NASCAR Talladega 2026: This Week’s Top 20 Driver Rankings for the Jack Link’s 500

1. Tyler Reddick (1st in points, 457 pts, 5 wins)

Five wins in nine races. The man is on a completely historic season and Talladega is actually one of his better tracks which makes this week particularly fascinating.

Reddick won the Jack Link’s 500 in 2024 and his last three Talladega finishes since then have all been 20th or better, including a seventh-place effort last fall.

He’s a proven Talladega winner who understands how to navigate the superspeedway draft and position himself late in the race. He’s also already won two superspeedway races in 2026 at Daytona and Atlanta, which tells you the 23XI Racing Toyota has been a superspeedway force all season long. Can he make it six wins in ten races? At Talladega anything is possible.

2. Denny Hamlin (2nd in points, 352 pts, 1 win)

Hamlin moves up to second in the standings after his strong fourth-place Kansas finish and he arrives at Talladega with real credentials at this track.

He’s a two-time Talladega winner with victories in the fall races. 

Talladega requires patience, smart positioning, and the ability to be in the right lane at the right moment, all things Hamlin is genuinely excellent at.

He comes in with momentum from three straight strong race weekends and the 23XI and JGR alliance should give him strong Toyota push partners on Sunday afternoon.

3. Ryan Blaney (3rd in points, 337 pts, 1 win)

Here’s where things start getting really interesting for Talladega week specifically. Blaney has three career Cup wins at Talladega Superspeedway, tied with Joey Logano for the most among active drivers.

He and Logano are the early co-favourites at +1000 for the Jack Link’s 500 and the market has it basically right this week.

Blaney is one of the best superspeedway racers in the garage when things are clicking and Team Penske has consistently been a strong superspeedway organisation.

After a frustrating Kansas where pit road issues cost him again, Talladega is genuinely the kind of fresh start where he can remind everyone what he’s capable of.

4. Ty Gibbs (4th in points, 319 pts, 1 win)

Gibbs is riding the wave of his first career win at Bristol two weeks ago and arrived at Kansas with confidence, finishing ninth. Talladega is a completely unknown variable for him in terms of how the No. 54 JGR Toyota fits into the superspeedway dynamic this year. JGR tends to run in strong alliance with 23XI Racing at the superspeedways which gives Gibbs powerful push partners.

The confidence from that first win has clearly unlocked something in how he’s racing and Talladega could be a track where his aggressive instincts play very well.

5. Kyle Larson (5th in points, 314 pts)

Larson at Talladega is an interesting one because superspeedways have historically been a bit of a wildcard for him compared to the tracks where he’s been absolutely dominant. He has zero wins at Talladega but three top-five finishes in the Next Gen era.

He’s been in the conversation at this track without quite getting the result and after back-to-back near-misses at Bristol and Kansas the hunger to get that first 2026 win is absolutely real. Talladega could either be the breakthrough or another tough day. It’s genuinely hard to predict with this track type.

6. Chase Elliott (6th in points, 305 pts, 1 win)

Chase Elliott is a two-time Talladega winner with a victory in the 2022 fall race and another in 2019. He understands how to close at superspeedways and has the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet alliance working in his favor at draft tracks.

He was quiet at Kansas finishing eighth but Talladega is a completely fresh canvas and his superspeedway credentials are genuinely strong. He’s a driver worth watching closely in the closing laps on Sunday.

7. William Byron (7th in points, 275 pts)

Byron leads all active drivers in Next Gen era wins on drafting tracks with four victories. That’s a remarkable number. Four wins at Daytona and the superspeedway tracks since 2022 makes him one of the most dangerous drivers in the entire field this weekend.

He had a tough Kansas where he bounced back from Bristol’s disaster to finish seventh, but Talladega is where Byron has genuinely been one of the best cars in the garage in the Gen 7 era. Don’t sleep on him this week.

8. Bubba Wallace (8th in points, 275 pts)

Bubba Wallace is a Talladega winner, taking the fall 2021 race in one of the most emotional victories in recent NASCAR history. He consistently performs well at superspeedways and the 23XI Racing alliance with JGR gives him a powerful push partner network at a track where relationships between teammates and manufacturer allies are everything.

He finished fifth at Kansas last week showing his form is very much alive heading into the superspeedway. Keep an eye on him late in the race.

9. Brad Keselowski (9th in points, 264 pts)

Brad Keselowski leads all active drivers in Talladega wins with six career victories at the track. Six wins. Let that sink in for a second. Only Dale Earnhardt with ten has more all-time.

Keselowski absolutely owns this track historically and while his recent Talladega form hasn’t quite matched those peak years, the institutional knowledge of how to win at this place doesn’t just disappear.

He finished sixth at Kansas last week which is a solid intermediate result. He’s one of the most dangerous drivers in the field at Talladega this Sunday.

10. Christopher Bell (10th in points, 261 pts)

Bell had a genuinely heartbreaking Kansas where he led 47 laps and was in position for a brilliant result before getting caught up in the overtime restart contact and spinning to 20th. That’s the nature of racing sometimes and it’s genuinely not a reflection of where the No. 20 JGR Toyota is as a race car right now.

