As anticipated, Talladega delivered shut finishes, huge hits and somewhat little bit of controversy. NASCAR’s greatest superspeedway was action-packed from begin to end and a YouTuber-turned-racer stole the highlight. There was heartbreak for Jeb Burton and Ryan Preece, elation for Austin Hill and Austin Cindric, and lots to debate.
Listed below are the most important winners and losers from Talladega Superspeedway:
WINNER: Austin Cindric carries the baton for a battered Crew Penske
Watch: Austin Cindric ‘so proud’ to lastly win at Talladega
It is unusual to assume that Austin Cindric and Josh Berry within the allied Wooden Brothers automobile have each reached Victory Lane earlier than Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano this yr, however that is precisely what occurred. And Cindric now holds the excellence of securing a spot within the playoffs earlier than both of his championship-winning teammates in three of the final 4 seasons. On Sunday, he was all Penske needed to be happy with as Blaney wrecked early and Logano was later disqualified. Cindric is at all times a strong driver in these drafting races and will have simply received all three this yr. Nonetheless, he received wrecked whereas battling for the lead in each the Daytona 500 and Atlanta occasions, however he was not going to be denied this time. And fences have been even mended as Kyle Larson — the driving force who wrecked him out of the lead at Atlanta — pushed him throughout the end line.
LOSER: RFK leaves Talladega with nothing to indicate for his or her efforts
Watch: Race Rewind: Cup Sequence at Talladega Superspeedway
5 championship factors. That’s the mixed complete for all three RFK drivers at Talladega. Brad Keselowski, who desperately wanted a great weekend with how deep within the standings he’s, was taken out within the first wreck of the race whereas merely attempting to get to pit highway. Chris Buescher fell quickly after, crashing moments right into a restart whereas battling for the race lead. Neither noticed the tip of Stage 1. The one vivid spot was Ryan Preece, who soldiered on, displaying velocity all day and practically profitable the race! He completed a career-best second after shedding by simply 0.022s in a photograph end, however he didn’t get to maintain it. Preece’s automobile failed post-race inspection and so, he grew to become the worst of the three RFK drivers within the ultimate order. Formally, Buescher completed thirty fourth, Keselowski thirty sixth, and Preece thirty eighth. Now that may be a tough day on the workplace.
WINNER: Cleetus McFarland for bringing new eyes to the game
Cleetus McFarland
Picture by: Getty Pictures
Specializing in ARCA for a second, common YouTuber Cleetus McFarland completely stole the present as soon as once more. Crediting cut-off sleeves and the facility of Talladega Blvd, the web entertainer turned skilled race automobile driver placed on a present on Saturday as he wheeled his wounded automobile to a Tenth-place end. However extra importantly, he introduced a ton of eyes to the game with 70,000 folks watching a livestream of his in-car digital camera … in an ARCA race. NASCAR even gained tens of hundreds of recent subscribers on their YouTube channel because of this. And whereas it is clearly a persona, it is extra entertaining than the fastidiously crafted driver personas we see each weekend who rattle off sponsor mentions and supply overused phrases to explain their day.
LOSER: Logano for keying the mic when he actually should not have
Drivers are identified to be impulsive and generally they open the radio channel once they actually should not. However Logano was responsible of that following Stage 2 at Talladega. Pissed off along with his teammate Cindric for not sticking with him within the ultimate run to the flag, he radioed the next message to his Penske workforce: “Technique to go Austin. Technique to go, you dumbf***. Technique to f****** go. What a silly s*** He simply gave it to him. Gave a Toyota the stage win. Good job. Technique to go. What a dumbf***.”
I consider that is what we name a ‘crash out’ in 2025. However what makes it worse is that the replay clear reveals Cindric getting somewhat unfastened within the treacherous tri-oval. He lifts and there’s a stack-up that forces him out of line. Had he remained caught to the again of Logano, he in all probability would have wrecked him. The radio rant raised eyebrows and even led to MLB legend and self-described NASCAR fan Chipper Jones slamming Logano on social media. And whereas issues stated within the warmth of the second over radio comms should not be taken critically, there are occasions while you actually should not push the button. This was one among them.
