Kyle Larson wins YellaWood 500 at Talladega in overtime
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 26, 2026
Overtime finish at Talladega
Kyle Larson won the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, charging from 11th on the final lap of overtime to grab the lead and edge William Byron by 0.041 seconds. Larson drove the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to the finish and collected his first career Cup Series victory at Talladega, along with his first superspeedway win in NASCAR’s premier series. The result stood after post-race inspection found no issues, and Larson and the No. 5 team were declared the official winners.
The victory gave Larson his 35th career NASCAR Cup Series win and his third of the season. It also came in a race with 41 lead changes among 15 drivers and four cautions for 18 laps. Byron finished second and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished third.
Talladega wrecks shape race
The finish came after a race that included heavy contact. A 15-car crash with five laps remaining sent Joey Logano’s car onto its roof, and he climbed out under his own power. The race had already featured another major incident when Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick were collected in a 12-car wreck during Stage 2.
Christopher Bell’s day went wrong in a different way. He lost control entering pit road on Lap 56 and finished 35th. Positions changed quickly, and every restart carried risk. Byron stayed close enough to challenge for the win, but the final scramble belonged to Larson.
Larson extends points lead
Larson left Talladega with a 73-point lead over Denny Hamlin in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with two races left. Bell stood third, 74 points behind Larson, after a race that damaged his finish. Larson heads into the closing stretch after adding a Talladega victory to a season that already includes three wins.
The title race now moves forward with Larson in front. Larson took advantage of the overtime restart and left with both the victory and the points cushion. Hamlin remains behind Larson, who carries the lead into the final two races with a superspeedway win under his belt.
