DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 27, 2015) – “NASCAR has worked to review an extensive amount of material from Sunday’s NASCAR race in Talladega including video, team radio transmissions and downloadable data. Based on that review, the race results are considered official as we prepare for the upcoming 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Eliminator Round starting Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
“Post-race inspection is currently being conducted. The five cars at the NASCAR Research & Development Center for post-race inspection are the No. 22 (winner), No. 88 (runner-up), No. 18 (final car qualifying for the Eliminator Round), No. 31 (first car not qualifying for the Eliminator Round) and the No. 98 (random).
“Additionally, aside from today’s post-race inspection, NASCAR has completed review of any other potential penalties from the track this past weekend, and there will be no further actions.”
Logano is so hot right now, he’s looking like vintage Summer 2015 Kyle Busch, which is funny, because it’s quite possible those two drivers could be battling at Homestead.
As a new team within the organization, Edwards’ No. 19 has arguably been the shakiest of all four Joe Gibbs Racing cars in 2015. As one of two remaining JGR entries in the Chase, that’s no longer the case.
It’s hard to believe Gordon is the Hendrick Motorsports driver who has advanced the farthest in the Chase, but guess what — he has a combined 12 wins at the remaining four tracks and actually has a great shot to ride off into the sunset with title No. 5 in tow.
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Say what you want about Harvick’s final wreck (down in the comments section, preferably), but he remains a part of the Chase and still a force in title contention.
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Busch is sneakily chugging along in the Chase and with wins at each of the remaining tracks can’t be overlooked as a realistic title contender.
Truex’s never-give-up attitude is propelling a fine Chase run for the 78 team, which started at the tail end of the field at Talladega and battled to get back on the lead lap to finish 7th and move on.
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Team Penske
At some point, you have to think teammate Joey Logano will share some of the wealth with Keselowski and let him win one, right?
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Joe Gibbs Racing
Lost in all the madness Sunday was the fact that Busch escaped his worst round. With wins at two of the Eliminator Round tracks, he could lock his way into Homestead with a victory.
2
Hendrick Motorsports
Earnhardt’s Talladega efforts were colossal, but unfortunately, so was the points deficit he had to overcome. Don’t expect Junior to ease up the rest of the way.
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Joe Gibbs Racing
Hamlin looked like a serious title contender but was knocked out after a roof issue and late wreck. The 2014 finalist won’t get a shot to race for the title at Homestead until 2016 at the earliest.
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Newman adopted the same Chase strategy of last year — trying to earn consistent top 10s rather than racing for a win to advance — and look where it got him. On the outside looking in.
MORE: Who’s in, who’s out?
Hendrick Motorsports
Johnson has never not won a race during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. History tells us we aren’t done hearing from the No. 48 team in 2015.
Kenseth was eliminated from the Chase at Talladega on Sunday. To make matters worse for him — the JGR driver didn’t even get a chance to “knock (Logano) out” after the race, because the Penske driver was, you know, in Victory Lane.
Figures Menard would have his best finish since Talladega at Talladega — after already being eliminated from the Chase.
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Stewart-Haas Racing
While Bowyer’s top-10 finish may not seem like much, you can bet that felt as good as a win for an MWR team with only four races left before it closes shop.
McMurray was unable to recreate his Talladega 2013 magic, but hey, at least he’s the defending Martinsville pole winner.
RELATED: Who’s in, who’s out of Chase
TALLADEGA, Ala. — Forget being simply satisfied with eking along in this Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Jeff Gordon thinks his No. 24 team has developed into a legitimate championship contender.
The 44-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver, in his final season, has advanced to the eight-driver, three-race Eliminator Round of the postseason, his dream for a fifth premier series title still very much alive following a third-place finish in Sunday’s CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
How he got here is a story of perseverance.
