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The NASCAR Cup Series geared up to take on Talladega Superspeedway for the first time this year. Following the fuel-saving 500 and one of the greatest finishes in NASCAR history at Atlanta earlier this year, the famed Alabama track had the task of continuing the hot streak that has been NASCAR at superspeedways this season. This race proved to be up to the task as we saw drivers go three-wide all day long, with many different names and faces finding themselves at the front of the pack.
A primary story heading into the race was Ford still searching for their first win of the season. Having swept the front row with Michael McDowell (P1) and Austin Cindric (P2), the Blue Ovals would flex their muscles at Talladega, leading the majority of the race while sweeping the first two stages. Many viewed this race as the perfect opportunity for Ford to get back on track, and they did just that with their performance.
The race started with a caution-free stage one. Despite the lack of yellows, the front of the pack saw plenty of action, as drivers such as Daniel Hemric and BJ McLeod showed their abilities to work draft as they spent time upfront during the opening 60 laps. The stage finish came down to Chase Elliott and Austin Cindric, and despite Larson’s best efforts to help his teammate, Cindric edged out Elliott by inches to take the stage one victory.
Stage two played out similarly to stage one, going caution-free. After green flag pit stops, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric came out in the lead, with the pack coming hard charging. Riding a wave of momentum and getting a big push from his teammate, the 22 continued to surge as he cleared the pack for the stage two win, just in front of Cindric.
Denny Hamlin spun coming onto pit road and just barely avoided his Toyota teammate John Hunter Nemechek during green flag pit stops. Hamlin seemed to overshoot the entry, which caused him to lock up the tires and spin onto pit road. Hamlin avoided any damage and continued onto the race before he got involved in a wreck in stage three.
Another storyline was Kyle Larson. The 2021 champion started at the rear of the field after being barred from putting in a qualifying lap for the race. After having his car go through tech, his car chief was ejected, and he had to do a pass-through at the start due to a roof rail violation prior to qualifying. Larson would fall a lap down shortly after but managed to stay in the pack and made a daring move at the end of stage one to try and get back on the lead lap. While he remained a lap down by a car length, he got the free pass and quickly worked his way back to the front, finishing stage two in third. Larson would end the day in the 21st position.
A stack up on the back straight away caused Elliott and Christopher Bell to make contact going into three, which sent the 20 car head-on into the outside wall, bringing out the first caution for cause of the day. The crash collected Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Justin Haley, and Zane Smith as well. Bell would finish with a last-place finish, while Haley would also retire from the race. Blaney, Briscoe, Elliott, and Smith would continue on to finish the race, despite the wreck.
While running in a line of Toyotas, Bubba Wallace clipped the back of Erik Jones, sending him into the outside wall while collecting fellow Toyota drivers Hamlin and John Hunter Nemechek. The Camry’s were running single file when the 23 just barely clipped the rear bumper of the 43, causing the crash. Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., and Ty Gibbs all escaped unscathed, while John Hunter Nemechek continued, albeit with damage. Hamlin, Wallace, and Jones would DNF from the race.
Jones reported back pain after the crash when speaking to medical officials. He told reporters he was alright after he was released from the infield care center.
Michael McDowell and Brad Keselowski were bumper-to-bumper coming to the white flag. The 6 pushed the 34 clear of the pack on the white flag lap, setting up for a fantastic finish between the two Fords. Coming to the tri-oval, Keselowski went high to bait McDowell on the block before cutting back down. McDowell tried to block from the outside wall to the grass, but it turned into an ill-advised move as he turned himself in front of the 6’s front bumper, sending him into the outside wall and causing a multi-car pileup on the last lap.
In the midst of this, Reddick would pass Keselowski on the outside to steal the win and claim victory at Talladega. Reddick talked about how crazy the finish was and how the team fought all day to get to the front during his front-stretch interview. It was the sixth career win for the 23XI driver, who was pumped up with Michael Jordan in attendance.
Keselowski came home with another runner-up finish and sounded dejected as he was interviewed following a chance to end his long winless streak. The 6 will have to wait another week to get back to victory lane. Ford, despite being 1-2 on the last lap, still comes away without a victory on the season.
Johnny on the Track was thinking what many fans probably thought of after seeing the race be plagued with commercials.
NASCAR Opinion reacted to LaJoie riding the wall coming to the finish. Perhaps LaJoie was doing his best Lightning McQueen impression.
Hiei2k7 thinks he knows where McDowell got his move from.
boxingfan333 is thinking what most of us are thinking after that finish.
Talladega continues to live up to the hype, folks. While the first two stages were “tame” for Talladega standards, they provided a lot of exciting moments, and we saw some faces we don’t normally see up at the front make their mark. And of course, it wouldn’t be Talladega without a last-lap pass for the win. Are you happy for Reddick? Bummed for Keselowski? Do you like fuel-saving at superspeedways? Let us know what you think! Be sure to check out the rest of DailyDownforce.com for recaps for all races as well as all the latest storylines and fan discussions.
