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  • Hamlin to start on pole position at Charlotte Roval

    Hamlin to start on pole position at Charlotte Roval

    Denny Hamlin will be starting on pole position for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course for the third annual Bank of America Roval 400 on Sunday, October 11.

    The starting lineup was based on four stats: current owner’s standings, the driver’s results from a previous Cup race, the owner’s results from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race.

    With that, Hamlin, who won last weekend’s Playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway, was awarded the top starting spot for this weekend’s race at Charlotte, which serves as the third and final event in the Round of 12 of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. This will mark the third time this season where Hamlin will start on pole position as he is secured into the Round of 8 in the Playoffs following his victory at Talladega.

    Chase Elliott, the reigning winner of the Charlotte Roval, will start alongside Hamlin on the front row. Brad Keselowski will start in third place followed by Kevin Harvick and Alex Bowman, who was revealed as the newest driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for the 2021 season a day ago.

    Austin Dillon, who currently sits 21 points below the top-eight cutline in the Playoff standings, will start in sixth place followed by Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch. Teammates Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola will line up in 11th and 12th.

    Starting in positions 13-26 are William Byron, Erik Jones, Ryan Newman, Tyler Reddick, Ty Dillon, Ryan Preece, John Hunter Nemechek, Matt DiBenedetto, Chris Buescher, Brennan Poole, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Blaney, Quin Houff and Bubba Wallace.

    Starting in positions 27-38 are Timmy Hill, Cole Custer, Joey Gase, Jimmie Johnson, Michael McDowell, Corey LaJoie, J.J. Yeley, Daniel Suarez, Christopher Bell, Gray Gaulding, James Davison and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    The Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course will occur on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Talladega

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Talladega

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won at Talladega in a wild finish, the result not determined until the third overtime. Hamlin officially qualified for the next round of the playoffs.

    “And I got boo’ed for my effort by many of the 15,000 fans in attendance,” Hamlin said. “You’d think masks would have muffled that, but it is Alabama, so apparently not.

    “Michael Jordan is in NASCAR. I assume this means there will be an ‘Aero Jordan’ product line out soon.”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 20th in the YellaWood 500 at Talladega.

    “I’m not sure what ‘YellaWood’ is,” Harvick said. “I hear it’s treated with something; I’m guessing it’s penicillin.”

    3. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished fifth at Talladega and was the only playoff driver other than Denny Hamlin to crack the top 10.

    “Chad Knaus is leaving the pit box to become Hendrick Motorsports Vice President Of Competition,” Elliott said. “‘VP Of Competition’ is probably code for ‘Finder Of Ways To Cheat Without Getting Caught.’ But if they gave Chad that job title, it would look very suspicious.”

    4. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished 18th in the YellaWood 500 at Talladega.

    “The race was pure chaos from the start,” Keselowski said. “We had a caution before one lap was completed. And from there, the attrition was constant, and that includes the race’s flag man, who suffered a torn rotator cuff.”

    5. Kurt Busch: Busch was ousted at Talladega in a Lap 110 crash in which his car went airborne. He finished 32nd.

    “Luckily,” Busch said, “I stuck the landing.

    “Even though I was in it, I didn’t have to worry about the ‘Big One’ at Talladega, because the Monster Energy Chevy was the ‘Big 1’ last week at Las Vegas.”

    6. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished 23rd at Talladega.

    “You always have to expect the unexpected at Talladega,” Truex said. “Like, for example, it was not expected that you’d have to switch channels from NBC to NBC Sports Network to see the conclusion of the race. The notion that this helped ratings is ‘remote.’”

    7. Joey Logano: Logano finished 26th at Talladega, as Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott were the only playoff drivers in the top 10.

    “This race took over four hours to complete,” Logano said, “and the margin of victory was a mere .086 seconds. And that’s the long and short of it.”

    8. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished 14th at Talladega and is seventh in the points standings.

    “The 2021 NASCAR schedule is out,” Bowman said, “and there’s a race at Bristol on dirt. It’s the first Cup race on dirt since 1970. So fans, get your tickets now, else you’ll be left out of the dust.”

    9. Aric Almirola: Almirola was knocked out of the race while leading in a wreck with three laps to go in Stage 1. He finished 37th and will need a win at Charlotte to advance.

    “I guess I’m putting all my eggs in one basket,” Almirola said. “And when I get to Charlotte, I’m gonna throw all the eggs in that basket at Alex Bowman for wrecking me.”

    10. Kyle Busch: Busch’s rough day at Talladega involved several wrecks, blown tires, and various damages to his No. 18 Toyota. He completed 188 laps before his day was mercifully ended.

    “My day at Talladega,” Busch said, “not to mention my year in general, has me thinking ‘early retirement.”

  • Harvick, Keselowski, Truex and Logano remain above the cutline following eventful runs at Talladega

    Harvick, Keselowski, Truex and Logano remain above the cutline following eventful runs at Talladega

    Following a long, eventful and controversial run of the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 4, there were two things that Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano all concurred on. The first was making the most of their long runs at Talladega despite being involved in separate incidents of their own and emerging with battered race cars. The second was setting their sights on next Sunday’s Playoff elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval with stable points cushions above the top-eight cutline as all four try to retain their titles hopes for this season.

    For Harvick, he started in fifth place and led a total of two laps throughout the race, but he kept his No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang towards the rear of the field to avoid the carnage ensuing throughout the race. It was not until the race was sent into overtime where Harvick was in position to notch a strong result within the top 10 and place himself in a comfortable cushion for next weekend’s race at Charlotte. His conservative race went away during the first overtime attempt, however, when he was collected in a multi-car wreck. Despite the damage, he continued. Settling at the rear of the pack for a third overtime attempt, Harvick limped across the line in 22nd place, but he gained two spots to 20th place after Matt DiBenedetto and Chris Buescher were both penalized and demoted from top-10 runs due to double yellow line penalties.

    With his 20th-place result, Harvick is 68 points above the top-eight cutline entering the second Playoff elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, thus giving him a stable cushion of transferring to the Round of 8 in the Playoffs.

    “We tried to take care of our Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang most of the day and wound up starting fourth on one of the restarts toward the end and wound up part of the attrition for the day,” Harvick said on NBC. “Looking up and down pit road, it doesn’t look like there’s very many cars that don’t have damage. We need to try to run well just to put ourselves in a good position for next year since we’re gonna come back with the same rules package and things. Obviously, you want to run good. Winning the race would be great as well, so that’s always the goal.”

    For Brad Keselowski, he started in seventh place and he led two laps early in the race while he contended towards the front of the pack. His race nearly took a turn for the worse when he was involved in a multi-car wreck on the frontstretch on Lap 109. With little damage reported to his No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang, Keselowski rallied and went on to lead four additional laps for the remainder of the race. He also racked up a bevy of stage points by finishing in the top five in both stages. Despite having a car in contention of winning while battling with his Penske teammates, he was involved in a late incident during the second overtime attempt after being hit by a spinning Bubba Wallace and he spun out on the final lap following contact with former teammate Tyler Reddick.

    Despite being scored in 18th place on the final scoreboard and with a damaged No. 2 Ford, Keselowski is 41 points above the top-eight cutline entering next weekend’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

    “I hope Tony Stewart is watching because he would be proud,” Keselowski said on NBC. “We wrecked every car in the field and I wrecked four times in somebody else’s mess. This rules package just has everybody so on top of each other. Runs are just so fast and everybody wants to block and the runs are too fast to block and causes a lot of wrecks, but we made it through somewhat okay, I guess. We finished 18th and scored a lot of stage points, got a decent points cushion going into the Roval, but that’s gonna be a madhouse because there are a lot of cars next week that are gonna need a big race. Hopefully, we just get through there with a solid day with the Discount Tire Ford and move on.”

    Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    For Martin Truex Jr., who started in third place, the majority of Sunday’s race at Talladega went well for him as he led a total of six laps and won the second stage. Despite having a car to contend for the win in the final laps and while racing with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Truex’s race went away during the first overtime attempt when he was involved in a multi-car wreck along with teammate Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick. Though he lost two laps in the process of having the damage to his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry repaired, Truex was able to cross the finish line in 23rd place.

    With his 23rd-place result, Truex is 32 points above the top-eight cutline entering next weekend’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, an event where he nearly won in 2018 until he was involved in a final lap altercation with Jimmie Johnson.

    “It was textbook, as perfect as Talladega could go for us,” Truex said on NBC. “Just nowhere to go obviously in that last wreck. Proud of the effort, strong car. We wanted to get stage points and we got a stage win, that was a nice little bonus. Had fun up until the crash. Just wrong place, wrong time. Wish we could have ran until the end. We had a really fast Bass Pro Toyota…Go to the Roval and have some fun next week. I feel like we can go there and win. That’s what we’re gonna try to do.”

    Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    For Logano, who started in eighth place, the majority of his run on Sunday at Talladega went very well as he led three laps and finished in second place in the first stage. In the second stage, however, he was assessed a penalty prior to the stage’s conclusion following contact with Matt DiBenedetto, where he forced DiBenedetto below the double yellow line on the backstretch. Despite the penalty, Logano muscled his way back to the front and kept himself in contention at the front as he led a race-high 45 laps. While Logano appeared to have a race-winning car established as he prevented runs from overtaking him on both lanes, his race went away during the first overtime attempt when he forced Chase Elliott below the double yellow line entering Turn 4, though Elliott was able to take the lead. Placed in a three-wide situation and getting shuffled back entering the tri-oval, Logano’s chances of winning all but evaporated when he was clipped by Kyle Busch and was involved in a multi-car wreck. Shortly after, Logano was informed that he was being penalized a second time for forcing Elliott below the double yellow line. Following a red flag period due to the wreck, however, Logano was unable to continue as he was pushed back to the garage by a wrecker.

