Michael McDowell grabbed the pole for the Talladega YellaWood 500, setting the stage for a high stakes battle in the second race of the round of 8. From the drop of the green flag, aggression was on full display as the field were 3-wide by lap two and 4-wide only a few laps after that. As the race turned into a drafting chess match, with drivers constantly weaving for position, the threat of “the big one” lurked and finally hit at the tail end of Stage 1.
Chase Briscoe emerged as the story of the day. He broke into the lead on the final lap, aided by a late push from his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs, and pulled off a dramatic overtime win. That moment punched his ticket to the Championship 4 as his first shot at the title.
Behind him, Todd Gilliland crossed second, registering his career-best finish, while Ty Gibbs held on for third. Bubba Wallace and Cole Custer rounded out the top five.
The race offered up 77 lead changes among 27 different drivers but never felt particularly wild or out of control. Aggressive yes, but never desperate or on the edge.
Many playoff contenders ran near the front for stretches, but trouble struck late for several. Kyle Larson, running strong near the end, ran out of fuel on the final lap and dropped back quickly, resulting in a 26th place finish. William Byron spun just ahead of the finish line after getting bumped by Carson Hocevar and ended up 25th.
Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney were pressing for the round’s final spots but couldn’t make the moves count when it mattered most. Logano finished 16th and Blaney 23rd, as both suffering late-race setbacks.
Chase Elliott’s day ended early after being caught in a nine-car wreck on lap 51. He finished last in the 40-car field.
With these results, Briscoe and Hamlin now have Championship 4 spots locked in. Christopher Bell and Larson hang on by points as Logano, Blaney and Elliott are pretty much in a must-win situation as the field heads next week to Martinsville for the final four. However, as much as that might seem like a pipe dream, all three drivers have won at Martinsville to advance to the final race. And each one that has done it, has won the championship.
Photo Credit: TALLADEGA, ALABAMA – OCTOBER 19: Chase Briscoe, driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 19, 2025 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)