Ross Chastain wins at Talladega after crazy finals

The NASCAR Cup has visited the Talladega Superspeedway for the first time this season. And while the Next Generation car may have changed a few things, the race at NASCAR’s biggest track is still just about to the finish line. Everything else about running around the 2.66-mile oval is centered around getting to the front of the field and preparing for the finish.

The first leg ended cautiously with the lead being Bubba Wallace, the 23XI’s longtime super-speeder. The second leg ends with the scene trying to chase a Hendrick Motorsports freight train of all four cars led by William Byron. Byron won the stage, followed by Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson.

The biggest incident of the day wasn’t a true Big One, but it still involved several cars. Upon restarting in the second leg, the cars ahead on the outside lane pulled together, resulting in Bubba Wallace hitting Penske’s Joey Logano into the outer wall. Logano returned to the track and collected at least seven other cars.

After the final lap, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson of Joe Gibbs Racing led the race in a single track. Larson took control of the front by spinning outside as Hamlin faded and eventually ran out of fuel. It was expected that Byron and Elliott would pull the second line forward to reconnect with teammate Hendrick like in stage two, but Erik Jones of Petty GMS jumped ahead of the second line.

Jones will pull down ahead of Larson and eventually lead the field on the checkered track. Larson was out of line to try and win the race, putting both 23XI cars in a difficult position. Jones moved up to block Larson’s run, giving Trackhouse’s Ross Chastain a clear path to the finish line. Chastain won the GEICO 500 by 1/10th of a second against Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon, watermelon farmers win second of the season.

Race results – Top 10

1. Ross Chastain
2. Austin Dillon
3. Kyle Busch
4. Kyle Larson
5. Martin Truex Jr.
6. Erik Jones
7. Chase Elliott
8. Michael McDowell
9. Alex Bowman
10. Kevin Harvick

The NASCAR Cup Series returns next week at the newly renamed Dover Motor Speedway.