    Despite concluding his run in 26th place and with a DNF, Logano retains the eighth and final transfer spot to the Round of 8 by 21 points over Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon entering next weekend’s Playoff elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

    “We had a lot of speed in our Shell/Pennzoil Mustang car,” Logano said in the infield care center on NBC. “It was fast and it was up towards the front the whole race, leading a lot of laps. We were right where we wanted to be at the end of the race and [Elliott] had a huge run. I probably shouldn’t have tried to block it. He was so fast and I lost a lot of momentum when I tried to block that, and that gave [William Byron] a big run and then I got in the middle and then I got in the soup and the next thing that happens is they all crashed, so it’s gonna be a tough week next week.”

    Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Harvick, Keselowski, Truex and Logano, along with their fellow Cup Series competitors, will return for next weekend’s series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Dillon and Bowman rally for top-15 runs at Talladega

    Dillon and Bowman rally for top-15 runs at Talladega

    If there were two competitors who experienced on-track trials and challenges throughout the recent NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 4, but persevered and made it to the finish for top-15 results, they were Austin Dillon and Alex Bowman.

    Since the closing laps of the first stage through the final lap of the overall race at Talladega, Dillon and Bowman, both of whom are among the remaining 12 Playoff contenders in contention for this year’s championship battle, were surrounded by and even involved in carnages of their own. By refusing to retire and opting to nurse their patched-up cars to the finish, both enter next weekend’s Playoff elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval with a fighting chance of retaining their title hopes of this season and advancing into the Round of 8.

    For Austin Dillon, who started in 12th place, his issues started on Lap 58 when he sustained damage in a multi-car wreck that involved a handful of Playoff contenders. Though Dillon sustained little damage to his No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, he was able to settle in third place when the first stage concluded under caution as he collected a bevy of stage points. Moments after, however, he limped back to pit road in a cautious pace due to cutting a left-rear tire.

    Despite recovering from his early issues and damage in the first stage, Dillon encountered issues again on Lap 109 when he made contact with Daniel Suarez in a midst of another multi-car pileup that involved Jimmie Johnson, Cole Custer, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch, who went for a wild ride in the air. Following repairs to his car, the Welcome, North Carolina, native went on to finish in 18th place in the second stage.

    Prior to the final stage, however, Dillon took his No. 3 Chevrolet to the garage for further repairs needed. When he returned to the track, he was scored two laps behind the leaders. Over the next 60 laps, Dillon kept his car intact from further incidents and benefitted from two late incidents to return on the lead lap. During the second overtime restart, however, Dillon was involved in another multi-car incident involving Bubba Wallace. Though he spun his car in Turn 4, he was able to continue without any serious damage. In the midst of a wild conclusion to the race in a third overtime attempt, Dillon was able to cross the finish line in 14th place. With Matt DiBenedetto and Chris Buescher being penalized and sent further down the final scoreboard due to double yellow line penalties on the final lap, Dillon was credited with a 12th-place result.

    Dillon’s 12th-place result marked his 19th top-15 result of this season as he also rebounded from a 32nd-place result in last weekend’s Playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With his result, Dillon is ranked in 10th place in the Playoff standings and is 21 points below the top-eight cutline to advance to the Playoff’s Round of 8. Being the lone Richard Childress Racing competitor in contention for this year’s Cup title, he will receive a final opportunity to race his way into the Round of 8 next Sunday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval and keep his title hopes alive.

    “Just a never-give-up-attitude,” Dillon said on NBC. “Last week was a real bummer, but these guys kept fighting. We changed an oil cooler behind the wall and only lost two laps. Last week, we lost eight doing the belt, so this guys are special. They are true professionals. I gotta thank Bass Pro Shops, Dow, everybody that helps out with our program, Chevrolet. That was a lot of fun. We got our stage points in the first stage even with a little bit of damage. In the second stage, we just couldn’t keep up with the damage we had gotten, but to come back to 12th, this car is killed. I had a huge run down the backstretch at the end of the race. I pushed [Brennan] Poole way up there. Once I shoved him, I got to the bottom and then I don’t know what happened. [Keselowski] came across my nose and we lost a couple more spots at the end. It was fun. It was probably a wild race for the fans to watch. I hope that we can make something happen at the Roval. We’re a little too far back in points, but we’ll see what we can do.”

    For Bowman, who started in fourth place, his issues also started on Lap 58. Unlike Dillon, Bowman sustained more damage to his No. 88 Truck Hero/Patriot Foundation Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE due to a multi-car accident occurring in front of him when he made contact with race leader and Playoff contender Aric Almirola while receiving a run and a push from Joey Logano. The wreck occurred as the Hendrick Motorsports driver from Tucson, Arizona, was having a strong run towards the front prior to the incident. While Almirola retired, Bowman was able to continue, though he was mired at the back of the pack and with a damaged race car. Through the first two stages, he was unable to work his way back into the top 10 and he failed to collect valuable stage points.

    Throughout the race, nonetheless, Bowman was able to avoid sustaining more damage to his car through more incidents occurring towards the front of the pack as he slowly made his way back towards the front. With 45 laps remaining, he had worked his way back into second place behind Bubba Wallace. By then, he had pitted a total of 11 times and was still in contention for a potential win with a patched up front nose to his car. He eventually got shuffled back into the top 15 and despite making runs into the top 10, he never worked his way back towards the front.

    Following a late pit stop due to a flat tire, Bowman dodged a number of late incidents and worked his way from being outside the top 20 on the track to restart and nurse his No. 88 Chevrolet across the finish line in 16th place following three overtime attempts. With Matt DiBenedetto and Chris Buescher being penalized and shuffled back due to double yellow line penalties on the final lap, Bowman was able to gain two spots on the track to settle in 14th place on the final scoreboard.

    Bowman’s 14th-place run marked his 17th top-15 result of this season and coming off a fifth-place result last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Overall, Bowman made 16 trips to pit road, most due to repairs needed. With his result, Bowman is 22 points above the top-eight cutline entering next Sunday’s Playoff elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, an event where he has finished in the top five twice the previous two seasons.

    Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.

    “This group of guys worked their butts off on pit road – very thankful for their hard work,” Bowman said on NBC. “Our Truck Hero Camaro, with Patriot Foundation on the side of it, was not really where we wanted it be to start the race. We made some changes, got it better and then I became a Ford sandwich there getting off turn two. I got pushed into [Almirola] there – that was a bummer. If that was my fault, apologies to the 10. I felt like I got shoved into him, but it’s one of those deals you never want to be in that situation and crash somebody or cause a crash like that. So, bummed out about that. It was a really long day, lots of trips down pit road. We crashed like three times after that…Just glad we finished. We have a little bit of a buffer. We’re going into a wild card race, but should have a good week ahead of us.”

    Dillon and Bowman, along with their fellow Cup Series competitors, will return for the next series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Jones and Dillon notch season-best results following eventful runs at Talladega

    Jones and Dillon notch season-best results following eventful runs at Talladega

    While Denny Hamlin emerged victorious in a wild, eventful and controversial finish to the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 4, Erik Jones and Ty Dillon survived a late charge to the finish as both collected strong podium results while competing with uncertainty for next season.

    Coming into Talladega, the site of the fifth NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race of this season, Jones’ goal was to receive another opportunity to win at a track where he nearly won at in April as the Byron, Michigan, native was entering the tri-oval with a run until late contact with eventual winner Ryan Blaney ended his bid for the victory.

    Starting in 16th place in his No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry, Jones was able to carve his way to the front and link up with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. along with Toyota teammate Daniel Suarez in the draft. Battling towards the front, he was able to collect a handful of stage points following the first stage after finishing in fifth place while also leading a total of seven laps within the first stage.

    Restarting in fourth place for the second stage, Jones went on to lead a total of six laps and continue to battle towards the front against competitors battling or not battling for the title in the Playoffs before he settled in 13th place. Lining up in third place prior to the final stage and with an opportunity to win, Jones remained in contention within the lead pack and with an opportunity to strike for the win.

    During the race’s third overtime attempt to the finish, Jones was battling Chris Buescher, Matt DiBenedetto and William Byron for the lead and the win when he made contact with Buescher in Turns 3 and 4 while working together for the lead. Their contact allowed Jones’ teammate Denny Hamlin to make a bold move below the apron to pass both as he went on to battle and overtake DiBenedetto and Byron for the win. At the finish line, Jones was scored in third place, but with DiBenedetto being assessed a penalty for forcing Byron below the double yellow line, Jones was promoted into second place.

    The runner-up result marked Jones’ eighth top-five result and best result since winning the 2019 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in September. The finish was much needed for Jones, who failed to make this year’s Playoffs and has yet to secure a ride for next season with the Michigan native set to depart Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 20 Toyota team following this season while Christopher Bell will replace him in 2021.

