Brad Keselowski won Stage 1 in the Alabama 500 on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, the second race in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs. Keselowski, who entered the day in 10th place in the playoff standings, edged teammate Joey Logano on a restart following a Lap 50 caution to pick up 10 race points and one playoff point.
Earlier, Stage 1 featured a five-car wreck on Lap 25 that included playoff contender Jamie McMurray, whose No. 1 Chevrolet was unable to continue after hard contact on the frontstretch with Jeffrey Earnhardt’s No. 33 Chevrolet. Other cars involved in the wreck were the No. 15 of Mark Thompson, the No. 18 of Kyle Busch and the No. 77 of Erik Jones.
Busch’s No. 18 Toyota was able to continue.
A group of Ford drivers pitted at Lap 14 and took fuel only in a strategy play. That move appeared to pay off as the majority of the cars involved in that strategy finished the stage near the front.
Earnhardt, who started on the pole in his final appearance at Talladega as a full-time driver, got a pit-road penalty for entering too fast on Lap 50 and finished 27th at the end of the stage.
| Finish | Driver | Team | Race points |
| 1. | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | 10 |
| 2. | Joey Logano | Team Penske | 9 |
| 3. | Ryan Blaney | Wood Brothers Racing | 8 |
| 4. | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | 7 |
| 5. | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | 6 |
| 6. | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | 5 |
| 7. | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | 4 |
| 8. | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | 3 |
| 9. | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | 2 |
| 10. | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | 1 |
Ryan Blaney took the lead on Lap 92 and did not look back to win Stage 2 in Sunday’s Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Blaney, in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, picked up his fourth stage win of the season and collected 10 race points and one playoff point.
Brad Keselowski finished in second place, followed by Clint Bowyer, Chase Elliott and Kurt Busch.
Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson overcame major damage to his No. 48 Chevrolet sustained earlier in the stage to finish seventh.
The right-rear of the No. 48 got crumpled when Ty Dillon’s No. 13 Chevrolet clipped it near the entrance to pit road. The No. 48 then careened to the left and into the No. 10 Ford driven by Danica Patrick.
MORE: Johnson, Patrick collide at entrance to pit road
Matthew DiBenedetto led 12 laps during Stage 2 after staying out when the leaders went to pit road. At the end of Stage 2, DiBenedetto trailed only Logano and Blaney for the most laps led through the first two stages.
| Finish | Driver | Team | Race points |
| 1. | Ryan Blaney | Wood Brothers Racing | 10 |
| 2. | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | 9 |
| 3. | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | 8 |
| 4. | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | 7 |
| 5. | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | 6 |
| 6. | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | 5 |
| 7. | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | 4 |
| 8. | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | 3 |
| 9. | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | 2 |
| 10. | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | 1 |