Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

CONCORD, N.C. — AJ Allmendinger carries a perfect four-for-four record in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval into this weekend’s Round of 12 finale.

And yet the driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet is not sporting the same bravado about the road-course-oval hybrid as he has in past years.

“I go into this weekend probably with the least amount of confidence that I ever been going into the Roval,” Allmendinger said Tuesday during a media availability. “You know, I looked at Talladega as a race I was like, I’ve probably got more of a chance to win there than I do at the Roval.”

MORE: Charlotte Roval schedule | Xfinity Playoffs standings

His candor offers a stark contrast from what’s become the expectation from Allmendinger, whose 14 road-race victories in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity series are most all-time across the sport’s three national series, including a weekend sweep of last year’s Roval races.

Entering Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 (4 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Allmendinger sits eighth in the Xfinity Series Playoffs standings, the final car above the elimination line by a mere seven points, with teammate and fellow road ace Shane van Gisbergen lurking 10 points beneath that provisional divider. Eleven times, Allmendinger has gone to Victory Lane after an Xfinity road-course race. None of those have come in 2024 after five attempts, his best finish a third-place effort on Sept. 14 at Watkins Glen International. SVG, on the other hand, has won three times.

“I’ve struggled with being loose in the Xfinity car. That is at every road course that I’ve went to,” Allmendinger said.

Van Gisbergen’s advantage at the Xfinity level, Allmendinger noted, is his ability to use the heal-toe method of shifting, using his right heal to brake and toes to blip the throttle while downshifting and utilizing his left foot on the clutch. That clutch usage also allows SVG to skip gears if he so chooses, matching RPMs with the gas pedal. That experience stems from his days becoming a three-time champion in Australian Supercars, where another one of Allmendinger’s former teammates — two-time Cup winner Marcos Ambrose — laid the foundation for stock-car success on road courses.

“The thing is, Shane and I, when we talk about the cars, I think we feel them fairly close to the same of what we fight. He’s just worked through it better and obviously he’s had really good success,” Allmendinger said. “[…] So we feel the car the same. But some of these race tracks, he’s figured out what to do. He’s really good at rolling corner speed, and that’s what I’ve noticed. So like Sonoma was a place that, following him, I tried to drive exactly like he was doing, and I just didn’t have lateral grip, and he makes it work. …

“I haven’t figured out what that is, what I struggle with. You know, I can pinpoint it; just haven’t figured out what that is and how to make it better.”

Shane van Gisbergen and AJ Allmendinger compete on a road course in a NASCAR Xfinity Series race.
Jonathan Bachman | Getty Images

Having a teammate like van Gisbergen has been helpful for Allmendinger, though, if not for anything but motivation knowing SVG can still win despite similar struggles.

“I’m a fan of motorsports, so you get a three-time champion of the elite series of where you’re coming from,” Allmendinger said. “I mean, we all see what he can do. We saw what he did in Chicago. So on the road course side of it, it’s good for me to see, like, hey, like he’s still getting the speed out of the car, so I just got to figure that out. […] I guess you could always look at it (like) there’s rivalry a little bit with your teammate, but it’s not — I don’t look at us as a rivalry, right? Like, I just see what he’s doing. It’s like, yeah, I need to be better. Like, on the road courses, I’d like to get there. So he’s definitely pushing me and I enjoy that part of it.”

What lies ahead this weekend is a reconfigured Roval, changed this year to feature a longer straightaway between Turns 5 and 6 to set up a sweeping right-handed Turn 6 into an extremely tight left-handed hairpin at Turn 7 leading back to the banked turns of the oval. Additionally, the frontstretch chicane gets a new look as its Turn 15 entry dives further left to set up a sharper, near-90-degree right Turn 16 before a 90-degree left back to the start/finish line. The anticipated outcome, Allmendinger believes, is more excitement, which he sees ahead for some ambitious passing opportunities. Highest alert on Allmendinger’s radar, though, is the hairpin.