“All the things that we have been through that maybe could be looked at as negatives — the way we’ve run, a lack of execution — we learned from it,” an excited Gordon said on pit road after Sunday’s race. “We’re too strong of an organization. We survived, we’ve gotten better and we’ve gotten pretty good. It’s pretty amazing that we made it through this thing.”
A season removed from four victories, and plenty of speedy cars, 2015 had been a struggle for both Gordon and his No. 24 crew.
There was the lack of speed, some bad luck, some questionable decisions — even a very public spat over the radio with crew chief Alan Gustafson at Pocono in June.
He limped into the Chase winless, but snuck through the opening Contender Round and then powered through the Challenger Round. His worst finish in six Chase races is 14th — only Joey Logano, who swept the Contender Round with Sunday’s victory, has been better in that regard.
“They key is us coming together as a team,” Gustafson said. “We haven’t had the performance that we want across the board all year. But we stuck together. We’re definitely improving and giving ourselves more opportunities. And now, anything can happen.”
RELATED: See the Chase Grid as we head to the Eliminator 8
Especially at the upcoming tracks. The Eliminator Round consists of races at Martinsville Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.
Gordon feels confident at all of them, particularly Martinsville, where he’s won eight times.
Racing on those surfaces was never the issue, though — it was actually getting there while still competing in the Chase.
Mission accomplished.
“I’ve been saying all along if we can get to Round 3 (the Eliminator Round), we’d have an excellent shot of getting to Homestead,” Gordon said. “This team is extra excited right now for the races that are coming up, and working extra hard to make that happen. The season that I’ve had, I’m just overwhelmed and shocked right now that we have turned this thing around the way we have.”
RELATED: Chase Grid after Talladega | Complete race results
TALLADEGA, Ala. – After Sunday’s elimination race at Talladega Superspeedway, team owner Joe Gibbs’ dream of having all four of his Joe Gibbs Racing drivers in the final four at Homestead will have to wait until next season.
Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch‘s finishes in Sunday’s showdown allowed them to advance to the next round, as Busch squeaked in the last remaining spot on the eight-driver Chase Grid with an 11th-place finish. Edwards’ strong fifth-place result propelled him to second in the standings and straight into the next round.
Teammates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin weren’t as fortunate, as both battled issues that led to their ultimate elimination.
Hamlin’s ‘Dega woes began midway through the race, when the roof of his No. 11 Toyota began to break off. Hamlin made an unscheduled pit trip down pit road to fix the damage.
RELATED: Roof issue, wreck on finish knock Hamlin to 37th place
But the repairs proved too brief, as the No. 11 was forced to make a second stop just a few laps later. After getting off the lead lap, Hamlin charged to get back on pace and was caught up in a multi-car melee in the race’s final restart that left him with a sour 37th-place result and torn-up race car.
“We had a self-inflicted day, took us four times to get our roof fixed,” Hamlin said after the race. “It’s unfortunate, I feel like I’ve done all I could possibly do to advance in a three-race season. I feel like we could have won next week. I really can’t spin any positive on it right now.”
Hamlin’s elimination came as a surprise to teammate Edwards, as the No. 11 driver was second in the Chase standings entering Sunday’s race at Talladega.
“Did Denny (Hamlin) get wrecked at the end?” Edwards asked after the race on pit road. “Denny is such a great competitor. He is really — he has helped me so much and that’s frustrating. He deserves to be in it, but, man, it’s just so tough, so tough. I’m just very fortunate we made it through.”
Edwards’ second-place position in the Chase standings was a much more comfortable margin than Busch’s, who beat out Ryan Newman by three points for the last remaining slot in the grid.
“That’s what we pretty much planned all day today was to just race and whatever happened, happened,” Busch said after the race. “… That’s what this team needs and what we need — I guess the farthest I’ve ever gone before (in the Chase).
“… This is the first time I finished at Talladega without a scratch on the car … I don’t know if that’s a success or a failure, but either way it was a success for today.”
RELATED: Did Harvick cause late wreck?