    “[The race] was good,” Jones said. “Obviously, wish we could have won it there at the end. We had to throw a big block and got in the wall, but still came back and finished second there. Good day. The car was strong. The Sport Clips Camry had good speed and we led a lot of laps. Just didn’t totally play out at the end. You can’t ask for a lot more. We were there and coming to the line with a shot to win.”

    “I’m still working for 2021,” Jones added. “There’s still some things I’m trying to work out and get locked in for next year. But, I don’t know that it really changes my hand at all with them, the teams that I’m in discussion with, I’ve been in discussion with for a while. I told teams in the last few month that I know I can do it. I’ve won a couple of these races and feel like we could’ve won more along with way and just haven’t had the things work out for us. I’ve enjoyed my time at JGR, but definitely wished we could’ve won more races along the way. This last month has been awesome. As a driver, you’re running strong, you’re running upfront, but I don’t know that it changes too much with what I’ve got going.”

    For Ty Dillon, Sunday’s race at Talladega produced an opportunity for the Welcome, North Carolina, native to notch a strong result in a season where his highest finish through last weekend’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was 10th place, which occurred at Vegas in February.

    Starting in 28th place, Dillon methodically worked his way to the front before he settled in 17th place when the first stage concluded. Throughout the second stage, Dillon worked his way up into the top 10 on the track. Running as high as fifth place near the Lap 100 mark, Dillon remained inside the top 10 throughout the run and he rallied from sustaining nose damage to the front of his No. 13 GEICO For Your RV Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE to settle in ninth place when the second stage concluded.

    Restarting in 13th place for the final stage, Dillon was scored in third place on Lap 148 while he continued to battle towards the front and inside the top 10 against a bevy of title and non-title contenders. Through three overtime attempts and entering Turns 3 and 4, Dillon was scored in sixth place while the top-five competitors duked it out with contact ensuing. At the finish line, Dillon streaked across in fourth place. With DiBenedetto being penalized from second place due to forcing Byron below the double yellow line, however, Dillon was promoted into third place on the final scoreboard in front of Byron and Chase Elliott.

    The third-place result marked Dillon’s career-best result in his 157th start in NASCAR’s premier series and his first top-five result since finishing in fourth place at Daytona International Speedway in July. Like Jones, the result was much needed for Dillon, whose team, Germain Racing, will be ceasing operations due to sponsor GEICO opting to not remain with the team for next season and with the North Carolina native currently out of a ride for 2021.

    Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    “I’m so proud of the effort for Germain Racing and GEICO,” Dillon said. “We are all fighting for jobs next year, including myself, so that’s the foot you want to put forward at one of these races winding down. It’s been a great run with this team and hopefully we can all work together in the future. I knew it was going to be hard to push anybody in front of me with these noses having a little too much point, but our GEICO For Your RV Chevrolet had enough speed to hang in there. I fell back to sixth in line, but when they all started to get into each other, I knew my outlet was to the bottom to have a chance to win and that’s what we are here for. I stayed on the bottom to hopefully be in position to win low if something were to happen. But to finish third – my personal career-best Cup finish and Germain’s best Cup finish as a team – is something I’m really proud of. It was a fun day and a long day. Thanks to all the fans who came out today too. It was good to have them here with us. I’m just extremely grateful to GEICO and Bob Germain for everything they have done for me the last four years.”

    “I absolutely want to be in the Cup Series,” Dillon added. “I feel like in the right situation over the right time, [I] can win races and be a championship contender. My time is not up here and I definitely have a lot to prove still. I’m starting to reach a pinnacle of my life physically and mentally as far as a Cup driver. I’m so eager for the next opportunity, but as far as the opportunity, I have nothing yet. Hopefully, this inspires some more talks and more sponsorship opportunity. It’s getting to a tough place in this sport where you have to bring money with you as far as sponsorship and a little bit goes a long way right now. If I have to take an opportunity to go down the Xfinity Series and try to win races there and reprove myself, I’ll absolutely take it. But, I’m a hungry driver right now and I want an opportunity next year to continue to prove what I can do and start fresh.”

    Both Jones and Dillon, along with their fellow NASCAR Cup Series competitors, will return for the next scheduled race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 pm. ET on NBC.

  • Hamlin wins a wild, controversial race at Talladega; advances to Playoff’s Round of 8

    Hamlin wins a wild, controversial race at Talladega; advances to Playoff’s Round of 8

    In a controversial finish for the ages, Denny Hamlin concluded a conservative afternoon of running towards the rear of the field to emerge victorious on the final lap in the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 4.

    Entering the final turn, Hamlin was in fifth place. He then made a controversial move on the apron and below the double yellow line zone to avoid contact between teammate Erik Jones and Chris Buescher before he outraced Matt DiBenedetto and William Byron across the tri-oval to emerge out in front at the finish line and grab the win. The victory at Talladega all but advanced Hamlin into the Round of 8 in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

    The starting lineup was based on four statistical categories: current owner standings, the driver’s result from a previous Cup race, the team owner’s result from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race. With that, Denny Hamlin started on pole position and was joined on the front row with Kurt Busch, winner of last weekend’s Playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    Prior to the race, Cody Ware started at the rear of the field due to a driver change along with Brennan Poole and Timmy Hill, both due to failing pre-race technical inspection twice.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Hamlin received a push from teammate Martin Truex Jr. to jump to an early lead through the backstretch. Just as the field was entering Turn 3, the first caution of the race flew when Christopher Bell spun in the middle of the turn after cutting a left-rear tire and was hit on the left side by Tyler Reddick, who sustained front-nose damage to the front of his No. 8 Caterpillar Next Gen Dozers Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. In addition, Bubba Wallace made contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. while avoiding the wreck while Ty Dillon received little damage from the wreck. Following the wreck, all but Bell continued.

    The race restarted under green on Lap 4 with Hamlin and Kurt Busch on the front row. At the start, Hamlin jumped ahead with the lead and moved in front of teammates Truex and Kyle Busch on the outside lane while also blocking both lanes with Kurt Busch leading the inside lane.

    By the sixth lap, the three Joe Gibbs Racing Playoff contenders led by Hamlin and followed by Truex and Kyle Busch were leading the field followed by Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski. Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Aric Almirola and Alex Bowman were running in the top 10 with Chase Elliott running in 11th place.

    The caution returned a few laps later when contact from John Hunter Nemechek sent Stenhouse sliding in Turn 4 before he backed his No. 47 Hungry Jack Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE hard into the inside wall with significant rear-end damage. The wreck was enough to end Stenhouse’s day in the garage.

    Following two early cautions of the race, the race restarted under green on Lap 13 with teammates Hamlin and Truex on the front row. At the start, Hamlin moved his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry in front of teammate Truex’s No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry on the inside lane to retain the lead while Harvick made a move beneath Kyle Busch’s No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry to move into third place, thus moving Busch in the middle lane. With the field entering the backstretch, a third lane started forming with Brad Keselowski peaking to the outside lane followed by Bowyer. Shortly after, the caution flew due to Corey LaJoie stalling his car just past the start/finish line. 

    The race restarted on Lap 15 with teammates Hamlin and Truex on the front row. At the start, Hamlin retained the lead and was able to block all runs from the top lane led by Harvick and the bottom lane with Truex trailing behind while continuing to lead the race when the field cycled back to the start/finish line. 

    On Lap 17, Joey Logano, racing in his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang, emerged with the lead following a run on the outside lane of Hamlin and receiving a push from Harvick. The following lap, the field expanded to three lanes with Hamlin leading the middle lane and Truex leading the inside lane while Logano continued to lead the race on the outside lane. 

    Not long after, Hamlin was able to move in front of Logano’s front nose on the outside lane in Turn 3 to reassume the lead. With that, Hamlin emerged out in front of Logano and Harvick while Keselowski and Bowyer were in the top five. 

    By Lap 22, names like Cole Custer, Ryan Preece, Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez and Matt DiBenedetto were running in the top 10 while Hamlin continued to lead Logano, Harvick and Bowyer. In addition, the field settled into racing on two lanes with a majority racing on the outside lane led by Hamlin and some racing on the inside lane led by DiBenedetto.

    The following lap, the inside lane led by DiBenedetto gained a run for the lead through the tri-oval and entering Turn 4, but Hamlin moved in front of DiBenedetto to block the run. Through the following lap, Hamlin was able to block both lanes with a number of competitors charging with runs and retain the lead when the competition caution flew on Lap 25. By then, six of the remaining 12 Playoff contenders led by Hamlin were running in the top 10 while Truex and Austin Dillon were in 11th and 12th. Elliott was in 14th while Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman and Keselowski were in 21st, 22nd and 23rd.

    Under the competition caution, the leaders pitted and Aric Almirola, racing in his No. 10 Smithfield Power Bites Ford Mustang, emerged with the lead after only taking fuel to his car. Logano, Bowyer, DiBenedetto, Hamlin and Blaney, all of whom also went with fuel only on their stops, followed suit. During the pit stops, Bowyer nearly made contact with Matt Kenseth while exiting his pit stall while Kenseth was trying to enter his. In addition, Kyle Busch overshot his pit stall and dropped all the way back to 15th place. Also, Chase Elliott was sent to the rear of the field due to speeding on pit road.

    The race restarted under green on Lap 30 and Almirola jumped ahead with the lead while receiving a push from DiBenedetto. The following lap, four Fords were running first through fourth with Almirola leading followed by Ryan Blaney, DiBenedetto and Joey Logano. 