“It’ll be interesting to feel in real life, the hump that they got going over into the first right-hander there in the new part of the section of the race track,” he said, “because on sim, the hump is pretty extreme. So it’s kind of where you get on the brakes. It kind of reminds me a little bit — not maybe as extreme downhill — but like Chicago, down right by the the city section there by all the hotels and stuff. So it’ll open it up, especially in Xfinity, I think, for wheel-hopping over that rise. But yeah, I can definitely see using the bumper in the right-hand section. But the problem is, if you do that, you’ve got the next hairpin left-hander. So I think desperation and stuff, there’s gonna be a lot of dive-bombs at the hairpin. I think that’s kind of where we’re gonna see a lot of the action.”

MORE: Allmendinger, SVG highlight Cup entry list | Top road winners in Cup history

And while his confidence may have lowered slightly in the Xfinity car at the Roval, he fully intends on defending his victory in the NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). In four Cup road races this season, Allmendinger has finished sixth twice (Circuit of The Americas and Sonoma Raceway) and failed to finish twice, crashing out at Chicago and losing a transmission at Watkins Glen.

“I’m showing up to win the race, but I only put the expectations on me to go run well,” Allmendinger said. “Look, it’s hard to win Cup races. It’s hard to run top five in Cup races. Like, the ultimate goal to me, still, is to show up. If we can run top five, top six, that’s a great day. And if we get it right, I know we can win. But on the Xfinity side of it, for sure, it’s just — because if you take SVG out, I don’t win any of the races this year. It’d be different if SVG was winning and I’m running second and I’m like, ‘yeah, just got to figure out a way to beat my teammate.’ But like, literally, if he’s not in the race, I still don’t win any of those races.”

Posted on by Press Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 8, 2024) – JR Motorsports announced today that Virginia native Connor Hall will be the new driver behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet for the organization’s championship-winning Late Model program in 2025. Additionally, as previously announced by JRM, Bass Pro Shops will be back on board as the primary partner for 20 Late Model events throughout the upcoming season.

“We are very happy to be able to have someone of Connor’s caliber and experience join us in our Late Model program,” said JRM’s Senior Vice President of Motorsports L.W. Miller. “Seeing his many successes over the past several seasons makes us very excited to watch him continue that success in a JR Motorsports Late Model in 2025. Everyone at JRM is looking forward to seeing what he and Bryan (Shaffer) can do together in the Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet.”

Hall, the current points leader in the zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car division and the 2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series National Champion, succeeds Carson Kvapil in the seat as Kvapil moves full-time to the NASCAR Xfinity Series next season with JRM.

“To me, JR Motorsports has the No. 1 Late Model program in the country, and it’s a dream come true to be able to wake up every day and work toward the common goal everyone at JRM has, which is to win more races and championships and carry on the legacy of this team,” Hall said.

“The opportunity to represent JR Motorsports, Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops, Dale, Kelley and L.W. means a lot to me. I am super-excited to work with Bryan, Slim and the rest of the team as well. I respect them a ton and am very eager to establish that working relationship.”

The 27-year-old Virginian will get behind the wheel of the No. 88 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats & ATVs Chevrolet for the first time early in 2025.

Posted on by Staff Report

TALLADEGA, Ala. — The No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Sam Mayer was disqualified Saturday evening in post-race inspection after the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Talladega Superspeedway.

Mayer’s No. 1 Chevy failed the post-race height requirement, measuring too low in the rear following the conclusion of the United Rentals 250. Mayer, who started the race in 12th, took the checkered flag in 16th before the violation. JR Motorsports will appeal the ruling, the team announced in a Monday statement on its social platforms.

RELATED: Official race results | Race recap

Mayer, one of 12 Xfinity Series Playoffs drivers fighting for Round of 8 positioning, was fourth in the playoff standings entering Talladega. Ahead of Saturday’s elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, Mayer currently sits 11th in the standings, 13 points beneath the elimination line. Eight drivers will advance to the Round of 8 after Saturday’s event to inch close toward the Xfinity Series championship.

Additionally, one lug nut was found unsecured on Chandler Smith’s No. 81 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, which will result in a monetary fine.

