NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Bubba Wallace comes extremely close to second Talladega win

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Oct 19, 2025 7:36 PM ET

Bubba Wallace showed why he's earned a reputation as one of NASCAR's best superspeedway racers at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday.

The eighth-year driver and 2021 fall Talladega winner led five laps and put himself in position for a second Talladega victory on Sunday afternoon.

With half a lap to go in the YellaWood 500, Wallace led the pack. He had a pair of fellow Toyota drivers in Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs behind him, and all of a sudden, Kyle Larson slowed after running out of gas.

Going into Turn 3, it appeared to be Wallace's race to lose.

Briscoe, however, had other plans. Needing a win to make the Championship 4, Briscoe maneuvered his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to the inside of Wallace, and with help from Gibbs, drove away to earn the win.

CHASE BRISCOE IS A @TALLADEGA WINNER! pic.twitter.com/pwfiMdP9w1
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 19, 2025

Wallace had to settle for fourth on a day that could've held so much more — including his first multi-win season at the Cup level — in store.

.@BubbaWallace takes a minute to cool off after losing the lead and the win in turn 3. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/JxkvxPgXRX
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) October 19, 2025

Bubba Wallace talks about YellaWood 500 results

"Just came up a couple spots short," Wallace told Peter Stratta. "Hate it for our team. Thought we gave ourselves a really good opportunity there at the end. Just didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle there."

.@BubbaWallace goes through his high emotions after seeing the lead on the last lap from @TALLADEGA. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/9s8NwEEutX
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) October 19, 2025

The good news for Wallace? With two races left in the 2025 season, he's on pace to match a career-best points finish of 10th, and he's already tied career highs in top-five and top-10 finishes.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

More must-reads: