NASCAR is ready to make its third superspeedway stop of the season at Talladega Superspeedway for the Jack Link’s 500 race. With drivers like William Byron, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Ross Chastain in the mix, the fight for the win and the bragging rights that come with it is expected to go down to the wire. But there’s more on the line than just a trophy — drivers also stand to walk away with a hefty paycheck.
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Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass recently revealed on his X handle that the total purse for the Talladega Cup race stands at $11,055,250, with $1,651,939 earmarked for the Xfinity Series event. The payout will be allocated across teams based on performance, charter status, and several other contributing factors.
Notably, this year’s prize pool marks a jump from the same race last season, driven by the sport’s recently inked TV deal. For last season’s 2024 GEICO 500 at Talladega, NASCAR rolled out a prize purse of $8,234,125 for the Cup Series and $1,479,274 for the Xfinity event. Compared to this year’s figures, that’s a shortfall of $2,821,125 and $172,665, respectively.
Purses for Talladega weekend for all payouts, all positions plus contingency awards, points fund contributions and charter payouts:
Cup: $11,055,250
Xfinity: 1,651,939 @NASCARONFOX
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 23, 2025
As for the 2024 YellaWood 500, the second Talladega Cup race of the season, the purse did see an uptick from the year’s opening event. Last season, the total prize money for the fall Cup race stood at $9,222,964, while the Xfinity Series event brought in $1,337,574. However, both fall short of the figures announced by NASCAR for this weekend.
Previewing the Jack Link’s 500 race at Talladega Superspeedway
Last season, Tyler Reddick won the opening Talladega race by charging from third out of Turn 4 and dodging a last-lap crash, eventually making a three-wide pass on Brad Keselowski and Noah Gragson. It marked his first win of the year and sixth overall. This season, he holds a 12.4 average finish and sits seventh in the standings for 23XI Racing. Clearly, he is a driver to watch out for.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the second Talladega race, earning his second win at the track in 23 starts. He already has eight top-fives and 11 top-10s at the track, making him a key contender.
Other strong fan favorites include William Byron, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, and Denny Hamlin, all boasting good average finishes at the superspeedway—14.4, 14.6, 15.0, 15.9, and 16.6, respectively.
