Yellawood 500
Talladega Superspeedway, October 25, 2026
Kyle Larson
Winner
189
Laps
41
Lead Changes
15
Leaders
Kyle Larson won the 2026 Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 25, 2026, leading 23 of 189 laps. William Byron finished second; Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the podium. The race had 41 lead changes among 15 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Track
Season
2026
Winner
Lead Changes
41
Leaders
15 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | +9 | Kyle Larson |
| 2 | 17 | +15 | William Byron |
| 3 | 24 | +21 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 4 | 15 | +11 | Ross Chastain |
| 5 | 20 | +15 | Cole Custer |
| 6 | 26 | +20 | Carson Hocevar |
| 7 | 35 | +28 | Todd Gilliland |
| 8 | 9 | +1 | Denny Hamlin |
| 9 | 7 | -2 | Alex Bowman |
| 10 | 23 | +13 | Michael McDowell |
| 11 | 12 | +1 | Austin Dillon |
| 12 | 21 | +9 | Josh Berry |
| 13 | 19 | +6 | Ryan Preece |
| 14 | 2 | -12 | Austin Hill |
| 15 | 30 | +15 | Ty Dillon |
| 16 | 11 | -5 | Cody Ware |
| 17 | 8 | -9 | Ty Gibbs |
| 18 | 13 | -5 | Daniel Suarez |
| 19 | 31 | +12 | Zane Smith |
| 20 | 39 | +19 | Noah Gragson |
| 21 | 38 | +17 | Joey Gase |
| 22 | 25 | +3 | Bubba Wallace |
| 23 | 40 | +17 | Gray Gaulding |
| 24 | 22 | -2 | Brad Keselowski |
| 25 | 36 | +11 | Daniel Dye |
| 26 | 14 | -12 | Riley Herbst |
| 27 | 28 | +1 | Austin Cindric |
| 28 | 29 | +1 | Erik Jones |
| 29 | 3 | -26 | Connor Zilisch |
| 30 | 4 | -26 | Shane van Gisbergen |
| 31 | 37 | +6 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 32 | 5 | -27 | Chris Buescher |
| 33 | 1 | -32 | Chase Briscoe |
| 34 | 16 | -18 | Joey Logano |
| 35 | 6 | -29 | Christopher Bell |
| 36 | 18 | -18 | Chase Elliott |
| 37 | 33 | -4 | Tyler Reddick |
| 38 | 27 | -11 | Ryan Blaney |
| 39 | 32 | -7 | John Hunter Nemechek |
| 40 | 34 | -6 | Casey Mears |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | 4 | 2 | — | 16 |
| Chris Buescher | 1 | 6 | — | 15 |
| William Byron | 5 | 5 | — | 12 |
| Chase Briscoe | 7 | 3 | — | 12 |
| Joey Logano | 9 | 1 | — | 12 |
| Ryan Preece | 2 | — | — | 9 |
| Brad Keselowski | 3 | — | — | 8 |
| Austin Cindric | 10 | 4 | — | 8 |
| Riley Herbst | 6 | — | — | 5 |
| Connor Zilisch | — | 7 | — | 4 |
| Shane van Gisbergen | — | 8 | — | 3 |
| Ryan Blaney | 8 | — | — | 3 |
| Erik Jones | — | 9 | — | 2 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| Ross Chastain | — | — | — | — |
| Cole Custer | — | — | — | — |
| Carson Hocevar | — | — | — | — |
| Todd Gilliland | — | — | — | — |
| Denny Hamlin | — | — | — | — |
| Alex Bowman | — | — | — | — |
| Michael McDowell | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Dillon | — | — | — | — |
| Josh Berry | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Hill | — | 10 | — | — |
| Ty Dillon | — | — | — | — |
| Cody Ware | — | — | — | — |
| Ty Gibbs | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Suarez | — | — | — | — |
| Zane Smith | — | — | — | — |
| Noah Gragson | — | — | — | — |
| Joey Gase | — | — | — | — |
| Bubba Wallace | — | — | — | — |
| Gray Gaulding | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Dye | — | — | — | — |
| A.J. Allmendinger | — | — | — | — |
| Christopher Bell | — | — | — | — |
| Chase Elliott | — | — | — | — |
| Tyler Reddick | — | — | — | — |
| John Hunter Nemechek | — | — | — | — |
| Casey Mears | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 40 matched drivers, the model averaged 10.9 positions off — worse than the season average of 8.5. Below Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 20.1 | 1 | +19.1 |
| 2 | William Byron | 15.1 | 2 | +13.1 |
| 3 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 18.5 | 3 | +15.5 |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | 17.4 | 4 | +13.4 |
| 5 | Cole Custer | 21.1 | 5 | +16.1 |
| 6 | Carson Hocevar | 20.1 | 6 | +14.1 |
| 7 | Todd Gilliland | 22.9 | 7 | +15.9 |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | 15.1 | 8 | +7.1 |
| 9 | Alex Bowman | 15.2 | 9 | +6.2 |
| 10 | Michael McDowell | 18.5 | 10 | +8.5 |
| 11 | Austin Dillon | 21.1 | 11 | +10.1 |
| 12 | Josh Berry | 23.4 | 12 | +11.4 |
| 13 | Ryan Preece | 20.1 | 13 | +7.1 |
| 14 | Austin Hill | 25.5 | 14 | +11.5 |
| 15 | Ty Dillon | 23.4 | 15 | +8.4 |
| 16 | Cody Ware | 27.1 | 16 | +11.1 |
| 17 | Ty Gibbs | 20.5 | 17 | +3.5 |
| 18 | Daniel Suarez | 13.9 | 18 | -4.1 |
| 19 | Zane Smith | 23.7 | 19 | +4.7 |
| 20 | Noah Gragson | 24.0 | 20 | +4.0 |
(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
- Kyle Larson: has 26 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway with a 22.1 avg finish (1 win) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
- Tyler Reddick: was the model’s top pick based on 20 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway with a 16.5 avg finish (2 wins), finishing P37 on the day.
Explore More
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2026 Yellawood 500?
Kyle Larson won the 2026 Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway driving for Hendrick Motorsports.
Where was the 2026 Yellawood 500 held?
The 2026 Yellawood 500 was held at Talladega Superspeedway on October 25, 2026.