Brad Keselowski did not need to wait for the field to open a gap at Talladega Superspeedway. As the cars around him continued circulating at a cautious pace, the RFK Racing driver began passing them, and the gap kept growing. The early laps of Sunday’s YellaWood 500 were producing an unusual split in pace. Denny Hamlin’s spotter, Chris Lambert, has now revealed just how slowly some drivers were willing to run.
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“Some of the guys further back in the field are running 25% throttle to do extreme fuel savings.”
Jeff Gluck shared Lambert’s comments on X as the race unfolded on October 25. The 25% estimate gave viewers a sense of how much speed some drivers were sacrificing. Instead of trying to gain positions, they were lifting off the throttle to conserve fuel. At a track where cars can travel together in a tight pack, that approach was affecting the pace of the entire field.
Why would a Cup Series driver give up that much speed?
Fuel saving can shorten a pit stop because a team needs less time to refill the tank. At Talladega, the aerodynamic draft also helps drivers maintain momentum without using full throttle. If a driver can save fuel while staying with the pack, the time lost on track could be recovered when the field pits.
The problem starts when too many cars make the same calculation. NASCAR’s Next Gen car has made drafting and track position central to superspeedway racing.
Pulling out of line can cost a driver valuable aerodynamic assistance, so staying in the pack and conserving fuel can be more attractive than attacking early.
Keselowski exposed the difference when he started driving past the cars ahead of him. The No. 6 Ford, alongside RFK Racing teammates Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece, broke away from the slower-running traffic and built a substantial advantage. Reports during the race described the gap growing to around 21 seconds, with the RFK cars threatening to lap much of the field. Raw speed was only part of the story. One group was pushing while others prioritized fuel mileage.
NASCAR had already reduced the rear spoiler for Talladega as part of its effort to improve the racing. The package used a 3.5-inch rear spoiler, down from four inches at Daytona in August, alongside a 465-horsepower configuration.
The smaller spoiler was intended to reduce drag and give drivers more opportunities to pass. But if saving fuel offers a better strategic payoff, a smaller spoiler cannot force drivers to use the extra speed.
The sight ran against what NASCAR has spent the season trying to fix. In April, it shortened Talladega’s final two stages to curb fuel saving, and the Daytona changes in August, a smaller spoiler and a cut from 510 to 465 horsepower, aimed to let drivers move through the field instead of relying on track position and fuel mileage. For October, NASCAR reset the stages to the spring layout of 98, 143 and 188 laps, replacing the earlier 60-120-188 format.
Why the 25% throttle revelation has fans questioning NASCAR
The replies to Gluck’s post exposed the conflict between team strategy and what fans want to see. Teams are paid to find every advantage they can, but fans expect the Cup Series to deliver a race worth watching. One viewer argued that teams would never change their approach, writing:
“Absolutely nothing can be done as long as the pack is a thing there is no strategy that will overcome that. Everyone should just accept it cup teams are way to good and disciplined to care about what we think.”
Others wanted NASCAR to step in: “This is terrible. They should set a high minimum speed and just start black flagging people.”
A black flag would require a driver to report to pit road, but enforcing a minimum speed is not as simple as punishing every car running slowly. NASCAR would need to distinguish deliberate fuel saving from traffic, handling problems and other legitimate reasons for reduced speed.
Keselowski driving past the slower cars only fueled the complaints. One fan wrote:
“This is dumb @NASCAR, I’m turning this off. I just watched Brad K pass them all. This is by fast the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. Running 25% throttle. Borrrringgg”
Another put it more bluntly: “Watching Keslowski just blow by the ENTIRE field all by himself within seconds, really proves how dead this series is.”
Another response highlighted the apparent speed difference: “Damnn they’re running 30 mph + slower than they actually could…. I went 9 mph slower than that at Daytona in the Richard petty driving experience.”
One fan predicted, “Ratings will be low again.”
Talladega’s opening stage gives teams a strong reason to conserve fuel. It runs 98 laps, while the second and third stages are 45 laps each. Drivers must balance the immediate cost of running hard against the possibility of gaining positions through a shorter pit stop later.
With just 45 laps in each remaining stage, drivers have less reason to keep conserving fuel. But viewers have already spent a large part of the race watching cars hold back. NASCAR can adjust horsepower, spoilers and other rules, yet teams will keep exploiting any strategy that improves their chances of finishing ahead.
The next test is whether the field speeds up once fuel saving matters less. Keselowski and RFK Racing have already shown what happens when drivers commit to speed. Lambert’s 25% estimate has put the debate over fuel saving and the quality of the racing into sharper focus.