“Quite boring actually”: Fans react as NASCAR Insider takes his weekly ‘good race’ poll after Talladega

The Jack Link's 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway saw Austin Cindric drive to victory lane for the third time in his NASCAR Cup Series career. While some might've enjoyed seeing the Team Penske driver win, many fans were unhappy with the quality of racing.

Jeff Gluck, motorsports insider for The Athletic, posted a poll on X asking whether or not Talladega was a good race, a regular question asked by him. As of Monday evening EST, over 23,000 users voted, with just over 60 percent voting "no."

One user responded to Gluck's poll expressing their opinion on the race. They wrote:

While some NASCAR fans were frustrated with the quality of racing, others downplayed those opinions. One user wrote:

While many commented on the quality of racing, some fans expressed displeasure in the FOX broadcast going to commercial late in the race. The broadcast went to commercial with nine laps remaining and didn't return until just five laps to go. One user said:

Cindric wheeled his #2 Team Penske Ford to victory in a photo finish over Ryan Preece. However, Preece's second-place finish was erased after his car failed post-race inspection. For Cindric, it marked his first win since last season at the World Wide Technology Raceway.

NASCAR legend weighed in on fuel saving in Talladega Cup race

Up until the last pit stop of Sunday's Jack Link's 500 at Talladega, much of the race was about conserving fuel. Mark Martin, retired driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer, voiced his opinion on the racing that unfolded at the Alabama track.

Martin said whenever they start racing at Talladega, a wreck is inevitable, which is why drivers should save until a potential overtime finish. He wrote via X:

The NASCAR Cup Series circuit returns to action on Sunday at the Texas Motor Speedway. It will mark the 11th race of the 2025 season.

About the author

John Breeden is a NASCAR content writer at Sportskeeda with over three years of sports journalism experience. His career began back in 2021, when he started writing for The Breeze - a student-run publication at James Madison University that covered a wide variety of collegiate sports. He graduated from JMU in May 2022 with a degree in media arts and design concentrating in journalism. He currently writes for his local publication, the Daily News-Record, in Harrisonburg, VA, where he covers a variety of sports at the high school and collegiate level.

John has been a lifelong NASCAR fan and has followed the sport closely since 2005. He stays informed on motorsports developments through social media, NASCAR.com, and NASCAR podcasts, which help him craft unique and engaging stories. Interviewing Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon at Martinsville Speedway was a career highlight for John, where he wrote about William Byron taking the famed No. 24 car back to the Championship 4.

Beyond motorsports, John enjoys writing about other sports such as football, baseball, and basketball. He believes that NASCAR could reach the global popularity of Formula 1 by expanding its audience with more international races and enhancing its mainstream appeal, just like F1 has done.

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