NASCAR Cup Series
Chase Briscoe Clinches Championship Berth with Talladega Triumph
Oct 19, 2025
NASCAR made its second visit to Talladega Superspeedway on the 2025 season last weekend, where speed is always a premium. For Michael McDowell, Josh Williams and Ben Rhodes, their speed was rewarded with Xfinity Fastest Lap awards from the weekend in Talladega.
In the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500, Michael McDowell earned the Xfinity Fastest Lap award. The Spire Motorsports driver clocked in at 48.704 seconds on lap 119 of the event.
READ MORE: Chase Briscoe Clinches Championship Berth with Talladega Triumph
It is the fourth time McDowell has earned the Xfinity Fastest Lap award this season, and the third time at a superspeedway-style track. He swept the Talladega races in Xfinity Fastest Laps, and also clocked the fastest lap of the season-opening Daytona 500.
McDowell is currently 21st in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings, with three top-five finishes and five top-10s. McDowell finished 17th on Sunday in Talladega.
Josh Williams earned the Xfinity Fastest Lap award in the NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 250 at Talladega. Williams logged a lap of 50.063 seconds on the 12th lap of the event, won by Austin Hill.
Williams finished 14th in the race. He lined up on the front row for the final restart of the event with a shot at the win, but his car stumbled while low on fuel and fell back in the field. He is the 18th different driver to earn an Xfinity Fastest Lap award in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season.
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Love's RV Stop 225 on Friday, Ben Rhodes claimed the Xfinity Fastest Lap honors. Rhodes turned a lap of 49.783 seconds on the final lap of the race's overtime en route to a 16th-place finish. Rhodes led the field near the end of the reguarly scheduled distance, but was involved in an incident on the backstretch.
Rhodes is also a first-time Xfinity Fastest Lap award winner. With Rhodes, 13 different drivers have earned an Xfinity Fastest Lap in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this season. Rhodes is currently 12th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings.
All three of NASCAR's National Series will head to Martinsville Speedway this weekend for the final race in the Round of 8. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races on Friday, October 24, with the NASCAR Xfinity Series taking the track on Saturday, October 25. The weekend concludes with the NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 on Sunday, October 26.
-Photo credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images
