Larson wins Talladega on the last lap, Logano flips, Smith takes Trucks and O'Reilly: Week 44
Kyle Larson's first superspeedway win leaves him 73 points clear with two races left, and the same weekend brought Sammy Smith's Truck and O'Reilly double at Talladega, three Porsche Carrera Cup titles at COTA, and the Martinsville preview.
Kyle Larson won the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 25, going from 11th place to first on the last lap of overtime. He beat his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron by 0.041 seconds. 12
The win was Larson's first in 59 starts on drafting tracks, and it pushed his Chase lead to 73 points over Denny Hamlin with two races left. 13
The same afternoon reshaped the Chase. Christopher Bell spun into the inside wall on his way to pit road, Ryan Blaney was knocked out in a 12-car crash, and Joey Logano flipped upside down with five laps left in regulation. 1
Sammy Smith won twice on consecutive days at the same track, taking the Truck Series race on Oct. 23 and the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Oct. 24. 45
At Circuit of The Americas, Tyler Maxson clinched the Porsche Carrera Cup North America title on Saturday and then won the season's final race on Sunday. 6
Results below cover Oct. 19-25. The watch list covers Oct. 26-Nov. 1 in UTC, which matters this week: US Eastern time returns to standard time on Sunday, Nov. 1. 7
Cup: Larson comes from 11th with a lap to go
The RFK Racing trio of Chris Buescher, Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski turned the opening stage into a three-car breakaway. They ran nose to tail, opened 40 seconds on the field and Buescher won the stage after leading a race-high 53 laps. 1
Bell, second in points coming in, lost his race on the first green-flag stop. His No. 20 Toyota broke loose entering pit road on Lap 56 and slammed the inside wall, and a fender rub then cut a right-front tire. 1 He finished 35th, 12 laps down. 2
The first big crash came on Lap 132 of 188. Logano and Blaney broke apart at the front of the outside lane, Blaney was shoved into the wall, and Bubba Wallace had nowhere to go behind him. Twelve cars were involved, eight of them Chase drivers. Blaney, Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott went to the garage. 1
Logano won the second stage by 0.012 seconds over Larson after a side-by-side run through the tri-oval. 1
With five laps left in regulation, Carson Hocevar got into Logano's rear bumper in the draft. Logano spun into traffic, flipped, and slid down the track on his roof. Riley Herbst hit the inside wall and then the outside wall in the same incident, which drew a 13-minute red flag and collected 15 cars. 12
"Just got a little push in the wrong spot there," Logano said. "This time, I don't think anything really caved or crushed at all." 1
Larson was 11th with a lap to go in overtime. Austin Hill ran out of fuel off Turn 4, the outside lane stalled, and Larson came through on the bottom with a run. 12
"I really felt it and definitely the best speedway race I've ever had," Larson said. 1
| Finish | Driver 2 |
|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson |
| 2 | William Byron, 0.041 behind |
| 3 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 0.066 |
| 4 | Ross Chastain, 0.073 |
| 5 | Cole Custer, 0.165 |
| 6 | Carson Hocevar, 0.182 |
| 7 | Todd Gilliland, 0.211 |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin, 0.442 |
| 9 | Alex Bowman, 0.461 |
| 10 | Michael McDowell, 0.485 |
The first six finishers all drove Chevrolets. 1 Post-race technical inspection closed without issue and confirmed Larson as the winner. 1
Larson's lead now stands over three Joe Gibbs Racing teammates: Hamlin by 73, Bell by 74 and Chase Briscoe by 79. Logano is 100 back, Blaney 107 and Reddick 126. 13
NASCAR lists Reddick, seventh at 126 points behind, as the last driver still mathematically in the title chase. 1
| Pos. | Driver | Behind Larson 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson | Leader |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | −73 |
| 3 | Christopher Bell | −74 |
| 4 | Chase Briscoe | −79 |
| 5 | Joey Logano | −100 |
| 6 | Ryan Blaney | −107 |
| 7 | Tyler Reddick | −126 |
| 8 | Austin Cindric | −183 |
| 9 | Ty Gibbs | −183 |
| 10 | Carson Hocevar | −198 |
| 11 | William Byron | −214 |
| 12 | Chase Elliott | −218 |
| 13 | Bubba Wallace | −218 |
| 14 | Daniel Suárez | −240 |
| 15 | Ryan Preece | −249 |
| 16 | Chris Buescher | −255 |
Talladega was the eighth of ten Chase races. The 2026 format is a straight ten-race points battle with no eliminations, and the champion is crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 8. 8
O'Reilly: Smith wins the second half of his Talladega double
Sammy Smith came off Turn 4 alongside Carson Kvapil and won by 0.084 seconds. Kvapil had led the white-flag lap and blocked Smith's run into Turn 3 before Smith pulled even for the drag to the line. 5
