TALLADEGA, Ala. — The NASCAR Cup Series drivers still don't truly know what to expect heading into Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. ET on NBC).
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Once again, they are set to take the green flag at a drafting track with an updated aero package, one that NASCAR slightly changed after it debuted at Daytona International Speedway.
The updated aero package from Daytona featured a four-inch spoiler, new spoiler braces, and tapered spacers reducing the horsepower to 465. The horsepower remains the same for Talladega, but the spoiler is even smaller. It now is only 3.5 inches.
This only creates more unknowns for the drivers as they prepare for one of three remaining races in the Chase.
"I feel like you combine the track surface and the age here that it has — and I know it's not necessarily super-hot, but certainly the sun being out on this racetrack, I think the cars will have an element of poor handling," Chase Elliott said in response to a question from FanBuzz.
"To what degree, I don't know. But I'm excited to find out. I kind of enjoyed the unknown at Daytona. I thought it was kind of fun, just having absolutely no idea what to expect. I think there'll be another element of that here this weekend."
The expectation before Daytona was that these changes would make handling more of a premium. NASCAR wanted the racing to be more like what is found at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Multiple drivers expressed excitement heading into Daytona, saying that no one had "scienced out" the new aero package. They had no data to lean on. They just had to take the green flag and race.
Once they climbed out of their cars at Daytona, they expressed wildly different opinions about the changes. Some said they did not remotely feel a difference with the smaller spoiler and reduced horsepower.
This vocal group included Brad Keselowski, who said his car drove almost identically to how it had at other superspeedways. Christopher Bell mostly expressed disappointment while providing his thoughts on pit road.
Tyler Reddick was different than Christopher Bell in that he felt the updated aero package at Daytona was a noticeable change.
He believes the 1/2-inch smaller spoiler will still make a difference at Talladega, just not as much. pic.twitter.com/KKWvK0gkvB— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) October 24, 2026
Elliott, Daniel Suarez, Chase Briscoe, and others applauded the change while saying that they had more freedom to make moves. This freedom at drafting tracks is something that had eluded them during the Gen 7 era of NASCAR.
Not that these drivers called this a perfect fix for the superspeedway package; they just viewed it as a step toward a more ideal setup.
"I still think that this was a positive direction, and I absolutely thought that there was more space between the cars at Daytona than what we've had in years past," Denny Hamlin said in response to FanBuzz.
"So I think that this is another little small step compared to the big step we took there. But again, it's incrementally in the right direction. But this racetrack races differently; it's a little bit wider, so that the runs aren't quite as big here as what they are at Daytona.
"So, there's lots of outside factors that we really are not going to know until it all plays out. Certainly, a day race here is also going to make it a little bit slicker as well. So we'll just... again, I'm going to find out as soon as you do (smiles)."
The differences between Daytona and Talladega will only create more unknowns for the drivers as they test out the new aero package, but it will also provide crucial feedback for those back at NASCAR R&D.
This race will show if the updated package can move between the two big superspeedways on the schedule while producing a more exciting form of racing that helps de-emphasizes fuel saving.
It will show if the drivers can make the moves they desire using actual runs while racing in the pack and trying to gain position. This package will show if they just avoid slamming into each other constantly until a big wreck unfolds.
"I think, for us, to have better Cup racing, my opinion for the superspeedway stuff, is we've got to have some type of bubble effect out of the back of the car," Austin Hill said. "That's what makes the O'Reilly Series so good on the superspeedways is you have that bubble effect. You have to create your runs. You can't just throttle up and drive into the back of somebody to create a run.
"You actually have to work at it and back up to the guy behind you; get connected with them, create that run, that sort of thing. You have to break through that bubble. On the Cup side, you don't really have that. I know that was something that we were working on for Daytona. I felt like we got closer in the sense of being able to run more single-file stuff."