WINNER: A lot of the drivers for a surprisingly clear Talladega races
Crash involving Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing Ford; Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Picture by: Logan Riely / Getty Pictures
So, how concerning the drivers this weekend? The NASCAR Cup and Xfinity races have been pretty clear from inexperienced flag to checkered flag. The Cup race noticed simply two cautions for trigger and solely 4 drivers wrecked out of the race. The Xfinity race had three, however no wreck was larger than the four-car incident that eradicated Katherine Legge, Brandon Jones, and Aric Almirola. In that race, solely a complete of seven vehicles failed to complete as a result of crash injury, which is pretty low for a superspeedway. There have been some small incidents that ended with huge hits, however even ARCA was calmer than what we have come to count on out of that sequence, regardless of a clumsy multi-car restart crash that abruptly ended the race.
LOSER: Hendrick had all of the playing cards however could not make a profitable hand
Watch: Larson earns career-best end on a superspeedway
The excellent news for Hendrick Motorsports is that every one 4 of the HMS vehicles completed inside the highest ten at Talladega — one thing they have not achieved there since 2011. Nonetheless, regardless of all these playing cards to play, they by no means put collectively a profitable hand. And there have been a number of alternatives to take action. Kyle Larson by no means moved excessive when he cleared his teammates, selecting to take a seat behind Cindric and push as a substitute. Ryan Preece — who was behind Larson — did take that chance and practically received. William Byron and Alex Bowman have been in command of the highest however grew to become disconnected on the very finish. It simply by no means appeared like they’d a transparent plan to regulate the race. It is a far cry from the group we noticed from simply two Richard Childress Racing vehicles on Saturday as Jesse Love and Austin Hill firmly managed the pack for almost all of the Xfinity race.
WINNER: Austin Hill for changing into inevitable in any respect superspeedways
Watch: Hill wins at Talladega after end-of-race evaluate following Zilisch wreck
With out a mechanical subject at Daytona, Austin Hill in all probability would have received all three drafting races up to now this yr within the Xfinity Sequence. He is already received 5 of the final six races at Atlanta and three of the final 4 season-openers at Daytona, however the one refuge from no matter superspeedway magic he possesses was Talladega … till now. Hill had (surprisingly) by no means received at Talladega till this weekend, however when NASCAR reviewed the three-wide battle for the lead on the time of the race-ending warning, it was none aside from Hill out entrance. It is bewildering to see him navigate these chaotic races with such ease and now, he is even conquered the mighty ‘Dega, which ought to frighten the complete discipline.
LOSER: Jeb Burton offers with a heartbreaking loss
Watch: Jeb Burton will get emotional after Talladega runner-up end
Burton drove like a winner all day, however this sport has no mercy, particularly for the underdog groups simply attempting to scratch out a dwelling on the observe. It was onerous to not sympathize with Jeb Burton after Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity race at Talladega. The destiny of his total season rested within the split-second determination over when to push the warning button. He thought he had received the race, however NASCAR reviewed the nonetheless photos they’d accessible and ascertained that he had as a substitute completed a really shut second. It was heart-wrenching to look at the post-race interview as Burton showcased a rollercoaster of feelings that resembled the 5 phases of grief in some methods. After which he broke down, wiping tears away as he stated, “We do not have loads of possibilities to win.” Whereas it was simply one other superspeedway win for Hill, that victory would have utterly modified issues for Burton, and everybody watching felt his ache as he handled the fact of the end.
WINNER: The crew man unfazed by his shut encounter with a 3,400lb inventory automobile
Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Picture by: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Pictures
Throughout a mid-race pit cease, Carson Hocevar’s crew got here across the right-side of the automobile to undergo the same old routine. However issues did not go as deliberate this time as tire service Darius Morehead discovered himself in an sudden assembly with a 3,400lb inventory automobile, pushed by Josh Berry. Making an attempt to navigate round Hocevar into his personal stall instantly forward of him, Berry clipped the tire Morehead was carrying, knocking him over the hood. Fortunately, he was okay and in a position to proceed on working. FOX interviewed him later and he did not appear to be rattled in any respect, even evaluating it to his soccer days and saying, “You get used to it.” Now that is a profitable mentality proper there.
LOSER: Bell who in all probability hates superspeedway racing much more now
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota; Chris Buescher, RFK Racing Ford
Picture by: Sean Gardner / Getty Pictures
It is no secret that Christopher Bell is not an enormous fan of superspeedway racing, and that opinion was doubtless solely strengthened on Sunday. Sure, he received a drafting race at Atlanta earlier this yr, however Daytona and Talladega haven’t been very form to him. Earlier this yr, he served as a launching pad for Preece’s unsanctioned flight within the Daytona 500 after getting turned from the lead. At Talladega, he was main as soon as once more when he received turned close to the tip of Stage 1, slamming the within wall head-on and destroying the entrance of his automobile.
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