Talladega playoff race: Riley Herbst, John Hunter Nemechek, Erik Jones to start from rear

Three drivers will start from the rear in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway. Riley Herbst, John Hunter Nemechek, and Erik Jones will have to come from the back due to unapproved adjustments, per Dustin Long of NBC Sports.

Sunday’s race is the middle race of the Round of 8. Just three races remain in the 2025 season, and a champion will be crowned next month at Phoenix Raceway. Currently, the only driver locked into the Championship 4 is Denny Hamlin, who took the checkered flag last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

One of the other seven drivers left in the playoffs will look to join him with a win at Talladega. Two drivers who might be in must-win territory already are the Team Penske duo of Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano. Blaney, who blew a tire at Las Vegas on Lap 73, is 31 points below the cutline. Logano, though he finished sixth, is 24 points off from the final transfer spot into the Championship 4.

Talladega playoff race could invite chaos

Until then, the idea of Penske not having a representative in the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway was hardly discussed. Now, it’s a real possibility. Penske has been the championship winner each year of the Next Gen era. They were thought to be the favorites again this season with the schedule setting up favorably in the postseason. That all changed after Las Vegas.

Fortunately for both Penske drivers, they are more than capable of picking up wins at Talladega and the following week at Martinsville Speedway. Blaney and Logano each have three wins at Talladega. Logano has one career win at Martinsville and 12 consecutive top 10 finishes. Blaney has won the fall Martinsville race in each of the past two seasons to clinch his spot in the Championship 4.