Tag: NASCAR Cup Series

Bowman leads a 1-2-3-4 finish for Hendrick Motorsports at Dover

It was an historic day for Hendrick Motorsports as Alex Bowman assumed the lead under the final 100 laps following a stellar pit stop from his crew and went on to beat teammate Kyle Larson and win the Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, May 16, as he also led a 1-2-3-4 finish for the HMS organization.

The starting lineup was based on a performance metric formula, weighing the driver’s and owner’s results from a previous Cup event, the owner points position and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race. With that, Martin Truex Jr., winner of last weekend’s event at Darlington Raceway, started on pole position and was joined on the front row with Denny Hamlin, teammate and the regular-season points leader.

Prior to the race, Chase Elliott dropped to the rear of the field due to his car failing pre-race inspection twice. Ryan Newman also dropped to the rear due to unapproved adjustments. Josh Berry, who was making his NASCAR Cup debut in the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, also dropped to the rear of the field due to a driver change as he replaced Justin Haley, who was absent from the Cup event and Saturday’s Xfinity Series event due to COVID-19 protocols.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Truex launched ahead with the lead followed by Kyle Larson, Hamlin and Kyle Busch. Truex, though, was able to lead the first lap with the field behind jostling for position.

Through the first 10 laps of the event, Truex continued to lead by half a second over Larson and nearly seven-tenths of a second over William Byron. Hamlin was in fourth followed by Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher and Christopher Bell.

Five laps later, Byron, who had taken over the runner-up spot over teammate Larson, started to close in on Truex for the lead. Another lap later, Byron powered his No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE to the lead.

By Lap 20, Byron was leading teammate Larson and Harvick while Truex slipped back to fourth place ahead of teammate Hamlin.

By Lap 30 and with the leaders approaching lapped traffic, Byron continued to lead by a narrow margin over teammate Larson. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch, who was running in the top 10, had fallen back to 12th place after reporting a mechanical issue to his No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry.

When the field reached the competition caution on Lap 35, Byron maintained the lead over teammate Larson, Harvick, Truex and Hamlin. By then, Chase Elliott, who started at the rear of the field, was in 17th while Kyle Busch, who continued to have mechanical issues with his car, had fallen back to 23rd. In addition, names like Ryan Preece, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Cole Custer and Aric Almirola were spared from being lapped by Byron.

Under the competition caution, the leaders pitted and Larson was able to exit pit road ahead of teammate Byron. Following the pit stops, Tyler Reddick, Corey LaJoie and Michael McDowell were sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road.

When the race restarted on Lap 40, Larson took off with the lead followed by Harvick.

By Lap 50, Larson was out in front by half a second over Harvick while Byron, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin were in the top five. Chris Buescher was in sixth followed by Brad Keselowski, Logano, Alex Bowman and Elliott. Truex was back in 11th followed by Austin Dillon, Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace and rookie Chase Briscoe. Kyle Busch was in 29th, the final car on the lead lap.

Three laps later, Kyle Busch, who continued to battle engine issues, was lapped by Larson. Meanwhile, Byron, who continued to run in third place, radioed brake issues to his car.

Through the first 70 laps of the event, Larson remained in the lead by nearly two seconds over Harvick followed by Byron. Behind, Corey LaJoie pitted due to a flat tire.

Five laps later, Larson extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Harvick followed by Byron, Blaney and Hamlin. Buescher, Logano, Keselowski, Elliott and Bowman all remained in the top 10 ahead of Austin Dillon and Truex, who was struggling with pace.

At the Lap 100 mark, Larson continued to lead by more than four seconds over Harvick followed by Byron, Blaney and Hamlin. Elliott moved up to sixth followed by Buescher, Logano, Bowman and Keselowski.

In the closing laps of the first stage, Larson increased his advantage to more than seven seconds. Behind, Hamlin moved up to second place followed by Blaney, Harvick and Elliott while Byron fell back to sixth.

On the final lap of the first stage, Chase Briscoe, who was trying to remain on the lead lap ahead of leader Larson, scrubbed the outside wall in Turn 1, though he was able to prevent the car from spinning. The debris from Briscoe’s damaged car was enough for the first stage to conclude under caution as Larson was able to claim his fifth stage victory of the season. Hamlin maintained the runner-up spot followed by Blaney, Elliott and Harvick while Byron, Logano, Bowman, Buescher and Keselowski were in the top 10.

Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Larson maintained the lead following his pit service. Hamlin exited in second place followed by Elliott, Blaney and Logano. Soon after, Truex made another pit stop to have damage to the front of his car repaired.

The second stage started on Lap 129 with Larson and Hamlin on the front row. At the start, Larson maintained the lead while Elliott drew his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE alongside Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry for the runner-up spot.

By Lap 135, Larson was leading by eight-tenths of a second over teammate Elliott followed by Blaney, Hamlin and Logano. Harvick, Buescher, Austin Dillon, Kurt Busch and Byron were in the top 10.

Through the first 150 laps of the event, Larson remained as the leader followed by teammate Elliott, Blaney, Hamlin and Logano. Harvick was in sixth followed by Byron, Buescher, Austin Dillon and Alex Bowman. Kurt Busch and Keselowski were in 11th and 12th, Truex was in 14th ahead of Daniel Suarez, Bubba Wallace was in 17th behind Tyler Reddick and Kyle Busch was in 36th, eight laps behind. By then, names like Cole Custer, Erik Jones, Ryan Newman, Ryan Preece, Christopher Bell, Matt DiBenedetto, Michael McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were a lap behind.

More than 20 laps later, the caution returned when Josh Berry scrubbed the wall in Turn 2. Prior to the pit road opening for the leaders, Blaney pitted to have a hole on the front of his car fixed and due to a flat tire. When the pits opened, the leaders pitted and Larson retained the lead after exiting ahead of Elliott, Hamlin, Harvick and Byron.

When the race restarted on Lap 176, Larson launched ahead with a strong start followed by Elliott and Hamlin while Harvick and Byron battled for fourth place. In addition, Bowman, the fourth Hendrick Motorsports competitor, joined the party in sixth place.

By Lap 190, Larson extended his advantage to seven-tenths of a second over teammate Elliott while Hamlin, Byron and Harvick continued to run in the top five. A few laps later, Penske teammates Logano and Keselowski nearly made contact with one another in Turn 1 while battling for eighth place.

At the halfway mark on Lap 200, Larson was leading by nearly a second over teammate Elliott while teammate Byron trailed by nearly five seconds. Hamlin was in fourth while Bowman was in fifth, marking all four Hendrick Motorsports competitors in the top five. Harvick was in sixth followed by Kurt Busch, Keselowski, Austin Dillon and Aric Almirola.

By Lap 220, all four Hendrick Motorsports competitors were running first through fourth, with Larson leading Elliott, Bowman moving up in third and Byron back in fourth. Hamlin was in fifth followed by Harvick, Kurt Busch, Keselowski, Austin Dillon and Almirola. Logano, meanwhile, was in 13th behind Reddick and Truex.

Despite having teammate Elliott closing in for the lead, Larson was able to pull away late as he approached lapped traffic and win the second stage on Lap 240 for his sixth stage victory of the season. Elliott followed behind in second place followed by teammates Bowman and Byron while Hamlin was in fifth. Harvick, Kurt Busch, Keselowski, Austin Dillon and Reddick were scored in the top 10. By then, names like Wallace and Logano remained on the lead lap.

Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Larson retained the lead following another stellar stop from his pit crew followed by Bowman, Elliott, Byron and Kurt Busch.

With 152 laps remaining, the final stage started. At the start, Larson rocketed away with another strong start while teammates Bowman and Elliott battled for the runner-up spot. Behind, a three-wide battle ensued between Harvick, Keselowski and Hamlin with Harvick moving into sixth place behind Kurt Busch while ahead of Keselowski and Hamlin.

Down to the final 135 laps of the event, Larson was out in front by more than two seconds over teammate Bowman with teammate Byron trailing by nearly three seconds and teammate Elliott trailing by three seconds. Kurt Busch, meanwhile, remained in fifth followed by Harvick, Keselowski, Hamlin, Austin Dillon, Reddick, Blaney, Ross Chastain, Almirola, Logano, Suarez and Truex.

Fifteen laps later, Larson stabilized his advantage to nearly three seconds over teammate Bowman with his other two teammates, Byron and Elliott, trailing by more than four seconds. Harvick was in fifth place, trailing by more than seven seconds, after overtaking former teammate Kurt Busch.

Down to the final 100 laps of the race, Larson remained in the lead followed by teammates Bowman, Byron and Elliott with Harvick in fifth. A lap later, though, the caution returned when Aric Almirola made hard contact into the Turn 3 outside wall after he blew a right-front tire, with fire eventually flaming out of Almirola’s car. The on-track incident marked Almirola’s fifth DNF and his sixth result of 30th or worse this season.

Under the caution period, the leaders pitted and Bowman, whose pit crew clocked off a fast pit service, emerged with the lead ahead of teammates Larson, Elliott and Byron with Harvick coming out in fifth.

With 92 laps remaining, the race restarted and Bowman maintained the lead over Larson and Elliott. Behind, Harvick overtook Byron for fourth with Hamlin lurking behind.

