How The Eight Playoff Drivers Historically Perform at Talladega

Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

If you thought the finish to last weekend's NASCAR Cup Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (the South Point 400) was a nail-biter... just you wait for the finish of Sunday's YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

For the first time in the 11-year history of this NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs format, NASCAR has elected to move a superspeedway event into the semi-final round of the post-season, which means that a victory in Sunday's event by any of the eight eligible post-season drivers locks them into the Championship Race.

With that being said, there's also a general element of terror that courses through the veins of racecar drivers with it comes to racing on the superspeedways; whether that be because of a massive wreck that could be looming around the corner (ask Ryan Preece), or a handful of points that could fly out the window because a driver 15 spots ahead of you made a mistake.

Denny Hamlin, winner of last weekend's nail-biter at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, is the ONLY DRIVER that isn't feeling that element of terror, with his ticket already being punched to the Championship 4. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is already preparing to give it his all at Phoenix Raceway in search of the Bill France Cup.

RELATED: NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Grid After Las Vegas

However, Hamlin is one of the four playoff-eligible drivers who have been to Victory Lane at Talladega Superspeedway, collecting victories at the 2.66-mile superspeedway in 2014 and 2020. Chase Elliott (two wins), Ryan Blaney (three wins), and Joey Logano (three wins) have also been to Victory Lane.

Hamlin, as previously mentioned, has already locked himself into a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix, but the other three drivers? Chase Elliott sits sixth in playoff standings, 23 points below the cutline, while the Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney sit seventh and eighth, 24 and 31 points below the cutline, respectively.

Let's be honest with ourselves, here, though. When it comes to competing at Talladega Superspeedway, a driver's statistics aren't really that important, as much as a driver's overall luck is. These stats can be helpful to determine which drivers are solid at the superspeedways, but stats aren't going to lead you to choosing the winner of the YellaWood 500.

The YellaWood 500 will take place on Sunday, October 19 at 2:00 PM ET on NBC.

Playoff Drivers Stats at Talladega:

Driver	Starts	Wins	T5s	T10s	Laps Led	Avg. Fin
Kyle Larson	21	0	3	5	58	21.0
Chase Elliott	19	2	6	9	216	14.1
Denny Hamlin	39	2	11	17	445	16.7
Ryan Blaney	22	3	6	8	290	16.9
Chase Briscoe	9	0	1	2	25	16.2
Christopher Bell	11	0	1	3	27	20.9
Joey Logano	33	3	9	11	533	19.5
William Byron	15	0	5	7	119	13.7

To compare, and get a better idea of which drivers have been strong on superspeedways when it comes to NASCAR's seventh-generation racecar -- from 2022 to 2025 -- here are the stats from the last four seasons at Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and the newly-reconfigured EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway).

Playoff Driver Stats at Superspeedways (NextGen Era):

Driver	Starts	Wins	T5s	T10s	Laps Led	Avg. Fin
Kyle Larson	23	0	4	5	101	20.35
Chase Elliott	22	3	5	11	257	13.45
Denny Hamlin	23	0	2	5	129	20.87
Ryan Blaney	23	2	9	13	326	14.30
Chase Briscoe	23	0	3	5	118	20.57
Christopher Bell	23	1	6	8	78	18.09
Joey Logano	23	2	4	5	635	21.70
William Byron	23	4	7	11	265	15.87