Kvapil won the first stage and Justin Allgaier won the second. Harrison Burton won the race off pit road to open the final stage on a strategy call, but Kvapil took the lead back on the restart. 5
Points leader Jesse Love drew a pit-road penalty at the stage break that sent him to the rear of the field, and he still finished third. 5 Austin Hill slowed with a flat tire with 11 laps left and finished 35th, two laps down. 5
| Finish | Driver 5 |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sammy Smith |
| 2 | Carson Kvapil, 0.084 behind |
| 3 | Jesse Love, 0.131 |
| 4 | Justin Allgaier, 0.144 |
| 5 | Sheldon Creed, 0.207 |
| 6 | Corey Day, 0.274 |
| 7 | Blaine Perkins, 0.292 |
| 8 | Dean Thompson, 0.327 |
| 9 | Brandon Jones, 0.367 |
| 10 | Anthony Alfredo, 0.434 |
Love still leads the championship, but Allgaier cut the gap from 36 points to 19 by finishing fourth with two stage points in hand. Corey Day is third at 29 back. 5
| Pos. | Driver | Behind Love 5 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesse Love | Leader |
| 2 | Justin Allgaier | −19 |
| 3 | Corey Day | −29 |
| 4 | Sheldon Creed | −50 |
| 5 | Carson Kvapil | −59 |
| 6 | Sam Mayer | −96 |
| 7 | Sammy Smith | −108 |
| 8 | Taylor Gray | −155 |
| 9 | Austin Hill | −168 |
| 10 | Brandon Jones | −189 |
| 11 | Parker Retzlaff | −201 |
| 12 | Rajah Caruth | −218 |
Two races remain in the nine-race O'Reilly Chase. The next one is the National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 31. 5
Truck: Smith wins Friday, Honeycutt holds 43 points
The Truck race lost most of its contenders early. Stewart Friesen slowed with a problem on Lap 17, the field stacked up behind him, and the resulting red flag collected Tony Stewart, Cleetus McFarland and Kris Wright among others. 4
Giovanni Ruggiero won that first stage, Tanner Gray won the second, and the race came down to a two-lap dash after Thomas Annunziata spun into the wall with seven laps left. 4
Smith got a shove from Ty Majeski on the last lap and held off Tyler Ankrum by 0.091 seconds. Austin Green was third, 0.093 back, with Majeski fourth and points leader Kaden Honeycutt fifth. 4
| Finish | Driver 4 |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sammy Smith |
| 2 | Tyler Ankrum, 0.091 behind |
| 3 | Austin Green, 0.093 |
| 4 | Ty Majeski, 0.108 |
| 5 | Kaden Honeycutt, 0.125 |
| 6 | Landen Lewis, 0.272 |
| 7 | Brenden Queen, 0.277 |
| 8 | Layne Riggs, 0.278 |
| 9 | Spencer Boyd, 3.605 |
| 10 | Corey Heim, 5.863 |
Honeycutt's lead over Layne Riggs grew from 39 points to 43, with Ty Majeski now third, 141 back. 4
| Pos. | Driver | Behind Honeycutt 4 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaden Honeycutt | Leader |
| 2 | Layne Riggs | −43 |
| 3 | Ty Majeski | −141 |
| 4 | Chandler Smith | −142 |
| 5 | Christian Eckes | −144 |
| 6 | Gio Ruggiero | −177 |
| 7 | Daniel Hemric | −194 |
| 8 | Ben Rhodes | −203 |
| 9 | Tyler Ankrum | −214 |
| 10 | Grant Enfinger | −219 |
The race was also the last for Rackley W.A.R. in the Truck Series. The team's co-owners, Curtis Sutton and Willie Allen, said the Talladega weekend would end a six-season Truck program while their late model operation continues. 9
Two races remain. The Truck Series runs the Black's Tire 200 at Martinsville on Oct. 30. 7
IMSA: three Carrera Cup titles at COTA while WeatherTech waits
The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship has been idle since Petit Le Mans on Oct. 3-4 and does not race again until the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 28-31, 2027. 10 Its Porsche Carrera Cup North America support series closed its season at Circuit of The Americas on Oct. 24-25. 11
Tyler Maxson clinched the Mobil Pro title on Saturday with a conservative third-place finish, then won Sunday's finale by 6.077 seconds for his ninth win of the season. The result also secured the Entrant Championship for TOPP Racing for a second straight year. 6
Janne Stiak won Saturday's race and finished second on Sunday, after Callum Hedge took a 10-second track-limits penalty that decided third in the points. 6
Patrick Mulcahy won the Pro-Am class on Sunday for the 15th time in 16 races and took that title. Scott Blind won the Masters class both days, and Marco Cirone took the Masters championship. 6
Dirt and short tracks
- World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, Short Track Nationals finale, Texarkana 67 Speedway, Oct. 24: Michael Kofoid took the $25,000 first prize, sliding Carson Macedo for the lead with five laps left and surviving two red flags. Ashton Torgerson and Blake Hahn both flipped and climbed out, and Logan Schuchart spun out with a broken suspension. 12 Macedo had won the $20,000 opener on Oct. 23. 13
