Ricky Stenhouse Jr wins an intense NASCAR Cup Sequence Playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday within the YellaWood 500.
TALLADEGA, Ala. – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. held off the sphere in extra time to assert the victory. It was a dramatic NASCAR Cup Sequence YellaWood 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. In an exciting three-wide end Stenhouse edged Brad Keselowski and William Byron by a mere 0.006 seconds.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr Wins an Intense NASCAR Cup Sequence Playoff Race at Talladega
That heart-stopping end signifies the depth through the afternoon of the competitors. At NASCAR’s largest monitor (2.66-mile) the race as soon as once more lived as much as its repute with an exciting Playoff race. And, there are main implications for the championship contenders.
A large 27-car accident introduced out a purple flag. With 5 laps remaining, the race was stopped for practically ten minutes. The incident affected eight of the 12 Playoff vehicles in various levels. There is just one extra race on this spherical. Solely eight drivers will advance to the following spherical of championship competitors.
Stenhouse, the 36-year-old Mississippi native shouldn’t be Playoff-eligible. However he 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. After a side-to-battle with six-time Talladega winner Keselowski and this 12 months’s Daytona 500 winner Byron, it was Stenhouse within the lead on the final lap.
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 six [Keselowski] that arduous, I knew the 24 was going to attempt to get to the road,’’ mentioned Stenhouse, who scored his first profession NASCAR Cup Sequence win at Talladega in 2017.
“Man, this staff has put a whole lot of exhausting work in and clearly, we haven’t gained because the Daytona 500 in ’23. It’s been an up and down season, a whole lot of exhausting work this season looking for a little bit little bit of velocity however we knew this monitor is one in every of ours to come back get it.’’
The Large One Takes Out Crew Penske Contenders
The end was arrange after the huge incident that took out a number of front-running vehicles. All however 4 Playoff drivers have been affected. Crew Penske’s Austin Cindric wants a victory to earn an automated berth within the subsequent Playoff spherical. Cindric had exchanged the highest spot a number of instances 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. That encounter triggered an accordion-style accident from three rows behind the chief. Harrison Burton’s No. 21 Ford struck Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford then pushed Keselowski’s automobile ahead and into Cindric.
The aftermath collected 27 vehicles. The massive one utterly sidelined Playoff drivers Cindric credited with a Thirty second-place end, his Penske teammate Logano (thirty third), and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe (thirtieth).
“Clearly, extremely pissed off,’’ Cindric mentioned. “Simply actually happy with my staff and the total execution of the day. We obtained 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 pissed off and it gained’t do something. However happy with the staff. We’ve introduced actually quick race vehicles to each single race of the Playoffs and we’re going to must convey one other one subsequent week and I must exit and do my job.’’
His Penske teammate Logano, who was equally pissed off, mentioned there was nothing he might have carried out to keep away from the accident.
“I don’t suppose we might have carried out something a lot completely different,’’ the two-time collection champion Logano mentioned. “We had the underside working pretty effectively and by the point we obtained off [turn] two, the push from the 21 [Burton] that transferred to the six (Keselowski) that transferred to the two [Cindric] simply at a nasty angle. And off he went.’’
Reigning collection champion Ryan Blaney ran among the many leaders and scored factors in each levels. Like his Crew Penske mates, he was eradicated from competitors mid-race within the day’s first multiple-car accident, leaving him thirty ninth of the 40 starters.
Extra Playoff Contenders Challenged by the Large One
Different Playoff drivers affected within the accident embody 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.
On the upside, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson completed fourth tying his best-ever Talladega end. It’s only his second top-five at Talladega in 20 races. Non-playoff driver Erik Jones was fifth.
One other Playoff competitor, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell was sixth. Following behind have been 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. He holds 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 to subsequent week’s highway course race on the Charlotte ROVAL. It’s the ultimate race of this Playoff spherical which is able to set the following eight-driver spherical. Daniel Suarez rallied to a Twenty sixth-place end regardless of spending many of the race recovering from a pre-race penalty for tools violations. He’s now 20 factors behind Elliott for that ultimate switch place.
Cindric and Briscoe are 29 and 32 factors again, respectively. They primarily want a victory at Charlotte.
Up Subsequent
The ultimate race of this Playoff spherical is subsequent Sunday. The Financial institution of America ROVAL400 is on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Highway Course. The race begins at 2 p.m. ET with protection on NBC, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. A.J. Allmendinger is the defending race winner.