    Entering the backstretch, Hamlin dropped below the double yellow line and surrendered his track position towards the front to fall to the rear of the field and avoid the early pack racing. The following lap, Harvick dropped his No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang below the double yellow line and surrendered his track position towards the front to fall to the rear of the field and avoid the early pack racing.

    At the front, two lanes formed with Blaney and his No. 12 Menards/Pennzoil Ford Mustang leading the outside lane and going for the lead while Almirola continued to lead from the inside lane. By then, Erik Jones moved up to third place behind Blaney while Truex, Logano, Bowyer and Kyle Busch were running inside the top 10. In addition, Jimmie Johnson started to make his move towards the top 10 while Elliott was in 12th place following his pit road speeding penalty. 

    On Lap 35, Jones emerged with the lead while Blaney fought back on the inside lane followed by Almirola. The following lap, Blaney returned to the lead with Almirola running behind him on the inside lane. Jones, meanwhile, continued to run on the outside lane and in front of teammates Truex and Kyle Busch while Suarez joined the party.

    By Lap 40, Jones was back out front while three lanes started to form behind him. Teammates Truex and Kyle Busch were in second and third followed by Blaney and Almirola while Suarez led the middle lane in sixth place while receiving a push from Keselowski.

    Two laps later, the field settled into racing by two lanes with Blaney leading a bevy of cars on the outside lane and Jones leading a bevy of cars on the inside lane. Shortly after, Blaney moved in front of teammates Keselowski and Logano to retain the lead and clear of the pack while Chris Buescher joined the party.

    By Lap 50, Logano emerged with the lead as the field returned to racing between two lanes in a pack. Jones was in second followed by Blaney, Kyle Busch and Keselowski while Elliott was in sixth place. Shortly after, Jones led a lap before Elliott aggressively made his move to the front of the pack. With Elliott leading, Bubba Wallace moved into second place followed by Kyle Busch, Cole Custer and Kurt Busch while Logano fell back to sixth place. Austin Dillon moved into eighth place while Blaney and Jones fell back to ninth and 10th. 

    Meanwhile, Hamlin and Harvick were in 26th and 27th while Truex was in 17th, Bowman was in 15th and Keselowski was in 13th. Austin Dillon and Almirola were in 10th and 11th as the laps in the first stage were dwindling. 

    After leading three laps, Kurt Busch made his move for the lead before Almirola peaked below Busch’s No. 1 Gearwrench Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE and reassumed the lead. 

    With the laps in the first stage winding down, the pack running at the front started to fan out into three lanes with a multitude of Playoff competitors making moves towards the front. With three laps remaining in the first stage, however, the caution flew when contact from Bowman, who was being pushed by Logano, and Almirola turned Almirola sideways across the outside wall in the backstretch with both competitors pinned against one another and the outside wall. Behind, Kyle Busch was turned and his No. 18 M&M’s Toyota briefly came off the ground before he spun and made contact with Blaney. He was able to limp back to pit road and receive repairs to remain on the lead lap along with Bowman.

    Returning to pit road, Almirola expressed his displeasure to Bowman on pit road before he retired from the race. The wreck and retirement from the race placed Almirola in a “must-win” scenario for next weekend’s Playoff elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. 

    “I’m okay,” Almirola said at the infield care center on NBC. “I honestly haven’t seen the replay, so it’s hard to say, but I got hit from behind and turned in the outside fence. It’s such a shame. We had such a fast Smithfield Power Bites Ford Mustang. I’m just disappointed. We were doing everything we needed to do. We were closing in to the end of stage one and it looked like we were gonna score a lot of points there, which is exactly what we needed to do. It looks like [Bowman] got to my outside and my car started to turn to the right, so it’s unfortunate. I don’t know if he got in the back of me and hooked me or how that played out, but my car just made a hard right into the fence. It’s unfortunate.”

    With the first stage concluding under caution on Lap 60, Chris Buescher emerged out in front as he claimed his first career stage victory. Logano settled in second place followed by Austin Dillon, Keselowski and Jones while Elliott, Reddick, Truex Kurt Busch and Custer settled in the top 10. Moments after, Austin Dillon, who sustained damage from the late multi-car wreck, limped to pit road with a flat left-rear tire.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Elliott emerged out in front following a stellar four-tire pit stop from the No. 9 NAPA crew. Keselowski exited in second place followed by Buescher, Jones and Truex. Following the pit stops, a handful of competitors, including Harvick, were penalized due to an uncontrolled tire violation.

    The second stage started under green on Lap 65 and with Elliott and Keselowski on the front row. At the start, Keselowski was able to emerge out in front for the first time and lead Lap 66 with Jones and Custer tucked behind Keselowski’s No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang. 

    A few laps later, the caution flew due to debris in Turn 2 that came off of the damaged No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry of Kyle Busch, who blew a left-front tire and was running at the rear of the field along with Logano, Harvick and Hamlin. Following repairs, Busch was able to remain on the lead lap.

    Under caution, a handful of competitors, including Elliott, Truex, William Byron, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Suarez, Ty Dillon, Kurt Busch, Wallace, Nemechek, Austin Dillon, Ryan Newman, Harvick and Hamlin pitted while the rest led by Buescher and Keselowski remained on the track. Following the pit stops, however, Hamlin was nabbed with a pit road speeding penalty.

    When the race restarted on Lap 73, Buescher jumped ahead and moved in front of Keselowski to retain the lead. Returning to the tri-oval and the start/finish line, the field at the front expanded to two lanes with Jones leading the outside lane while Buescher continued to lead on the inside lane. 

    Shortly after, Jones received a push from Michael McDowell to move back into the lead with Hendrick Motorsports’ teammates Elliott, Byron and Jimmie Johnson lined up on the outside lane. By then, Keselowski was the only Playoff contender running in the top 10. Austin Dillon, Kurt Busch and Bowyer were in 16th, 17th and 18th while Bowman, Logano, Hamlin, Truex, Harvick were running in 26th through 30th. Kyle Busch was back in 32nd place behind veteran Brendan Gaughan.

    By Lap 80, Buescher continued to lead on the inside lane with the pack fanning out to two lanes. Keselowski was in second place followed by Reddick, Custer and Ryan Preece while Nemechek, DiBenedetto, Kenseth, Jones and Elliott. In addition, the first-place car of Buescher and the 19th-place car of Austin Dillon were separated by less than two seconds. 

    Two laps later, Jones returned to the lead by a nose over DiBenedetto while Elliott made his move into third place. Buescher fell back to fifth place in front of Keselowski and next to Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE.

    By Lap 85, Jones continued to lead Elliott on the inside lane and a pack of cars fanning out to two lanes while William Byron was the first car running on the outside lane in fifth place. 

    A lap later, a bevy of Chevrolet competitors led by Elliott made a pit stop under green. The next lap, the caution flew due to Blaney making contact with the Turn 3 outside wall after cutting a tire. By then, DiBenedetto was out in front followed by Buescher, Keselowski, Logano and Bowyer, all of whom had yet to make a pit stop. Also, Kyle Busch was spared from falling a lap behind the leaders. 

    Under caution, a majority of lead lap competitors pitted and Harvick exited in first place after pitting for only fuel. Reddick exited in second place followed by Kenseth, Nemechek, Suarez and Truex.

    The race restarted on Lap 92 with teammates Elliott and Byron occupying the front row. At the start, Elliott moved in front of Byron to retain the lead. By then, Elliott was at the front of a six-car Chevrolet group on the inside lane while Chevrolet competitor Ryan Preece was the first competitor racing on the outside lane followed by Ty Dillon and Reddick.

    By Lap 95 and with the race passing its halfway mark, Elliott continued to lead followed by teammate Byron, Kurt Busch, teammate Johnson and Bubba Wallace while Kenseth, Suarez, Ty Dillon, Reddick and Bowyer were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Logano was in 13th, Austin Dillon was in 15th and Keselowski and Truex were in 19th and 20th. Bowman, Hamlin and Harvick were in 29th, 30th and 31st while Kyle Busch was in 26th.

    Five laps later, on Lap 100, Elliott continued to lead followed by teammate Byron, Kurt Busch, teammate Johnson and Wallace. Kenseth, Suarez, Bowyer and Austin Dillon settled in sixth through ninth while Jones made a move beneath Ty Dillon to move into 10th place. Prior to this, Custer got loose following contact from Logano while racing in the middle of the pack, but he was able to prevent his car from spinning in the middle of the pack, though he lost his momentum and the draft towards the front.

    Another five laps later, on Lap 105, Elliott retained the lead followed by teammate Byron, Kurt Busch, Wallace and Kenseth while Johnson moved up the outside lane while being pushed by Logano in a two-lane pack racing for the lead. By then, Elliott, Kurt Busch, Logano and Austin Dillon were the only Playoff contenders running in the top 10 while Bowyer, who was running near the front a few laps earlier, fell back to 17th place.

