TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 27, 2025) – Early in Stage 1 of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway (the Jack Link’s 500, part of the 2025 Cup season) a high-speed, multi-car wreck brought out the first caution of the day. The pileup unfolded on Lap 43 as cars were racing toward pit road. Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford drifted uptrack into Kyle Busch’s No. 8 Chevy, sending both vehicles into the path of Alex Bowman’s No. 48 and collecting Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Ford. In all, five cars were involved in the incident, including Chris Buescher’s No. 17 Ford, which also suffered heavy damage .
The wreck instantly sidelined several contenders. Both Keselowski’s and Blaney’s cars were too damaged to continue, and the RFK Racing and Team Penske veterans were scored 36th and 37th, respectively, at the end of the day. (Crew members worked to clear the debris while officials confirmed that no drivers were seriously injured)
Spectators were momentarily stunned by the violence of the crash, but relief spread once it became clear all involved climbed from their cars under their own power. Fans on social media reacted with prayers and well-wishes. In fact, after an earlier Talladega crash in this same race, one X/Twitter user posted “SCARY hit… glad he’s ok,” a sentiment echoed by many when word came through that Sunday’s wreck left everyone unhurt.
This dramatic accident quickly became a talking point about pack racing and safety in the 2025 season. Commentators and fans noted that modern safety measures – from carbon-fiber seats and multi-point harnesses to energy-absorbing steel-and-foam (“SAFER”) barriers – once again proved their worth.
Business Insider recently summed it up: the implementation of HANS devices, updated car designs and SAFER barriers “have prevented NASCAR’s top series from losing a single driver due to a crash-related injury since [Dale] Earnhardt” in 2001. NASCAR itself has continued refining the new Next Gen car: after a Talladega wreck involving Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece in 2023, the sanctioning body mandated additional chassis reinforcements (new door-bar gussets and a revised front-clip structure) for all teams.
For now, Sunday’s Talladega wreck stands as a reminder of both the dangers of superspeedway racing and the progress made in driver protection. As teams move on to upcoming races, the discussion will focus on how to preserve the excitement of pack racing while minimizing these giant pileups. In the meantime, fans and drivers alike will take comfort in another close call that ended without serious injuries, thanks to NASCAR’s decades-long safety push.
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