What’s Happening?

NASCAR returns after the last off-weekend of the season, at Talladega Superspeedway, which has secured its reputation as one of the most exciting tracks in NASCAR, the world’s largest oval, known for its high speeds, dramatic crashes, and pack racing. Adored by fans and feared by some drivers, it’s a venue where legends are forced to show their talent and luck. Just as we did for Darlington and Bristol, and will keep doing all season long, we’re breaking down the top 10 all-time lap leaders at Talladega, along with their key stats, besides reviewing the top 15 active drivers with the most laps led at the superspeedway. And that’s not all; we’re also examining some of Talladega’s historic track records and the names still holding them, so stick around until the end to check them out.

1st. Dale Earnhardt – 1377 [19.1%]

2nd. Buddy Baker – 1136 [18.4%]

3rd. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 967 [15.7%]

4th. Jeff Gordon – 902 [11.3%]

5th. Bobby Allison – 703 [13.3%]

6th. Darrel Waltrip – 666 [8.2%]

7th. Cale Yarborough – 593 [12.5%]

8th. Bill Elliott – 526 [5.4%]

9th. Matt Kenseth – 524 [7.6%]

10th. Joey Logano – 509 [9.0%]

Top 15 Active Drivers Rank

• 1st. Joey Logano (509)
• 2nd. Denny Hamlin (438)
• 3rd. Brad Keselowski (324)
• 4th. Ryan Blaney (290)
• 5th. Kyle Busch (282)
• 6th. Chase Elliott (215)
• 7th. Ricky Stenhouse Jr (137)
• 8th. William Byron (109)
• 9th. Bubba Wallace (94)
• T10th. Ross Chastain (85)
• T10th. Michael McDowell (85)
• 12th. Erik Jones (80)
• 13th. Alex Bowman (68)
• 14th. Austin Cindric (60)
• 15th. Kyle Larson (55)

Track Records

• Most Races: Terry Labonte & Dave Marcis (61)
• Most Laps Run: Michael Waltrip (10,181)
• Most Laps Led: Dale Earnhardt (1377)
• Most Wins: Dale Earnhardt (10)
• Most Poles: Bill Elliott (8)
• Most Top 5s: Dale Earnhardt (23)
• Most Top 10s: Dale Earnhardt (27)
• Most Lead Lap Finishes: Kevin Harvick (34)
• Qualifying Lap Record: Bill Elliott | 209.398 MPH | May 5th, 1985
• Worst Starting Position by a Winner: 36th – Jeff Gordon in April 2000
• Winners from Pole: 15 in 111 Races – Latest: Denny Hamlin on October 4th, 2020
• Most Lead Changes in a Race: 88 in April 2010 and April 2011
• Fewest Lead Changes in a Race: 13 in October 1973
• Fun Fact: The last three races at Talladega have had exactly 4 cautions each, averaging the least amount of cautions at the racetrack since the lowest ever from 2001 to 2003, when the three races had 3, 3, and 0 cautions, respectively, averaging just two cautions per race

Let us know your thoughts on this list. Are there any drivers that surprise you? What track record do you think is never being broken? Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates.