Motorsport photoThe tenth round of the 2026 NASCAR Cup season takes place at Talladega Superspeedway -- the biggest oval on the NASCAR schedule. In this guide, you can find all the information you need to be ready for 500 miles of racing at the 2.66-mile Alabama track.The History and Track Dimensions for Talladega SuperspeedwayTalladega Superspeedway BillboardTalladega Superspeedway BillboardThe idea came from NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., who also constructed Daytona International Speedway. Originally, he planned to build a sister track to Daytona in South Carolina, and after several years of scouting locations there and later in Alabama, and finally secured approval to build a massive oval at the defunct Anniston Air Force Base.Originally called Alabama International Motor Speedway, Talladega held its first Cup race in 1969, but due to safety concerns, most of the usual stars boycotted the event.

Filling the field with drivers from lower divisions, the race was still a hit with the fans as there was other oval in the country quite like it. It's longer (2.66-miles) and wider (48ft) than Daytona with steeper banking (33 degrees) in the corners, and the finish line is at a unique spot, much closer to the entrance of Turn 1. Even the tri-oval is banked at 16.5 degrees.

The track has hosted over 100 Cup races and currently has two events on the calendar -- one in spring and a second during the championship Chase in the fall. What makes the racing at Talladega different?Three-wide racing at TalladegaThree-wide racing at TalladegaSuperspeedway racing is unique in NASCAR, as the field of 40 cars remain tightly packed for the entire race. Due to the size of these tracks and the fact that NASCAR restricts the engines for safety reasons, the drivers can run full-throttle at all times.

This makes for nonstop action with the field relying on bump-drafting as the pack fans out three and four wide. This leaders to incredibly close finishes, and also, massive crashes as one mistake can eliminate half the field in an instant.The racing has also evolved with each era of car. NASCAR began restricting the engines after an airborne crash at Talladega in 1987, when Bobby Allison went into the catch-fence.

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, tandem drafting emerged and completely changed the way the racing looked, with pairs of cars working together and driving away from the greater pack. However, the racing has since returned to the pack racing fans expect to see at Talladega, more or less. The Next Gen car has made track position surprisingly important as moving back-and-forth through the field has grown more difficult, especially when trying to create a third or even fourth lane.Full Weekend ScheduleFriday, April 245:30pm EST -- NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series qualifying -- CW APPSaturday, April 2510:30am EST -- NASCAR Cup Series qualifying -- PRIME VIDEO12:30pm EST -- ARCA Menards Series race (76 laps) -- FOX SPORTS 14pm EST -- NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race (113 laps) -- THE CWSunday, April 263pm EST -- NASCAR Cup Series race (188 laps) -- FOXImportant Storylines to FollowCrash involving Josh Berry, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford; Ryan Preece, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford; Corey LaJoie, Spire Motorsports ChevroletCrash involving Josh Berry, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford; Ryan Preece, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford; Corey LaJoie, Spire Motorsports ChevroletNew stage lengths to limit fuel-saving: Fuel-saving has become a controversial topic at Daytona and Talladega, with drivers running part-throttle in order to spend less time on pit road.

To counter this, NASCAR has tweaked the stage lengths, making Stage 1 for the Cup race much longer at 98 laps. Stage 2 and Stage 3 will be 45 laps each, so no one will have to make a green-flag stop.Avoiding the Big One: It seems like the hardest aspect of racing at Talladega is making it to the checkered flag. Massive race-halting wrecks that can involve at least 20 cars are always lurking around the next corner, and even slight damage could be enough to prevent a driver from keeping up in the draft and knocking them out of contention.

No place is safe, either. However, most wrecks take place in the tri-oval where cars get light and the pushes remain aggressive.Will NASCAR let the race finish under green: A topic of debate at superspeedways always surrounds NASCAR's decision to throw a race-ending yellow or not when last-lap crashes break out. In the Daytona 500, they let the field race back despite utter carnage unfolding in both 2024 and 2025, but they've also thrown the yellow for far less severe incidents in the past.

It appears that the Sanctioning Body is doing more now to let these races unfold naturally, and drivers won't be 100% sure what warrants a yellow as they battle to the checkered flag on Sunday.Keeping cars on the ground: Last summer, NASCAR added additional flaps to the Cup cars in order to stop cars from going airborne and upside down. Since then, there have been no blowovers at