The Xfinity Series will conclude the Round of 12 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

This NASCAR Cup Series season has been doted by dazzling endings all year long, and Sunday’s Round of 12 playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway also delivered.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. surged to the win in a three-wide photo finish by just 0.006 seconds over Brad Keselowski, with William Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet third, just 0.027 seconds shy of Stenhouse. The dramatic visual of 13 cars flashing across the finish line within half a second of the leader was thrilling and exhilarating, just how any Talladega charge to the checkers should.

MORE: Talladega results | Playoff standings | Closest finishes in history

And yet that wasn’t even the closest finish this season. It wasn’t the first photo finish of the year. Heck, it wasn’t even the first three-wide photo finish this year. Sunday’s Stenhouse storm to Victory Lane marked the third-closest finish of 2024, behind Kyle Larson’s 0.001-second shocker over Chris Buescher at Kansas Speedway (the closest finish in Cup Series history) and Daniel Suárez’s triple-barrel thriller at Atlanta, besting Ryan Blaney by 0.003 seconds and Kyle Busch by 0.007 seconds.

Those three margins of victory are within the eight closest finishes in Cup history, all within a span of 30 races. How lucky we are to bear witness to some of the most exciting dashes to the stripe in the sport’s 76-year history.

On Sunday evening, that exhilaration was all over the face of Stenhouse, who grew up in Olive Branch, Mississippi, some 300 miles northwest of Talladega.

“Obviously like with the Atlanta race earlier in the year (and) the first Kansas, you know, my spotter Tab (Boyd) was pumped as soon as we crossed the line,” Stenhouse said. “I’m just sitting there waiting to celebrate and make sure. It was way too close for me to call from the seat.

“When the 24 jumped out to the outside, it was like a parachute hit my car. I was just hoping that we would get to the start/finish line before them. It was a drag race at that point. When I got probably to the backstretch, they were pretty confident that we had won, and a big sigh of relief for sure.”

On the other side of it was the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford of Keselowski, whose push from Chevrolet driver Kyle Larson was ultimately not enough to fend off Stenhouse’s No. 47 JTG-Daugherty Chevy.

“He gave me a good push down the frontstretch,” Keselowski said of Larson. “But the 24 was able to really stick with the 47 there and just needed a tiny bit. It’s a good finish for us. We’ve been knocking on the door of these plate tracks. I hate that we didn’t bust through with a win, but I’m happy to be right there in contention.”

There was a moment exiting Turn 4 where Keselowski was clear high and could have blocked Stenhouse’s lane, but he ultimately decided the bottom lane provided his best shot at the win.

“I knew they were gonna have a really big run and that the 24 was really tight to him and I was just gonna get split,” Keselowski explained. “So I felt like I made the right move, but there’s only so much you can do when you’re outnumbered.

“I just needed a half a foot, I guess. I got a really good push from the 5 down the frontstretch, but just wasn’t quite enough.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Kyle Larson exited his No. 5 Chevrolet after 500 miles at Talladega Superspeedway with a beaming smile. He wasn’t in Victory Lane with a horseshoe-shaped wreath of fresh flowers around his neck, but shaking off a handful of daunting speedway streaks with a clean top-five finish was satisfaction enough.

Larson placed fourth in Sunday’s YellaWood 500, avoiding the day’s biggest crash and strengthening his hold on positive ground in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at what’s been one of his most challenging tracks. The result also broke the Cup Series’ longest string of finishes outside the top 10 where aerodynamic drafting tactics apply, filling a 14-race void.

RELATED: Stenhouse takes Talladega | Playoff Pulse

“I mean, eventually, right, it’s got to work out, and today was just that day,” Larson said. “Especially with that wreck on the backstretch, that easily in the past would be us getting in the middle of that somehow. But we got through it, and yeah, we had a great car.”

Larson exits Talladega and heads to the Round of 12’s elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course with a comfortable 52-point cushion — pocketing a 34-point gain Sunday, relative to the elimination line. He was one of four of the 12 remaining playoff-eligible drivers who scored stage points at both breaks, navigating a treacherous stretch of four-wide racing through Stage 1 and contending with a tough entry to his pit stall near the RFK Racing No. 17 Ford of Chris Buescher.

