the Talladega 500. Earnhardt had the momentum, with the lapped Bobby Allison in tow, to shoot past Darrell Waltrip on the final lap to win. Waltrip was 2nd, Allison was 9th. Earnhardt will go on to become the track’s winningest driver with 10 premier series victories.

·       May 6, 1984 – The Winston 500 firmly establishes AIMS as NASCAR’s Most Competitive Track, setting the all-time NASCAR record for lead changes with 75 that stands until 2011 when the track breaks its own record in the Aaron’s 499 with 88 lead changes. After starting the race on pole, Cale Yarborough passed Harry Gant on the last lap to win the race.

·       May 5, 1986 – Miraculous Win: In one of the greatest comebacks NASCAR has ever seen, Bill Elliott comes from nearly 2 laps down under green after a lengthy pit stop to repair a loose oil line to spectacularly take the 1985 Winston 500 win, turning an average speed of 186.288 mph.

·       November 26, 1985 – Lyn St. James sets the record as the first woman to exceed 200 mph, driving a Ford Mustang Probe Prototype at Talladega Superspeedway.

·       May 4, 1986 – All but one of the 42 starters in the May 4, 1986 Winston 500 qualified at more than 200 mph. Positions 41 and 42 made the field on provisionals, thus the event technically became the first “All-200” field in stock car history.

·       July 27, 1986 – Record Leaders: 26 drivers lead laps in the Talladega 500, setting an all-time series record that will stand until the Talladega fans again see 26 different leaders in the 2001 Aaron’s 499.

·       May 1, 1987 – Bill Elliott sets an all-time series qualifying record by winning the pole for the 1987 Winston 500 at a blazing speed of 212.809 mph, which still stands to this day.

·       May 3, 1987 – High Speeds: Alabama native Davey Allison celebrates his first career NASCAR Cup Series in front of his hometown fans. The average qualifying speed of the field was 207.049 mph, the fastest field in stock car history.

·       In early 1988, Mike Helton becomes the new General Manager of AIMS and in less than one year becomes president of the facility. Don Naman becomes Executive Director of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

·       Early 1989, AIMS becomes officially known as “Talladega Superspeedway.” The announcement is made at the Talladega Country Club, where members of the media have gathered for an “unveiling” but see nothing within the room to unveil. However, the darkness outside the room’s large windows successfully cloak a large-scale rendering of the track’s new name and logo, until spotlights illuminate it for all to see.

·       January 23, 1990 – Patty Moise breaks the women’s speed record again by going 217.498 mph around Talladega Superspeedway in a Buick.

·       In February 1993, Grant Lynch becomes the third GM of Talladega Superspeedway and is promoted to President in November of that year. Mike Helton relocates to Daytona Beach, FL at the start of the next year to become NASCAR’s VP of Competition.

·       April 23, 1999 – When teams and fans arrive for the first Talladega race of the year, they are greeted by a new entrance to the track’s tunnel and main parking areas, the first of several facility improvements that have occurred in the off season. In the infield, a new NASCAR Cup Series garage awaits to accommodate up to 62 cars, as well as a new care center. Also, a big announcement is made to herald even more facility improvements. Track officials announce that a new and improved grandstand will replace the one existing out of Turn 2 and will be named “Allison Grandstand” after the legendary Alabama racing family of Bobby, Donnie, Davey and Clifford Allison.

·       January 2001 – Rick Humphrey is promoted from Director of Operations to become the fifth VP/GM of Talladega Superspeedway after having joined the staff in 1997 as the Director of Public Relations.

·       October 2002 – Recording artist Sheryl Crow and her band perform for fans just before the start of the race in support of her “C’mon C’mon Tour.” Legendary quarterback Ken Stabler serves as Grand Marshal, and the musical group Little Big Town performs the National Anthem. Jamie McMurray fills in for the injured Sterling Marlin in the EA SPORTS 500, making his NASCAR Cup Series debut.

