Reported Talladega schedule shift could have major implications on NASCAR's title chase

According to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, the 2.66 mile Talladega Superspeedway could play host to a race in the Round of 8 in 2025, potentially making the annual fall date at the Alabama track the third-to-last race of the season. 

With Talladega being the only drafting track that will appear in the 2025 NASCAR playoffs, the way drivers approach their championship hunt will now have to be modified. Since the inception of NASCAR's elimination style playoff format in 2014, Talladega has been firmly situated in the Round of 12. In 2014, 2015 and 2016, it served as the cutoff race for the second round of the playoffs before moving to the middle race of the round in 2017. The race has held its current position as the 31st race of the season from 2017 until the present day. 

Superspeedways such as Daytona, Atlanta and Talladega are seen as wild card races due to the intense pack racing and high likelihood of crashes that can wipe out the field in an instant. The drafting element of these races also serves as an equalizer for smaller teams with less resources, as well as underdog drivers looking to steal a win. 

If Talladega does move into the Round of 8 as Bianchi reports, it will certainly make Talladega's second race of the year must-see TV, as the constant threat of the 'Big One', underdog stories and intensifying postseason pressure will be sure to have the entire field on edge. 

Talladega is already known to be a wild venue, but making it the third-to-last race of the season could make next year's edition of the track's playoff race the most intense iteration to date.