Since August 2024, whispers started circulating that the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway might be pushed forward to feature in the third round of the playoffs. The revelation that the race in the 2025 schedule will now fall within the Round of 8 has not been warmly received by fans.
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The Talladega race is scheduled as the second race in the Round of 8 and the third-to-last race of the season. However, given the track’s reputation as NASCAR’s most unpredictable battlefield — where twelve drivers have clinched their first wins, but five of these drivers never tasted victory again — many fans have argued that it should not have been placed at such an important stage of the competition.
When NASCAR recently posted a picture of the 2025 schedule featuring Talladega in the Round of 8, the announcement stirred a mix of disbelief and dismay among fans.
One expressed, “Talladega round of 8 should be illegal.”
Another quipped, “still can’t get over how they pit Talladega in the RO8 We’re getting like Josh Berry or Austin Cindric in the champ 4 lol.”
One particularly disgruntled fan made their feelings clear with a barrage of emojis: “Dega round of 8.”
Bookmark this. 🔖
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. 👇 pic.twitter.com/jZ3t5JbJ43
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) January 2, 2025
Talladega’s track history consists of rousing triumphs and devastating defeats. It has seen its share of drama, with more than a dozen races featuring at least 10 cars mired in ‘Big One’ accidents, including a chaotic final-lap crash in April 2024 that saw Reddick take the win.
The track is notorious for spectacular crashes with cars sailing into the catch fencing, flipping, tumbling, and often racing three- and four-wide.
William Byron boasts the highest average finish at Talladega with a 14.4. Across his 14 starts at the track, Byron has secured four top-5 finishes and six top-10s.
Yet, despite his consistent performance, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has not been able to win a race on the track so far. His top finish at the track came in October 2023 when started at P8 but managed to finish the race in P2.
In 2024, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the YellaWood 500 during the Round of 12, although he didn’t advance to the playoffs. But, with the race now in the third round, it will play a critical role in determining which drivers will vie for the Cup at Phoenix, marking their entry into the Championship 4. Hence, drivers would be more mindful of their moves on the superspeedway.
