A quick and rather unofficial head-count on the industry website showed 20 or so NASCAR employees with the word “communication” in their job titles.
Someone in the group needs to do a little better communicatin’ so we can end these post-race debates.
Unless … and this is a pretty big unless … unless the communication team, with a wink and nod from the Boys in Marketing, are all in favor of some Sunday-night and Monday-morning controversy in order to keep the fires burning.
We’ll get to that shortly, but first, Lordy, what happened to our tight championship race? A week ago we were marveling at how quickly Kyle Larson’s command of the situation had unspooled. Remember way back then, back when Kyle’s points lead could be counted on a hand not belonging to Kenny Schrader?
Now we all have whiplash after Kyle’s dramatic win and yet another big overall points haul has rebuilt his lead — and then some.
And, yes, speaking of whiplash, we’ll revisit Riley Herbst’s Sunday doubleheader and remind him where to send the thank-you cards for his well-being.
Also, we'll strategically avoid the ugly fuel-saving strategy that angers everyone, especially those doing it. Why? Because the wild finish back-burnered that issue (until February) and, also, I don't have a quality answer for preventing Sunoco conservation.
As Barney Fife once said, "Whaddaya think these things run on ... coal?"
KYLE LARSON WINS AT TALLADEGA IN THRILLING FASHION!! pic.twitter.com/bvhb3p5y3p
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 25, 2026
First Gear: NASCAR draws a line, but is it fair or foul?
Let’s go ahead and get the yellow-line situation out of the way and beg — yes, beg — for the tad bit of additional communication that will go a long way in clearing the air.
Not to be overshadowed, though it is for some — and again speaking of whiplash — Kyle went from first to 11th and back to first, all within about a mile on the final lap Sunday. It was a kinda-sorta condensed version of Dale Earnhardt’s five-lap Talladega rush from 18th to victory, 26 years ago.
But just before passing the final few cars ahead of the checkers, Kyle went low around Michael McDowell and the left tires of his No. 5 Chevy definitely found the asphalt below the double-yellow “out-of-bounds” line.
Yes, just an inch or two of the very outside of the leftside tires, and no, he didn’t need to go that low to pass McDowell (endless replays don’t lie). Shaving a smidge off that corner wasn’t the difference maker at the checkers, though it didn’t hurt.
But dadgummit, here comes the rulebook reading …
“Vehicles must race above the double yellow lines around the entire race track.”
In case you missed a key word, I’ll spell it out: A-b-o-v-e. Kyle wasn’t fully below the yellow line, which is why NASCAR said there was no penalty, but by golly, he sure wasn’t above it.
Boundaries are hardly universal. In football and basketball, they’re out of bounds. In baseball and tennis (and other games), they’re in play. If NASCAR doesn’t literally mean above the yellow lines, they need to communicate that better in the rulebook, and no, this isn’t the first time they’ve dealt with this in 2026.
Just a few months ago at Atlanta, there was confusion over the term “improve its position,” when Bubba Wallace didn’t improve his position in the running order (as some will read the rule) but did in terms of where he sat compared to another car. He was penalized.
Kyle deserved the win, but we all deserve another stab at clarity.
Kyle Larson might actually be only one week away from his 3rd NASCAR Cup Series championship.
— Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) October 25, 2026
The No. 5 can clinch at the #Xfinity500 next week if he is 77 points up at its conclusion. https://t.co/6y01sT0qfWpic.twitter.com/db9BfVCzXk
Second Gear: Kyle Larson gets a grip
Whew, glad to be out of that one. Let’s talk championship Chase, which could become a one-car parade if Kyle skates through Martinsville undamaged this week.
First, congrats to Denny Hamlin, who moved up two spots from fourth to second after Talladega. Why isn’t he happy? Because due to Talladega’s predictable unpredictability, Denny improved two spots but saw his deficit balloon from 31 to 73 points.
Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe are right behind Hamlin and 79 points separate that top four. But one of the pursuers needs a near sweep of points this week and also needs Kyle to miss a gear change (or better yet, the Martinsville exit ramp).
And now, about that: In Kyle’s last eight Martinsville starts, he has a win and has only finished worse than sixth once, and even that was a ninth.
Third Gear: Riley Herbst racks up some G-forces
When a Big One erupted late at Talladega, Joey Logano naturally got the spotlight, which happens when you slide halfway across Talladega County on your roof.
The endless replays included Riley Herbst’s violent crash into the outside wall, nearly head-on. Eventually, the long series of replays discovered Herbst’s enduring a second hit, even more violent-appearing, into the inside wall after he’d careened from the outside.
Riley Herbst with maybe the hardest hit I’ve ever seen in NASCAR
— Peyton (@TowryPeyton) October 25, 2026
Glad to see him get out of the car pic.twitter.com/2scEJsUOpw
I was taken back nine years to an interview with Geoff Bodine, while researching a story on racers and concussions.
“I’d hit the outside wall, get knocked out. Come down and hit the inside wall, wake back up. And I’d be OK. We’re all different,” was Bodine’s nonchalant comment about the “caveman days” of racing.
Judging from a post-race interview, Herbst seemed quite fine other than a wrapped wrist. For that, he may consider those thank-you cards mentioned earlier — addressed to those who invented the simple HANS Device, as well as the team behind the SAFER Barrier. Without them, it’s doubtful Riley would be racing at Martinsville — at minimum.
Fourth Gear: A NASCAR sweep at Talladega
In case you missed it, how about a tip of the officially licensed cap to Sammy Smith, who swept the Truck and O’Reilly Series races at Talladega this past Friday and Saturday.
His winning margin: 0.17 seconds. Combined.
Meanwhile, Kaden Honeycutt has a 43-point Truck Series championship lead over Layne Riggs with two to go. And in the O, it’s Jesse Love with a 19-point lead over Justin Allgaier, with Corey Day 29 back. Also two to go there.
Email Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR mayhem at Talladega: Kyle Larson walks the line and Riley Herbst survives