    Another two laps later, Johnson, racing with a piece of tape on the front nose of his No. 48 Chevrolet, led a lap before he was shuffled back. The following lap and with the field fanning out to three-wide racing, a multi-car wreck erupted on the frontstretch that started when contact from Bowyer turned Johnson sideways as he clipped Kurt Busch, who made head-on contact into the outside wall and went airborne on top of Custer’s No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang before he came to rest on all four wheels without being turned over, but with significant damage to the No. 1 Gearwrench Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. The wreck collected a total of 13 competitors, including Bowyer, Keselowski, Preece, Austin Dillon, Suarez, Joey Gase, Brennan Poole, Kyle Busch and Brendan Gaughan, who concluded his final NASCAR career start with a wrecked car. The wreck eliminated Bowyer for the remainder of the race as he also faces a “must-win” situation next weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval to retain his title hopes. Following the wreck, Johnson voiced his frustrations at Bowyer over the contact.

    “You’ve got to go,” Bowyer said in the infield care center on NBC. “You’ve got to push [Johnson]…As soon as I got to him, I push him in the front and the whole rear of the car went down and I was like, ‘Oh my God,’ and before I know it he was tank swapping all over the place. I don’t know if that was how they had their cars built or whatever, but as soon as you got close to him he was all over the place. Obviously didn’t mean to wreck him, but you’re going hard and three-wide and people are behind you pushing. I was hoping he would save it, but he didn’t and we all wrecked.”

    “Yeah, it was a wild ride,” Kurt Busch said. “That’s the nature of this sport. You’re on top one week with a win and everything’s fantastic. And then this week here at Talladega, we were hoping for a nice, smooth run and to gain some points. I was just doing my job as a Chevy helper running top-five and next thing you know, I’m going for one of the wildest rides I’ve ever been in.”

    Following the wreck, the race was red-flagged for 10 minutes and 27 seconds. When the red flag lifted and the competitors resumed under cautious pace, some that included Hamlin, Harvick, Truex, Bowman and Blaney pitted while the rest led by Elliott and Byron remained on the track. By then, Kyle Busch, Johnson, Austin Dillon and Keselowski continued following the multi-car wreck on the frontstretch.

    With seven laps remaining in the second stage, the race restarted under green as Elliott retained the lead over teammate Byron and Logano. Shortly after, Logano received a draft from DiBenedetto to return to the lead the following lap. 

    With five laps remaining in the second stage, Logano and his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang was still leading followed by DiBenedetto, Buescher and Truex while Elliott and Reddick battled dead even in two lanes for fifth place. 

    Two laps later, Truex gained a run on the outside lane to lead a lap over Logano. Entering the backstretch, DiBenedetto got forced below the double yellow line zone following contact with Logano, but he was able to blend back on the track inside the top 10 without being assessed a penalty. Shortly after, Reddick led a lap before Truex moved back into the lead followed by Elliott. 

    At the start of the final lap of the second stage, Truex emerged with the lead followed by Keselowski, Buescher and Elliott while Logano dropped back after being told that he was being assessed a penalty for forcing DiBenedetto below the double yellow line zone. Entering the tri-oval, Truex and Keselowski managed to pull away from the pack and then, Truex was able to roll to the second stage win on Lap 120 and claim his fifth stage victory of the season. Keselowski settled in second place followed by Buescher, Elliott and Nemechek while Byron, Blaney, Preece, Ty Dillon and Wallace settled in the top 10. 

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Truex retained the lead after exiting pit road in first place. Keselowski exited in second place followed by Jones, Reddick, Quin Houff, Bowman and Elliott. By then, Austin Dillon took his No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE to the garage for repairs. Once he returned, he was two laps behind the leaders.

    With 63 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green with Truex and Keselowski occupying the front row. At the start, Truex jumped ahead until Keselowski gained a huge run on the backstretch to move back into the lead. With Keselowski in the lead, Truex settled behind him in second place and in front of teammate Jones while Reddick started to form a line on the outside lane and a run towards the front followed by Bowman, Kenseth and Wallace.

    Three laps later, with 60 laps remaining, Keselowski was still ahead of Reddick as the pack towards the front fanned out to three-wide racing. On the backstretch, Wallace started to challenge Keselowski for the lead while Elliott bailed out of the lead pack.

    With 55 laps remaining and most of the competitors at the front settling into single-file racing, Wallace continued to lead followed by Bowman, who was continuing to run strong despite a patched-up front nose and following 11 pit stops. Kenseth was in third place followed by Buescher, Preece, Keselowski, Nemechek, Reddick, Jones and Blaney. By then, Blaney formed a pack running on the outside lane before Keselowski and Buescher moved in front of him to gain a draft and run for the lead over Wallace.

    Another five laps later, with 50 laps remaining, Logano was back at the front followed by Byron and Ty Dillon while Keselowski was dead even with Jones for fourth place. By then, Wallace was back in 10th, Bowman was in 13th and Truex was in 20th while Blaney and Harvick moved up to seventh and eighth. In addition, Kyle Busch was in 22nd, Hamlin was in 25th and Austin Dillon was in 27th, two laps behind. Johnson was in 28th, 10 laps behind the leaders.

    Down to the final 45 laps of the race and the entire pack running in a single-file line on the outside lane, Logano continued to lead followed by Byron, Ty Dillon, Jones and Preece while Harvick, Keselowski, Wallace, Kenseth and Blaney were scored in the top 10. By then, Logano, Harvick and Keselowski were the only Playoff contenders running inside the top 10. Teammates Elliott and Bowman were in 12th and 13th, Truex was in 18th and Kyle Busch was in 21st. Hamlin was still in 25th while Austin Dillon was still mired in 27th. 

    With 40 laps remaining, the caution flew due to debris coming off of Jimmie Johnson’s damaged No. 48 Chevrolet. Under caution, the leaders pitted and Logano retained the lead over Harvick, Jones, Byron and Kenseth upon exiting pit road. Prior to the restart, some like Elliott, Hamlin, DiBenedetto, Newman, Reddick, Bowman, Kyle Busch and Wallace pitted again for fuel.

    The race restarted under green with 36 laps remaining. At the start, Logano cleared and moved in front of Harvick to retain the lead while Byron was the first competitor racing on the outside lane followed by Preece and Keselowski. Behind, Hamlin bailed out of the heavy pack racing for the lead once again. 

    At the front, Byron assumed the lead followed by Preece while Logano and Keselowski were back in third and fourth. The following lap, with 35 laps remaining, Logano moved back into the lead followed by Preece and Keselowski. Behind, Brennan Poole moved into fourth place followed by Buescher and DiBenedetto. Shortly after, Poole was shuffled out of the lead pack along with Byron while Logano, who was racing on fumes and who was uncertain about having enough fuel to make it to the finish, led a bevy of competitors racing in a single-file lane on the outside lane.

    With 30 laps remaining, Logano continued to lead followed by Preece, Keselowski, Buescher and DiBenedetto while Elliott started to gain a run as the first car to lead the inside lane. By then, Cody Ware made an appearance in the top 10 while Wallace was in 12th in front of Newman, Blaney and Nemechek. Five laps later, with 25 laps remaining, the field fanned out into two-wide racing as Logano and Wallace battled for the lead. 

    Down to the final 20 laps of the race, Elliott emerged back out in front while Logano started to fight back for the lead on the outside lane. Byron was in third place followed by Keselowski and Harvick while Preece, Wallace, Kenseth, Ty Dillon and Buescher were scored in the top 10 ahead of Truex.

    With 15 laps remaining, Logano was leading followed by teammate Keselowski, Preece, Wallace and Buescher. Meanwhile, Truex, Elliott and Bowman were in the top 10 while Kyle Busch was in 15th. Harvick was in 17th while Hamlin was in 23rd.

    With 10 laps remaining, Logano received a push from Keselowski to retain the lead over Wallace with Preece and Buescher in the top five. Logano continued to lead the outside pack while Wallace was the first car on the inside lane in front of Elliott and Byron. A lap later, Keselowski got shuffled out as Wallace made another bid for the lead over Logano.

    Down to the final seven laps of the race, Wallace, racing in his No. 43 World Wide Technology Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, continued to lead on the outside lane in front of Logano while DiBenedetto made a bid on the inside lane, thus shoving Elliott out of the draft. A lap later, a bump from Preece sent Wallace scraping the backstretch outside wall as he fell out of contention for the lead with damage on the right side of the No. 43 Chevrolet. 

    Shortly after and just as Wallace was coming to pit road for service, the caution flew due to a spin involving James Davison in Turn 4. Under caution, some like Truex, Hamlin and Jones pitted while the rest led by Logano, DiBenedetto and Keselowski remained on the track.

    The race was sent into overtime and with Logano and DiBenedetto on the front row. At the start, Logano retrained the lead over teammate Keselowski and DiBenedetto. Entering Turns 3 and 4, however, Elliott gained a huge run and made a bold crossover move beneath Logano to retain the lead despite Logano making contact and barely forcing Elliott below the double yellow line. In addition, Byron made a move on the outside lane while Logano was shuffled back in the middle lane. 

    Just as Elliott and Byron were approaching the start/finish line to start the final lap, the caution flew for a multi-car wreck on the tri-oval that started when Reddick turned Kyle Busch into Logano as the carnage involved Harvick, Truex, Bowman and Newman. The wreck ended the long afternoon for Kyle Busch, who emerged uninjured out of his battered No. 18 M&M’s Toyota and made the trip to the infield care center.

    “The car was just real slow due to all of the damage, obviously, so I’m just holding up the line,” Kyle Busch said on NBC. “I was trying to draft off the guys in front of me and I’m pushing too much backwards on the guys that are trying to push me forwards and it creates a wreck. Oh, well. The M&M’s Camry guys did a great job and just wish there was more for it.”

