Nothing compares to Talladega Superspeedway’s race week. However, the weather had different ideas this time. The weekend was thrown into disarray when authorities had to cancel Cup Series qualifying due to continuous rain, which interrupted NASCAR’s return to the high banks. While most of the field adjusts, one veteran driver has been hit the hardest, as the washout has now derailed a long-awaited milestone run, setting up a frustrating twist in an otherwise special season.

Casey Mears’ milestone chase delayed at NASCAR Talladega race…

This weekend at Talladega Superspeedway was meant to be another step toward a significant milestone for Casey Mears. The veteran is chasing 500 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, needing just five more to reach the mark, with his landmark appearance initially penciled in for later this season at Homestead.

However, since rain canceled qualifying, Mears is now forced to watch the race from the sidelines rather than be a part of it, thereby eliminating his prospects before the race even started. An exceptionally crowded entry list is the root of the problem. More than forty cars entered a Cup Series event for the second time since the 2018 Daytona 500.

Five open cars were fighting for just four spots in the 40-car NASCAR Talladega race after 36 chartered entries were locked in. These entries featured vehicles from Richard Childress Racing, NY Racing Team, Beard Motorsports, MBM Motorsports, and Live Fast Motorsports. The slowest car in single-car qualifying would have been sent home under normal circumstances. However, as qualifying was canceled due to weather, NASCAR reverted to its qualifying metric to set the field.

That’s where Mears and the No. 62 team were at a disadvantage. After its Daytona 500 entry was disqualified during a Duel inspection, Beard Motorsports’ vehicle carried no owner points this season, in contrast to the other open entries. Without those points to fall back on, the No. 62 was automatically the odd one out.

NASCAR did have the option to expand the field using the Open Exemption Provisional, but no team applied for it ahead of time. As a result, Mears’ milestone chase hits an unexpected roadblock at NASCAR Talladega race, caused not by speed, but by circumstance.

…as Tyler Reddick inherits pole

While some people were devastated by the rain, Tyler Reddick benefited greatly from it. With qualifying washed out for Talladega NASCAR race, NASCAR reverted to its metric formula, placing Reddick on pole for Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500. After winning his fifth race of the year at Kansas, the 23XI Racing driver enters the race red hot.

That momentum, combined with his commanding 105-point lead in the standings, made him the biggest beneficiary of the canceled session. Kyle Larson will be in the front row beside him, guaranteeing a solid start for two of the best drivers in the sport at the NASCAR Talladega race.

Early in 2026, Toyota is still demonstrating its superiority behind them. The manufacturer will have a strong presence at the top of the lineup with Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, and Chase Briscoe lining up third through fifth. The rest of the top 10 features a mix of contenders across all three manufacturers.

From sixth, Brad Keselowski spearheads the push, followed by Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs, William Byron, and Chase Elliott. Set for 3 p.m. ET on FOX, the race now carries even more intrigue with a grid determined by consistency rather than outright speed. The only thing left to do is hope that the weather stays away. Because at Talladega, the only chaos fans want to see is on the track, not in the skies.