At Talladega the deck gets completely shuffled and Bell has shown genuine superspeedway ability in the Gen 7 era. JGR’s strong alliance with 23XI Racing at draft tracks gives him solid push partners and he’ll be motivated to bounce back from Kansas in a big way this Sunday.

11. Chris Buescher (11th in points, 259 pts)

Buescher has been one of the most consistent drivers in 2026 and Talladega suits Ford machinery well in the superspeedway draft. RFK Racing tends to run a strong three-car alliance with Keselowski and Preece and that gives Buescher allies when it matters most late in the race.

He’s been quietly excellent all season and a top-fifteen result at Talladega would keep his impressive points run going strong.

12. Carson Hocevar (12th in points, 237 pts)

Hocevar continues to be one of the feel-good stories of the 2026 season and Talladega is a fascinating track for him because superspeedways are genuinely one of the great equalisers in NASCAR. The draft brings the smaller teams into play in ways that intermediate ovals simply don’t. Spire Motorsports runs Chevrolet which puts them in alliance with Hendrick at draft tracks.

Hocevar’s natural aggression and racecraft instincts absolutely translate to superspeedway racing. He could surprise some people on Sunday.

13. Ryan Preece (13th in points, 235 pts)

Preece has finished 15th or better in three of the last five Talladega races, which is quietly solid superspeedway form for the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford. He’s been one of the most consistent drivers in the field all season and

Talladega is a track where his aggressive short-track-style instincts actually work well. RFK’s three-car alliance is strong at superspeedways and Preece benefits from that. He’s worth watching as a dark horse this week.

14. Joey Logano (14th in points, 225 pts)

Logano has three career Talladega wins and leads all active drivers in laps led at the track with over 509 laps led in 32 starts. The Racing Experts He’s led laps in 24 of those 32 starts at Talladega which tells you the No. 22 Team Penske Ford has consistently been a factor at this track even when the wins haven’t always followed in recent seasons.

He and Blaney are the early co-favorites at +1000 and the market respects his Talladega credentials. He halted a long superspeedway dry spell with a third at Daytona earlier this season. He’s absolutely one to watch this Sunday.

15. Chase Briscoe (15th in points, 214 pts)

Briscoe had a brilliant week at Kansas finishing third which was the highlight of our pool card last week. At Talladega the script changes completely. Briscoe won the fall 2025 Talladega race, which is significant and very recent superspeedway credentials for the No. 19 JGR Toyota.

He has JGR alliance partners at draft tracks and his natural aggression suits superspeedway racing well. He might fly somewhat under the radar in the picks conversation this week after Kansas but his Talladega track record demands attention.

16. Daniel Suarez (16th in points, 210 pts)

Suarez is sitting right on the playoff bubble heading into Talladega which adds a real edge of desperation to his weekend.

At superspeedways desperation and aggression can actually work in your favor when the draft compresses the field and everyone is racing for position in the closing laps. Trackhouse Racing runs Chevrolet which puts them in the Hendrick alliance at draft tracks. A clean race and a top-fifteen finish would be huge for his playoff positioning.

17. Austin Cindric (17th in points, 197 pts)

Austin Cindric won this very race in 2025, the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega, using a late pit strategy call to beat Ryan Preece in a photo finish.

The defending Jack Link’s 500 champion arrives at the track knowing exactly what it takes to win here. Team Penske has been a consistently strong superspeedway organization and Cindric’s performance last year showed he absolutely has the racecraft and the boldness to close at Talladega when it matters.

18. Shane Van Gisbergen (18th in points, 178 pts)

SVG at Talladega is one of the most interesting wild cards on the entire grid this week. Superspeedway racing is genuinely unlike anything else in NASCAR and his lack of oval experience matters less here than at any other track type.

The draft brings everyone into play and his natural instincts for racing close to other cars at high speed from his supercars background could actually be a genuine asset. He’s been quietly impressive all season and Talladega might be the track where nobody sees him coming.

19. Michael McDowell (19th in points, 174 pts)

McDowell has spent his entire career being very good at superspeedways and Talladega specifically. He won the Daytona 500 in 2021 and has consistently been a factor at both Daytona and Talladega throughout his career with Front Row Motorsports.

The draft brings smaller teams into the conversation and FRM has consistently punched above their weight at superspeedways. He’s worth keeping a very close eye on this Sunday. Don’t write him off because of where he sits in the standings.

20. Ross Chastain (20th in points, 164 pts)

Chastain won the spring 2022 Talladega race and has genuine superspeedway credibility that his 2026 season results don’t currently reflect. He’s outside the playoff bubble and that desperation at Talladega is a genuinely dangerous combination.

His aggressive instincts and willingness to make bold moves late in a race are exactly the traits that can win at a superspeedway. He’s absolutely back on the radar this week and we’ll talk about him more in the picks post.