Carson Hocevar delivered a career‑defining performance on Sunday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway to capture his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory.
In a race that featured massive multi‑car wrecks, a late‑race caution and a three‑lap shootout to the finish, the 23‑year‑old Spire Motorsports driver proved both speed and poise, holding off Chris Buescher by just 0.114 seconds in a side‑by‑side drag to the checkered flag.
Alex Bowman delivered a career-best third, followed by Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, while Zane Smith nabbed fifth in a breakout performance for Front Row Motorsports.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. parlayed his Stage 1 win into sixth, as Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Noah Gragson and Kyle Busch wrapped up the top ten.
2026 NASCAR Cup Talladega Jack Link’s 500 Race Results
| Pos | Car | Driver | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.000s |
| 2 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing Ford | +0.114s |
| 3 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.140s |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.184s |
| 5 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports Ford | +0.208s |
| 6 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.252s |
| 7 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet | +0.271s |
| 8 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske Ford | +0.397s |
| 9 | 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports Ford | +0.461s |
| 10 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | +0.545s |
| 11 | 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports Ford | +0.679s |
| 12 | 7 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet | +0.774s |
| 13 | 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing Chevrolet | +0.784s |
| 14 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing Toyota | +0.832s |
| 15 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +0.939s |
| 16 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing Chevrolet | +0.943s |
| 17 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +3.323s |
| 18 | 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing Ford | +3.324s |
| 19 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | +3.346s |
| 20 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet | +3.421s |
| 21 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet | +6.201s |
| 22 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club Toyota | +1 Lap |
| 23 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club Toyota | +1 Lap |
| 24 | 78 | Daniel Dye | Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet | +2 Laps |
| 25 | 35 | Riley Herbst | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +2 Laps |
| 26 | 88 | Connor Zilisch | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | +3 Laps |
| 27 | 33 | Jesse Love | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | +3 Laps |
| 28 | 66 | Chad Finchum | Garage 66 Ford | +6 Laps |
| 29 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +8 Laps |
| 30 | 44 | Joey Gase | NY Racing Team Chevrolet | +11 Laps |
| 31 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing Ford | +22 Laps |
| 32 | 71 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports Chevrolet | +39 Laps |
| 33 | 21 | Josh Berry | Stewart-Haas Racing Ford | DNF |
| 34 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | DNF |
| 35 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | DNF |
| 36 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing Toyota | DNF |
| 37 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske Ford | DNF |
| 38 | 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Chevrolet | DNF |
| 39 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske Ford | DNF |
| 40 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | DNF |
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