With only three races remaining to settle the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship, Sunday’s iconic Fall 500-miler at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway stands to, once again, play a major role in shaping the final push to the Bill France Performance Cup trophy.
NASCAR brought back a Chase format it abandoned years ago. Now every driver remains eligible with three races left. Perhaps the answer was hiding in the filing cabinet all along
Hamlin had a car capable of fighting for the win before a tire failure and pit-road penalty ruined his afternoon. He finished 28th, trails the championship lead by 31 points and is off to Talladega. What could possibly go wrong?
Larson arrived at Phoenix 49 points clear and left with five. A miserable afternoon, a blown tire and a Chevrolet in the wall have turned his comfortable Chase into a tree-race fight for survival.
Six months without a win was apparently long enough. Tyler Reddick used two tires, one perfectly timed restart and a little aggression to reclaim Victory Lane while the Chase standings went completely bonkers.
Love won by 0.128 seconds, took a 36-point championship lead and left Phoenix grinning. Three races remain, and the next one takes place at Talladega. What could possibly go wrong?
Ryan Blaney took pole at Phoenix as five of Kyle Larson’s closest championship rivals swept the top five spots. Larson? He’ll start 22nd. Suddenly, things get interesting.
Christopher Bell says he and Kyle Larson aren’t friends. After years of battling for trophies on dirt and asphalt, apparently mutual respect is quite enough.