Larson’s best break came in the massive crash that snarled more than 20 cars, including eight drivers involved in the postseason fight. With Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Ford crossed up in front of the pack after an aggressive low-line push, Larson joined a host of fellow Chevrolet drivers who sailed through in the top lane with minimal bumps.

When the track cleared for overtime, Larson shook out with a prime spot — second in the bottom lane behind Talladega master Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford. Up top was Ricky Stenhouse Jr., with help from fellow Chevy driver William Byron. Larson stayed glued to Keselowski, who didn’t waver far from his lane and wound up just 0.006 seconds shy of a victorious Stenhouse at the stripe.

“I wanted to give him a good shove down the backstretch, get him clear at some point through (turns) three and four, and then hopefully when the 47 (Stenhouse) had some momentum back, I was hoping that he would move up and they’d either chase each other way up, and I could get a run to the lead and to the start/finish line,” Larson said. “But Brad’s really smart, and yeah, he felt like his best opportunity was probably to stay committed to the bottom lane. It was probably the right decision, because he only … I mean, he didn’t lose by much. So I think he would have had an easier opportunity of losing had he moved up to try and block.”

All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers made gains relative to the playoff bubble, but the strides made by William Byron and Larson were the most pronounced. Byron took third place Sunday and rode a stage-point bonanza to maintain his lead in the Cup Series standings, advancing to the next round on points. Larson’s uptick helped offset a 21-point net loss in the previous week’s round-opener at Kansas Speedway, and his plus-52 margin was helped by finishing fourth in Stage 1 and nine in Stage 2 at Talladega.

That execution, combined with a dose of good fortune when the late-race melee broke out, was enough for No. 5 crew chief Cliff Daniels.

“I think the most realistic take that I can have is that was a very typical day for how it goes for us,” Daniels told NASCAR.com. “You know, we certainly probably have the worst finishing position of anyone in the field when it comes to speedway races, but I would imagine we’re among the best of stage points scored. Typically, we execute well in the stages and we get stage points, so doing that again today was a lot of what we’ve worked really hard to try to put ourselves in position to do. Certainly nice to have all the teammates to work with and have it go the way it did, to score some stage points. Then at the end of the race, typically we’re in that fourth-to-10th bubble where the wreck starts, and most of the time we just don’t make it through. And the difference today is the wreck happened right in front of us, right where we were, and this time we did make it through, so good, heads-up driving by him. Good, good job for the team to stay in it all day, and yeah, thankful to get out of it relatively clean.”

Larson enjoyed a good word of congratulation on pit road afterward from Hendrick vice chairman Jeff Gordon, a six-time Talladega winner during his Hall of Fame driving career. For Larson, it was a more modest Talladega resume-builder, but one worth savoring when chaos reigned around him.

“I mean, it’s only my second top five in like 10 and a half or 11 years of Cup racing, so I’m very happy with it,” Larson said after his 20th Talladega start. “And yeah, like I keep saying, I know we’re capable of doing it. You’ve just got to find some luck along the way, and today we did find that luck, so it’s good.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

TALLADEGA, Ala. — On a tumultuous Talladega Sunday when the postseason fortunes of many drivers diverged and scattered, Denny Hamlin may have had the wildest playoff swing in the right direction. The positive movement stemmed from a final pit stop that seemed to be Hamlin’s undoing, then ultimately turned into a fortunate stroke that helped him avoid the race’s largest crash.

Just like Hamlin and his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team drew it up?

“No,” Hamlin said, “but can I say yes and get away with it?”

Hamlin salvaged a 10th-place finish in Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, providing him with substantial headway in his NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs quest. He exits the middle race of the postseason’s Round of 12 with a 30-point edge over the provisional elimination line for Sunday’s event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, where just eight championship-eligible drivers will be left from the current dozen.

RELATED: Talladega results | At-track photos

Hamlin’s day had already hit a hitch with his involvement in a crash at the end of Stage 2, one that damaged his No. 11 Toyota and sidelined Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain. He continued on, but appeared to be sunk after his final stop for service.