    The race was red flagged for nearly 11 minutes following the second multi-car wreck that collected a number of Playoff contenders. When the red flag lifted and the field resumed under cautious pace, some like Byron, Keselowski, Newman, Blaney, Jones, Bowman, Truex and Harvick pitted while the rest led by Elliott and DiBenedetto remained on the track. Following his involvement in the wreck, Logano was penalized a second time for forcing Elliott below the double yellow line zone. He, however, was unable to re-fire from the red flag period and was pushed by a wrecker back to the garage, where his race concluded.

    With the race restarting under green on a second overtime attempt, Elliott, who reported fuel concerns, jumped out with the lead, but was placed in a three-wide situation on the backstretch in between Preece and DiBenedetto. Entering Turns 3 and 4, Wallace gained a run on the outside lane, but he turned across the front nose of Preece’s No. 37 Kroger Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. The contact sent Wallace into the outside wall with heavy front nose damage, where Blaney was also collected along with Kenseth, Bowman and Austin Dillon, who had just worked his way back on the lead lap, as the caution flew and sent the race into a third overtime attempt. The wreck was enough to end Wallace’s run following a strong late charge towards the front and after leading a career-high 10 laps. 

    Under caution, Elliott pitted along with Nemechek, Timmy Hill, Keselowski, Preece and Austin Dillon while the rest led by DiBenedetto and Denny Hamlin remained on the track. By then, Buescher, Ty Dillon and Byron were in the top five followed by Newman, Cody Ware, Quin Houff, Erik Jones and Reddick.

    In the third overtime attempt, DiBenedetto, in pursuit of his first Cup career win, peaked ahead over Hamlin and cleared the field entering the backstretch and with Buescher pushing him. DiBenedetto retained the lead for a full cycle around the track with Buescher and Byron behind. 

    When he started the final lap, however, DiBenedetto was being pressured by Byron, Buescher and Jones for the lead. In Turns 1 and 2 and through the backstretch, Jones pushed DiBenedetto out with the lead as Buescher and Byron were gaining a run on the front two for the lead. 

    With Cody Ware wrecking behind, Buescher and Jones made contact entering Turns 3 and 4 on the outside lane. Their contact allowed Byron to gain a run at DiBenedetto for the lead on the inside lane. Then, DiBenedetto drove all the way down to the bottom and made contact with Byron, forcing Byron below the double yellow line. 

    Out of the blue, Hamlin, who was in fifth entering the turns and drove on the apron and below the double yellow line zone to avoid the contact ensuing between Jones and Buescher, stormed to the front and challenged for the lead in a three-wide battle with Byron and DiBenedetto as Keselowski spun behind following contact with Reddick. Through the tri-oval and coming back to the finish line, Hamlin was able to emerge out in front of DiBenedetto to win in a photo finish while Byron was shuffled back to a top-five result. 

    Though the finish went under review following the race’s conclusion, NASCAR declared Hamlin as the official winner and his move beneath the double yellow line legal since he was trying to avoid contact and a potential wreck ensuing in front of him.

    With his unprecedented seventh victory of the season, second at Talladega and the 44th of his NASCAR Cup Series career, which moved him into a tie with childhood hero and Hall of Famer Bill Elliott for 18th place on the all-time Cup wins list, Hamlin locked himself into the Round of 8 in the Playoffs as he continues his pursuit for his first Cup championship. Following his celebratory burnout and salute to the fans, Hamlin dedicated the win to J.J. Damato, an executive and VP/Marketing Services at Joe Gibbs Racing who died a day ago at age 48.

    “Just a lot of attrition,” Hamlin said on NBC. “We just played the strategy and the numbers game to run in the back until we were locked in. Just things worked out. We finally got one back. This one was unexpected to say the least, but proud of this whole FedEx team, Toyota and everyone at JGR for bringing great race cars…Really excited about this win. This was unexpected for sure. They were crashing in front of us. Obviously, I got forced down there just like [DiBenedetto] and others did. There were a bunch of us that all crashed down there…Just an amazing day.”

    DiBenedetto, who initially settled in second place for the third time this season, was left with tears of disappointment in coming up short in delivering his first victory and the historic 100th win for the Wood Brothers Racing team as he has yet to announce his racing plans for next season.

    “It’s just a crazy finish,” DiBenedetto said on NBC. “I haven’t been able to really process it. I just really want to get this thing in Victory Lane. This Tuscany Faucets team. I feel like this is the same story a lot of times, just heartbreak. My wife and I have had a stressful week again just with the uncertainty — always fighting for my life — but I’m so appreciative of this team. The Wood Brothers, I want this 100th win for the Woods so bad. Our alliance with Team Penske, Ford — I appreciate them putting me in this car. It’s so much fun to drive and have a shot to win. Denny did a great job. Deja vu. Holy cow. Denny deserves all the support in the world. He’s an incredible racer. He was my biggest threat. I tried to block all I could. My spotter, Doug, did a great job. This is tough…My windshield was filthy from all the speedy dry. I was having trouble seeing to block. I was blocking everyone’s lane. I mean, that was pure desperation, but that’s how I drive every race. Every time I step foot in a race car. I’m appreciative for the challenges I’ve faced. That’s what it teaches you when you have those shots…Wild finish. That’s Talladega. I’m glad the fans got a great show. I just hope to win races. I know we can do it.”

    Following the race, however, DiBenedetto was penalized for forcing Byron below the double yellow line that involved contact. With that, DiBenedetto was credited with a 21st-place result.

    Chase Elliott was also penalized for going below the double yellow line through the tri-oval and was originally scored back to 22nd place. Following the race, however, NASCAR rescinded the penalty on Elliott after it was discovered that Elliott was forced beneath the yellow line by Buescher. With that, Buescher was penalized all the way back to 22nd place while Elliott retained fifth place on the track.

    Following DiBenedetto’s penalty, Erik Jones was scored in second place followed by Ty Dillon, who notched a career-best result. Byron settled in fourth place in front of teammate Elliott. Newman, Reddick, Nemechek, Poole and Preece rounded out the top 10 on the track.

    Austin Dillon limped home in 12th place, two spots ahead of Bowman, while Keselowski fell all the way back in 18th place. Harvick settled in 20th place while Truex ended his run in 23rd place. Jimmie Johnson finished in 29th place in his 38th and final run at Talladega.

    There were 58 lead changes for 18 different leaders. The race featured a record 13 cautions for 54 laps.

    Results.

    1. Denny Hamlin, 26 laps led

    2. Erik Jones, 13 laps led

    3. Ty Dillon

    4. William Byron, one lap led

    5. Chase Elliott, 41 laps led

    6. Ryan Newman

    7. Tyler Reddick, two laps led

    8. John Hunter Nemechek

    9. Brennan Poole

    10. Ryan Preece

    11. Justin Haley

    12. Austin Dillon

    13. Quin Houff

    14. Alex Bowman

    15. Timmy Hill, one lap led

    16. Matt Kenseth

    17. Joey Gase

    18. Brad Keselowski, six laps led

    19. Cody Ware, one lap led

    20. Kevin Harvick, two laps led

    21. Matt DiBenedetto, 10 laps led

    22. Chris Buescher, 15 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    23. Martin Truex Jr., two laps down, six laps led, Stage 2 winner

    24. Bubba Wallace – OUT, Accident, 10 laps led

    25. Ryan Blaney – OUT, Accident, 10 laps led

    26. Joey Logano – OUT, Accident, 45 laps led

    27. Kyle Busch – OUT, Accident

    28. Corey LaJoie, 12 laps down

    29. Jimmie Johnson – OUT, Accident, one lap led

    30. James Davison, 82 laps down

    31. Cole Custer – OUT, Accident

    32. Kurt Busch – OUT, Accident

    33. Clint Bowyer – OUT, Accident

    34. Daniel Suarez – OUT, Accident

    35. Brendan Gaughan – OUT, Accident

    36. Michael McDowell – OUT, one lap led

    37. Aric Almirola – OUT, Accident, nine laps led

    38. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – OUT, Accident

    39. Christopher Bell – OUT, Accident

    Playoff standings.

    1. Denny Hamlin – Advanced

    2. Kurt Busch – Advanced

    3. Kevin Harvick +68

    4. Chase Elliott +44

    5. Brad Keselowski +41

    6. Martin Truex Jr. +32

    7. Alex Bowman +22

    8. Joey Logano +21

    9. Kyle Busch -21

    10. Austin Dillon -21

    11. Clint Bowyer -38

    12. Aric Almirola -48

    With the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs reaching its halfway point, the series will travel to the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 and the final Playoff event in the Round of 12. The race will occur on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Weekend schedule for Talladega

    Weekend schedule for Talladega

    NASCAR heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend as the 2020 season winds down. Anything is possible at the unpredictable 2.66-mile track as drivers compete for a chance to win it all at the championship finale in November at Phoenix Raceway.

    The Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and the Xfinity Series hit the track Saturday, at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. The Talladega race will determine who moves forward into the Round of 8 in the Truck Series. This will be the second race in the Round of 12 for the Xfinity Series.

    Sunday afternoon the action continues as the Cup Series closes out the weekend at 2 p.m. with the second race in the series Round of 12.

    All times are Eastern.