- World of Outlaws Late Models, Modoc 100, Modoc Speedway, Oct. 24: Jonathan Davenport won the 60-lap, $25,000 finale ahead of Ryan Gustin and Hudson O'Neal. Bobby Pierce came from the tail of the field to second before dropping out on Lap 56, and Cody Overton led early until a blown tire ended his night on Lap 17. 14
- FloRacing Night in America, Volunteer Speedway, Oct. 22: Jimmy Owens held off Jonathan Davenport by inches at the line to win $20,000, with Chris Madden third and Hudson O'Neal fourth. 15
Transfers and team news
- Keselowski's bid to buy RFK Racing was rejected. Brad Keselowski confirmed he made an unsolicited offer for the team he is leaving at the end of the season, and that it was turned down in the week before Talladega. Jack Roush and Fenway Sports Group are the remaining owners. 16
- TRICON Garage filled out its 2027 Truck lineup. Sammy Smith will drive the No. 15 and Dawson Sutton the No. 5, both announced at Talladega on Oct. 23. 17
- Two TRICON drivers re-signed. Kaden Honeycutt will stay in the No. 11 and Gio Ruggiero in the No. 17, both announced Oct. 21. 17
- Peterson Racing and Austin Green parted ways. Green, who lost the No. 87 seat to Nick Sanchez for much of the summer, is out; the team also apologized for hostile messages directed at him and its own staff. 18
- Keith Kunz Motorsports is closing after 2026. The Indiana midget powerhouse has listed its shop for sale. Its USAC National Midget drivers include points leader Jacob Denney. 19
Rules and the garage
- Zane Smith was fined $50,000. NASCAR's penalty report from Phoenix cited a behavioral violation of sections 4.4a and 10.5.2.5a for Smith driving into Carson Hocevar after the checkered flag on Oct. 18. 20
- Three drivers were sent to the rear before Talladega. Ty Dillon had to serve a pass-through penalty at the start after his team adjusted the car post-inspection, and Cole Custer and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. dropped to the rear for unapproved adjustments. 21
- Talladega post-race inspection was clean. No further penalties followed the Cup race. 1
Drag racing: two NHRA races left, and Las Vegas is next
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is off until the Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 29-Nov. 1, the 19th of 20 races and the second-to-last Countdown round. 22
Shawn Langdon still leads Top Fuel by 139 points over Doug Kalitta after Antron Brown ended his four-race winning streak at Texas, with Brown third, 224 back. J.R. Todd's Funny Car win over Matt Hagan in the final left Todd 119 points behind the leader. 22
The JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod series does settle its championship in Las Vegas, and the points-and-a-half format at the last of its 11 races puts four drivers within 67 points. Justin Bond leads Mike Stavrinos by 17, with Derek Menholt and reigning champion J.R. Gray next. 23
What to watch: Oct. 26-Nov. 1
| Date and time (UTC) | Event | Venue | Where to watch 7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct. 30, 16:30 | Truck Series practice and qualifying | Martinsville Speedway | FS2 |
| Fri, Oct. 30, 19:00 | O'Reilly Series practice and qualifying | Martinsville Speedway | ESPN Unlimited |
| Fri, Oct. 30, 22:00 | Truck Series: Black's Tire 200 | Martinsville Speedway | FS1 |
| Sat, Oct. 31, 17:00 | Cup Series practice and qualifying | Martinsville Speedway | truTV, HBO Max |
| Sat, Oct. 31, 20:00 | O'Reilly Series: National Debt Relief 250 | Martinsville Speedway | The CW, ESPN Unlimited |
| Sun, Nov. 1, 02:00 | ARCA Menards Series West: NAPA Auto Parts 150 | Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway | FloRacing |
| Sun, Nov. 1, 19:00 | Cup Series: Xfinity 500 | Martinsville Speedway | NBC, HBO Max |
| Oct. 29-Nov. 1 | NHRA: Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals | The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway | NHRA.tv, NHRA on YouTube (select sessions) |
NHRA qualifies Friday and Saturday in Las Vegas and runs eliminations from Sunday morning. 23
Martinsville is the penultimate race of the season, run on its half-mile oval. 8 The champion is crowned at Homestead-Miami a week later. 8
Larson takes a 73-point cushion into the last two races. 3
IMSA has nothing on the calendar until the Rolex 24 in January. 10
References
- 1
- 2
- 3NASCAR standings after Talladega Superspeedway
racingnews.co
- 4
- 5
- 6Tyler Maxson caps Carrera Cup title run with victory on Sunday
porschecarreracup.us
- 7
- 8
- 9NASCAR team closing after the race at Talladega
racingnews.co
- 10WeatherTech: 2027 Schedule
imsa.com
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16Brad Keselowski says he offered to buy RFK Racing
racingnews.co
- 172027 NASCAR Silly Season Blog
josephsrigley.com
- 18
- 19Keith Kunz Motorsports shop for sale; Team closing
racingnews.co
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
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