Hamlin veered toward pit road with a mix of Toyota and Ford teams on Lap 171 of 195, and his crew changed two tires during the fueling. That decision, said No. 11 crew chief Chris Gabehart, was based on concerns about excessive tire wear from the front-end damage, which altered the steering angle — plus the tires were changed in the time it took to add fuel. When Hamlin resumed at the back of the pack after a slight delay exiting the pits, the ill effects of the earlier damage took hold, and the veteran became unhooked from the aerodynamic draft. He dropped more than 10 seconds behind, falling to 32nd.

“Silence on the radio,” Hamlin said of his feeling in the car. “I just assumed silence is bad news, and I knew that we were dead last of the cars that were running. I think that the damage that we had from the Blaney incident, just it really got magnified once we got to the tail end of the pack, and then we lost the draft because we just weren’t fast enough. So yeah, just … it was looking grim. And then all of a sudden, you know, I had some good luck.”

That windfall of good fortune came at the expense of most of the pack when a colossal 23-car crash erupted well in front of him with four laps remaining, forcing a red flag. “I was a mile and a half away from the wreck when it happened,” said Hamlin, who tiptoed by the melee at the end of the backstretch.

MORE: Stack-up jostles postseason field | Playoff Pulse

Hamlin moved up 20 spots in the exchange after the stoppage. Those gains, combined with other playoff contenders falling out of the race, moved Hamlin from minus-17 relative to the running elimination line before the crash to a plus-27 position before the final restart.

Two-thirds of the remaining playoff-eligible drivers placed outside of the top 15 once the checkered flag fell, ending a chaotic day at one of the circuit’s most feared maelstroms. Hamlin wasn’t among those unfortunate eight, notching his third consecutive top-10 result.

“I feel happy about it,” Hamlin said. “I mean, ultimately, if you would have said I’d be where I’m at, I would have certainly took it before this race happened. So I think we’re very fortunate today.”

Posted on by George Winkler

Called the most unpredictable track on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit, Talladega Superspeedway didn’t disappoint, providing late drama in the form of the “Big One” with five laps to go that shuffled the field and had huge playoff implications. We’ll be talking about the fallout from this version of the YellaWood 500 for a while, but for now, let’s take a look at the winners and losers from just another wild afternoon at the famed 2.66-mile superspeedway.

WINNER

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made it two wins in a row for non-playoff drivers as the JTG Daugherty Racing superspeedway ace held off Brad Keselowski in a photo finish for the victory by 0.006 seconds. The driver who just turned 37 on Wednesday recorded his fourth win in the NASCAR Cup Series — all on superspeedways — and his first since the 2023 Daytona 500.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

WHO’S HOT?

Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell. They are not known for their superspeedway prowess, but Larson and Bell came home fourth and sixth at Talladega, respectively, bucking their history and putting themselves in safe positions heading to the Charlotte Roval. Bell sits 57 points above the elimination line while Larson is 52 up. And if you thought this might be the chance to knock out a couple of championship contenders, well, think again.

Denny Hamlin. The No. 11 team appeared to be cooked after taking two tires on a late pit stop and losing contact with the draft, but when the “Big One” happened late, that strategy call actually kept Hamlin out of harm’s way. It probably wasn’t the way crew chief Chris Gabehart drew it up, but Hamlin now sits 30 points above the elimination line heading to Charlotte.

WHO’S NOT?

Austin Cindric. He was five laps away from possibly getting a win and advancing to the Round of 8, but Cindric got too far out in front of the pack, which surged toward him and ultimately led to his spin on the backstretch that set off the “Big One.” Now, Cindric remains mired 29 points below the elimination line and likely needs a win at the Charlotte Roval in order to advance.

Daniel Suárez. His day started with NASCAR penalizing the No. 99 team for unapproved adjustments to the roof area and that meant starting from the rear, performing a pass-through penalty and going without car chief Eddie D’Hondt Jr., who was ejected. Then, Suárez spun and had to come to pit road in Stage 1 and finished the day involved in the “Big One.” Not quite what the superspeedway winner earlier this year at Atlanta might have envisioned as he’s 20 points below the elimination line.

BUBBLE WATCH

RANKDRIVERCUTOFF
5Alex Bowman+26
6Ryan Blaney+25
7Tyler Reddick+14
8Chase Elliott+13
ELIMINATION LINE
9Joey Logano-13
10Daniel Suárez-20
11Austin Cindric-29
12Chase Briscoe-32
Posted on by John Crane

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Austin Cindric looked to be on the cusp of a playoff-defining moment.

