The first of two stops at Talladega Superspeedway is this weekend. The second stop will have more drama attached, given that the Oct. 25 date represents the third-to-last race of the season. But, every race is important given the magnitude of taking down a win and improving in the standings, so this week’s Jack Link’s 500 is one worth watching. Obviously the speeds on the big track add an element of intrigue to the race, as the 2.66-mile loop allows the drivers to really open it up.

This is the 10th race of 36 for the Cup Series season, which includes three road course races as mentioned, a street course in Coronado, a revamped playoff format, the second annual In-Season Challenge, and a whole lot of exciting Saturdays and Sundays for race fans and bettors.

When: Sunday, April 26, 2026

Where: Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, AL

Time: 3:00 p.m. ET

Channel: FOX

2026 NASCAR Cup Series Winners and Standings

Through nine races, we have five winners. One week after Ty Gibbs picked up his first career win, Tyler Reddick picked up his fifth win of the season. He has an overwhelming points lead by more than 100 over Denny Hamlin. Reddick’s 457 points include 74 stage points, which ranks fourth. NASCAR changed the value of getting a win, helping Reddick to this enormous lead this early in the season.

The other race winners are Ryan Blaney, Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and Gibbs. Hamlin is second in stage points with 83 and has 352 points overall. Blaney sits 15 points behind him, while Gibbs, who hasn’t finished worse than ninth since the second race of the season at Atlanta, is in fourth. Kyle Larson leads the Cup Series in stage points and is fifth. While he doesn’t have a race win yet, he’s won three stages in the last two races and has finished third and second, respectively.

The rest of the top 10 features Elliott, William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski, and Christopher Bell. Elliott has the lone win and three top-five finishes, while Byron has two, Wallace has one, Keselowski has two, and Bell has three.

The postseason format has changed and so has the qualification, as winning a race isn’t guaranteed to result in a playoff spot. The top 16 in points get in and there are no rounds in the postseason now, so it’s just a sprint to see who can accumulate the most points.

It seemed as though Larson’s near-miss at Bristol would be a good sign heading to Kansas. He didn’t win, but he had another strong finish and he’s certainly knocking on the door. But, when we look at recent past performances at Talladega, Larson has zero wins with three top-five finishes. Byron hasn’t won yet, but he has four top-five finishes and the most points over those 10 races.

In fact, we’ve had 10 different winners in the last 10 races, as Reddick, Elliott, Blaney, Wallace, and Keselowski all have one, plus Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Busch, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

For the latest odds and VSiN’s NASCAR Best Bets, head to our NASCAR Hub to see Steve Makinen’s simulation results and more stats on the drivers.

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