Six laps later, the caution returned when a bump from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. sent rookie Anthony Alfredo sideways and spinning to the inside wall in Turn 2, where he made contact with the wall. In the midst of the incident, Stenhouse and Keselowski received minor damage to their respective machines.

Under caution, a majority of competitors led by Hamlin pitted while the rest led by Bowman remained on the track. Overall, all four Hendrick competitors along with Harvick, Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suarez and Bubba Wallace remained on the track.

With 81 laps remaining, the race restarted. At the start, Bowman pulled ahead followed by Larson while Elliott struggled to launch on the inside lane. Despite Larson challenging teammate Bowman for the lead through Turns 1 and 2, Harvick pulled his No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang alongside Larson’s No. 5 Nations Guard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in Turn 3, which allowed Bowman to maintain the lead.

While Bowman continued to lead under the final 75 laps, Larson remained within sight of the lead by nearly seven-tenths of a second followed by Elliott, Harvick and Byron. Suarez and Reddick maintained sixth and seventh while Wallace battled owner Hamlin for eighth place.

Just then, debris drew the caution, which jumbled the field and erased Bowman’s lead over teammate Larson. Under caution, a majority of the leaders remained on the track while others like Logano, Custer pitted.

The race restarted with 70 laps remaining and with teammates Bowman and Larson on the front row. At the start, Bowman maintained the lead followed by Larson and Elliott while Byron retook fourth place over Harvick.

Under the final 60 laps of the event, on-track battling occurring and with weather threats looming near the track, Bowman remained as the leader under half a second over a hard-charging Larson followed by Elliott, Byron and Harvick. Reddick, Suarez, Hamlin, Wallace and Logano were in the top 10 followed by Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, Kurt Busch, Custer and Truex.

With 50 laps remaining, Bowman continued to lead by half a second over teammate Larson with teammates Elliott and Byron remaining in third and fourth. Harvick remained in fifth followed by Reddick, Suarez, Logano, Hamlin and Wallace, who had Blaney challenging him for more.

Down to the final 35 laps of the event, Bowman was leading by more than a second over teammate Larson while Elliott, Byron and Harvick stabilized themselves in the top five. Reddick, Logano, Suarez, Hamlin and Wallace also stabilized themselves in the top 10.

With 20 laps remaining, the gap between leader Bowman and runner-up Larson remained to more than a second, with teammate Elliott behind by more than two seconds and teammate Byron trailing by more than seven seconds. Harvick remained in fifth place while Logano overtook Reddick for sixth place. A few laps later, Custer overtook Wallace for 10th place.

Under the final 10 laps, the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE driven by Bowman continued to lead by more than a second over teammate Larson, who continued to lose ground on his teammate for the top spot. Bowman maintained his healthy advantage under the final five laps of the event.

With no challengers closing in to his rear bumper, Bowman was able to come back around and claim the checkered flag ahead of his three HMS teammates.

The Dover victory marked Bowman’s first at the Monster Mile, fourth of his Cup Series career and second of this season as he joined Martin Truex Jr. as the only multi-winners of this year’s Cup season. He also returned the iconic No. 48 car to Victory Lane at Dover for the first time since 2017 made by Jimmie Johnson, who won at Dover 11 times. The 1-2-3-4 finish was a first for HMS and the fourth time done by a NASCAR team.

“We won Richmond and then had a really rough couple weeks there,” Bowman said on FS1. “[We] Went to some really good race tracks for us and struggled. [I] Told the guys last week, ‘We’re still the same team that did it at Richmond.’ It’s another really good place for us. I’m just so pumped for Ally. It feels right to put the No. 48 back in Victory Lane here after how many races this car has won here. Mr. [Hendrick] is here, I don’t think I’ve won with him here befrore, so that’s really cool. Just so proud of this pit crew. It was a rough off-season for us and a big void to fill…The whole pit crew’s doing a really good job. Thanks to my spotter, Kevin Hamlin, for coaching me there at the end. It was fun racing Kyle [Larson] and glad to get Hendrick Motorsports another win.”

With the Dover victory and career win No. 267, Hendrick Motorsports is one win away from tying Petty Enterprises for the most victories all-time in the Cup Series. In addition, Chevrolet is one win away from achieving 800 victories in NASCAR’s premier series.

“I can guarantee you, this is the most nervous I’ve ever been in a race,” Rick Hendrick said. “Great day for the organization. Alex, congratulations to him. This is a sign of the guys working together and bringing good stuff to the track. I don’t think it’ll hit me till tomorrow that we were able to finish 1-2-3-4. That’s pretty hard to do, things can happen, pit stops, tires, anything. That’s a first. We’ll take it. It’s a great day for us.”

Larson, who led a race-high 263 laps, crossed the finish line in second place, two seconds behind, and for his third runner-up result of the season.

“I felt like all of us, HMS guys, were pretty equal, so it was like whoever got out to the lead was gonna be hard to beat,” Larson said. “[Bowman’s] team just really did a good job on that pit stop, gain control of the race and never really had a shot after that. That one restart, I got to his bumper and got him loose, but [Harvick] was coming, so we had to let each other go, but hard to be disappointed with that second. I felt like I did everything I could. We led a lot of laps, won both stages. Good points, but I would’ve liked to have been one spot better…What a day for Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet. Thanks to everybody at the shop, the engine shop. This is pretty amazing…That’s a pretty special day, for sure.”

Elliott finished in third place, three-and-a-half seconds behind, as he has yet to win this season. Byron capped off the 1-2-3-4 finish for Hendrick Motorsports by finishing fourth as he also captured his 11th consecutive top-10 result.

Logano emerged as the highest-finishing non-Hendrick Motorsports competitor by finishing fifth while Harvick, Hamlin, Reddick, Suarez and Custer finished in the top 10.

Wallace claimed his first top-15 finish of this season and for 23XI Racing by finishing 11th ahead of Blaney, Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon and Chastain. Keselowski finished 16th, Truex came home in 19th and Kyle Busch capped off his long afternoon in 27th. Josh Berry finished 30th in his Cup debut.

There were 10 lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 41 laps.

Denny Hamlin continues to lead the regular-season standings by 101 points over William Byron and 102 over Martin Truex Jr.

With the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season stretch halfway complete, 10 competitors (Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, William Byron, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell and Michael McDowell) are currently guaranteed a spot in the Playoffs based on winning at least once. Denny Hamlin would also be guaranteed a spot based on leading the regular-season standings. Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Austin Dillon, Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick are inside the top-16 cutline to the Playoffs as winless competitors, with Reddick ahead by 17 points over Matt DiBenedetto, 30 over Kurt Busch, 32 over Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 38 over Ryan Newman, 49 over Bubba Wallace, 56 over Daniel Suarez and 58 over Ross Chastain.

Results.

1. Alex Bowman, 98 laps led

2. Kyle Larson, 263 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

3. Chase Elliott

4. William Byron, 21 laps led

5. Joey Logano

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Denny Hamlin, two laps led

8. Tyler Reddick

9. Daniel Suarez

10. Cole Custer

11. Bubba Wallace

12. Ryan Blaney

13. Kurt Busch

14. Austin Dillon

15. Ross Chastain

16. Brad Keselowski

17. Chris Buescher

18. Ryan Preece, one lap down

19. Martin Truex Jr., one lap down, 16 laps led

20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., one lap down

21. Christopher Bell, four laps down

22. Erik Jones, four laps down

23. Ryan Newman, four laps down

24. Matt DiBenedetto, five laps down

25. Michael McDowell, five laps down

26. Corey LaJoie, seven laps down

27. Kyle Busch, seven laps down

28. Anthony Alfredo, eight laps down

29. Quin Houff, 12 laps down

30. Josh Berry, 12 laps down

31. Cody Ware, 13 laps down

32. Garrett Smithley, 17 laps down

33. James Davison, 18 laps down

34. Josh Bilicki, 19 laps down

35. Chase Briscoe, 65 laps down

36. B.J. McLeod – OUT, Engine

37. Aric Almirola – OUT, Accident

Next on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is a trip to Austin, Texas, for the series’ inaugural event at the Circuit of the Americas for the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix. The event is slated to occur on Sunday, May 23, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

May 16, 2021
Weekend schedule for Dover
The NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series travel to Dover International Speedway this weekend. The Camping World Truck Series has the week off but will return May 22 for the Toyota Tundra 225 at Circuit of The Americas.

There have been 10 different Cup Series winners in 12 races this season with Martin Truex Jr. the only multi-race winner with three victories.

Four active drivers are tied with the most wins at Dover. Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman each have three wins.

All eyes will be on JR Motorsports driver Noah Garson as he attempts to sweep the Dash 4 Cash Xfinity Series races. Since the multi-round format was established in 2011, no driver has ever won all the rounds in a season.

There will be no practice or qualifying sessions due to COVID-19 protocols established by NASCAR.

Truex (Cup) and Daniel Hemric (Xfinity) have been awarded the pole starting positions for their respective series based on the formula below.

The starting lineups will be determined by the following metrics formula:

• 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
• 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
• 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
• 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race
All times are Eastern.