The No. 2 Team Penske Ford, fresh off a strong Stage 1 finish and an even better Stage 2 result, was leading the inside row, spearheaded by a cavalcade of Fords. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., with a caravan of Chevrolets behind, led the way up top.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

For Cindric, the math was straightforward. A victory would net the 26-year-old two Cup wins on the season and additionally clinch a Round of 8 berth. Simple enough. However, a bump from behind by Brad Keselowski eventually culminated in Cindric wrecking out and collecting 23 cars in what amounted to a playoff-shifting moment in the 2024 postseason.

“I just got turned at the front of the field. Unfortunately, that’s how Daytona ended for us and I think what that says is we’ve got really fast race cars and great execution,” said Cindric, who finished 32nd. “As the leader, I was trying to be as predictable as possible as far as taking pushes and it’s just a real shame. I don’t really feel like doing a whole lot of complaining about what happened or whose fault it is, it doesn’t really matter. It puts us in a must-win situation for the Charlotte road course. We’ve brought some exceptionally fast race cars every single race of the playoffs and I cannot understate how proud I am of my race team and we’ll have to bring another one next week.”

“Everyone just gets more aggressive at the end of the races,” added his Team Penske teammate Joey Logano, who finished 33rd. “The 2 (Cindric) got out there a little bit more than what he had been and the 21 (Harrison Burton) gave me a shove and transferred that to the 6 (Brad Keselowski). You can’t see what’s in front of you from there and he got to the 2 with a fair amount of steam there. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s not Brad’s fault. It’s not anybody’s fault. It’s just the product of the racing that we’ve got. Everyone is getting more and more aggressive as the laps wind down and it happens. It happens a lot.”

Eight of the 12 playoff drivers were involved in the wreck, with Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson and William Byron and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell the only postseason drivers to evade the incident.

The shockwave could best be analyzed when viewing the playoff grid before and after the incident. Here is how the playoff standings looked before the multicar wreck and once the checkered flag waved in NASCAR Overtime that saw Stenhouse Jr. triumph in photo-finish fashion:

DRIVERPRE-WRECKPOST-WRECK
Austin CindricWIN-29
William Byron+51CLINCHED
Kyle Larson+28+52
Christopher Bell+24+57
Chase Elliott+17+13
Joey Logano+9-13
Alex Bowman+6+26
Ryan Blaney+5+25
Tyler Reddick-5+14
Denny Hamlin-17+30
Chase Briscoe-23-32
Daniel Suárez-42-20

The swings, in other words, were massive. Instead of clinching a playoff berth, Cindric concludes Talladega 29 points below the elimination line … coincidentally, the same amount under the line he was entering Talladega.

A ninth-place finish in Stage 1 coupled with a Stage 2 victory certainly helps matters for the No. 2 camp, and Cindric was sure to provide glowing reports leading up to the caution.

“I give us an A-plus on the day,” Cindric said. “One of the fastest cars in the field and got a stage win, points in both stages and came out in front of the field on the last pit cycle. I cannot ask for any more on a track like this, where there’s so many variables. Proud of my team for the effort.”

Logano, who was running behind Keselowski at the time of the wreck, came into Talladega four points to the good. Before the wreck, Logano was nine points above the elimination line. His involvement in the incident resulted in a 22-point swing that leaves the 34-year-old Connecticut native nine points below the elimination line and the first driver outside the eight-driver postseason grid heading into an elimination race.

RYAN BLANEY: No. 12 wrecks out ending Stage 2 | See how it happened

The wreck, however, might’ve been a benefit for their teammate in Ryan Blaney, the defending series champion who wrecked out on Stage 2 following contact with Alex Bowman’s Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

“I have no idea,” Blaney said after exiting the race when asked about his playoff positioning heading to Charlotte. “I don’t have good hope right now, to be honest with you. We didn’t get very good stage points, and obviously, we’re last, so we’ll just see where it is at the end of it.”

