Oct 23, 2016; Talladega, AL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) and driver Ryan Blaney (21) lead the pack during the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
We saw four more drivers get eliminated from the Chase as NASCAR visited Talladega. Take a look at a few winners and losers from Sunday’s race.
NASCAR’s second elimination race of the Chase got underway Sunday afternoon as Austin Dillon, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski were all eliminated in the Round of 12.
Dillon ended the race tied with Denny Hamlin in points, but because Hamlin crossed the finish line two feet ahead of Kurt Busch, the No. 11 team earned the eighth and final spot in the Round of 8.
Truex and Keselowski both suffered from engine issues in the race, which led to the end of their championship runs. Elliott raced the near the front of the pack for the majority of the day, but never could get a good run at the end of the race and ended up finishing 12th when he needed a win to move on.
In the end, Joey Logano won his second consecutive Chase race at Talladega as he was able to lead 45 laps and control a few late restarts. He became just the fourth driver to win a race in the Chase so far this season, along with Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson.
While the Big One stayed away from the track on Sunday, there was still plenty of action going on simply because of how unpredictable restrictor plate racing is.
Check out a few winners and losers from the Hellmann’s 500.
Oct 23, 2016; Talladega, AL, USA; Smoke come out of the car of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (78) during the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Loser: Engines
We knew Talladega presented challenging obstacles before the race began, but sometimes those obstacles don’t come in the form of dodging wrecks–sometimes they come in the form of mechanical issues.
That was the case for Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski in Sunday’s race as they both suffered from issues that ultimately ended their runs at the title.
First up was Truex. While him and Denny Hamlin served as the only two Chase-eligible Toyotas that actively competed for the win, the No. 78 car had an issue roughly 41 laps into the race. With shades of past failures from the team, Truex rolled his car down pit road and went to the garage, where he would stay for the rest of the afternoon.
The story was a little different for Keselowski. He had already won at Daytona and Talladega in 2016 and easily had the best car on the track on Sunday. On Lap 144, he suffered the same fate as Truex, but Keselowski had led 90 laps before his day ended.
The Chase showed us more of its unpredictability as two four-win drivers had early exits in their run for a championship.
Oct 21, 2016; Talladega, AL, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Matt Kenseth (20) and driver Kyle Busch (18) practice for the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Winner: JGR’s Strategy
As soon as the green flag dropped and the race got underway, we noticed something a little interesting. Three of the four Joe Gibbs Racing cars (Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch) dropped to the back of the pack.
Throughout the afternoon, the trio operated in a three-car line–all pitting at the same time and all staying out of trouble in the back of the field.
After the day was over, they finished 28th, 29th and 30th–in the order of Kenseth, Edwards and Busch–and all qualified for the Round of 8 along with teammate Denny Hamlin.
The No. 20, No. 19 and No. 18 cars were able to hang near the rear since they had a safe points gap over the rest of the Chase contenders. However, had Keselowski and Truex not had engine issues, the three cars would’ve likely had to make a run late, since at least one would’ve been below the line.
Some didn’t like the move and thought they should’ve gave more effort while some thought it was alright.
In the end, they made the right decision and successfully stayed out of trouble, which in turn, helped them get one step closer to Homestead.
Oct 21, 2016; Talladega, AL, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) in the garage during practice for the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Loser: The No. 22 Team’s Jack
Sometimes interesting things happen in NASCAR. We’ve seen fires on pit road, pit crew members getting hit by cars, tires rolling to the infield and everything in between.
But it’s not often that we see a car leave pit road with a jack still underneath it.
That’s what we saw on Sunday as Joey Logano–who would go on to win the race–left pit road early in the race with a jack still under his car. He was able to drive all the way around the track and make it back to pit road without it coming out and without suffering any damage.
Hmmm…Logano leaves pit row with jack still underneath car https://t.co/RfYtGMDTB0
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 23, 2016
Logano stayed low and out of the way of the rest of the field. His trip down pit road served as his penalty and a chance to get the jack out from under the car.
After that, he was able to get back out on the track and run down the rest of the pack. Fortunately, an issue like that didn’t derail his whole day.
Oct 23, 2016; Talladega, AL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) , driver Brian Scott (44) and driver Denny Hamlin (11) race out of turn four during the final lap of the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Winner: Brian Scott
Brian Scott entered the day at Talladega with a starting position of 25th. It seemed like an average weekend for him as he started the race in a familiar spot.
But as the race progressed, Scott worked his way to the front and before you knew it, he was driving in the top-10. It’s not out of the ordinary to see a driver that hasn’t had much luck on the season race well at a restrictor plate track, but Scott hung on and ended up playing a huge role in the ending of the race.
On the final restart, he lined up next to Joey Logano and gave him a good run, but ultimately couldn’t make the pass and settled for second. But trust me when I say that for Scott, he hadn’t “settled.”
For a driver racing in his first full-time Cup Series season with an average finish of 27.8, this race was everything he could’ve dreamed of. In fact, this served as the first top-10 of his Cup Series career.
Scott has often been associated with getting into wreck’s this season, but he put together a nearly flawless performance on Sunday and almost pulled off a victory.
Oct 21, 2016; Talladega, AL, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (41) pulls in to the garages during the practice for the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Loser: SHR Teammates
The race was over and Joey Logano was on his way to Victory Lane, but the drama didn’t stop.
On the cool-down lap, Kurt Busch got into the side of teammate Kevin Harvick, sparking controversy. Once the cars got back to pit road, Harvick found the No. 41 car, leaned inside and appeared to hit Busch while he was in the process of regrouping after the race.
Tempers flare on pit road following late contact between Harvick, Kurt Busch.
➡️ https://t.co/TdsFsvHKFT pic.twitter.com/u7fkFtuhTz
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 23, 2016
The two drivers were asked about the incident after the race and Holly Cain of NASCAR.com, had us covered with their quotes. First up, Harvick had this to say on what happened:
“He [Busch] cleaned the side of our car out after the checkered flag,” Harvick said afterward. “I don’t understand that.”
Busch went on to call the incident a “misunderstanding” and made it clear that they would work things out.
It was certainly concerning to see the two drivers get into a situation like this, but it was more concerning for Harvick, who was involved in his third straight off-track incident since the Chase began, with his two previous ones coming at Texas in 2014 and Chicago in 2015.
While I understand Harvick’s frustration, he definitely should not have acted the way he had. The incident occurred after the race was over and both teammates were in the Round of 8. He should’ve taken care of business in private, not after the race when it was easier to make a scene.
We already know Harvick has had some problems with SHR this season, and this development doesn’t help his case.
Oct 23, 2016; Talladega, AL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) celebrates in victory lane after winning the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports.
Winner: Taming Talladega
While Joey Logano had issues early on–like having a jack stuck under his car after a pit stop–he rebounded a came away with a win at one of the toughest tracks in the NASCAR circuit.
After controlling a few late restarts and beating out Brian Scott, Logano earned a spot in the Round of 8 for the third straight season and will be looking for his second shot at a championship under the current Chase format.
But let’s think about what Logano has done at restrictor plate tracks. Coming into the race, the hype surrounded Logano’s teammate, Brad Keselowski, who had won the last two and was looking to tie Dale Earnhardt’s record of three in a row. However, his engine issue pushed him out of the race.
Logano capitalized and won his third plate race in the last two seasons with one coming in the 2015 Daytona 500 and the other two serving as Talladega Chase races. I think it’s fair to classify him as one of the best plate racers in NASCAR right now next to his teammate.
After another clutch win in the Chase, Logano has his sights set for Homestead. First up is Martinsville–a track that Logano has raced well at in recent seasons.
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