Ricky Stenhouse Jr. held off the sphere in time beyond regulation to say the victory in a dramatic NASCAR Cup Collection YellaWood 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway – edging Brad Keselowski and William Byron by a mere 0.006s in an exciting three-wide end.
That heart-stopping end was indicative of the afternoon of competitors at NASCAR’s largest monitor (2.66-mile), which as soon as once more lived as much as its status and offered an exciting Playoff race that has main implications for the championship contenders.
THE FULL FINAL LAP AT TALLADEGA!
ANOTHER WILD FINISH. ANOTHER PHOTO FINISH! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/lvJVbhj3ST
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 6, 2024
A large 27-car accident with 5 laps remaining introduced out a crimson flag and stopped the race for almost 10 minutes. The incident affected eight of the 12 Playoff vehicles in various levels. There is just one extra race remaining on this spherical to settle which eight drivers advance to the subsequent spherical of championship competitors.
Stenhouse, the 36-year-old Mississippi native who shouldn’t be Playoff-eligible, hoisted his fourth profession trophy – all coming at superspeedway tracks – and first in 65 races. His No. 47 JTG-Daugherty Chevrolet led 19 of the 195 laps, together with the all-important final one after a side-to-battle with six-time Talladega winner Keselowski and this 12 months’s Daytona 500 winner Byron.
This marks the third time within the 5 Playoff races {that a} non-Playoff driver has hoisted the race trophy.
“Felt actually good. We had our Chevy teammates behind us and I hoped Kyle [Busch] wouldn’t push the No. 6 [Keselowski] that tough, I knew the No. 24 was going to attempt to get to the road,’’ stated Stenhouse, who scored his first profession NASCAR Cup Collection win at Talladega in 2017.
“Man, this workforce has put a variety of onerous work in and clearly we haven’t gained for the reason that Daytona 500 in ’23. It’s been an up and down season, a variety of onerous work this season looking for somewhat little bit of pace, however we knew this monitor is one in every of ours to return get it.’’
The end was set-up after the huge incident that took out a number of front-running vehicles and affected all however 4 Playoff drivers. Staff Penske’s Austin Cindric – who primarily wanted a victory to earn an automated berth within the subsequent Playoff spherical – was main the race, having exchanged the highest spot a number of time with Stenhouse within the closing 20 laps.
With 5 laps remaining, Cindric’s main No. 2 Ford was hit from behind on the backstretch by Keselowski’s No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Ford which triggered an accordion-style accident from three rows behind the chief. Harrison Burton’s No. 21 Ford struck Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford that then pushed Keselowski’s automobile ahead and into Cindric.
The aftermath collected 28 vehicles in all, utterly sidelining Cindric, who was credited with a thirty second place end, his Penske teammate Logano (thirty third), and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe (thirtieth).
“Clearly extremely annoyed,’’ Cindric stated. “Simply actually pleased with my workforce and the total execution of the day. We bought that stage win (second stage) and put ourselves on the entrance of that inexperienced flag pit cycle and had one other shot [to win].
“I don’t really feel like complaining proper now; I’m too [angry] and it gained’t do something. However pleased with the workforce. We’ve introduced actually quick race vehicles to each single race of the Playoffs and we’re going to need to convey one other one subsequent week and I have to exit and do my job.’’
His Penske teammate Logano, who was equally annoyed, stated there was nothing he might have achieved to keep away from the accident.
“I don’t assume we might have achieved something a lot totally different,’’ the two-time collection champion stated. “We had the underside working pretty effectively and by the point we bought off [Turn 2], the push from the No. 21 (Burton) that transferred to the No. 6 (Keselowski) that transferred to the two (Cindric) simply at a nasty angle. And off he went.’’
Different Playoff drivers affected within the accident included perennial Talladega race favourite Chase Elliott, who completed twenty ninth after pitting for repairs following the accident.
Common season champion Tyler Reddick was additionally within the accident and rallied to complete twentieth. Alex Bowman, who was concerned in two accidents on the day, completed sixteenth,
Reigning collection champion Ryan Blaney ran among the many leaders and scored factors in each levels however was eradicated from competitors mid-race within the day’s first a number of automobile accident, leaving him thirty ninth of the 40 starters.
On the up-side, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson completed fourth, tying his greatest ever Talladega end — solely his second high 5 on the monitor in 20 races.
Non-Playoff driver Erik Jones was fifth.
One other Playoff competitor, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, was sixth, adopted by Justin Haley, Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace and Bell’s fellow Playoff driver and JGR teammate Denny Hamlin in tenth,
With Byron’s end, he turns into the primary and solely Playoff driver to safe a place within the subsequent eight-race spherical. Bell is subsequent within the standings, holding a 57-point benefit on the Playoff cutoff line, adopted by Larson, Hamlin, Bowman, Blaney, Reddick and Elliott.
Elliott is 13 factors forward of Logano going into subsequent week’s street course race on the Charlotte ROVAL – the ultimate race of this Playoff spherical which is able to set the subsequent eight-driver spherical. Daniel Suarez, who rallied to a twenty sixth place end regardless of spending many of the race recovering from a pre-race penalty for tools violations, is now 20 factors behind Elliott for that closing switch place.
Cindric and Briscoe are 29 and 32 factors again, respectively, primarily needing a victory at Charlotte.
The ultimate race of this Playoff spherical is subsequent Sunday, the Financial institution of America ROVAL400 on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Street Course (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). A.J. Allmendinger is the defending race winner.
