TALLADEGA, Ala. – Austin Cindric claimed his first victory of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with a dramatic last-lap pass in the Jack Link’s 500 on April 27, 2025, at Talladega Superspeedway, beating Ryan Preece by .022 seconds. However, post-race disqualifications of Preece and Joey Logano for spoiler violations elevated Kyle Larson and William Byron to second and third, reshaping the final standings and boosting Cindric’s Team Penske Ford to a playoff-clinching win.
Cindric’s No. 2 Ford exchanged the lead five times with Preece’s No. 60 Ford in the final six laps, culminating in a photo-finish. “I’m just so proud of this team from the [pit] cycles to the fast cars to the fuel-only stops,” Cindric said, crediting a lightning-fast pit stop with 17 laps remaining. “It definitely wasn’t easy,” he added, noting Larson’s strategic pushing in the tri-oval. The race, marked by 67 lead changes among 23 drivers, showcased Talladega’s signature chaos, though only four cautions—two for stage breaks—kept the action relatively clean.
The disqualifications, due to an illegal spoiler on Preece’s car and a spoiler violation on Logano’s No. 22 Ford, moved Hendrick Motorsports’ Larson and Byron into the top three. “I wanted to take it, but just felt like the gap was too big,” Larson said of his runner-up finish, his career-best at Talladega. “I needed something else to kinda happen, maybe them to get blocking each other.” Byron, finishing third, retained the championship lead, 31 points ahead of Larson.
Noah Gragson (Front Row Motorsports) and Chase Elliott (Hendrick) rounded out the top five, followed by Carson Hocevar, Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suárez, and Austin Dillon. Wallace, the Stage 2 winner, led five laps, while Larson won Stage 1. The race, attended by 80,000 fans under sunny skies, averaged 157.203 mph over 3 hours, 10 minutes, and 52 seconds.
A lap 43 crash marred the day for former Talladega winners Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney. Keselowski, colliding with Kyle Busch during a pit cycle, spun and collected Blaney, finishing 36th and 37th, respectively. “It was just a stack of guys trying to come to pit road as fast as they could,” Keselowski said, lamenting the incident that also involved Chris Buescher and Christopher Bell. Blaney, with his fourth DNF of 2025, said, “Another DNF – it just sucks.”
Cindric’s win, the 10th different winner in Talladega’s last 10 races, secured his playoff spot. “Having a photo-finish at Talladega and get in the Playoffs in front of this amazing crowd, beautiful day in Alabama,” he said. The disqualifications, reported by NASCAR.com, underscored the sport’s strict technical oversight, impacting Preece and Logano’s point totals.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for the Wurth 400 on May 4, with Elliott as the defending champion. Byron’s consistent finishes keep him atop the standings, but Cindric’s victory signals Team Penske’s resurgence. “TALLADEGA DELIVERS AGAIN!” posted @NASCARInsider on X, capturing the race’s electrifying finish.
