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NASCAR Monday Mash-Up: Talladega without the Big One

JHby:Jonathan Howard•04/28/25•

Jondean25

Austin Cindric Talladega NASCAR
Mandatory Credit: Jason Allen-Imagn Images

Another wild NASCAR weekend in Talladega, but we didn’t get the “big one.” Does that mean it was a disappointing weekend? I’m not ready to go that far, mostly because I had fun watching the races.

I know that for many fans, Talladega means seeing big wrecks and things like that. While there were wrecks, many of them were just single-car or a few cars at most.

NASCAR has another weekend at Talladega later this year. I’m sure that we will see the big one break out then when everything is on the line in the playoffs. Let’s go over what happened at the biggest, baddest track in the sport and then move on to Texas.

Kyle Larson wrecks IndyCar, wins Outlaws race

In the middle of the week, Kyle Larson was in Indianapolis for the Indy 500 refresher tests. On the second day, Larson found the limit and hit the wall, his first time wrecking an IndyCar.

Larson shook that off quickly and then went and won a World of Outlaws race. He did it all before coming to Talladega and finishing P2 in the race.

Lawless Alan breaks through in ARCA Menards Series

In the ARCA race, it was fairly good. These development drivers kept it together outside of a few mishaps on the track. It all led to one breakthrough win.

Lawless Alan is in the ARCA Menards Series full-time this season. He now has his first-career win in the series. Could it lead to more wins as Lawless competes for the championship?

Cleetus McFarland keeps it real American post-race

In his second ARCA Menards Series race, Cleetus McFarland scored his first top-10 finish. He did it with one of his valve springs completely broken in half.

While McFarland is a YouTuber and mostly races Nissan Altimas and other junkers for fun, he has some real skill. He can at least hold his wheel steady and avoid trouble on the track, more than many drivers can say.

Aric Almirola pulls in front of Katherine Legge

One of the most significant moments in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega was this Aric Almirola incident. He was told he was clear, he made the move, and he hit Katherine Legge.

Legge was having a solid race, staying out of trouble. Almirola admitted to his mistake, placing some blame on the spotter. This set up the final segment of this race.

Connor Zilisch slams the Talladega wall during NASCAR Xfinity race

The final caution of the NASCAR Xfinity race at Talladega was a single-car wreck. Jesse Love gave his buddy Connor Zilisch a hard bump, and into the inside wall the 88 car went. Hard. Like, really hard.

Thankfully, Zilisch appears to be fine. He was a little sore on Sunday morning but is expected to race this weekend at Texas.

Austin Hill wins NASCAR Xfinity race at Talladega, Jeb Burton protests

With Connor Zilisch wrecking, the race was over. But who won? Jeb Burton, Jesse Love, and Austin Hill all made claim to the win until an official decision was reached.

In the end, Hill was ahead at the time of the caution. Burton protested on pit road after the race, but it was in vain. Hill was the winner, and there was photo evidence to back it up.

Chris Buescher’s crew chief rips Denny Hamlin

In Stage 1, Christopher Bell was sent into the inside wall by his teammate, Denny Hamlin. Chris Buescher also got caught up in the incident, taking him out of the race.

Buescher’s crew chief, Scott Graves, took to X/Twitter to criticize Hamlin. “I see why you have an insurance sponsor [Denny Hamlin], can I file a claim?”

Joey Logano loses his mind over Austin Cindric after Stage 2

The only big one at Talladega this weekend was Joey Logano having a big one over Austin Cindric at the end of Stage 2. Logano lost the stage win to Bubba Wallace, and he unloaded a flurry of NSFW words on the radio in response.

To his credit, Cindric avoided wrecking his teammate. Anyway, the No. 22 had more issues than just a Stage 2 finish.

NASCAR has no big one at Talladega, Cindric wins clean race

This race came down to a clean, green flag run. For yet the third Talladega race in a row, RFK Racing has lost in a close runner-up finish.

This time, that runner-up didn’t last very long. Ryan Preece came up short to Austin Cindric, but perhaps it was for the best.

Logano, Ryan Preece disqualified after NASCAR race at Talladega

Following the NASCAR Cup race at Talladega, there was not one but two disqualifications in the top-five. Both Joey Logano and Ryan Preece got disqualified.

Team Penske does not plan on appealing the decision. RFK has not made a decision yet, but it was a huge blow to Preece and this No. 60 team after coming up short for the win.