Saturday, May 15

1:10 p.m.: Driver Intros (Drivers Standing By Cars)
1:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Drydene 200 (Green flag 1:41)
200 miles (200 Laps)
Stage 1 ends on Lap 45, Stage 2 ends on Lap 90, Final Stage ends on Lap 200
FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Pole: Daniel Hemric

Sunday, May 16

1:40 p.m.: Driver Intros (Drivers Standing By Cars)
2 p.m.: Cup Series Drydene 400 (Green flag 2:11)
The Place: Dover International Speedway
400 miles (400 laps)
Stage 1 ends on Lap 120, Stage 2 ends on Lap 240, Final Stage ends on Lap 400
FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Pole: Martin Truex Jr.

Dover International Speedway:
“Season Race #: 13 of 36 (05-16-21)
Track Size: 1-mile
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 24 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 24 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 9 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 9 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 1,076 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,076 feet
Race Length: 311 laps / 311 miles
Stage 1 and 2 Length: 120 laps each
Final Stage Length: 160 laps

Dover International Speedway Qualifying Information:
Track qualifying record: Denny Hamlin, Toyota 166.984 mph, (21.559 secs.) on Oct. 5, 2019.
2020 Dover pole winner: Qualifying was canceled due to pandemic – Chase Elliott started on pole.
- Kurt Busch leads all active series drivers in starts at Dover with 41 starts.
- Kyle Larson leads all active drivers in the series in an average starting position at Dover with a 7.8 in 13 starts.
- 42 different NCS drivers have won the pole at Dover and eight pole winners are active this weekend. Denny Hamlin (4), Ryan Newman (4), Martin Truex Jr, (3), Chase Elliott (1), Kyle Larson (1), Kyle Busch (1), Brad Keselowski (1), and Kevin Harvick (1).
- The youngest series Dover pole winner is Chase Elliott (May 3, 2019 – 23 years, 5 months, 8 days).
- The oldest series Dover pole winner is Mark Martin (June 1, 2012 – 53 years, 4 months, 23 days).
- 10 drivers have won consecutive poles at Dover and the two active drivers this weekend are Ryan Newman (fall 2005, spring 2006), and Denny Hamlin (fall 2012, spring 2013).
Dover International Speedway Race Information:
Track race record: Kyle Larson, Chevrolet 135.734 mph, (02:56:49) on Oct. 6, 2019.
2020 Dover race winner: Denny Hamlin, Toyota 124.359 mph, (02:30:03), Aug. 22, 2020
- 38 different NCS drivers have won at Dover and nine are active this weekend. Kevin Harvick (3), Martin Truex Jr. (3), Kyle Busch (3), Ryan Newman (3), Denny Hamlin (1), Kyle Larson (1), Chase Elliott (1), Brad Keselowski (1), and Kurt Busch (1).
- Jimmie Johnson leads the NCS in wins at Dover with 11 victories.
- The youngest Dover race winner is Chase Elliott (October 7, 2018 – 22 years, 10 months, 0 days).
- 13 of the 102 (12.7%) NCS races at Dover have been won from the pole or first starting position but the second place starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position.
- Ryan Newman is the only active driver entered this weekend that has won from the pole in the NCS at Dover on June 1, 2003.
- The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at Dover is 26th, by Martin Truex Jr.
- Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Dover in the NCS with 20 victories among six drivers.
- Nine different manufacturers have won in the NCS at Dover. It’s led by Chevrolet with 41 victories, followed by Ford with 27, Dodge (seven), Mercury (seven), Toyota (seven), Pontiac (six), Buick (three), Oldsmobile (two) and Plymouth (two).
- Kyle Larson leads all active drivers in the NCS in average finishing position at Dover with a 7.4 in 13 starts.
- Kevin Harvick leads all active series drivers in laps led at Dover with 1,666 in 41 races.
Top 12 Dover Driver Ratings:
Kyle Busch – 103.5
Kyle Larson – 103.3
Martin Truex Jr. – 101.2
Kevin Harvick – 98.6
Brad Keselowski – 93.2
Chase Elliott – 91.5
Cole Custer – 89.2
Denny Hamlin – 88.9
Kurt Busch – 87.2
|Joey Logano – 86.8
Ryan Blaney – 84.1
Erik Jones – 83.3

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2020 races (32 total) among active drivers at Dover International Speedway.
May 14, 2021
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex swept Stages 1 and 2 at Darlington and held off Kyle Larson in the closing laps of the final stage to take the win, his third of the year.

“I could feel Kyle coming,” Truex said. “Heck, I thought he was going to pass me. When he got to within a second, I said a word that needed to be censored, out of my own frustration.”

2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin grazed the wall late at Darlington, but held on to post a fifth in the Goodyear 400.

“I’m still winless,” Hamlin said, “and it’s very frustrating. Since I can’t win any, I’m offering ‘bonus points’ to anyone who can tell me how to break this slump.”

3. William Byron: Byron finished fourth at Darlington and is third in the points standings.

“Daytona, Darlington, and Kansas announced that upcoming summer and fall races will be held with fully open grandstands,” Byron said. “And you can best believe the same people that complained about not being able to attend a race will be the same ones complaining that they’re sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with a fellow NASCAR fan.”

4. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished sixth at Darlington.

“I think all drivers can agree that the ‘higher horsepower-lower downforce’ package is great,” Harvick said. “We all call it the ‘How Tim Richmond Liked His Women.”

5. Kyle Larson: Larson finished second in the Goodyear 400 at Darlington after falling just short of catching Martin Truex Jr. in the final stage.

“I was so close to Truex I could taste it,” Larson said. “But I couldn’t quite get there. Therein lies the difference between me and Truex: ‘I got caught.’”

6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski started on the pole and finished 24th at Darlington.

“It was true for me on Sunday,” Keselowski said. “Darlington is the track that’s ‘too tough to tame.’ My No. 2 Ford Mustang, at least for the day, was called the car that’s ‘too tough to tame.’ The handling was off all day.”

7. Joey Logano: Logano suffered a pit lane speeding penalty on the final pit stop of the race and finished a disappointing 13th at Darlington.

“The No. 22 Ford’s paint scheme honored Mario Andretti’s first Formula 1 victory in 1971,” Logano said. “But really, I doubt NASCAR fans care at all about Formula 1, or Formula 2, 3, or 4, for that matter. In other words, it’s a matter of ‘zero F’s given.’”

8. Kyle Busch: Busch overcame an early spin to post a third-place result at Darlington.

“My car’s paint scheme celebrated M&M’s 80th anniversary,” Busch said. “M&M’s has been a sponsor of mine for years, and I’m sure having their logo on my car has made them millions. So, they’ve really exploited me and my car for their gain. Talk about ‘milk’ chocolate.”

9. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished seventh at Darlington and is eighth in the points standings.

“My car honored 1992 Cup champion Alan Kulwicki,” Elliott said, “and featured the throwback Hooters paint scheme. Rumor has it that Kulwicki once visited the ‘private back room’ at one particular Hooters, where he allegedly received a ‘Polish victory lap dance.’”

10. Ryan Blaney: Blaney tagged the wall late while running in the top five and settled for an eighth in the Goodyear 400.

“NASCAR just revealed the ‘Next Gen’ car,” Blaney said. “At first glance, it looks really cool, sleek, and futuristic. On second glance, it didn’t pass inspection.”

May 11, 2021

Martin Truex Jr. wins the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway

Martin Truex Jr. captured his third NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) win of the season on Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Truex Jr. dominated the race by leading 248 of the 293 laps and swept both stages. This was his 30th NCS career win in 561 series starts. He is the only multi-race winner this year.

It was also the first time that a stage winner has ever claimed the checkered flag at Darlington.

“I’m extremely proud of everyone on this Auto-Owners Camry. I think this flat black is a throwback to you, Regan (Smith), when you won here. It’s really cool to throw back to Furniture Row. Hopefully, Barney Visser (owner, Furniture Row Racing) is out here watching. I know, Regan, you and I both owe him a lot, but this one is for Furniture Row. It’s pretty cool.” Truex said.

Kyle Larson closed on Truex Jr. in the closing laps but had to settle for second place, earning his seventh top-10 finish this season.

“I was surprised that I was able to get to him. I caught him really; like, I closed on pit road and then I caught him pretty quickly once we were on track. I closed right in, and actually had an opportunity to get by him in the middle of (Turns) 1 and 2, but I thought I’d stay patient and maybe get him to use his stuff up. He was just a little bit better than I was in the long runs.” Larson said.

Kansas winner Kyle Busch finished third and was pleased with the overall progress his team has made.

“Yes, solid day overall. Definitely better than some of our other 750 package races, but just missing a little bit on the long run. It seemed like we could fire off with (Martin) Truex there and hang with him a little bit. Actually, we would catch him for about five laps and then it was over. Just trying to hold on after that point. Overall, real good day.”

William Byron was fourth and Denny Hamlin finished fifth. Chase Briscoe was the highest-finishing rookie with an 11th place result.

Hamlin leads the series with 529 points. Truex (-75), Byron (-101), Joey Logano (-123) and Ryan Blaney (-124) round out the top five in the driver standings.

