“Should Be Illegal”: NASCAR Fans Still Furious Over 2025 Talladega Decision as Playoff Inclusion Finds No Takers

Neha Dwivedi | 03/01/2025
NASCAR Cup Series driver Michael McDowell (34) leads the field during the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images

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.

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.”

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.

Post Edited By: Srijan Mandal
William Byron

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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