2025 YellaWood 500
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 34 of 36 in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
| Date | October 19, 2025 | ||
| Location | Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.66 miles (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 193 laps, 513.38 mi (826.204 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Average speed | 149.178 miles per hour (240.079 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Spire Motorsports | ||
| Time | 52.481 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Joey Logano | Team Penske | |
| Laps | 35 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports | |
| Time | 48.704 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Leigh Diffey, Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth announcers | Alex Hayden, Kyle Rickey and Todd Gordon | ||
| Turn announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2), Tim Catalfamo (Backstretch), and Chris Wilner (3 & 4) | ||
The 2025 YellaWood 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on October 19, 2025, at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 193 laps, extended from 188 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.66 mi (4.28 km) asphalt superspeedway, it was the 34th race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, eighth race of the Playoffs, and second race of the Round of 8.
Chase Briscoe won the race. Todd Gilliland finished 2nd, and Ty Gibbs finished 3rd. Bubba Wallace and Cole Custer rounded out the top five, and Carson Hocevar, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Zane Smith, and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top ten.
Report
Background
Talladega Superspeedway, formerly known as Alabama International Motor Speedway, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. A tri-oval, the track was constructed in 1969 by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking. The track currently hosts NASCAR's Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Craftsman Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which is 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km).
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (P) denotes playoff driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Qualifying
Michael McDowell scored the pole for the race with a time of 52.481 and a speed of 182.466 mph (293.651 km/h).[7]
Qualifying results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.481 | 182.466 |
| 2 | 19 | Chase Briscoe (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 52.500 | 182.400 |
| 3 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.558 | 182.199 |
| 4 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 52.563 | 182.181 |
| 5 | 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing | Ford | 52.582 | 182.116 |
| 6 | 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 52.614 | 182.005 |
| 7 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 52.660 | 181.846 |
| 8 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (P) | Team Penske | Ford | 52.679 | 181.780 |
| 9 | 35 | Riley Herbst (R) | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 52.692 | 181.735 |
| 10 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 52.694 | 181.728 |
| 11 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.769 | 181.470 |
| 12 | 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team | Ford | 52.773 | 181.456 |
| 13 | 24 | William Byron (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.774 | 181.453 |
| 14 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 52.802 | 181.357 |
| 15 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 52.810 | 181.329 |
| 16 | 22 | Joey Logano (P) | Team Penske | Ford | 52.819 | 181.298 |
| 17 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 52.819 | 181.292 |
| 18 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 52.854 | 181.178 |
| 19 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.871 | 181.120 |
| 20 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 52.889 | 181.058 |
| 21 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.918 | 180.959 |
| 22 | 7 | Justin Haley | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.937 | 180.894 |
| 23 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 52.545 | 180.867 |
| 24 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 52.555 | 180.833 |
| 25 | 9 | Chase Elliott (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.959 | 180.819 |
| 26 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 52.981 | 180.744 |
| 27 | 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 52.996 | 180.693 |
| 28 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota | 53.000 | 180.679 |
| 29 | 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 53.009 | 180.649 |
| 30 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota | 53.022 | 180.604 |
| 31 | 88 | Shane van Gisbergen (R) | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 53.098 | 180.346 |
| 32 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.113 | 180.295 |
| 33 | 33 | Austin Hill (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.115 | 180.288 |
| 34 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 53.122 | 180.264 |
| 35 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 53.245 | 179.848 |
| 36 | 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 53.327 | 179.571 |
| 37 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Hyak Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.430 | 179.225 |
| 38 | 62 | Anthony Alfredo (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.483 | 179.048 |
| 39 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.632 | 178.550 |
| 40 | 66 | Casey Mears | Garage 66 | Ford | 53.930 | 177.564 |
| Official qualifying results | ||||||
Race
Race results
Stage results
Stage One Laps: 60
