Monday Morning Pit-Stop is a weekly NASCAR column broadcast on OutKick.com and Fox News Digital. If you’re looking for a normal NASCAR recap, go check out the insufferable ESPN…assuming they still know NASCAR exists.
I’m not even sure I have a good finish like that will save NASCAR this week…
Lord. What a day at Talladega. There was everything. This is usually the case.
The cars tip over. The cars take off. One of the hardest hits I’ve ever seen. Kyle Larson goes from 11th to first place in about 10 seconds to win at the buzzer.
NASCAR’S JOEY LOGANO CROPS ON HIS ROOF, RILEY HERBST NAILS THE WALL AT FULL SPEED IN DANGEROUS TALLADEGA WRECK
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Did it go below the “yella” line? Maybe. Maybe not. A story as old as time in Talladega.
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 25, 2026, in Talladega, Alabama. (Getty Images)
Between all of this chaos, we had – arguably – the most embarrassing streak in NASCAR history. It was definitely the most embarrassing on a superspeedway. The drivers were so annoyed by it that they openly made fun of it on the radio… and it happened!
How they participated!
It was pathetic. This Next Gen car is so pathetic and so broken, and so far from what this series was, I don’t even know where to go from here. Neither does Denny Hamlin.
There’s “fuel economy”, and then there’s everything that was happening yesterday in Stage I. You’ll see.
Four tires are enough fuel to get through the final two races and crown Kyle Larson champion (that’s it, folks), and maybe a Tylenol for Riley Herbst and Joey Logano… Monday morning pit stop — the “Well, I wonder why the notes are in the toilet?” edition — is LIVE!
NASCAR has a mileage problem
Look, we had a great result yesterday, as you can see, and we desperately I needed it after the failure that was the playoffs. There has been no drama in the last eight weeks, other than Carson Hocevar putting Ryan Blaney in a locker. That’s it.
And we Finally I had it yesterday in the last laps at Talladega. This is what I WANT to start the course with, but I can’t.
I can’t do it.
Not when it’s shit This goes into the opening phase:
For those who can’t tell what’s going on, the entire field – minus the RFK boys (MAHA!) – decided to save fuel on the first stage so they wouldn’t have to pit, because this current car, combined with the length of the stages, makes it almost impossible to run the race without running out of gas.
CHASE ELLIOTT SAYS NASCAR’S EXHAUSTING 10-MONTH SEASON CAN EAT YOU WITH NO ESCAPE
As Denny Hamlin said After racing, “it’s a sports car that’s not meant to go 200 mph.”
Correct. This is what NASCAR created with this car + scene combo on superspeedways. Basically, if you don’t run slow, stay on project and save as much fuel as possible, you will pay the price during pit stops.
Drivers hate it, but they don’t really have a choice. They were miserable yesterday.
Just listen to what Denny said during the race!
If NASCAR doesn’t fix this, it’s over.
“It’s crazy bullshit,” he said. “It’s like the Richard Petty driving experience in a race!”
I experienced Richard Petty and Denny is 10,000% right. When you do that, they cap the cars at 175 MPH. This is what we had yesterday at ‘Dega. Cars drive as slowly as possible to save enough fuel so they don’t have to make a pit stop.
This shouldn’t happen at Talladega or Daytona. These two are easily your best tracks, NASCAR. Trust me. You don’t want to waste them…
And you screw them up. A great moment. It’s pathetic. It’s embarrassing. People will turn the channel.
Damn, they already did it!
Take a look:
Flips, hits and maybe dips (below the yellow line)?
Lord.
Last Sunday’s Cup race in Phoenix attracted an audience of just 1.2 million viewers. This number is alarming, my friends. I’ve seen a lot of bad TV numbers for NASCAR over the years. Believe me.
It’s really, really, Really bad. You don’t want to live in a world where the WNBA outperforms NASCAR, and that’s what we’re teetering on right now. It’s unfathomable. This is unacceptable.
This is also not surprising.
Fans react as an on-track incident occurs during the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama on October 25, 2026. (Getty Images)
Some thoughts on Why, in order of importance:
- The TV deal sucks. It made a lot of money, but it’s really poor in terms of visibility. Do you know how many races were broadcast on television this season? Eight, including yesterday at Talladega. Eight! Six on FOX, two on NBC. Before yesterday’s race on NBC, there had been a race on network television since the spring (Daytona in August). It’s horrible.
- The calendar sucks. I’m not talking about the trails themselves, I’m talking about the time of year. NASCAR pits its 10-race “Chase” against college football and the NFL. It’s like taking a knife to a gunfight. No sport will win this fight, least of all NASCAR. Chase Elliott said it years ago, and it’s still true today: The season has to end around Labor Day weekend. There is no advantage to facing the NFL.
- The Next Gen Car was a bigger obstacle than a laugh from Kamala Harris. You saw it on full screen yesterday. The fans despise him. Drivers despise him. You can’t pass. You can’t push the car. It’s very clearly mediocre when it comes to fuel economy. God forbid you try to run in “dirty air.” People are not stupid. They saw what it did to those races, and they lost interest.
- I would also say that the show is out of star power (Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr., and Tony Stewart have all left in the last decade), and that there is also just a general lack of drama in these “playoffs.” There’s no longer an elimination race, which is what hardcore fans wanted, but casual fans will probably miss. It’s just the truth.
OK, give me your thoughts on this – and don’t hold back! Zach.Dean@OutKick.com. Sip.
Now let’s move on to some quick hitters on the outing. First of all ? Congratulations to Kyle Larson! He won yesterday in exciting fashion and will probably be your champion here in two weeks.
But…did he do it legally?
Thoughts? It’s really close. Like, really, really, Really close.
I think NASCAR made the right choice, and I HATE siding with NASCAR. But it’s fair, it’s fair, and I think Larson’s tires remain in play, even if just barely.
Once again, it was CLOSED:
Does this angle change anyone’s mind? No?! We’re just going to be stubborn and set in our ways and argue until we’re blue in the face?
Okay, okay! It looks good!
Let’s move on…
I know Joey Logano flipping and landing on his hood gets all the clicks and attention, but the hit Riley Herbst takes here is the hardest hit of the 2026 NASCAR season.
Goodness:
Just a huge success for Riley Herbst, who is doing well. I know it took NASCAR seemingly forever to get to him (listen to how frustrated the team is on the radio), but he spoke after the race and everything seems fine.
But it was a huge success. Ryan Blaney has taken a few over the years, and they scare me every time. When I saw this wreck happening in real time, my attention immediately went to Herbst above Logano.
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Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, is involved in an on-track incident during the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 25, 2026, in Talladega, Alabama. (Getty Images)
Cars that flip over and ride on their hoods are usually OK. Cars that go into the wall at 190 MPH usually don’t.
I feel like we dodged a bullet here.
Okay, that’s all for today. Good job everyone.
On our way out, here’s Jesse Love’s girlfriend, Georgia Kryssing, enjoying a pumpkin patch as we enter the last week of October.
See you in Martinsville.
Gn headline