    Saturday, Oct. 3

    1 p.m.: Truck Series Chevy Silverado 250 (Stages 20/40/94 Laps = 250.04 Miles) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Sheldon Creed

    4:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 (Stages 25/50/113 Laps = 300.58 Miles) NBCSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Chase Briscoe

    Sunday, Oct. 4

    2 p.m.: Cup Series YellaWood 500 (Stages 60/120/188 Laps = 500 Miles ) NBC/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Denny Hamlin

  • Hamlin awarded pole position for Talladega Playoff race

    Hamlin awarded pole position for Talladega Playoff race

    Three-time Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin will start on pole position for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway, the YellaWood 500, on Sunday, October 4.

    Since August, the starting lineup for an upcoming NASCAR race was based on four stats: current owner points position, the driver’s results from a previous Cup race, the owner’s results from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race. By leading a race-high 121 of 268 laps and finishing in third place in the previous Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Hamlin was awarded the pole position for the upcoming Cup race at Talladega.

    Hamlin, a six-time race winner of this season and who will lead the field to the start of a Cup race for the first time since June at Homestead-Miami Speedway, enters this weekend’s race at Talladega with a 58-point cushion above the top-eight cutline as he attempts to advance to the penultimate round of the 2020 Cup Playoffs.

    Kurt Busch, the lone Playoff contender who has clinched a spot in the Round of 8 after winning last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, will start alongside Hamlin on the front row. Martin Truex Jr. will start in third place followed by Alex Bowman and Kevin Harvick.

    Kyle Busch will start in sixth place followed by Brad Keselowski, teammate Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer and Chase Elliott. Aric Almirola and Austin Dillon will start in 11th and 12th, with the current-eligible Playoff contenders occupying the top starting spots on the grid.

    Matt DiBenedetto, the highest-starting non-title contender who tied his career-best result of second place last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, will start in 13th place followed by Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher.

    Starting in positions 16-27 are Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson, Cole Custer, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, William Byron, Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, Michael McDowell, Ryan Preece, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Bubba Wallace.

    Starting in positions 28-38 are Ty Dillon, Corey LaJoie, Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suarez, Brennan Poole, Quin Houff, J.J. Yeley, Justin Haley, Joey Gase, Timmy Hill and James Davison. Veteran Brendan Gaughan, who is set to make his 503rd and final career start in NASCAR this weekend at Talladega, will round out the 39-car field.

    The YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will occur on Sunday, October 4, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Las Vegas

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Las Vegas

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 10th at Las Vegas.

    “I’ve got a comfortable points lead,” Harvick said. “There’s a safe distance between me and the cut off line. And that’s exactly how I plan to race at Talladega—a ‘safe distance’ from the front.”

    2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won Stage 1 at Las Vegas and went on to a third-place finish in the South Point 400.

    “I’m now a co-owner with Michael Jordan of a car to be driven by Bubba Wallace,” Hamlin said. “It’s great to have M.J. involved in our sport. And I’m sure this isn’t the first time Michael’s ‘put money on’ NASCAR.”

    3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski started 12th and finished 13th at Las Vegas.

    “I battled handling issues all day,” Keselowski said. “The No. 2 Auto Trader Ford was just not responsive. And trust me, I was talking to it all day, with language unfit even for Kyle Busch’s radio.”

    4. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished 22nd in the South Point 400.

    “Hendrick Motorsports was fined $100,000 for a wind tunnel violation,” Elliott said. “Apparently, we exceeded the amount of time you’re allowed in the wind tunnel. That’s pretty much the definition of ‘blowing’ $100,000.”

    5. Kurt Busch: Busch secured his spot in the playoff Round of 8 with a win in his hometown of Las Vegas.

    “There was a little luck involved,” Busch said. “I took the lead when a caution flew during green-flag pit stops. So, maybe I didn’t have the best car, but I had enough car. It’s a case of ‘Local boy makes good enough.’”

    6. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished fourth at Las Vegas and is now sixth in the playoff points standings.

    “We’ve got Talladega next on the schedule,” Truex said. “And who knows what might happen there? That’s always the question at Talladega, and as questions go, it’s a ‘big one.’”

    7. Joey Logano: Logano finished 14th at Las Vegas, as an early tire issue set him back in the field.

    “That ‘tire issue’ was caused by contact with Kyle Busch,” Logano said. “Trust me, if I could have no contact with Kyle Busch, I’d be thrilled.”

    8. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished fifth at Las Vegas and now stands seventh in the standings.

    “I’m one of the drivers who are hovering around the cut off line,” Bowman said. “It’s tough on one’s mental state. Plus, we’ve got Talladega to deal with. That means we may have to deal with wrecks, all while trying not to be a nervous wreck.”

    9. Kyle Busch: Busch finished sixth in an up-and-down day at Las Vegas.

    “I’ve now gone 30 races without a win,” Busch said. “So I know I’m due. And I’m counting on ‘when’ and ‘win’ intersecting at Talladega.”

    10.Aric Almirola: Almirola finished 17th in the South Point 400.

    “I’ll most likely need a win to advance,” Almirola said. “And Talladega will be a challenge, so I’ll need good aerodynamics and the good Lord on my side. So, I’m heading to Alabama’s superspeedway on a ‘wing and a prayer.’”

  • Kurt Busch achieves first triumph at Las Vegas; clinches Round of 8 spot

    Kurt Busch achieves first triumph at Las Vegas; clinches Round of 8 spot

    For Kurt Busch, there is no greater feeling than winning at home. Taking the lead with over 30 laps remaining, the former Cup Series & Daytona 500 champion outlasted the field through two late restarts and persevered in a two-lap shootout to win the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 27, and achieve his first victory at his home track in his 22nd attempt. The win marked Busch’s 32nd of his NASCAR Cup Series career as it also snapped his 46-race winless drought dating back to July 2019 at Kentucky Speedway.

    The starting lineup was based on four statistical categories: current owner standings, the driver’s result from a previous Cup race, the team owner’s result from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race. With that, Kevin Harvick started on pole position and was joined on the front row with Kyle Busch.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Chase Elliott, who started in third place, jumped on the gas and overtook Harvick and Kyle Busch entering Turn 2 to lead the first lap. Behind, Joey Logano also moved up to second place while Austin Dillon battled Harvick and Kyle Busch for third place. 

    By the fifth lap, Elliott was ahead by less than two-tenths of a second over Logano while Kyle Busch settled in third place. Harvick continued to run in fourth place followed by Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr. while Austin Dillon joined the party. Behind, teammates Aric Almirola and Clint Bowyer along with Alex Bowman and Ryan Blaney battled for spots inside the top 10. By then, the remaining 12 Playoff contenders were scored inside the top 15.

    Following the first 10 laps of the race, Elliott continued to lead by more than a second over Logano followed by Kyle Busch, Harvick and Kurt Busch. Meanwhile, Bowman, Blaney and Truex battled for sixth place while Austin Dillon and Bowyer were running inside the top 10. Almirola fell back to 12th in front of Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Matt DiBenedetto.

    With the early portions of the race continuing to progress, Elliott continued to stabilize and extend his advantage to more than three seconds over Kyle Busch, who overtook Logano earlier for the runner-up spot. During the early green flag run, Harvick overtook Logano for  third place while Blaney moved into the top five ahead of Hamlin, Austin Dillon, Bowman, Truex and Kurt Busch. 

    When the competition caution flew on Lap 25, Elliott was still scored ahead of the field and by more than three seconds over Kyle Busch with Harvick, Logano and Blaney in the top five. By then, Hamlin, Austin Dillon, Bowman, Truex and Bower were running in the top 10 while Keselowski, Almirola and Kurt Busch were in 13th, 14th and 17th.

    Under caution, the leaders pitted and Kyle Busch emerged with the lead after exiting pit road in first place. Harvick exited in second place followed by Hamlin, Logano and Elliott. Following the pit stops, Christopher Bell and William Byron were sent to the rear of the field due to speeding on pit road.

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 30, teammates Kyle Busch and Hamlin restarted on the front row followed by Hamlin, Logano, Elliott and Truex. At the start, Truex attempted to make a move beneath Logano, but Logano blocked him and was nearly turned in the process. At the front, Hamlin emerged with the lead followed by Kyle Busch, Logano, Harvick, Elliott and Truex.

    The following lap, Elliott attempted to pull beneath Logano for position, but Logano pulled an aggressive block on Elliott and the two made contact. Both, nonetheless, continued to run towards the front despite the on-track altercation.

    Shortly after, Logano moved into second place after passing Kyle Busch while Harvick, Truex and Elliott closing in behind. In addition, Bowyer and Bowman started to join the battle towards the front while Hamlin continued to lead by less than three-tenths of a second over Logano.

    By Lap 40 and with the competitors towards the front continuing to battle, Hamlin continued to lead by half a second over Logano while Kyle Busch trailed by less than a second. Elliott and Truex were in the top five followed by Harvick, Bowman, Austin Dillon and Bowyer. Kurt Busch and Almirola were in 15th and 19th while Keselowski was mired back in 22nd. By then, Ryan Blaney was the highest-running non-title contender in 10th place while DiBenedetto, Erik Jones, Johnson and Bubba Wallace were running inside the top 15. Earlier, Tyler Reddick made an unscheduled pit stop due to a loose right-rear wheel.

