The Jack Link’s 500 this past weekend at Talladega bored some, and excited others. Carson Hocevar surged home for his first career NASCAR victory. On lap 114, a 26-car ‘Big One’ wreck occurred. Other than that, fans deemed it less-than-exciting, with nearly a 50% approval rating, per Jeff Gluck’s X poll.
Whether exciting to the eye or not, penalties occurred on track, and they affected the race. From speeding penalties, NASCAR flubbing a Lucky Dog, and much more, this is what went down at Talladega Superspeedway for Race Weekend No. 10.
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Cars Sent to R&D Center
The No. 8 of Kyle Busch and the No. 38 of Zane Smith were sent to the NASCAR Concord, NC R&D Center post-race. As of Tuesday afternoon, the cars cleared further inspection. The same results occurred for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series cars of Brent Crews (No. 19), Chandler Smith (No. 38), and Jesse Love (No. 2).
Two Cars Sent to the Rear
Pre-race, the No. 10 of Ty Dillon and the No. 16 of AJ Allmendinger were sent to the rear of the field. They lost pit stall selection and the car chiefs, marking the 15th and 16th penalties in the series as such in 2026.
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Speeding on Pit Road
Superspeedway racing makes it hard to get to pit road under the green flag without speeding. The following cars sped on pit road, derailing their race days:
|
Driver |
Lap Penalized |
|
Denny Hamlin |
40 |
|
Chad Finchum |
41 |
|
Daniel Dye |
45 |
|
Riley Herbst |
47 |
|
Riley Herbst |
81 |
|
Shane van Gisbergen |
145 |
26-Car Wreck Ends Days
Ty Gibbs spins after an on-track incident during the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link’s 500. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)Talladega Wreck 2026
On lap 114, a connection of Ross Chastain and Bubba Wallace caused a wreck up front, collecting 26 cars. The following had their days end by the accident:
|
Driver |
|
Bubba Wallace |
|
Ryan Blaney |
|
Cole Custer |
|
Joey Logano |
|
Kyle Larson |
Safety Violations
Chase Briscoe endured multiple pit road safety violations, highlighted by a missed pit stall in which he struck a member of his crew. The member was healthy despite taking a flying hit. Once, Briscoe went to the rear, and once, he had a pass-through.
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Tire Violations
The No. 8 of Kyle Busch and the No. 38 of Zane Smith endured tire violations, perhaps causing both of the cars to be sent to the R&D Center post-race.
Crossing the Double-Yellow Line
Riley Herbst failed badly this weekend, enduring the most penalties of any driver, including two speeding penalties and a lap 92 penalty for dipping below the double-yellow line barrier.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