However, what looked to be a disastrous ending to what started as a strong day for the No. 12 was eventually salvaged following the carnage; Blaney was plus-five before the wreck and ended the race 25 points to the good, sixth in the playoff standings.

Plenty other playoff drivers saw their fortunes change. Hamlin, who battled drafting issues through the race’s early stages, lost the pack after green-flag pit stops and eventually finished the race in 10th, vaulted six spots following the wreck compared to before it. His JGR teammate Bell additionally swung from fourth in playoff positioning to second, behind Byron, who clinched a Round of 8 berth following the race’s conclusion.

“Yeah, I’m excited about the points standings,” Bell said. “We came out of here as good as we ever have, so that’s awesome. Hopefully, we can have a (good) day next week at the Roval. I think we’re going to have pace, and we can open up the strategy a little to hopefully race for the win.”

No matter how or where you spin it, there were playoff ramifications aplenty. That’s Talladega for you, and a track known to bring chaos certainly brought it Sunday.

MORE: Cup standings | Cup schedule

And who knows? With Charlotte’s new road-course layout, more chaos could be on the way when the Cup circuit hits the twists and turns next Sunday in the Round of 12 finale (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Whatever the case, Talladega has come and gone, and with it came plenty of shockwaves in the playoff picture. Chalk it up as another playoff-defining moment.

Posted on by Holly Cain

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. held off the field in overtime to claim the victory in a dramatic NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway — edging Brad Keselowski and William Byron by a mere 0.006-second in a thrilling three-wide finish.

That heart-stopping finish was indicative of the afternoon of competition at the 2.66-mile behemoth — which once again lived up to its reputation and provided a thrilling playoff race with significant implications for the 12 championship contenders.

A massive 23-car accident with five laps remaining brought out a red flag and stopped the race for nearly 10 minutes. The incident affected eight of the 12 playoff cars in varying degrees. There is only one more race remaining in this round to settle which eight drivers advance to the next round of championship competition.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Stenhouse, the 36-year-old Mississippi native who is not playoff-eligible, hoisted his fourth career trophy — all coming at superspeedway tracks — and first since winning the 2023 Daytona 500. His No. 47 JTG-Daugherty Chevrolet led 19 of the 195 laps, including the all-important last one after a side-to-battle with six-time Talladega winner Keselowski and this year’s Daytona 500 winner Byron.

This marks the third time in the five playoff races that a non-playoff driver has hoisted the race trophy.

“Felt really good, we had our Chevy teammates behind us and I was hoping Kyle [Busch] wouldn’t push the six [Keselowski] that hard, I knew the 24 was going to try to get to the line,” said Stenhouse, who scored his first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Talladega in 2017.

“Man, this team has put a lot of hard work in and obviously we haven’t won since the Daytona 500 in ’23. It’s been an up-and-down season, a lot of hard work this season trying to find a little bit of speed, but we knew this track is one of ours to come get it.”

MORE: Stenhouse: ‘Our team needed this for sure’

The finish was set up after the vast incident that took out several front-running cars and affected all but four playoff drivers. Team Penske’s Austin Cindric was leading the race — having exchanged the top spot multiple times with Stenhouse in the closing 20 laps.

With five laps remaining, Cindric’s leading No. 2 Ford was hit from behind on the backstretch by Keselowski’s No. 6 RFK Racing Ford, triggering an accordion-style accident from three rows behind the leader. Harrison Burton’s No. 21 Ford struck Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford, pushing Keselowski’s car forward and into Cindric.

The aftermath collected 23 cars in all, completely sidelining playoff drivers Cindric, who was credited with a 32nd-place finish, his Penske teammate Logano (33rd), and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe (30th).

“Obviously incredibly frustrated,” Cindric said. “Just really proud of my team and the full execution of the day. We got that stage win [second stage] and put ourselves at the front of that green flag pit cycle and had another shot [to win].

“I don’t feel like complaining right now. I’m too pissed off and it won’t do anything. But proud of the team. We’ve brought really fast race cars to every single race of the playoffs and we’re going to have to bring another one next week and I need to go out and do my job.”

His Penske teammate Logano, who was similarly frustrated, said there was nothing he could have done to avoid the accident.

