Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney among drivers who react to potential NASCAR car changes for Talladega
NASCAR drivers shared their thoughts on the potential car changes for the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. They joined a meeting with NASCAR to discuss possible changes to prevent cars from getting airborne.
Talladega is one of the two superspeedways on the Cup Series calendar. With a high average speed of about 180 mph, the race officials seek safety innovations to prevent accidents. One of the expected changes is an air deflector on the right side of the windshield.
NASCAR veteran reporter Bob Pockrass asked the drivers what they think about the potential car changes for the 2.66-mile oval track. Ryan Blaney applauded the sport for finding ways to keep the cars planted on the track.
“It’s nice that they’re thinking about this stuff. You know, trying to keep tires on the ground,” Blaney said. [0:17]
The No. 12 Team Penske Ford driver appreciated NASCAR for hearing what the drivers had to say.
“I feel like they've always done a good job, at least, especially the last handful of years, of kind of presenting us with something and then listening to what we have to say.”
Joey Logano admitted not favoring one of the options presented to the drivers.
“There’s a couple of different options. One of them, I don’t feel like is a great option… all to help keep the car on the ground and cars sideways, which all in the right direction for that, but not the best,” Logano said. [2:12]
When Pockrass asked Logano to elaborate on his comment, the No. 22 Team Penske driver refused.
Daniel Suarez believed that the league was smarter than the drivers, hence he didn’t ask questions during the meeting. Meanwhile, Alex Bowman and Christopher Bell stayed neutral with their opinions regarding the matter, with the latter driver saying:
“Honestly, it's not a really big topic for me, and it doesn't really move the needle for me as far as giving them input and having a big preference either way.” [2:55]
While an air deflector on the right side of the windshield would push the cars away from the walls, drivers argue the safety tech could hinder visibility, which could lead to a crash when a driver is making a pass from the outside.
The drivers will return to Talladega Superspeedway on October 6 after the Geico 500 last April.
Christopher Bell finds Talladega in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs “cringey”
Christopher Bell admitted cringing over NASCAR’s decision to add Talladega in the Round of 8 for the 2025 playoffs. This was mentioned during the Playoff Media Day where Bell spoke to The Teardown hosts Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck about the sport’s identity crisis.
The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver said:
“It’s just going to get weirder next year with Talladega in the round of 8.” [5:15]
Bianchi chimed and asked him if the superspeedway playoff race made him cringe.
“It does, it does,” Bell responded.
With the unpredictable racing at Talladega Superspeedway, fans could see a huge shake-up among playoff drivers next year. It will be the second stop in the Round of 8 scheduled on October 19, 2025.