YellaWood 500
Talladega Superspeedway — October 1, 2023
Ryan Blaney
Winner
188
Laps
31
Entries
24
Leaders
Ryan Blaney won the 2023 YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 1, 2023, leading 8 of 188 laps. William Byron finished second; Denny Hamlin rounded out the podium. The race featured 24 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Sunday, October 1, 2023
Track
Season
2023
Winner
Leaders
24 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | +7 | Ryan Blaney |
| 2 | 3 | +1 | William Byron |
| 3 | 2 | -1 | Denny Hamlin |
| 4 | 28 | +24 | Corey LaJoie |
| 5 | 20 | +15 | Austin Cindric |
| 6 | 26 | +20 | Justin Haley |
| 7 | — | — | Chase Elliott |
| 8 | 25 | +17 | Ryan Preece |
| 9 | — | — | Riley Herbst |
| 10 | 11 | +1 | Daniel Suarez |
| 11 | — | — | Chandler Smith |
| 12 | 29 | +17 | Todd Gilliland |
| 13 | 24 | +11 | Chase Briscoe |
| 14 | 5 | -9 | Christopher Bell |
| 15 | 1 | -14 | Kyle Larson |
| 16 | 12 | -4 | Tyler Reddick |
| 17 | 31 | +14 | Aric Almirola |
| 18 | 13 | -5 | Martin Truex, Jr. |
| 19 | 21 | +2 | Chris Buescher |
| 20 | 22 | +2 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 21 | 7 | -14 | Michael McDowell |
| 22 | 23 | +1 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 23 | 19 | -4 | Bubba Wallace |
| 24 | 16 | -8 | Joey Logano |
| 25 | 9 | -16 | Kyle Busch |
| 26 | 10 | -16 | Erik Jones |
| 27 | 35 | +8 | Ty Dillon |
| 28 | 18 | -10 | Alex Bowman |
| 32 | 4 | -28 | Brad Keselowski |
| 33 | 30 | -3 | Austin Dillon |
| 38 | 15 | -23 | Kevin Harvick |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Byron | 1 | 2 | — | 19 |
| Kyle Larson | 2 | 1 | — | 19 |
| Denny Hamlin | 4 | 6 | — | 12 |
| Christopher Bell | 3 | 7 | — | 12 |
| Tyler Reddick | 5 | 5 | — | 12 |
| Kevin Harvick | 8 | 3 | — | 11 |
| Brad Keselowski | 9 | 4 | — | 9 |
| Ryan Blaney | 6 | 8 | — | 8 |
| Chase Briscoe | 20 | 10 | — | 1 |
| Kyle Busch | 10 | 20 | — | 1 |
| Chase Elliott | — | — | — | — |
| Riley Herbst | — | — | — | — |
| Chandler Smith | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 28 matched drivers, the model averaged 8.5 positions off — close to the season average of 8.5. Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Blaney | 13.9 | 1 | +12.9 |
| 2 | William Byron | 13.9 | 2 | +11.9 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 16.0 | 3 | +13.0 |
| 4 | Corey LaJoie | 23.3 | 4 | +19.3 |
| 5 | Austin Cindric | 20.1 | 5 | +15.1 |
| 6 | Justin Haley | 23.4 | 6 | +17.4 |
| 7 | Chase Elliott | 10.4 | 7 | +3.4 |
| 8 | Ryan Preece | 21.1 | 8 | +13.1 |
| 9 | Riley Herbst | 23.7 | 9 | +14.7 |
| 10 | Daniel Suarez | 15.1 | 10 | +5.1 |
| 12 | Todd Gilliland | 22.9 | 12 | +10.9 |
| 13 | Chase Briscoe | 21.7 | 13 | +8.7 |
| 14 | Christopher Bell | 17.4 | 14 | +3.4 |
| 15 | Kyle Larson | 18.5 | 15 | +3.5 |
| 16 | Tyler Reddick | 13.6 | 16 | -2.4 |
| 18 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 20.1 | 18 | +2.1 |
| 19 | Chris Buescher | 13.6 | 19 | -5.4 |
| 20 | A.J. Allmendinger | 20.1 | 20 | +0.1 |
| 21 | Michael McDowell | 20.0 | 21 | -1.0 |
| 22 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 18.5 | 22 | -3.5 |
(showing top 20 finishers)
Predicted finish from NR-Rating model. Delta = predicted − actual (positive = driver beat prediction). Confidence: High Confidence = low variance (stdDev ≤ 9), Moderate = medium variance, Coinflip = high variance.
Historical Context
- Ryan Blaney: has 27 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway with a 16.5 avg finish (3 wins) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
- Chase Elliott: was the model’s top pick based on 22 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway with a 14.3 avg finish (2 wins), finishing P7 on the day.
- Corey LaJoie: was the biggest surprise, finishing P4 vs predicted P23. Track history: 10 starts, 16.5 avg finish.
Explore More
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2023 YellaWood 500?
Ryan Blaney won the 2023 YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway driving for Team Penske.
Where was the 2023 YellaWood 500 held?
The 2023 YellaWood 500 was held at Talladega Superspeedway on October 1, 2023.