2026 Jack Link's 500

Background , the track where the race will be held. Talladega Superspeedway, formerly known as Alabama International Motor Speedway, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. A tri-oval, the track was constructed in 1969 by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking. The track currently hosts NASCAR's Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which is 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km). On October 4, 2024, Jack Link's was announced as the title sponsor for the race, ending an 11-year run by its predecessor, GEICO. Entry list • (R) denotes rookie driver. • (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points. ==Qualifying==

Qualifying for the race was canceled due to inclement weather. Tyler Reddick was awarded the pole for the race as a result of NASCAR's pandemic formula with a score of 1.000. Starting lineup ==Race==

The race was red-flagged on lap 116 as a result of a 27-car crash that occurred on the backstretch into turn 3. Race results Stage Results Stage One Laps: 98 Stage Two Laps: 45 Final Stage Results Stage Three Laps: 45 Race statistics • Lead changes: 52 among 16 different drivers • Cautions/Laps: 6 for 30 laps • Red flags: 1 for wreck clean up (9 minutes, 58 seconds) • Time of race: 3 hours, 23 minutes and 25 seconds • Average speed: • Margin of victory: 0.114 seconds ==Media==

Television Fox Sports covered their 26th race at the Talladega Superspeedway. Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and 2010 spring Talladega winner Kevin Harvick called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little, Regan Smith, and Josh Sims handled pit road for the television side, and Larry McReynolds provided insight on-site during the race. Radio MRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Mike Bagley, and former championship winning crew chief Todd Gordon called the race in the booth when the field raced through the tri-oval. Dave Moody called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 2 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2. Tim Catalfamo will call the race from a platform inside the backstretch when the field raced down the backstretch and Dan Hubbard called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 4 when the field raced through turns 3 and 4. Steve Post, Chris Wilner, Jason Toy, and Jacklyn Drake worked pit road for the radio side for MRN. ==Standings after the race==

;Drivers' Championship standings ;Manufacturers' Championship standings • Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings. ==References==