Talladega Superspeedway remains NASCAR's ultimate wildcard race

There is no place quite like Talladega Superspeedway. At 2.66-miles in length, it is the biggest oval in NASCAR. The high-banked Alabama circuit has been a part of the Cup Series schedule since 1969, packing the grandstands nearly every year and drawing in above-average viewership numbers.

While beloved by fans, Talladega is dreaded by most drivers, and for good reason. It is the most intimidating track in NASCAR, so it makes sense that the ‘The Intimidator’ — Dale Earnhardt — holds a record ten victories at the superspeedway.

But what’s most striking about the track is how it hasn’t really changed. I mean, the racing has evolved and the facilities have been upgraded, but the emotions around ‘Dega remain the same: Trepidation, uncertainty, and an expectation for harrowing moments and rare opportunities.

Ken Schrader crash

Photo by: ISC Archives – Getty Images for NASCAR

A level playing field

Talladega is an equalizer, completely leveling the playing field. An unknown driver who struggles to stay on the lead lap most weekends can make a name for themselves by winning here. The finishes are thrilling, the winners surprising, and the action almost constant.

And these things have always been true about Talladega. 12 different drivers have earned their first-ever NASCAR Cup Series victory at the famed superspeedway, from Richard Brickhouse in the inaugural 1969 event to Bubba Wallace as recently as 2021.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr, JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet wins, beating William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing Ford

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

And yet, it has its darker aspects as well. There is the ever-present threat of disaster around every corner with drivers dancing on a knife’s edge from green flag to checkered flag. It’s not really physically taxing, but it may be the most mentally demanding race on the entire schedule. Cars flip … often. Every part of NASCAR’s safety innovations are pushed to the limit from the structure of their race cars to the SAFER Barriers and even the catch-fencing.

Other tracks have taken on the moniker of ‘wildcard’ and deservedly so. The Charlotte Roval, the Bristol Dirt Race, the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway — but Talladega just takes that term to the next level.

Just look at some of the recent races as examples of this. Last fall in the heart of the playoffs, it wasn’t a title contender who captured the checkered flag, but Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who earned his first victory of the year in a three-wide photo finish. In the spring of 2024, Michael McDowell was seconds away from capturing a rare victory for Front Row Motorsports when a rare block sent him spinning across the track. Tyler Reddick, who exited Turn 5 in fifth, drove through the smoke to win as most of the field crashed and one driver [Corey LaJoie] flipped upside down. The photo below is of the finish to 2012 Talladega race. One late block from Tony Stewart while leading resulted in a pileup that collected 25 cars.

Major crash on the final lap

Photo by: Getty Images

The fall race of 2023 featured another photo finish with Ryan Blaney taking victory while the spring race of 2023 saw Kyle Busch win under caution as Bubba Wallace crashed out of the lead. The trend continues as you go further back with nearly every race ending in a photo finish or a wild wreck — sometimes both.

The track is so wide and so smooth that drivers are comfortable making daring moves, sometimes racing four-by-four, several rows deep without issue. There’s truly nothing else like it on the calendar. Even Daytona gets tight once the field fans out three-wide, but Talladega can fit four-wide action with ease.

And with Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing snatching up most of the wins early in the 2025 season, there’s a lot of drivers looking at Talladega as their best opportunity to secure a playoff spot. So, there’s no doubt that NASCAR’s ultimate wildcard race will deliver another thriller this weekend, and as for who goes to Victory Lane in the end … it could truly be any of the 39 entries on Sunday.