Unlike Busch, Kenseth’s No. 20 Toyota did leave Alabama with plenty of scratches, as he was caught up in the last-wreck that left him limping with a 26th-place finish and without a shot at the championship title. After being spun by Joey Logano last week at Kansas, the driver entered Sunday’s race in a win-or-don’t-get-in scenario, one that was only made worse when his tension with race winner Logano rose throughout the event.
“The 22 (Joey Logano) last week wrecks us for the win to get in, to keep us out and get him in and then today we’ve got a chance, he’s lined up behind, he’s dragging the brakes, he’s trying not to go,” Kenseth said after the race. “He’s doing everything he can to make it worse for you, so he’s standing there in Victory Lane and he’s happy, but the racing is just — it’s just kind of out of control.
“… Hopefully, we can get back to racing next week and everybody going fast and trying to win.”
Late model driver Brad Foy will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut Saturday at Martinsville Speedway, driving the No. 0 Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing Chevrolet.
“I really want to thank Jennifer and the team for helping make this happen. I’m doing this not only for my love and passion for racing, but for my dad,” said Foy, whose father, Brian, was killed in his home in May. “He was taken from us 6 months ago … far too soon. I just want to make him proud and race in his memory. It would bring me more joy than I could explain right now. It’s been the worst 6 months of my life since he has been gone.”
The No. 0 truck is owned by Kenneth Grimes and has made 10 attempts in 2015, qualifying for seven races with driver Caleb Roark behind the wheel. Roark’s best finish this season was 28th at Michigan.
Cobb received an email from Foy — a Moneta, Virginia native — and pledged to help him as much as possible to make this race happen. Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing is self-funded, as are Foy’s late model efforts.
“As a small team we can only offer Brad so much, but I assured him if he could cover some minor expenses to make this effort, we would do everything we could to fulfill his dream to make this attempt,” said Cobb. “Our team will do our best to make this an experience Brad will never forget and hopefully we can gain him some support for future racing efforts with JJCR.”
Foy will have to make the Martinsville field on qualifying speed, and he hopes to gain momentum for his racing hopes in 2016.
“It’s going to be tough but I’m excited to give it my all,” Foy said. “I know my dad would be proud to see me keep trying.”
Foy’s father was 66 when he was killed in a home invasion. The home was one of several burglarized in Franklin County, Virginia, the Roanoke Times reported in May. Daniel Percy Arnot, Brian Foy’s 30-year-old former son-in-law, was charged with first-degree murder in the case.
Arnot was indicted Sept. 16, The Franklin News-Post reported. Three others also face charges in the murder and related thefts.
ANNOUNCEMENT: @johnkrasinski will serve as Grand Marshal for the #AAATX500 on Sunday, Nov. 8! pic.twitter.com/8ycB94ALUt
— Texas Motor Speedway (@TXMotorSpeedway) October 26, 2015
John Krasinski is scheduled to give the command on Sunday, Nov. 8, for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Krasinski, who starred on NBC’s “The Office”, said, “It’s a huge honor to be asked to serve as this year’s Grand Marshal.”
The actor is starring in the upcoming film “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” and will be joined on the stage by Mark “Oz” Geist, Kris “Tanto” Paronto and John “Tig” Tiegen from the CIA annex security team, who fought off Islamic militants on September 11, 2012 in Benghazi, Libya.
Krasinski is honored to share the stage with these men and, admittedly, is looking forward to seeing one of NASCAR’s most famous drivers and current Chase contender.
“I am really excited to be going to NASCAR and seeing Jeff Gordon race for one of his last outings.”
Click here for more information and tickets for the AAA Texas 500 (2 p.m. ET., NBC, PRN, Sirius XM).
MORE: Official NASCAR release with NXS schedule | Key highlights
RELATED: Buy tickets for 2016
NASCAR released the 2016 schedules for two of its three national series Monday without — as expected — any major overhauls going forward. The most significant development, though, doesn’t relate to change at all, but an added layer of continuity built in for tracks.