There were no major issues in the post-race inspection. The No. 18 (Busch), 24 (Byron), 4 (Harvick), 12 (Blaney) and 8 (Reddick) will be taken to the R&D Center for further inspection. The No. 22 (Logano) had two lug nuts not safe and secure and the No. 17 (Buescher) had one lug nut not safe and secure.

NEXT RACE: Sunday, May 16th at Dover International Speedway on FS1 at 2 p.m. ET

NASCAR Cup Series Race No. 12 Race Results for the 2nd Annual Goodyear 400

Sunday, May 9, 2021
Darlington Raceway – Darlington, SC – 1.366 – Mile Paved
Total Race Length – 293 Laps – 400.238 Miles

Fin	Str	No	Driver	Team	Laps	S1Pos	S2Pos	S3Pos	Pts	Status
1	4	19	Martin Truex Jr.	Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota	293	1	1	0	60	Running
2	14	5	Kyle Larson	HendrickCars.com Throwback Chevrolet	293	4	5	0	48	Running
3	3	18	Kyle Busch	M&M’s Toyota	293	0	2	0	43	Running
4	5	24	William Byron	Valvoline Throwback Chevrolet	293	9	3	0	43	Running
5	7	11	Denny Hamlin	Sport Clips Toyota	293	2	4	0	48	Running
6	2	4	Kevin Harvick	Mobil 1 Throwback Ford	293	5	0	0	37	Running
7	6	9	Chase Elliott	Hooters Throwback Chevrolet	293	8	0	0	33	Running
8	16	12	Ryan Blaney	Advance Auto Parts Ford	293	7	9	0	35	Running
9	11	17	Chris Buescher	Fifth Third Bank Ford	293	0	10	0	29	Running
10	20	6	Ryan Newman	Kohler Generators Ford	292	0	0	0	27	Running
11	22	14	Chase Briscoe #	HighPoint.com Throwback Ford	292	0	0	0	26	Running
12	10	8	Tyler Reddick	Quartz Hill Records Chevrolet	292	3	8	0	36	Running
13	12	22	Joey Logano	Shell Pennzoil Ford	292	6	7	0	33	Running
14	21	20	Christopher Bell	Rheem Toyota	292	0	6	0	28	Running
15	18	42	Ross Chastain	McDonald’s Chevrolet	291	0	0	0	22	Running
16	9	3	Austin Dillon	Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet	291	0	0	0	21	Running
17	19	48	Alex Bowman	Ally Throwback Chevrolet	291	10	0	0	21	Running
18	26	43	Erik Jones	STP Chevrolet	291	0	0	0	19	Running
19	8	21	Matt DiBenedetto	Menards/Dutch Boy Ford	290	0	0	0	18	Running
20	28	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Kroger/Tide Chevrolet	290	0	0	0	17	Running
21	23	23	Bubba Wallace	Root Insurance Toyota	290	0	0	0	16	Running
22	30	7	Corey LaJoie	In Memory of Alan Kulwicki Chevrolet	290	0	0	0	15	Running
23	15	99	Daniel Suarez	Camping World Throwback Chevrolet	290	0	0	0	14	Running
24	1	2	Brad Keselowski	Freightliner Ford	290	0	0	0	13	Running
25	29	37	* Ryan Preece	Velveeta Chevrolet	290	0	0	0	12	Running
26	25	38	Anthony Alfredo #	We Care Ford	289	0	0	0	11	Running
27	13	34	Michael McDowell	Fr8 Auctions Ford	288	0	0	0	10	Running
28	31	77	Justin Haley(I)	FOE Mother’s Day Chevrolet	288	0	0	0	0	Running
29	34	53	JJ Yeley(i)	FatBoy Ice Cream Chevrolet	286	0	0	0	0	Running
30	35	0	Quin Houff	Bos Klein/RCA Chevrolet	286	0	0	0	7	Running
31	36	15	James Davison	HOPEGIVERS Throwback Chevrolet	286	0	0	0	6	Running
32	32	78	BJ McLeod(i)	CorvetteParts.net/Keen Parts Ford	285	0	0	0	0	Running
33	37	52	Josh Bilicki	Insurance King Throwback Ford	245	0	0	0	4	Running
34	33	51	Cody Ware(i)	NURTEC ODT Throwback Chevrolet	188	0	0	0	0	Driveshaft
35	17	1	Kurt Busch	Monster Energy Chevrolet	106	0	0	0	2	Accident
36	24	41	Cole Custer	HaasTooling.com Mother’s Day Ford	97	0	0	0	1	Accident
37	27	10	Aric Almirola	Smithfield/Winn-Dixie Ford	5	0	0	0	1	Accident

Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 14 Mins, 21 Secs. Average Speed: 123.562 MPH Margin of Victory: 2.571 Seconds

Stage 1 Top 10: 19, 11, 8, 5, 4, 22, 12, 9, 24, 48
Stage 2 Top 10: 19, 18, 24, 11, 5, 20, 22, 8, 12, 17

Failed to Qualify: None.

Caution Flags: 6 for 36 laps; Laps: 7-11 (#10 Incident Backstretch [None]); 23-28 (#18 Incident Turn 4/Competition Cuation [None]); 92-97 (Stage 1 Conclusion [1]); 100-104 (#41, 38 Incident Backstretch [14]); 108-114 (#1, 23 Incident Frontstretch [None]); 187-193 (Stage 2 Conclusion [43]).

Lead Changes: 19 among 10 drivers; B. Keselowski 1-4; K. Harvick 5-13; K. Busch 14-21; M. Truex Jr. 22-24; T. Reddick 25; C. Ware(i) 26; M. Truex Jr. 27-60; T. Reddick 61; R. Chastain 62-71; M. Truex Jr. 72-92; D. Hamlin 93; M. Truex Jr. 94-110; D. Hamlin 111-114; M. Truex Jr. 115-144; C. Buescher 145; K. Harvick 146; C. Bell 147-149; M. Truex Jr. 150-187; K. Busch 188; M. Truex Jr. 189-293.

Sunoco Rookie of the Race: Chase Briscoe, #14
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

May 9, 2021

Weekend schedule for Darlington Throwback Weekend
NASCAR heads to Darlington Raceway for the seventh annual Throwback Weekend. The Camping World Truck Series will compete Friday night followed by the Xfinity Series Saturday afternoon.

The Cup Series Goodyear 400 will take center stage on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Many of the drivers will be paying tribute to the past this weekend with special paint schemes on their cars. For a full detailed list of the paint schemes and cars participating select this link and visit NASCAR.com’s 2021 Throwback Weekend Photo Gallery.

Along with the Throwback paint schemes, fans can enjoy a variety of events that will add to the nostalgic atmosphere. In honor of Mother’s Day, Darlington Raceway will also hand out flowers to the first 1,000 mothers who enter the track.

There will be no practice or qualifying sessions due to COVID-19 protocols established by NASCAR.

The starting lineups will be determined by the following metrics formula:
• 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
• 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
• 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
• 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

All times are Eastern.

Friday, May 7

7:10 p.m.: Driver Intros (Drivers Standing By Trucks)
7:30 p.m.: Truck Series LiftKits4Less.com 200
Stages 45/90/147 Laps = 200.1 Miles
Pole: John Hunter Nemechek
FS1 /MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Saturday, May 8

12:40 p.m.: Driver Intros (Drivers Standing By Cars)
1 p.m.: Xfinity Series Steakhouse Elite 200
Stages 45/90/147 Laps = 200.1 Miles
Pole: AJ Allmendinger
FS1 /MRN/TSN3/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Sunday, May 9

3:10 p.m.: Driver Intros (Drivers Standing By Cars)
3:30 p.m.: Cup Series Goodyear 400
Stages 90/185/293 Laps = 400.2 Miles
Pole: Brad Keselowski
FS1 /MRN/TSN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Darlington Raceway Data
Season Race #: 12 of 36 (05-09-21)
Track Size: 1.366-miles
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 25 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 23 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 6 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 6 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 1,229 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,229 feet
Race Length: 293 laps / 400 miles
Stage 1 Length: 90 laps
Stage 2 Length: 95 laps
Final Stage Length: 108 laps