“I don’t think we could have done anything much different,” the two-time series champion Logano said. “We had the bottom working fairly well and by the time we got off [turn] two, the push from the 21 [Burton] that transferred to the six (Keselowski) that transferred to the 2 [Cindric] just at a bad angle. And off he went.”

Other playoff drivers affected in the accident included, perennial Talladega race favorite Chase Elliott, who finished 29th after pitting for repairs following the accident.

RELATED: Ride with Elliott through the ‘Big One’

Regular season champion Tyler Reddick was also in the accident and rallied to finish 20th. Alex Bowman, who was involved in two accidents on the day, finished 16th.

Defending race winner and reigning champion Ryan Blaney was on pace for solid points day until a push from the No. 48 of Bowman sent the No. 12 Ford out of shape and wrecking into Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano on the final lap of Stage 2, ending Blaney’s day and scored with a 39th-place finish in a 40-car field.

On the up-side, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson finished fourth, tying his best-ever Talladega finish — only his second top-five at the track in 20 races. Non-playoff driver Erik Jones rounded out the top five.

SHOP: Race winner gear

Another playoff competitor, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell was sixth, followed by Justin Haley — in his second 2024 race for Spire Motorsports. Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace and Bell’s fellow playoff driver and JGR teammate Denny Hamlin completed the top 10.

With Byron’s finish, he becomes the first and only playoff contender to secure a position in the next eight-race round. Bell is next in the standings, holding a 57-point advantage on the provisional elimination line, followed by Larson, Hamlin, Bowman, Blaney, Reddick and Elliott.

Elliott is 13 points ahead of Logano going into next week’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course,  where the playoff field will shrink down from 12 to eight drivers. Daniel Suárez, who rallied to a 26th-place finish despite spending most of the race recovering from a pre-race penalty for equipment violations, is now 20 points behind Elliott for that final transfer position.

Cindric and Briscoe are 29 and 32 points back, respectively.

The final race of the Round of 12 is next Sunday, the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). AJ Allmendinger is the defending race winner.

NOTE: Post-race inspection concluded without issue, confirming Stenhouse as the race winner. No vehicles will be taken back to NASCAR’s R&D Center.

Contributing: Staff Report

Posted on by Staff Report

Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney found trouble in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race, crashing out at the end of Stage 2 at Talladega Superspeedway — the same track that launched his run to the championship in 2023.

Blaney was sent around after a push from Alex Bowman in the tri-oval, causing the No. 12 to spin and hit the SAFER barrier, collecting Ross Chastain in the process. Denny Hamlin and Team Penske teammate Joey Logano also were among those involved, but only Chastain joined Blaney as unable to continue.

RELATED: Unofficial results | At-track photos

Blaney was heard on the race scanner saying: “Go ahead and thank the 48 (Bowman) for me, I appreciate it.”

“I don’t think it was much of a push. More of him driving through me,” Blaney told NBC Sports after being evaluated and released from the infield care center. “We just got wrecked once again by somebody else and just ended our day, which stinks and we have to fight back next week.”

Blaney had been running at the front of the field alongside teammate Austin Cindric. The field was four-wide in multiple instances of the opening stages, and did so without incident. Coming to the end of Stage 2, Blaney was shuffled out of his lane as cars went three-wide, leading to the wreck.

“I thought Austin and I worked well together,” Blaney said. “I had a feeling that the 8 (of Kyle Busch) would pull out and help Chevy. He wasn’t gonna help me, obviously, so we got in the middle. I didn’t think it was terrible. We were probably still gonna run fifth or sixth, and then the 48 just drove straight through me in the tri-oval. He just wrecked the (expletive) out of me. I don’t know what he’s thinking.”

Blaney was recorded with a 39th-place finish in a 40-car field. He leaves Talladega 25 markers clear of the elimination line after a 23-car wreck with five laps to go collected several playoff contenders. William Byron was the only driver to advance to Round of 8 on points after non-playoff driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the race.

Sunday’s race was the second of three events in the Round of 12, and the postseason field will be trimmed down to eight championship-eligible drivers after next weekend’s round finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course.