·       October 3, 2004 – Talladega Superspeedway officially celebrates its 35th anniversary with the running of the EA SPORTS 500. Grand Marshals of the event, Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr. of Orange County Choppers unveil a custom motorcycle commissioned by the track to commemorate the occasion. The bike is later auctioned on eBay, with proceeds benefiting Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, NC. Dale Earnhardt Jr. grabs his fifth Talladega victory that day.

·       July 12, 2005 – Amazing Race Coms To Talladega: Eight families competing in the three-time Emmy Award winning television show “The Amazing Race” found a clue at the world’s largest office chair in Anniston, AL that directed them to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, and then inside Talladega Superspeedway to compete against one another acing multiple-rider “party bikes” around the track. The Bransen family of Park Ride, IL was the first family to successfully complete the challenge at TSS to earn the next clue. The “Think Like an Office Chair” episode aired October 18, 2005 on CBS.

·       September 2005 – History was both made and remembered when David Donohue and NBC Television’s “The Tonight Show” host Jay Leno set a series of Grand American speed records at the track, driving a Porsche Carrera GT production car. David is the son of Mark Donohue, who set a similar series of records in a Porsche here three decades ago. The younger Donohue set three flying speed records in the production category, including a closed-course speed record here of 196.301 mph. Donohue also set records for the measured mile at 198.971 mph and the measured kilometer at 195.755 mph. Leno set three standing-start speed records in the same car, the fastest being 156.603 mph over the closed-course.

·       November 2005 – Filming begins at Talladega Superspeedway for the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Amy Adams, Jane Lynch, Michael Clark Duncan, Gary Cole and Leslie Bibb.

·       September 19, 2006 – TSS officials announce the official completion of the 2006 Paving Project. Repave #3.

·       July 3, 2007 – Rick Humphrey is named President of Talladega Superspeedway. Former track president Grant Lynch to serve as Senior VP of Business Development for International Speedway Corporation.

·       2009 – Grant Lynch returns to Talladega Superspeedway as Chairman of the track.

·       May 2, 2014 – The first “Big One on the Blvd” parade was held on Talladega Blvd in the track’s infamous infield. Four drivers- Clint Bowyer, Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – were a major part of the Mardi Gras style event that featured a Moon Pie eating contest and BBQ Sauce Wrestling. The tradition continues each race weekend with different activities available for fan participation.

·       October 20, 2016 – It takes nerves of steel to circle Talladega Superspeedway at nearly 200 mph. The now traditional Vulcan Trophy, introduced in fall 2016 and a miniature version of the famous cast-iron statue that overlooks nearby Birmingham, is the prize for the driver who outsmarts and outdrives his competitors to get to Gatorade Victory Lane. Standing approximately 3 feet tall and weighing more than 100 pounds, Vulcan is a force to be reckoned with.

·       In 2018, NASCAR’s most competitive track — Talladega Superspeedway — announced at a press conference details of Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project. The approximate $50 million redevelopment endeavor is part of NASCAR’s long-term capital allocation plan and reinvestment into its major motorsports complexes. The project, highlighted by a one-of-a-kind Garage Fan Zone Experience, will feature “up-close” access, interactive attractions and enhanced amenities for fans, sponsors, teams and stakeholders in the iconic Talladega infield.

·       In 2019, Brian Crichton, Vice President, Marketing and Sales at Talladega Superspeedway, has been promoted to President of Talladega Superspeedway, effective September 3rd. Crichton assumes his new role as Speedway Chairman Grant Lynch prepares for his previously announced November retirement with the completion of Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project Presented by Graybar.

·       Today, Talladega Superspeedway covers about 3,000 acres – the most of any Cup track (Daytona is 482 acres).

·       In total, there have been 112 NASCAR Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, one series event in 1969, and two races per year since 1970.

 

COURTESY NASCAR COMMUNICATIONS