Darlington Raceway Qualifying Information:
Track qualifying record: Aric Almirola, Ford,184.145 mph (26.705 secs.) on April 11, 2014.
2020 pole winner: Brad Keselowski – Qualifying by random draw on May 17, 2020.
- Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead all active drivers in starts at Darlington with 26 each.
- Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in the series in average starting position at 8.8 in 17 starts.
- 51 different NCS drivers have won at least one pole at Darlington and six are active this weekend. Kevin Harvick (2), Kurt Busch (2), Brad Keselowski (1), Denny Hamlin (1), Ryan Newman (1), and William Byron (1).
- The youngest Darlington pole winner is William Byron on Sept. 1, 2019 (21 years, 9 months, 3 days).
- A total of 12 different manufacturers have won at least one pole in the NCS. Ford leads with 43 poles, followed by Chevrolet (22), Mercury (13), Pontiac (10), Dodge (8), Buick (3), Oldsmobile (3), Plymouth (3), Toyota (2), Chrysler (1), Hudson (1) and Studebaker (1).
Darlington Raceway Race Information:
Track race record (500 miles): Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 141.383 mph (03:32:45) on May 11, 2013.
2020 race winner: Kevin Harvick, Ford, 115.815 mph (03:27:21) on May 17, 2020.
- 51 different NCS drivers have won at Darlington and six are active this weekend. Kevin Harvick (3), Denny Hamlin (3), Erik Jones (1), Brad Keselowski (1), Martin Truex Jr. (1), and Kyle Busch (1).
- Kevin Harvick is the only active driver to win from the pole (2014) at Darlington.
- The pole is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position at Darlington.
- Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins by an organization at Darlington in the NASCAR Cup Series with 14.
- 11 different manufacturers have won in the NCS at Darlington. Chevrolet leads with 41 victories, followed by Ford (31), Mercury (10), Toyota (eight), Oldsmobile (six), Dodge (five), Pontiac (five), Buick (four), Plymouth (four), Hudson (three) and American Motor Company (two).
- Kevin Harvick leads all active NCS drivers with 782 laps led in 26 starts.
Top 12 Driver Ratings at Darlington
Kyle Larson – 111.3
Denny Hamlin – 106.8
Erik Jones – 105.7
Kevin Harvick – 104.8
Kyle Busch – 102.8
Martin Truex Jr. – 101.2
Brad Keselowski – 98.4
Chase Elliott – 90.2
Joey Logano – 90.1
Kurt Busch – 88.9
Ryan Newman – 87.6
William Byron – 82.2

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2020 races (18 total) among active drivers at Darlington Raceway.
May 6, 2021
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Kansas

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin led late at Kansas, but tagged the wall, bringing out the caution. Hamlin wound up in 12th, and remained winless on the year.

“I have plenty of top 5’s and top 10’s,” Hamlin said, “but where wins are concerned, I’ve ‘hit a wall.’

“But my goal still is to win the Cup championship. Is the weight of expectations too much to bear? I can’t say for sure. All I know is the weight of expectations and this monkey on my back weigh exactly the same.”

2. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski started on the pole at Kansas and finished third, the only Penske Racing driver to crack the top 15.

“Kyle Busch won the race,” Keselowski said. “As is well documented, I’m not a big fan of Kyle’s. But Sunday was his birthday, and he did win the race, so I’ll give him his due, although I still think he’s an ass. Turns out you can have your cake and ‘eat me’ too.”

3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished sixth at Kansas as Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch took the victory.

“This race was named the ‘Buschy McBusch Race 400,’” Truex said. “Don’t ask me how that name was arrived at. Was it named by a bunch of first-graders? Or was it named by a bunch of NASCAR fans with first-grade educations who were willing to donate $1 to have their incredibly non-creative voices heard?”

4. William Byron: Byron finished ninth at Kansas, recording his ninth consecutive top-10 finish.

“Kansas native Clint Bowyer got to play catch with Patrick Mahomes,” Harvick said. “Mahomes throws a nice spiral, so I’m sure Clint felt quite comfortable with the ‘intentional spin.’”

5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick seized the opportunity on a wild restart late in the race to capture the runner-up spot at Kansas.

“I’m happy with the second place,” Harvick said, “but I’m exhausted. That race took a lot out of me. From the name of the race, to the sponsor on my car, to the actor serving as the grand marshal, to the winner of the race, I’m ‘Busched.’”

6. Joey Logano: Logano finished 17th at Kansas.

“I’m just happy I didn’t get airborne at Kansas like I did at Talladega,” Logano said. “That was a scary feeling. It feels like gravity takes your crotch and sends it up to your chest. And that’s the true meaning of an ‘aero package.’”

7. Kyle Busch: Busch was strong throughout the day in Kansas, and aced two late restarts to win the Buschy McBusch Race 400, his first win of 2021.

“It was my birthday,” Busch said. “I’m no Chase Elliott in popularity, so of course not one driver got me a cake. But that’s probably because they can’t hold a candle to Kyle Busch.”

8. Chase Elliott: Elliott came home fifth in the Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas.

“The ‘NASCAR 2021 Fan Pack’ is coming to Rocket League,” Elliott said. “Rocket League combines racing and soccer and is one of the most popular video games. It’s obviously an attempt by NASCAR to attract a younger audience. And to NASCAR, a ‘younger audience’ is simply an audience below the legal drinking age.”

9. Ryan Blaney: Blaney tangled with Kyle Larson late and fell out of contention, resulting in a 21st-place finish for Blaney.

“Anthony Alfredo was driving a car with the words ‘Dude Wipes’ on it,” Blaney said. “It’s official–NASCAR sponsorship is going down the toilet.”

10. Kyle Larson: Larson led a race-high 132 laps, but botched two late restarts, eventually making contact with Ryan Blaney and spinning out. Larson finished 19th.

“I made mistakes,” Larson said. “But I’m sure I will learn from those mistakes, move on, and become a better person/driver. Again.”

May 4, 2021
Bowman to make 200th Cup start at Kansas

Competing in his sixth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Alex Bowman is set to achieve a milestone start. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s event at Kansas Speedway, the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will reach 200 starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native from Tucson, Arizona, Bowman made his inaugural presence in the Cup Series a month prior to the 2014 season. By then, he was coming off a full-time Xfinity Series season with RAB Racing and was testing for BK Racing during Dayton’s Preseason Thunder leading up to the Daytona 500. Bowman’s testing session was enough for him to earn a full-time ride with BKR for the 2014 Cup season and in the No. 23 Toyota Camry.

Qualifying for the 2014 Daytona 500, Bowman finished 23rd in his first Cup career race. Throughout his first full-time season in the Cup circuit, he achieved a season-best 13th-place result at Daytona in July, an average result of 32.6 and a 35th-place result in the final standings. He also settled in sixth place in the Cup Rookie-of-the-Year standings.

In 2015, Bowman departed BKR and joined Tommy Baldwin Racing as driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet SS. He started the season on a low note by failing to qualify for the Daytona 500 after wrecking in his Daytona Duel event. From the second race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he raced, through the season-finale event at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, Bowman achieved a season-best 16th-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in April, a total of three top-20 results, an average result of 31.6 and a 33rd-place result in the final standings.

A month prior to the 2016 season, Bowman was replaced by Regan Smith at Tommy Baldwin Racing, thus leaving Bowman without a full-time ride for the first half of the Cup season. Everything changed in July, though, when Bowman was named driver of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS for the Cup event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July, replacing third-generation star Dale Earnhardt Jr. after Earnhardt Jr. was ruled out from competing after being diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms. During the main event at New Hampshire, Bowman was competitive and was in position for a strong result until a cut tire sent him into the wall late in the event and relegated him to a 26th-place result.

With Earnhardt Jr. sidelined, Bowman ended up sharing the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS with four-time NASCAR Cup champion Jeff Gordon for the remaining 18 Cup events of the 2016 season. Competing in 10 events, Bowman recorded his first three top-10 career results in the Cup circuit, including a season-best sixth place at Phoenix Raceway in November, where he notched his first Cup career pole and led a race-high 194 of 324 laps. Bowman’s pole at Phoenix guaranteed him a spot for the 2017 Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona. Despite entering the 2017 season without a full-time ride, he drove Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet SS in the Clash, where he drove the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS to a third-place result following a side-by-side battle with Kyle Busch on the final lap.

Three months after Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced his retirement from full-time Cup competition after 2017 in April, Bowman was named a full-time driver of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for the 2018 Cup season, a move that was endorsed by Earnhardt Jr.

In his first run as a full-time HMS competitor, Bowman claimed the pole position for the 2018 Daytona 500. During the main event, he led 13 laps and was a top contender until he was collected in a late multi-car accident and finished 17th. He went on to earn a season-best third-place result at Pocono Raceway in July and a total of nine top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch. Despite recording zero victories throughout the regular season, Bowman was able to make the 2018 Cup Playoffs based on consistency.

In the Playoff’s Round of 16, Bowman earned results of 19th, 12th and fourth, which were enough for him to advance to the Round of 12. During the Round of 12, however, he recorded results of 28th, 33rd and ninth, which eliminated from title contention. Bowman went on to conclude the season in 16th place in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 100 Cup career starts.

Bowman commenced the 2019 Cup season by starting on the front row for the season-opening Daytona 500 and finishing 11th in the main event. Nine races later, he earned a career-best second-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in April. He went on to record two additional runner-up results the following two races at Dover International Speedway and at Kansas Speedway in May.

Five races later, Bowman prevailed in a late battle with Kyle Larson to claim his first Cup career win at Chicagoland Speedway in June. In becoming the 18th competitor to win while driving for Hendrick Motorsports, Bowman recorded the first victory for HMS’ No. 88 Chevrolet team since Phoenix in November 2015.

Returning to the Playoffs, Bowman advanced to the Round of 12 following results of sixth, 23rd and second during the Round of 16. Despite recording results of third, 37th and 11th in the Round of 12, his title hopes came to an end. Nonetheless, Bowman went on to conclude the season in 12th place in the final standings and with a career-high seven top-five results.

Remaining at HMS for a third consecutive season, Bowman opened the season with a 24th-place result in the Daytona 500 despite starting on the front row. Two races later, however, he notched his second Cup career victory at Auto Club Speedway after leading a race-high 110 of 200 laps.

