NASCAR’s Superspeedway Races Never Disappoint
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. clinched a heart-stopping victory in overtime at the YellaWood 500 on Sunday, holding off Brad Keselowski and William Byron in a dramatic three-wide finish, separated by a razor-thin 0.006 seconds. It was a fitting conclusion to a race that epitomized the raw, unpredictable energy that NASCAR fans have come to expect from superspeedway events. Whether at Talladega Superspeedway or Daytona International Speedway, the thrill of the race is never in short supply.
The 2.66-mile Talladega track, famous for its high speeds and colossal wrecks, lived up to its reputation, delivering a race filled with playoff implications. A 23-car accident with just five laps remaining caused a red flag that halted the race for nearly 10 minutes.
Click HERE to see the crash!
This crash impacted eight of the 12 playoff drivers, leaving just one more race in the round to decide which eight drivers will advance to the next stage of the championship.
Stenhouse, a 36-year-old from Mississippi, isn’t playoff-eligible this season, but that didn’t stop him from securing his fourth career Cup Series win, all on superspeedways. His victory at Talladega, the site of his first career win in 2017, follows his triumph at the 2023 Daytona 500. The No. 47 JTG-Daugherty Chevrolet led 19 of 195 laps, including the final lap after a fierce side-by-side duel with Keselowski, a six-time winner at Talladega, and Byron, this year’s Daytona 500 champion.
“Felt really good,” Stenhouse said. “We had our Chevy teammates behind us, and I was hoping Kyle [Busch] wouldn’t push the six [Keselowski] too hard. I knew the 24 [Byron] was going to try to get to the line. It’s been an up-and-down season, but we knew this track was ours to take.”
As intense as the finish was, it was the race-ending crash that stole much of the spotlight. Austin Cindric, who had been swapping the lead with Stenhouse in the final 20 laps, found himself caught in a wreck after a push from Keselowski triggered a massive accordion-style crash involving 23 cars. The incident sidelined several playoff contenders, including Cindric, Joey Logano, and Chase Briscoe, who finished 32nd, 33rd, and 30th, respectively.
“Obviously incredibly frustrated,” Cindric said. “We had a fast car, executed the race well, but that’s superspeedway racing. It’s unpredictable.”
For Logano, there was little he could do to avoid the chaos. “It’s just how it goes at these tracks sometimes,” the two-time series champion remarked.
Despite the chaos, several playoff drivers salvaged their day. Regular-season champion Tyler Reddick was caught in the accident but rallied to finish 20th. Defending race winner and reigning champion Ryan Blaney’s race ended earlier after an incident in Stage 2. Meanwhile, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson matched his best-ever finish at Talladega, crossing the line in fourth, and Christopher Bell placed sixth, boosting their playoff chances.
Byron’s third-place finish was enough to secure him a spot in the next round of the playoffs, becoming the only driver to clinch a place ahead of next week’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The Round of 12 will wrap up at the Bank of America ROVAL 400 next Sunday at Charlotte. The road course promises its own brand of excitement as drivers fight for a coveted spot in the next playoff round.
As always, NASCAR’s superspeedway magic, whether at Daytona or Talladega, never fails to thrill, and next week’s race will continue the high-stakes drama that fans have come to expect.
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IMAGES: NASCAR
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