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (P) | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano (P) | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 60
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Chase Briscoe (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 24 | William Byron (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (P) | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage results
Stage Three Laps: 68
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 19 | Chase Briscoe (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 193 | 50 |
| 2 | 27 | 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 193 | 39 |
| 3 | 18 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 193 | 49 |
| 4 | 10 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 193 | 39 |
| 5 | 12 | 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team | Ford | 193 | 32 |
| 6 | 32 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 41 |
| 7 | 15 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 193 | 39 |
| 8 | 7 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 193 | 36 |
| 9 | 23 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 193 | 32 |
| 10 | 20 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 193 | 27 |
| 11 | 31 | 88 | Shane van Gisbergen (R) | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 26 |
| 12 | 26 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 25 |
| 13 | 24 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 24 |
| 14 | 28 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota | 193 | 33 |
| 15 | 5 | 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing | Ford | 193 | 22 |
| 16 | 16 | 22 | Joey Logano (P) | Team Penske | Ford | 193 | 26 |
| 17 | 1 | 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 24 |
| 18 | 40 | 66 | Casey Mears | Garage 66 | Ford | 193 | 0 |
| 19 | 3 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 18 |
| 20 | 29 | 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 17 |
| 21 | 38 | 62 | Anthony Alfredo (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 0 |
| 22 | 33 | 33 | Austin Hill (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 0 |
| 23 | 8 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (P) | Team Penske | Ford | 193 | 24 |
| 24 | 17 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 193 | 13 |
| 25 | 13 | 24 | William Byron (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 19 |
| 26 | 19 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 20 |
| 27 | 21 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 191 | 10 |
| 28 | 39 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 |
| 29 | 11 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187 | 9 |
| 30 | 14 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 186 | 7 |
| 31 | 35 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 165 | 6 |
| 32 | 9 | 35 | Riley Herbst (R) | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 141 | 5 |
| 33 | 6 | 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 133 | 4 |
| 34 | 4 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 77 | 3 |
| 35 | 30 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota | 55 | 2 |
| 36 | 36 | 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 51 | 1 |
| 37 | 34 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 51 | 1 |
| 38 | 37 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Hyak Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51 | 1 |
| 39 | 22 | 7 | Justin Haley | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51 | 1 |
| 40 | 25 | 9 | Chase Elliott (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 77 among 27 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 6 for 28
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 26 minutes, and 29 seconds
- Average speed: 149.178 miles per hour (240.079 km/h)
Media
Television
NBC covered the race on the television side. Leigh Diffey, Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte called the race from the broadcast booth. Dave Burns, Kim Coon, Marty Snider, and Dillon Welch handled the pit road duties from pit lane.
| NBC | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Leigh Diffey Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte |
Dave Burns Kim Coon Marty Snider Dillon Welch |
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Kyle Rickey and former championship winning crew chief Todd Gordon called the race for MRN when the field races through the tri-oval. Dave Moody called the action from turn 1, Tim Catalfamo called the action for MRN when the field races down the back straightaway, and Chris Wilner called the race from the Sunoco tower just outside of turn 4. Steve Post, Jason Toy, Jacklyn Drake and PRN Radio's Brad Gillie called the action for MRN from pit lane.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Kyle Rickey Announcer: Todd Gordon |
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Tim Catalfamo Turns 3 & 4: Chris Wilner |
Steve Post Jason Toy Jacklyn Drake Brad Gillie |
Standings after the race
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References
- ^ "2025 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
- ^ "Talladega SuperSpeedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
- ^ Sturniolo, Zach (August 29, 2024). "NASCAR reveals milestone 2025 Cup Series schedule, complete with international flair, return to roots". NASCAR. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
- ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 13, 2025. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
- ^ "Yellawood 500 Results". Racing-Reference. October 19, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 19, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
- ^ DeGroot, Nick (October 18, 2025). "Michael McDowell earns Talladega NASCAR Cup pole for Chevrolet and Spire". Motorsport.com. Lincoln, Alabama: Motorsport Network. Retrieved October 18, 2025.