NASCAR announced that it has reached sanctioning agreements with its host race tracks for the next five years. That means the 23 facilities that host Sprint Cup events and the 24 tracks that serve as XFINITY Series venues will remain locked in as a part of the NASCAR calendar through 2020.
According to an official release, NASCAR and the tracks will work to determine each venue’s place on the calendar in the year 2017 and beyond. The sanctioning agreement also does not preclude additional tracks from joining the Sprint Cup schedule, though such a development would likely require a more dramatic alteration to the calendar structure. The premier-series schedule has stood at a modern-era maximum of 36 races since 2001.
The Camping World Truck Series’ 2016 schedule will be released at a later date.
RELATED: NASCAR announces 2016 Truck Series schedule
The Sprint Cup season kicks off Saturday, Feb. 13 with the non-points Sprint Unlimited race at Daytona International Speedway, which will greet fans with a new look as the Daytona Rising project comes to fruition. The Can-Am Duels follow on Thursday, Feb. 18 with Daytona Speedweeks culminating in the Great American Race, the Daytona 500, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 21.
The fan-favorite Southern 500 throwback race on Labor Day weekend will return, as will the popular NASCAR Goes West three-race swing in March. The western sweep starts March 6 with a stop in Las Vegas, followed by Phoenix on March 13 and Auto Club on March 20.
Among the notable changes for 2016:
• Keeping the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend, which is as late as it can be this year, moves Dover up in the 2016 schedule, to May 15, the Sunday before the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in Charlotte.
• Bristol Motor Speedway is adding a college football border war to its schedule this year, featuring Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee on Sept. 10. To accommodate the .533-mile oval’s transformation from race track to football venue, the annual Bristol night race is on Saturday, Aug. 20. That shifts Michigan back a week to Sunday, Aug. 28.
• Pocono adds a NASCAR XFINITY Series race for the first time in 2016. The 250-mile race is set for Saturday, June 4, part of a race weekend with the Sprint Cup Series’ Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 on June 5.
• Chicagoland Speedway, which hosted two XFINITY races annually from 2011-15, will host just one event for the series in 2016.
• Daytona’s annual event in early July returns to a Saturday night event after a rain-plagued edition on a Sunday night this season.
• Richmond’s first doubleheader weekend of the season in April will now be spread over a Saturday-Sunday schedule instead of Friday-Saturday.
The 2016 schedule features two off weeks in addition to the Easter holiday, so Sprint Cup racing will go quiet March 27, June 19 and Aug. 14 next year.
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field again will be determined at Richmond on Sept. 10, with the 10 races from the 2015 postseason reappearing in the same order in the 2016 Chase. Elimination races are scheduled to take place at Dover, Talladega and Phoenix again next year.
The Sprint Cup Series will crown its 2016 champion at Homestead-Miami finale Sunday, Nov. 20, one day after the XFINITY finale at the south Florida track.
2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Feb. 13 | Sprint Unlimited |
| Feb. 18 | Can-Am Duel at Daytona |
| Feb. 21 | Daytona |
| Feb. 28 | Atlanta |
| March 6 | Las Vegas |
| March 13 | Phoenix |
| March 20 | Auto Club |
| April 3 | Martinsville |
| April 9 | Texas |
| April 17 | Bristol |
| April 24 | Richmond |
| May 1 | Talladega |
| May 7 | Kansas |
| May 15 | Dover |
| May 21 | NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race |
| May 29 | Charlotte |
| June 5 | Pocono |
| June 12 | Michigan |
| June 26 | Sonoma |
| July 2 | Daytona |
| July 9 | Kentucky |
| July 17 | New Hampshire |
| July 24 | Indianapolis |
| July 31 | Pocono |
| Aug. 7 | Watkins Glen |
| Aug. 20 | Bristol |
| Aug. 28 | Michigan |
| Sept. 4 | Darlington |
| Sept. 10 | Richmond |
| Sept. 18 | Chicagoland |
| Sept. 25 | New Hampshire |
| Oct. 2 | Dover |
| Oct. 8 | Charlotte |
| Oct. 16 | Kansas |
| Oct. 23 | Talladega |
| Oct. 30 | Martinsville |
| Nov. 6 | Texas |
| Nov. 13 | Phoenix |
| Nov. 20 | Homestead-Miami |
RELATED: Watch the live stream here
From 8-11 a.m. ET on Tuesday, NASCAR.com will live stream the post-race inspection process at the Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina.
