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Coming off a couple of very different race weekends, NASCAR arrives at Talladega Superspeedway for Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500 at the Cup Series’ biggest track.

During Saturday morning’s Busch Light pole qualifying, Front Row Motorsports continued its hold at the point as 24-year-old Zane Smith took his No. 38 Ford around the track at 182.174 mph to earn his first career top spot.

It was the third straight pole for Front Row at Talladega.

Kyle Busch’s No. 8 Chevrolet will start beside Smith, while the Fords of Joey Logano and Ryan Preece will start from Row 2.

Tyler Reddick, the defending race winner, will start 26th in his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota.

The talk in the infield media center, garage and haulers will likely center around the last two races: a brutal Bristol for everyone not sporting Kyle Larson colors, followed by an incredibly delightful visit to Rockingham Speedway.

After last spring’s quirky, tire-falloff oddity in cool temperatures, not much happened in Thunder Valley on April 13 as Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet scorched its way around the half-mile Bristol bullring to lead 411 of the 500 laps on a warmer day.

At least the 2024 version was compelling.

The only reason Larson didn’t repeat his 462 laps led in last September’s Bristol race was because of Ryan Blaney’s strategy of not pitting, putting him in position to lead 48 circuits. But the No. 12 Ford driver lost on the yellow flag for the second straight week — not needing it when leading at Darlington and not getting it when needed at Bristol.

The excitement ramped back up on Easter weekend when the Xfinity, Craftsman Truck and ARCA series gave fans who tuned in on FS1 and the CW plenty of action and tight racing at Rockingham that Bristol sorely lacked.

The racing was so good at the 1.017-mile, D-shaped speedway located in North Carolina’s sand hills that it begged a question: Is there a future place on the Cup schedule for The Rock?

“We know that (NASCAR Executive Vice President) Ben Kennedy told the Charlotte Observer that, ‘Yes, we’re looking at Rockingham. We could go back there in 2027 if everything goes good,'” said former driver Kenny Wallace on social media.

Wallace was at the track with fellow Missourian Ken Schrader for the festivities and racing’s return and said he felt optimistic about Rockingham.

“It was a grand slam. … I feel really good that NASCAR Cup Series will be back at Rockingham in 2027,” he added.

As for the mammoth Talladega 2.66-mile high-banked challenge, it produced in a way as big as its layout one year ago.

Running fifth off the final turn, Reddick drove his No. 45 Toyota through a mess sparked by blocking from leader Michael McDowell as the field approached the checkers. The Team 23XI driver won his first 2024 race for team owner Michael Jordan as chaos started behind him.

While Reddick is the defending race winner, 15-year veteran Ricky Stenhouse Jr. notched just his fourth career victory when the Cup Series returned to the high-speed track east of Birmingham, beating Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford in early October.

Talladega also has a history of drivers recording their very first Cup wins at the Alabama superspeedway.

Keselowski found Victory Lane in 2009 for his initial triumph in NASCAR’s top series. Over three straight seasons running from 1986-88, Bobby Hillin Jr., Davey Allison, Phil Parsons and Schrader were first-time series winners. And Stenhouse (2017) and Bubba Wallace (2021) also scored checkers there for the first time.

So a driver like Preece, Ty Gibbs, John Hunter Nemechek, Smith, Carson Hocevar, Noah Gragson or Riley Herbst should hang in there, be patient and try to avoid “The Big One.”

Sunday may be your day.

–Field Level Media