Jack Link's 500
Talladega Superspeedway — April 26, 2026
Carson Hocevar
Winner
188
Laps
52
Lead Changes
16
Leaders
Carson Hocevar won the 2026 Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26, 2026, leading 19 of 188 laps. Chris Buescher finished second; Alex Bowman rounded out the podium. The race had 52 lead changes among 16 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Sunday, April 26, 2026
Track
Season
2026
Winner
Lead Changes
52
Leaders
16 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | +11 | Carson Hocevar |
| 2 | 10 | +8 | Chris Buescher |
| 3 | 20 | +17 | Alex Bowman |
| 4 | 8 | +4 | Chase Elliott |
| 5 | 30 | +25 | Zane Smith |
| 6 | 22 | +16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 7 | 24 | +17 | Ross Chastain |
| 8 | 13 | +5 | Austin Cindric |
| 9 | 29 | +20 | Noah Gragson |
| 10 | 34 | +24 | Kyle Busch |
| 11 | 19 | +8 | Todd Gilliland |
| 12 | 16 | +4 | Daniel Suarez |
| 13 | 35 | +22 | Ty Dillon |
| 14 | 1 | -13 | Tyler Reddick |
| 15 | 3 | -12 | Denny Hamlin |
| 16 | 28 | +12 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 17 | 14 | -3 | Christopher Bell |
| 18 | 11 | -7 | Ryan Preece |
| 19 | 18 | -1 | Austin Dillon |
| 20 | 33 | +13 | Shane van Gisbergen |
| 21 | 36 | +15 | Cody Ware |
| 22 | 23 | +1 | John Hunter Nemechek |
| 23 | 21 | -2 | Erik Jones |
| 24 | 40 | +16 | Daniel Dye |
| 25 | 17 | -8 | Riley Herbst |
| 26 | 32 | +6 | Connor Zilisch |
| 27 | 37 | +10 | Jesse Love |
| 28 | 38 | +10 | Chad Finchum |
| 29 | 5 | -24 | Chase Briscoe |
| 30 | 39 | +9 | Joey Gase |
| 31 | 6 | -25 | Brad Keselowski |
| 32 | 31 | -1 | Michael McDowell |
| 33 | 26 | -7 | Josh Berry |
| 34 | 9 | -25 | Ty Gibbs |
| 35 | 7 | -28 | William Byron |
| 36 | 4 | -32 | Bubba Wallace |
| 37 | 15 | -22 | Ryan Blaney |
| 38 | 27 | -11 | Cole Custer |
| 39 | 25 | -14 | Joey Logano |
| 40 | 2 | -38 | Kyle Larson |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Buescher | 4 | 3 | — | 15 |
| Ryan Preece | 1 | 6 | — | 15 |
| Ross Chastain | 10 | 1 | — | 11 |
| Christopher Bell | — | 2 | — | 9 |
| Brad Keselowski | 2 | — | — | 9 |
| Todd Gilliland | 9 | 5 | — | 8 |
| Joey Logano | 3 | — | — | 8 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | — | 4 | — | 7 |
| Ryan Blaney | 5 | — | — | 6 |
| Josh Berry | 6 | — | — | 5 |
| Tyler Reddick | 7 | — | — | 4 |
| Cody Ware | — | 7 | — | 4 |
| Alex Bowman | — | 8 | — | 3 |
| Noah Gragson | 8 | — | — | 3 |
| Chase Elliott | — | 9 | — | 2 |
| Zane Smith | — | 10 | — | 1 |
| Carson Hocevar | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Cindric | — | — | — | — |
| Kyle Busch | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Suarez | — | — | — | — |
| Ty Dillon | — | — | — | — |
| Denny Hamlin | — | — | — | — |
| A.J. Allmendinger | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Dillon | — | — | — | — |
| Shane van Gisbergen | — | — | — | — |
| John Hunter Nemechek | — | — | — | — |
| Erik Jones | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Dye | — | — | — | — |
| Riley Herbst | — | — | — | — |
| Connor Zilisch | — | — | — | — |
| Jesse Love | — | — | — | — |
| Chad Finchum | — | — | — | — |
| Chase Briscoe | — | — | — | — |
| Joey Gase | — | — | — | — |
| Michael McDowell | — | — | — | — |
| Ty Gibbs | — | — | — | — |
| William Byron | — | — | — | — |
| Bubba Wallace | — | — | — | — |
| Cole Custer | — | — | — | — |
| Kyle Larson | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 40 matched drivers, the model averaged 9.2 positions off — worse than the season average of 8.5. Below Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carson Hocevar | 19.4 | 1 | +18.4 |
| 2 | Chris Buescher | 13.6 | 2 | +11.6 |
| 3 | Alex Bowman | 15.1 | 3 | +12.1 |
| 4 | Chase Elliott | 10.4 | 4 | +6.4 |
| 5 | Zane Smith | 22.9 | 5 | +17.9 |
| 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 18.5 | 6 | +12.5 |
| 7 | Ross Chastain | 17.4 | 7 | +10.4 |
| 8 | Austin Cindric | 20.1 | 8 | +12.1 |
| 9 | Noah Gragson | 24.0 | 9 | +15.0 |
| 10 | Kyle Busch | 15.1 | 10 | +5.1 |
| 11 | Todd Gilliland | 22.9 | 11 | +11.9 |
| 12 | Daniel Suarez | 15.1 | 12 | +3.1 |
| 13 | Ty Dillon | 21.1 | 13 | +8.1 |
| 14 | Tyler Reddick | 13.6 | 14 | -0.4 |
| 15 | Denny Hamlin | 16.0 | 15 | +1.0 |
| 16 | A.J. Allmendinger | 20.1 | 16 | +4.1 |
| 17 | Christopher Bell | 17.4 | 17 | +0.4 |
| 18 | Ryan Preece | 21.1 | 18 | +3.1 |
| 19 | Austin Dillon | 23.4 | 19 | +4.4 |
| 20 | Shane van Gisbergen | 23.4 | 20 | +3.4 |
(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
- Carson Hocevar: has 8 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway with a 13.5 avg finish (1 win) — 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 P4 on the day.
Explore More
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2026 Jack Link's 500?
Carson Hocevar won the 2026 Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway driving for Spire Motorsports.
Where was the 2026 Jack Link's 500 held?
The 2026 Jack Link's 500 was held at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26, 2026.