The three-hour look takes you behind the scenes as NASCAR officials inspect NASCAR Sprint Cup Series vehicles following Sunday’s CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
The cars at the R&D Center this week are: the No. 22 Ford of Joey Logano (won Sunday’s race), the No. 88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr. (finished second in Sunday’s race), the No. 98 Toyota of Michael Waltrip (the random car selected), plus the No. 18 Toyota of Kyle Busch (finished 11th in Sunday’s race) and the No. 31 Chevrolet of Ryan Newman (finished 12th in Sunday’s race).
For more information on what the inspection process entails, click here.
RELATED: Full race results | Series standings | Chase Grid
Below is a breakdown of how the full 43-car field fared at Talladega Superspeedway:
1. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Logano clinched a race win under caution on the final restart, securing a sweep of the Contender Round. | RELATED: Logano discusses win in Victory Lane
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt led a race-high 61 laps but didn’t get a chance to race for the win after the field was frozen shortly after the final restart began because of a caution during the only green-white-checkered attempt. | RELATED: Junior nearly wins way into next round
3. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. The drive for five is alive. Despite being winless, Jeff Gordon’s quest for a title in his final season is still in play as he advances to the Eliminator Round. | RELATED: Gordon remains in title hunt
4. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. Keselowski needed a win to advance after Talladega last year, but a fourth-place finish will work just fine in 2015.
5. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Earning a better Talladega finish than his 32nd-place showing in the spring, Edwards advances to the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
6. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. The 2015 season was a good year for Menard at Talladega, as he adds a top-10 finish to his record to join his third-place finish in the spring.
7. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing. Truex Jr. overcame starting from the back because of a qualifying violation to advance in the Chase. He got back on the lead lap thanks to being the beneficiary on the Lap 132 caution.
8. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer took the lead on Lap 95 and led two laps on his way to an eighth-place finish. A two-time winner at Talladega (2010-11), he now has 11 top-10 finishes there in 20 starts.
9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Scoring his best Talladega finish since 2013, Stenhouse Jr. could carry this momentum to Martinsville next week where he has room for improvement.
10. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Earning his 15th top-10 at Talladega, Kurt Busch advances to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Eliminator Round after leading for one lap.
11. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Kyle Busch advances to the Eliminator Round of the Chase and even saw the lead for 11 laps. | RELATED: See the 2015 Chase Grid
12. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Newman’s top-15 finish and one lap led was not enough to advance him to the Eliminator Round of the Chase.
13. Michael Waltrip, No. 98 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. In just his third race of the season, Waltrip had a strong showing, leading three laps on his way to a 13th-place finish after starting 33rd. It was his 59th start at Talladega, and he raised his average finish there up to 20.1.
14. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Dillon had a respectable 14th-place finish — his second-best showing in five starts at Talladega — after starting 26th. His previous average finish there was 22.3.
15. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick ran into several issues in the race, reporting engine issues at Lap 155, a broken exhaust pipe on Lap 171 and wrecking on the final restart. | RELATED: Did Harvick cause end of race wreck?
16. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola placed nine spots higher than he started, but remains average there. He’s finished outside the top 10 in 11 of his 12 starts at ‘Dega with an average finish of 20.2.
17. Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Hornish couldn’t top his spring 2015 finish of sixth at Talladega and completed the race directly behind his RPM teammate.
18. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson caused the first shot at the only attempt at a green-white-checkered finish to be put on hold after spinning out before the start/finish line, but recovered for a top-20 finish.
19. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne was out front for 18 laps — his most since Martinsville in the spring — but got shuffled back on the final restart.
20. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle played a major role in the ending of Talladega’s race as he was leading for 18 of the closing laps and eventually had to come to pit road for fuel.
21. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Bayne started sixth overall, but was unable to come up with his second career victory — both of which would’ve been on restrictor plate tracks.
22. Cole Whitt, No. 35 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Whitt improved 12 spots from his starting position and managed to finish in the top 25 in all four restrictor-plate races this season.
23. Bobby Labonte, No. 32 Ford, GO Green Facing. The former Sprint Cup champion had his best finish of the season after restarting 21st with 49 laps to go.
24. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Larson was in third on Lap 170 but placed 24th after being rear-ended by Jimmie Johnson before the final G-W-C attempt. It was the sixth time in his last eight plate events he’s lost track position after being involved in a wreck.
25. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart dropped to the back early after starting the race 12th and couldn’t seem to find momentum needed to find speed and run up front.
26. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth needed to win to advance, but failed to do so and was one of two eliminated JGR cars. | RELATED: Kenseth reacts to elimination
27. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. After starting from the rear due to a transmission change on Sunday morning, Patrick finished on the lead lap.
28. Michael McDowell, No. 95 Ford, Leavine Family Facing. McDowell was collected in the 12-car pileup that ended the race under caution and slipped to a 28th-place finish. He was penalized on Lap 79 for driving too fast on pit road.
29. Josh Wise, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Wise battled a vibration early and then got hit for a pit road penalty (over the wall too soon), falling well short of his showing in the spring race (10th).
30. David Ragan, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Ragan had a strong Talladega run, even seeing the lead for one lap, but got lost in the shuffle in the closing laps and finished one lap down in 30th-place.
31. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Mears placed 31st, dropping his career average finish at Talladega to 21.7 in 25 career starts. He has five top-10s at ‘Dega and no top-fives
32. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Gilliland led a couple of laps but needed an extended pit stop after taking damage from a scrape with the No. 13 of Casey Mears on pit road.
33. Alex Bowman, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Bowman fell a lap down on Lap 73 but managed to get back on the lead lap by Lap 140 before settling for a 33rd-place finish.
34. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Smith Motorsports. He ran in the top 15 early on, but eventually got shuffled toward the back for a 34th-place finish.
35. Travis Kvapil, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport. Kvapil improved seven spots from his starting position in his fourth start of the season.
36. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger finished outside the top 30 for the sixth time in 12 starts at Talladega, placing 36th on Sunday. His average finish there is 23.9, with his only top five coming in 2014.
37. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin had a roof hatch issue midway through the race that never quite got fixed and wound up knocking him out of the playoffs. | RELATED: Hamlin knocked out of Chase
38. J.J. Yeley, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. Yeley’s 38th-place finish marks the seventh time he’s placed outside the top 20 at Talladega in 11 career starts. His average finish there is 27.6.
39. Jamie McMurray, No. 1, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. McMurray, who had won two of the previous six fall races at Talladega (2009 and 2013), ran as high as third in the late stages of Sunday’s race. He had to go to the garage on Lap 185, though, and settled for 39th after starting 24th.
40. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. DiBenedetto reported having fuel pressure problems on Lap 71 and went to the garage on Lap 94 en route to a 40th-place finish.
41. Timmy Hill, No. 62 Ford, Premium Motorsports. In his 10th Sprint Cup Series race of the season, Hill finished 41st. His best finish this season is 36th.
42. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Allgaier’s engine expired on Lap 131, but things started to unravel before that thanks to a pit road penalty (over the wall too soon).
43. Ryan Blaney, No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing. Blaney started in the top 10 and looked strong early but had his engine expire on Lap 85.