Kyle Larson delivered one of the closest finishes of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season by winning Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. However, the race quickly raised scrutiny among fans who called the race one of the least entertaining Talladega races in recent years.
Larson claimed victory by inches after a dramatic final lap that saw him recover from outside the top 10 to take the checkered flag. Joey Logano’s race ended in dramatic fashion after his car flipped in a late incident, while RFK Racing dominated the opening stage with a fuel strategy that separated its three drivers from the rest of the field.
A large portion of the criticism focused on the first stage, when the fierce pack racing that has made Talladega famous was subordinated to fuel conservation. Furthermore, for some fans, an impressive finish was insufficient to compensate for everything that had come before it.
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Stage 1 of the race
In the Stage 1 of the race, teams slowed their pace to extend fuel mileage rather than race aggressively in the draft.
Talladega is traditionally known for high-speed pack racing, constant lead changes and multi-car battles. Sunday’s opening stage looked markedly different.
RFK Racing broke away from the main group as Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece executed an alternate strategy. The trio built a sizable advantage and swept the top three stage positions while much of the field remained focused on saving fuel.
Although the approach proved effective competitively, many fans questioned whether it made for compelling racing. One fan responding to NASCAR reporter Jeff Gluck’s post-race poll described it as “one of the worst Dega races of all time.”
“One of the worst Dega races of all time, the last 10 laps were good tho. Shoutout to RFK for exposing the silly fuel saving strategy I hope that was a wake up call for NASCAR,” the fan wrote.
Another fan wrote, “After the first 30 laps it was great. Loved seeing that RFK strategy play out and work. Also extremely bias that Larson won and all of the other contenders wrecked out.”
Others said NASCAR should address superspeedway fuel-saving tactics before the next Daytona 500. One wrote, “It was a great finish but that doesn’t equate to a good race for many it seems. The Daytona 500 is three races from now. I’d be all hands on deck to try and fix this fuel savings BS.”
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Dramatic finish earns praise despite divided reaction
Not all reactions were negative.
Many fans praised Larson’s remarkable comeback and the closing laps, which featured multiple lead changes and a photo finish. One fan wrote, “Everything after Stage 1 was great. Objectively, it was a snooze fest thanks to strategy. But, for the first time in a long time we were seeing cars able to rebound much quicker after getting hung out by the pack.”
Others applauded RFK Racing for attempting a strategy different from the rest of the field instead of following the fuel-saving approach adopted by many competitors. “RFK made it good for a while,” a fan commented.