Following his victory at Fontana, Bowman went on to earn a total of eight top-10 results before entering the Playoffs as a title contender. He transferred to the Round of 12 for the third consecutive season and following results of sixth, ninth and 16th in the Round of 16. For the 2020 season, though, he was also able to advance to the Round of 8 following results of fifth, 14th and eighth during the Round of 12. Bowman remained competitive during the Round of 8 while logging in results of third, fifth and sixth. They were not enough, however, for him to advance to the Championship Round at Phoenix. Ultimately, Bowman concluded the season in a career-best sixth place in the final standing and with a career-best 15 top-10 results.

This season, Bowman pilots the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, a ride driven by seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who retired from full-time NASCAR competition following the 2020 season. His first run in the No. 48 car started off on a high note as Bowman claimed his second Daytona 500 pole of his career. In doing so, he became the first competitor to start on the front row for the 500 for four consecutive seasons. His bid for a first Daytona 500 victory, though, came to an end after being involved in an early multi-car wreck.

Through the first eight Cup events of the 2021 season, Bowman’s best result was a third-place run at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. The following event at Richmond Raceway in April, he overtook Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano following a late restart to claim his third Cup triumph and return the No. 48 HMS car to Victory Lane since June 2017 at Dover International Speedway.

In 199 previous Cup starts, Bowman has achieved three career victories, three poles, 18 top-five results, 45 top-10 results, over 900 laps led and an average result of 21.7. He is currently ranked in 14th place in the 2021 Cup Series regular-season standings.

Bowman is slated to make his 200th Cup career start at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, May 2, at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.

April 28, 2021
NASCAR and Texas Motor Speedway announce All-Star Race format
NASCAR and Texas Motor Speedway announced the All-Star Race format Wednesday evening. This will be the first time the event has been hosted at the 1.44-mile track. The exhibition race will be held on June 13 and will air at 8 p.m. ET on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

This is a non-points event but the stakes are high as the race winner will earn a $900,000 prize with $100,000 going to the fastest pit crew in a mandatory pit stop.

There will be six rounds for a total of 100 laps and the starting lineup for Round 1 will be determined by a random draw. The first four rounds will consist of 15 laps each, the fifth round will be 30 laps and the final round will be a 10-lap shootout.

Texas Motor Speedway president and GM Eddie Gossage said, “Drivers and pit crews better pack their lunch pails because they are going to have to work extremely hard to earn the honor of celebrating in Victory Lane.” Gossage also indicated that he has planned a Wild West theme for pre-race ceremonies, saying, “This is a full metal rodeo for a big ole bag of dough.”

The race format will also include inverted fields and only green flag laps will count.

FORMAT:
- Round 1 – 15 laps. After this round, the field will be inverted using a random draw and will start between the eighth and 12th positions.
- Round 2 – 15 laps. The entire field will be inverted after this round.
- Round 3 – 15 laps. The field will be inverted again using a random draw and starting between the eighth through 12th positions.
- Round 4 – 15 laps.
- Round 5 – 30 laps. The lineup for this round will be determined by the cumulative finish from the first four rounds. The driver with the best cumulative finish will start on the pole. This round also features a mandatory four-tire pit stop. The crew with the fastest pit stop will claim the $100,000 bonus.
- Round 6 – 10 lap Shootout. The cars will line up by their finishing position in Round 5.
The NASCAR Open will be run before the NASCAR All-Star Race at 6 p.m. ET on FS1. It will consist of three segments of 20/20/10 laps. The winner of each segment will race their way into the All-Star event. NASCAR fans will also be able to vote for a driver in the Fan Vote which will open Thursday, May 13 on NASCAR.com.

The drivers that are eligible for the NASCAR All-Star Race have won a points race in 2020 or 2021, have previously won an All-Star Race and currently compete full-time and drivers who have won a NASCAR Cup Series Championship and currently compete full-time.

Drivers who are currently eligible to participate in the All-Star Race:
1. Christopher Bell
2. Ryan Blaney
3. Alex Bowman
4. Kurt Busch
5. Kyle Busch
6. William Byron
7. Cole Custer
8. Austin Dillon
9. Chase Elliott
10. Denny Hamlin
11. Kevin Harvick
12. Brad Keselowski
13. Kyle Larson
14. Joey Logano
15. Michael McDowell
16. Ryan Newman
17. Martin Truex Jr.
April 28, 2021
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Talladega

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin was penalized twice for speeding on pit lane, and later suffered damage in a late crash. He finished 32nd, three laps down.

“I got caught speeding while serving the penalty for my first speeding infraction,” Hamlin said. “NASCAR officials told me, ‘Better luck next time.’

“Bubba Wallace will be the center of a Netflix series that chronicles his season with newly-formed 23XI Racing. If you’d like to know more, do a Google search for ‘NASCAR streaming’ and kindly ignore the results that explain how drivers relieve themselves in their cars.”

2. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski survived at Talladega and used a last-lap pass to win the Geico 500, his sixth Talladega triumph.

“Roger Penske met with his Penske Racing drivers earlier this week,” Keselowski said, “and he told us that a replay of our last lap crash at Daytona in February would be unacceptable. His words really stuck with me. You could say the words of the man who built the Penske trucking empire really ‘moved’ me.”

3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex suffered damage when a Brad Keselowski block sent Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin into the wall and into the path of Truex. Truex eventually finished 31st, two laps down.

“It was good to see fans in the Talladega infield,” Truex said, “and it’s also good to see them partying hard and consuming alcohol at a rate that would make a liver blush. You could say they’re ‘BAC.’”

4. Joey Logano: Logano crashed out at Talladega with a lap to go in Stage 1. Logano finished 39th.

“My No. 22 Ford went airborne after I made contact with Denny Hamlin,” Logano said. “As Denny’s primary sponsor is FedEx, that’s called getting ‘air mailed.’

“Congratulations to my teammate Brad Keselowski for his win, and congratulations to Jeb Burton for winning the Xfinity race on Saturday. That was his first Xfinity win. Jeb is the son of Jeff Burton, and the nephew of ‘Wadd Button.’”

5. William Byron: Byron survived a late Stage 2 accident that collected three Hendrick Motorsports cars and rebounded to take the runner-up finish at Talladega.

“Talladega is always a battle of attrition,” Byron said. “It’s all about survival and making educated decisions that are beneficial despite all the chaos going on around you. And on that note, it’s a good time to reiterate that NASCAR will not mandate that drivers get the COVID vaccination. It makes sense, because there’s no way NASCAR will inspect their drivers as strictly as they do their cars.”

6. Kevin Harvick: Harvick led 12 laps and finished fourth in the Geico 500.

“My No. 4 Ford advertised a product called ‘Dog Brew By Busch,’” Harvick said. “Just to be clear, this product does not contain alcohol. That means dogs won’t get drunk when they drink it, and humans will be very drunk when they inevitably drink it.”

7. Christopher Bell: Bell finished 17th at Talladega.

“Hip-hop duo Tag Team served as the race’s grand marshals,” Bell said. “They’re famous for the song ‘Whoomp! (There It Is).’ I think it was awesome that NASCAR tabbed Tag Team to give the ‘Start Your Engines’ command. It was a bold selection. Could it have been bolder? Only if NASCAR had chosen Tag Team to deliver the convocation.”

8. Ryan Blaney: Blaney was a factor on the final lap at Talladega and finished ninth as Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski took the win.

“If you’re leading the next-to-last lap at Talladega,” Blaney said, “you’re what we call a ‘sitting duck.’ To quote Matt DiBenedetto, who led that penultimate lap, ‘Quack.’”

9. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished 24th at Talladega.

“I’m very disappointed,” Chase Elliott said. “For finishing 24th, for sure, but mostly for finishing 18 spots behind a driver named Kaz Grala, who may or may not be an Israeli self-defense discipline.”

10. Kyle Larson: Larson blew an engine only seven laps in at Talladega and finished last.

“My car overheated almost immediately,” Larson said, “so I completed only three laps. That’s totally unacceptable. And I was pissed. As I was pulling my No. 5 Chevrolet into the garage, I thought, ‘The car and I both are ‘coming in hot.’”

April 26, 2021
Keselowski prevails in overtime for sixth victory at Talladega

Brad Keselowski rallied from being involved in an accident following the first stage involving his teammate Joey Logano to add his name as a NASCAR Cup Series winner in 2021 after overtaking Matt DiBenedetto on the final lap before holding off Michael McDowell and William Byron to win the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, April 25.

Keselowski’s first victory of the season, which occurred in his 423rd career start, came with a bonus as he became the third competitor in the Cup Series history to win at Talladega six times.

The starting lineup was based on a performance metric formula, weighing the driver’s and owner’s results from a previous Cup event, the owner points position and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race. Denny Hamlin, the regular-season points leader, was scheduled to start on pole position, but he dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments. With that, Joey Logano and Alex Bowman, winner of last weekend’s Cup event at Richmond Raceway, started on the front row.

