NASCAR at Talladega: Where to watch, live stream, lineup, race preview, pick to win for the Jack Link’s 500

LINCOLN, Ala. — Of all racetracks across the globe where racers dare to go as fast as possible, none inspires more awe and produces a more awesome spectacle of speed than Talladega Superspeedway. Nestled in the forests of Alabama, Talladega sticks out as a massive asphalt battleground. Around its 2.66-mile length and up on top of its 33-degree banking, nowhere in the world do race cars go as fast as closely together as they do here.

For the first time in 2025, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will screw their courage to the sticking place and try to stick at the front of the lead pack in the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega. With the field constantly three-wide and even four-wide inches apart at the highest speeds possible, Talladega is one of the most mentally demanding racetracks on the circuit, with a fine line separating glory from disaster. As was the case in this race a year ago, when Michael McDowell went from leading off turn 4 coming to the checkered flag to triggering The Big One as Tyler Reddick drove through for the win.

Where to watch the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega

When: Sunday, April 2 at, 3 p.m. ET
Where: Talladega Superspeedway — Lincoln, Alabama
TV: Fox
Stream: fubo (try for free)

Storyline to Watch

The outcome of the first two races of the season in February illustrated that as the recurring warts of the Next Gen car become more obvious four years into its lifetime, there is still much to be desired as far as the racing product it provides at Daytona and Talladega. The Daytona 500 remained a fuel-saving affair where the field remained largely gridlocked for most of the race, frustrating drivers and their sense of autonomy compared to Atlanta, where the importance of handling put the race much more in the drivers’ hands and was much more well-received.

While it remains to be seen whether or not the aerodynamic rules for superspeedways will be changed for the sake of competition anytime soon, NASCAR is in the process of developing a new aerodynamic device to better reduce the chance of airborne crashes, such as the one Ryan Preece experienced in the Daytona 500 in February. On NASCAR.com’s Inside The Race, vice president of performance Dr. Eric Jacuzzi shared that competition officials are developing a new flap for the A-Post designed to further reduce liftoff speed, with the hope that the device will be ready for Daytona in August.

NASCAR news of the week

• Spire Motorsports announced this week that the team has parted ways with Rodney Childers, the 2014 Cup Series champion crew chief, effective immediately. Childers had only been nine races into his tenure with Spire, having joined the team this year as the crew chief for the No. 7 team and driver Justin Haley. Ryan Sparks, Spire’s Director of Competition, will replace Childers and return to the role as No. 7 team crew chief he had vacated at the end of last year.
• NASCAR’s championship race will return to Homestead-Miami Speedway, as The Athletic has reported that Homestead is expected once again host the season finale in 2026 after losing the date to Phoenix Raceway following the 2019 season. The reported arrangement, however, is only for the 2026 season as NASCAR is reportedly looking to rotate the venue of the championship race each year beginning in 2027.
• The NASCAR Hall of Fame has announced its nominees for the Class of 2026, with 2004 NASCAR Cup champion Kurt Busch and two-time Xfinity Series champion Randy LaJoie joining the modern era ballot and three-time Cup champion crew chief Jake Elder joining the pioneer ballot. Busch and LaJoie join Greg Biffle, Neil Bonnett, Tim Brewer, Jeff Burton, Randy Dorton, Harry Gant, Harry Hyde and Jack Sprague on the modern era ballot, while Elder joins Ray Hendrick, Banjo Matthews, Larry Phillips and Bob Welborn on the pioneer ballot.
• NASCAR has announced the race format for the 2025 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, extending the main event to 250 laps and adding a Manufacturer Showdown pitting Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota teams against each other and the option of a “Promoter’s Caution.” Returning elements include heat races to set the starting lineup and the All-Star Open, which will see the top two finishers and the winner of a Fan Vote advance to the main event.
• The past week has seen the passing of two more figures in the NASCAR industry: Mike Chase, the 1994 NASCAR Winston West champion and a former Cup Series driver, died April 18 at the age of 73 after a long illness. Chase’s racing career saw him make 13 starts in the Cup Series, most notably the 1994 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.

  This week also saw the passing of Dr. Jerry Petty, who over the course of five decades became regarded as the top doctor and medical professional in the sport, at the age of 90.

Pick to Win

Austin Cindric (+1600) — Cindric is now two months removed from coming off turn 2 with the lead and a chance to win his second Daytona 500 only to get swallowed up by the rest of the pack and knocked out of the way. That’s the way it’s gone for Cindric on superspeedways as of late, including last fall at Talladega when he got spun while leading in the final laps to trigger a 28-car pileup that was among the largest in NASCAR history.

Still, Cindric has continued to habitually find himself at the front with a chance to win in the last several speedway races dating back to last year — which includes both this year’s Daytona 500 and then Atlanta a week afterwards.