Along with Hamlin, teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Christopher Bell along with Bubba Wallace, B.J. McLeod and Harrison Burton, making his Cup Series debut with Gaunt Brothers Racing, dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments. Cody Ware also started at the rear of the field due to his car failing pre-race inspection twice.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Logano moved from the bottom lane to the outside lane and in front of William Byron to retain the lead. Byron, however, drew himself alongside Logano as he led the first lap by a narrow margin as the field fanned out to two lanes in a pack.

While Logano and Byron battled for the lead in front of a bevy of cars in a pack, Kyle Larson pitted after reporting temperature and engine issues to his No. 5 Chevrolet. Despite trying to continue while multiple laps down, the engine issues on Larson’s car was enough to terminate his run early.

By the fifth lap and with the lead group running in a single-file line, Logano was leading followed by teammate Brad Keselowski, Aric Almirola, Kevin Harvick and rookie Chase Briscoe. Cole Custer and Chris Buescher were in sixth and seventh followed by Ryan Preece, Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain.

By the 10th lap, Logano remained out in front of a three-wide pack battling for positions at the front.

Two laps later, Wallace moved his No. 23 Door Dash Toyota Camry to the lead followed by Kevin Harvick. Another three laps later, though, Harvick moved to the outside lane and received a push from Brad Keselowski to lead a lap for himself.

Entering Turn 1, Harvick moved in front of Wallace for the lead followed by Keselowski while Wallace remained as the first car leading the inside lane. By then, names like Ross Chastain, Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick and teammate Austin Dillon were in the top 10 along with Kyle Busch, Logano, Kurt Busch and Christopher Bell.

When the competition caution flew on Lap 25, Kyle Busch, who took over the top spot on Lap 22, was the leader followed by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Logano, Chase Elliott and others.

Under the competition caution, most of the leaders pitted and Hamlin exited in first followed by teammate Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Bell, Byron and Kurt Busch. During the pit stops, Harrison Burton was assessed a pit road penalty for removing the gas can out of his pit stall. Truex was also penalized for speeding on pit road along with Ryan Preece due to a crew member jumping over the wall too soon.

Back on the track, a handful of competitors that include rookie Chase Briscoe, Corey LaJoie, Erik Jones, Aric Almirola, Ryan Newman, rookie Anthony Alfredo, Justin Haley, B.J. McLeod, Timmy Hill and J.J. Yeley remained on the track. They all, though, pitted prior to the restart.

When the race restarted on Lap 30, Hamlin retained the lead over teammate Kyle Busch while the field quickly fanned out to three lanes.

By Lap 35 and with the field still fanned out to three lanes, Hamlin remained in the lead on the outside lane followed by Keselowski while Kyle Busch mounted a challenge in the inside lane with drafting help from Byron. Wallace, meanwhile, was in the middle lane in front of Elliott, but shuffled out of the lead draft after challenging for the top spot earlier.

The caution returned on Lap 39 due to Joey Gase spinning in Turn 4. Under caution, some like Harvick, Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Tyler Reddick, Matt DiBenedetto, Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola and Daniel Suarez pitted while the rest led by Hamlin remained on the track.

When the field restarted on Lap 43, the No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry piloted by Hamlin retained the lead followed by Blaney and the pack.

By Lap 50, Blaney was leading followed by teammate Logano, Cole Custer, Matt DiBenedetto and Harvick while Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Byron, Preece and Bubba Wallace were in the top 10. A lap later, though, DiBenedetto stormed to the lead. Another two laps later, Preece moved his No. 37 Chevrolet to the lead.

With the laps in the first stage dwindling, a majority of competitors within the lead pack started to establish their run for the top spot held by DiBenedetto. Entering the backstretch and on the final lap of the first stage, however, contact from Stenhouse turned Hamlin into third-place Logano, which sent Logano’s No. 22 AutoTrader Ford Mustang sideways and airborne after being hit by Stenhouse as Logano flipped over and spun in a circle on his roof before flipping back on all four wheels and coming to rest below the apron near Turn 3. Logano emerged uninjured following his accident, though his race concluded after leading 10 laps. In the midst of Logano’s wild ride, teammate Keselowski, Wallace and Stenhouse sustained damage.

The caution for the wreck concluded the first stage of the race, with DiBenedetto scored as the leader and calming his maiden stage victory in the Cup Series followed by Blaney, Elliott, Hamlin and Byron. Buescher, Bowman, McDowell, Harvick and Bell were running in the top 10.

Under the stage break, a majority of the leaders pitted while some like Ryan Newman, Suarez, Kaz Grala, Quin Houff, Yeley, Justin Haley, McLeod and Timmy Hill remained on the track. They all, though, pitted prior to the restart.

The second stage started on Lap 66 with Chase Elliott and Hamlin on the front row. When the field returned to the tri-oval and the start/finish line, Hamlin was back in the lead.

By Lap 75 and with the field fanning out to three lanes in a tight pack for the lead, Hamlin was scored as the leader followed by DiBenedetto, Byron, Preece and Chastain while Harvick, Truex, Kurt Busch, Elliott and Bell were in the top 10.

Nearly 10 laps later, a majority of Chevrolet competitors pitted under green. During the process, Suarez and Chastain were penalized for speeding on pit road.

By Lap 90, Hamlin was still out in front followed by DiBenedetto, Truex, Bell and Custer while Blaney, Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Harvick and Buescher were in the top 10. With the field spread out around the superspeedway, names like Elliott, Chastain and Suarez were pinned a lap behind the leaders.

A few laps later, a majority of the Ford competitors pitted under green. Not long after, the Toyota competitors pitted. Following the stops, Harvick and Buescher were nabbed with pit road speeding penalties. Hamlin, who overshot his pit stall during his stop, was also penalized for speeding on pit road. While serving his penalty, things went from bad to worse for Hamlin, who was busted with another pit road speeding penalty.

At the halfway mark on Lap 94, Preece emerged as the leader followed by Chevrolet competitors Byron, Kurt Busch, Bowman, Austin Dillon and Erik Jones.

By Lap 100, Preece continued to lead followed by Byron, Kurt Busch, DiBenedetto and Keselowski while Custer, McDowell, Kyle Busch, Wallace and Bell were in the top 10. Hamlin, following his pair of pit road speeding penalties, was mired back in 36th place and scored a lap behind the leaders.

Four laps later, the caution returned due to fluid on the track that came from Kurt Busch’s No. 1 Monster Energy Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE with smoke steaming out from Busch’s car. While nursing his car back to pit road, a fire broke out underneath Busch’s car and the 2004 Cup champion took his car to the garage to address an oil cooler issue.

Under caution, some like Bowman, Truex, Blaney, Reddick, Harvick, Buescher and Elliott pitted while the rest led by Byron remained on the track. During the pit stops, Harvick was penalized due to a crew member jumping over the wall too soon.

When the race restarted on Lap 109, Byron and DiBenedetto battled dead even for the lead, though Byron retained the top spot.

Prior to Lap 112, DiBenedetto and Kyle Busch made contact while battling for the lead exiting Turn 3, where DiBenedetto was trying to block Kyle Busch. Though both competitors dipped below the apron and lost the lead, both prevented their cars from spinning. At the front, Bubba Wallace returned to the lead.

With five laps remaining in the second stage, Wallace continued to lead followed by Keselowski, McDowell, Byron and Blaney as the field continued to battle in two lanes.

With two laps remaining in the stage, however, a multi-car wreck erupted entering the tri-oval when a bump from teammate Truex sent Hamlin, who was a lap down, bouncing off the outside wall and a chain reaction ensued behind with Truex, Bowman, Elliott and Byron wrecking on the frontstretch.

The wreck was enough to end the second stage under caution as Bubba Wallace claimed his first stage victory in the Cup circuit. Keselowski charged his way to second place followed by McDowell, Kyle Busch, Preece, Blaney, Buescher, Stenhouse Bell and Harrison Burton.

Under the stage break, the majority of the leaders returned to pit road except for Newman, Grala, Yeley, McLeod and Custer. The first competitor to exit pit road in first was Blaney followed by Almirola, Wallace, McDowell, Kyle Busch and Keselowski. Shortly after, Newman, Grala, Yeley, McLeod and Custer pitted.

Prior to the restart, a majority of competitors returned to pit road to top off on fuel for the final stage.

With 62 laps remaining, the final stage commenced. At the start, Blaney received a push from his friend Wallace to retain the top spot over Almirola and McDowell. With Wallace remaining on the inside lane, he was shuffled out of the battle for the lead due to a lack of competitors running on his lane. Meanwhile, Blaney retained the top spot on the outside line and with a bevy of cars behind him.

Shortly after, Blaney reported debris on his front grille despite leading the race. With Almirola moving his No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang to the lead on Lap 131, Blaney was able to tuck behind Almirola’s car and remove the debris from his car.

With 50 laps remaining, Almirola continued to lead followed by Blaney, McDowell, Keselowski, Chris Buescher, DiBenedetto, Austin Dillon, Preece, Briscoe and Erik Jones, all of whom were among several competitors running in a single-file lane on the outside lane led by Blaney. Bubba Wallace was in 12th behind Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch was in 14th in front of teammate Bell, Harvick was in 21st followed by Newman and Truex, Elliott was in 25th and Byron was in 27th in front of Harrison Burton. Hamlin was in 34th, two laps behind, while Kurt Busch was in 36th, six laps behind.

Down to the final 40 laps of the event, Ross Chastain muscled his No. 42 Caregility Chevrolet into the lead with drafting help from teammate Kurt Busch, who was multiple laps behind. Kyle Busch moved into second place followed by teammate Bell while Almirola was shuffled back in fourth place despite leading the outside lane ahead of Blaney and McDowell.

With 35 laps remaining, the top-30 competitors were separated by less than two seconds. At the front, Chastain continued to lead followed by Kyle Busch and teammate Bell while Harvick mounted a challenge for the top spot on the outside lane.

Not long after, a wave of competitors led by Chastain reduced their speed on the bottom lane to pit under green. During the process, Stenhouse spun following a bump from Quin Houff and made light contact with the inside wall near the pit road entrance. Despite the incident, the race remained under green. Following the pit stops, Newman was penalized for speeding on pit road.

Back on the track and with 30 laps remaining, the top-10 positions were filled by Ford competitors led by Harvick. A lap later, another wave of competitors led by Harvick pitted under green. During this process, Newman was penalized a second time for speeding on pit road again.

With the field cycling through following the pit stops, Christopher Bell emerged as the leader followed by Chastain, Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones. Harvick was shuffled back to sixth place followed by teammate Almirola, McDowell, Keselowski and Briscoe. With 26 laps remaining, though, Chastain reassumed the lead while Bell was shuffled back into fifth place.

Down to the final 20 laps of the event, the top-18 competitors were separated by a second, with Chastain still leading followed by Kyle Busch and Erik Jones, who moved up to the outside lane in front of McDowell as he challenged for second place and more.

With 18 laps remaining, Erik Jones muscled his No. 43 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE into the lead followed by DiBenedetto, Bubba Wallace, Chastain and Keselowski while Kyle Busch was in sixth.

A lap later, the caution flew due to a single-car incident in Turn 2 involving Quin Houff, an incident that occurred in front of the leaders as the leaders took evasive action to avoid the incident.

Under caution, some like Jones, DiBenedetto, Custer, Truex, Wallace, Kyle Busch, Reddick, Blaney and Kaz Grala remained on the track while others pitted for fuel to make it to the finish. By then, 27 of the 40-car field were scored on the lead lap.

With 12 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Jones retained the lead on the inside lane followed by Chastain and Wallace, but DiBenedetto fought back on the outside lane with drafting help from Truex. When the field returned to the start/finish line, DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang for the iconic Wood Brothers Racing team emerged with the lead.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, DiBenedetto was leading followed by Truex, Kyle Busch, Blaney, Keselowski, Harvick and Jones. Shortly after, Penske drivers Blaney and Keselowski lined up behind DiBenedetto.

Behind, Truex, who was running towards the front in the final laps, fell out of the lead pack and pitted due to a flat tire.

With five laps remaining, DiBenedetto continued to lead followed by Blaney, Keselowski, Harvick and McDowell. Meanwhile, Byron started to mount a challenge on the inside lane with drafting help from Jones, Kyle Busch and Chastain.

Two laps later and with the field starting to fan out with competitors establishing their run to the front, the caution returned due to a tire carcass spotted on the frontstretch, which came off of Truex’s car after he lost another tire.

Under caution, some like Kyle Busch and Wallace pitted while the rest led by DiBenedetto remained on the track.

With the race sent into overtime, the race restarted with DiBenedetto and Blaney on the front row. At the start, DiBenedetto retained the lead through Turns 1 and 2. Through the backstretch, however, Harvick drafted Blaney to the front, but DiBenedetto retained the lead through Turn 3 and the tri-oval as he started the final lap of the race.

With the field bunched up and fanned out to two lanes entering Turns 1 and 2, Keselowski drew his No. 2 MoneyLion Ford Mustang alongside DiBenedetto and received a push from McDowell and Harvick to take the lead while DiBenedetto had no drafting help on the outside lane.

Through Turn 3, Keselowski continued to lead followed by McDowell and Harvick while DiBenedetto was split in a three-wide battle with Erik Jones and Byron as the field fanned out to three lanes.

Entering the tri-oval, Jones spun following contact with Kaz Grala and made contact with the outside wall as the field scattered to avoid him. With Chastain also spinning coming to the start/finish line, McDowell made a move to the outside of Keselowski, but it was not enough as Keselowski managed to fend off McDowell and a hard-charging Byron to cross the finish line with the lead and the victory, having led only the final lap of the race.

With his first victory of the 2021 season and the 35th of his Cup career, Keselowski tied Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon for the second-most victories at Talladega (six). In addition, he became the third Team Penske competitor and the ninth different competitor to record a win through the first 10 Cup races of this season.

“Man, what an awesome day today to bring the MoneyLion Ford Mustang into Victory Lane,” Keselowski said. “The whole race I had a couple opportunities to take the lead, but I just kept thinking, ‘Man, keep your car in one piece.’ We’ve been so close here and it just didn’t seem to want to come together here the last few years and I’ve been on kind of a four-year drought here, but it’s nice to get number six. I would have never dreamed I’d tie Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. here. That’s something. Those guys are really legends. I’m just really proud of my team. We had an accident there early and they recovered and got it fixed up to where I could keep running…That’s pretty cool.”

Behind Keselowski, William Byron edged Michael McDowell by 0.001 seconds to claim the runner-up spot. The third-place finish marked McDowell’s second consecutive top-five result on a superspeedway venue, which also comes after he won this year’s Daytona 500.

“I felt like it was pretty close,” McDowell said. “I am just so thankful to everybody at this Front Row Motorsports team. We have fast superspeedway cars. This Ford Mustang was fast. It has been a great season for us. I really felt like I was in a good spot again working with Brad and drug back off of him coming off of Turn 4. I thought I would have the run, but just didn’t suck him down enough. It was a great run and I am glad there is another Ford Mustang in Victory Lane. I am thankful to all our partners. It has been a great year. To get a top-five and to be running in the top-10 and have a win says a lot for this team and [team owner] Bob Jenkins for giving me the opportunity.”

Harvick finished fourth followed by Matt DiBenedetto, who led 28 laps and was in position to claim his first Cup career victory. While he did not leave Talladega as a winner, DiBenedetto was still smiling as he recorded his first top-five result of the season.

“It’s tough, but it’s just all so circumstantial,” DiBenedetto said. “We talked about it a lot before the race and it’s tough. Our day will come. I’m just lucky to drive this thing and have the support from everybody. The fans, they are so awesome. Driving for the Wood Brothers is really a dream come true. Gosh, it’s hard to come so close to so many of these things. The Fords are so fast. They believe in me, the whole Ford camp. They do an excellent job. The Mustangs are great…Our day will come. We’ll get there. I just appreciate the support from everybody.

Kaz Grala recorded an impressive sixth-place result in his third Cup career start while Reddick, teammate Austin Dillon, Blaney and Custer finished in the top 10.

Rookies Chase Briscoe and Anthony Alfredo finished 11th and 12th, Chastain finished 16th after pounding the inside wall head-on while sliding across the finish line, Wallace finished 19th behind JGR’s Bell and Kyle Busch and Harrison Burton finished 20th in his Cup debut. Erik Jones settled in 27th following his wreck on the final lap.

There were 35 lead changes for 17 different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 34 laps.

Despite his issues at Talladega, Denny Hamlin continues to lead the regular-season standings by 87 points over teammate Truex, 93 over Logano, 95 over Byron and 100 over Blaney.

Results.

1. Brad Keselowski, one lap led

2. William Byron, 12 laps led

3. Michael McDowell

4. Kevin Harvick, 12 laps led

5. Matt DiBenedetto, 28 laps led, Stage 1 winner

6. Kaz Grala

7. Tyler Reddick

8. Austin Dillon

9. Ryan Blaney, 11 laps led

10. Cole Custer

11. Chase Briscoe, one lap led

12. Anthony Alfredo

13. Ryan Newman, two laps led

14. Ryan Preece, nine laps led

15. Aric Almirola, 16 laps led

16. Ross Chastain, 12 laps led

17. Christopher Bell, two laps led

18. Kyle Busch, six laps led

19. Bubba Wallace, 16 laps led, Stage 2 winner

20. Harrison Burton

21. Chris Buescher

22. Corey LaJoie

23. Daniel Suarez

24. Chase Elliott, three laps led

25. B.J. McLeod

26. J.J. Yeley

27. Erik Jones – OUT, Accident, seven laps led

28. Cody Ware, one lap down

29. Timmy Hill, one lap down

30. Justin Haley, one lap down

31. Martin Truex Jr., two laps down

32. Denny Hamlin, three laps down, 43 laps led

33. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., five laps down

34. Joey Gase, five laps down

35. Kurt Busch, six laps down

36. Josh Bilicki, 11 laps down

37. Quin Houff – OUT, Accident

38. Alex Bowman – OUT, Dvp

39. Joey Logano – OUT, Accident, 10 laps led

40. Kyle Larson – OUT, Engine

Next on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is a trip to the midwest at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, May 2, with the event to occur at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.

April 25, 2021