    Ten laps later, on Lap 50, Hamlin started to extend his advantage to nearly a second over Logano followed by Kyle Busch, Elliott and Harvick, who overtook Truex for position and was followed by Bowman. Meanwhile, Keselowski was still mired back in 21st while Byron moved up to 19th. By then, eight of the 12 Playoff contenders were running in the top 10. Bowyer was in 11th, Kurt Busch was in 14th and Almirola was in 16th. 

    Another ten laps later, on Lap 60, Hamlin stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Logano followed by Kyle Busch, Elliott and Harvick while Bowman, Austin Dillon, Blaney, Truex and Matt DiBenedetto were scored in the top 10. Bowyer was in 11th place ahead of Jimmie Johnson and Erik Jones while Almirola and Kurt Busch were in 14th and 15th. Keselowski was back in 20th place behind Cole Custer, William Byron, Bubba Wallace and Michael McDowell.

    With 70 laps complete, Hamlin extended his advantage to three seconds over Logano. By then, eight of 12 Playoff competitors led by Hamlin were running inside the top 10. Bowyer was in 11th place, teammate Almirola and Kurt Busch were in 14th and 15th and Keselowski gained a spot to 19th place. Meanwhile, Blaney and DiBenedetto were the two highest-running non-title contenders in eighth and 10th.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 80, Hamlin retained the lead by two seconds over Logano as he claimed his ninth stage win of the season. Logano settled in second place followed by Kyle Busch, Elliott and Harvick while Austin Dillon, Blaney, Bowman, Truex and Bowyer were scored in the top 10. By then, Keselowski dropped back to 21st place.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Kyle Busch reassumed the lead following a stellar stop from his pit crew. Logano exited in second place followed by Hamlin, Elliott, Austin Dillon and Bowyer.

    The second stage started on Lap 86 with Kyle Busch and Logano on the front row. At the start, Busch and Logano battled dead even for the lead as the field behind battled in a three-wide situation. Back at the line Logano led Lap 87, but in Turn 2, Hamlin made a bold three-wide move on teammate Kyle Busch and Logano to reassume the lead. 

    By the time the field returned to Turn 4, Logano started to slide out of the top 10 after he sustained a left-rear tire run on his No. 22 Pennzoil Ford Mustang as a result from contact with Kyle Busch. Two laps later, he pitted under green and he lost a lap to the leaders.

    At the front, on Lap 90, Hamlin was ahead while Elliott started to close in on Hamlin for the lead. On Lap 91, Elliott passed Hamlin on the inside line through Turns 2 and 3 to return to the lead. Bowman was in third place followed by Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon while Truex, Harvick, Bowyer, Johnson and DiBenedetto were scored in the top 10.

    On Lap 100, Elliott stabilized his advantage to more than half a second over Hamlin while Bowman, Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon continued to run inside the top five. Truex, Harvick and Bowyer were in the top 10 while Kurt Busch was in 12th place ahead of Keselowski and Almirola. Logano was mired back in 30th place.

    Ten laps later, on Lap 110, Elliott continued to lead by less than a second over Hamlin followed by Bowman, Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon. While Truex and Harvick continued to run in sixth and seventh, Keselowski made his way up to 13th place behind Kurt Busch and Bowyer. Almirola was in 14th while Logano was still mired in 30th place. Johnson was in eighth place followed by Blaney and DiBenedetto while Byron made his way back up to 15th place ahead of Jones, Cole Custer, Bell, John Hunter Nemechek and McDowell. Matt Kenseth was in 21st ahead of Chris Buescher while Ryan Newman was in 25th behind Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    With approximately 150 laps remaining in the overall race, green flag pit stops started to occur as Truex pitted followed by Harvick, Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon, Elliott and Bowman. During the cycle of green flag pit stops, Kyle Busch had a slow stop due to a broken pit gun to change the tires. In addition, Johnson was assessed a speeding penalty on pit road while Kurt Busch slid slightly over his pit box.

    Nearly six laps later and with most of the lead lap competitors pitting under green, Byron was scored as the leader followed by Buescher, Newman and Corey LaJoie, all of whom needed to pit. Elliott and Hamlin were back in fifth and sixth.

    At the halfway mark on Lap 134, Byron continued to lead over Buescher, Newman, LaJoie, Elliott and Hamlin. 

    By Lap 140, teammates Buescher and Newman were running first and second on the track followed by Elliott, Hamlin, LaJoie and Truex. A few laps earlier, Byron pitted under green after leading 12 laps.

    Five laps later, on Lap 145, Elliott reassumed the lead after Buescher pitted. Hamlin returned to second place followed by Bowman, Truex and Austin Dillon while Blaney was in sixth place. Prior to this, Newman also pitted under green. 

    With five laps remaining in the second stage and the leaders encountering lapped traffic, Elliott was scored as the leader by half a second over Hamlin followed by Bowman, Truex and Austin Dillon. Blaney, Harvick, DiBenedetto, Kyle Busch and Bowyer were in the top 10 followed by Byron, Almirola, Keselowski, Custer and Bell. Kurt Busch was in 17th while Logano was mired back in 27th.

    With the laps in the second stage dwindling, Hamlin started to close in and challenge Elliott for the stage win. Though Hamlin continued to pounce behind him, Elliott was able to navigate his way through lapped traffic and win the second stage on Lap 160 for his eighth stage victory of the season. Hamlin emerged in second place followed by Bowman, Truex and Blaney while Austin Dillon, Harvick, Bowyer, DiBenedetto and Byron were scored in the top 10. Kyle Busch, Almirola and Keselowski were in 11th, 12th and 13th while Kurt Busch was in 17th and Logano was in 27th. Prior to the stage’s conclusion, Reddick scrubbed the Turn 1 outside wall after sustaining a flat right-front tire and he limped back to pit road with right-side damage on his No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Hamlin emerged with the lead after exiting pit road in first place followed by Bowman, Elliott, Truex, Blaney and Austin Dillon. Harvick fell back to 10th place behind Bowyer, DiBenedetto and Byron.

    The final stage commenced with 102 laps remaining and with the sun starting to set. At the start, Bowman shoved Hamlin clear of Elliott and into the lead through Turns 1 and 2. Then, Bowman overtook Hamlin to assume the lead for the first time with 100 laps remaining. 

    With Bowman leading and Hamlin pursuing him, Elliott and Truex battled for third place while Blaney was in fifth place ahead of Bowyer, Austin Dillon, DiBenedetto, Byron and Custer.

    Nearly five laps later, Hamlin reassumed the lead after overtaking Bowman. He then started to extend his advantage to nearly half a second while Elliott battled and overtook teammate Bowman for the runner-up spot. Truex and Blaney were in the top five followed by Bowyer, DiBenedetto, Austin Dillon, Byron and Harvick. Meanwhile, Keselowski moved up to 11th place while the Busch brothers were in 13th and 14th. Almirola was in 15th while Logano was mired back in 26th, a lap down.

    With 80 laps remaining, Hamlin maintained a three-tenths of a second lead over Elliott while Bowman, Truex and Blaney were scored in the top five. Bowyer was in sixth place followed by DiBenedetto, Austin Dillon, Keselowski and Byron. Harvick and Kurt Busch were in 11th and 12th while Kyle Busch and Almirola were in 14th and 15th. Logano was still mired in 26th place behind Jimmie Johnson. Meanwhile, Nemechek, Custer and Bell were in 13th, 16th and 18th while Kenseth and Newman were in 20th and 23rd.

    Two laps later, the caution flew due to debris spotted in Turn 2. Under caution, the leaders pitted and Hamlin retained the lead after exiting pit road in first place followed by Truex, Bowman, Elliott and Blaney. Following the pit stops, Austin Dillon was sent to the rear of the field due to a safety violation.

    The race restarted under green with 71 laps remaining and with teammates Hamlin and Truex on the front row ahead of teammates Bowman and Elliott. At the start, Hamlin retained the lead in Turn 2 while DiBenedetto made a bold four-wide move on Bowman, Truex, Elliott and Blaney to move into second place. 

    While DiBenedetto went to work on Hamlin for the lead, Bowman retained third place followed by Truex, Blaney and Bowyer while Elliott fell back to seventh place ahead of teammate Byron. Not long after, Bowman moved into second place after passing DiBenedetto while Truex and Blaney joined the party. Behind, teammates Elliott and Byron battled for sixth place while Keselowski moved into ninth place over Bowyer, Harvick and Kyle Busch.

    With 60 laps remaining and the track falling into night conditions under the track’s lights, Hamlin continued to lead by half a second over Bowman while DiBenedetto continued to hold strong in third place ahead of Truex, Blaney, Elliott and Byron. Keselowski moved up to eighth place followed by Erik Jones, Bowyer, Harvick and Kyle Busch. Almirola and Kurt Busch were in 14th and 15th while Austin Dillon, following his late pit road penalty, moved back up to 20th place. Logano, however, was mired in 28th place and was still a lap down.

    Ten laps later, with 50 laps remaining, Hamlin extended his advantage to over Bowman. DiBenedetto retained third place while Elliott started to challenge Truex for fourth place and with Blaney lurking behind. Erik Jones moved up to seventh place in front of Byron, Keselowski, Harvick, Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Almirola.

    By then, Austin Dillon, who was trying to work his way back to the front following his pit road penalty, pitted under green due to power steering and overheating issues, and to have broken belts replaced. Though he continued following the repairs, the late mechanical issues were enough to evaporate Dillon’s recent strings of strong results and to start the Round of 12 in the Playoffs.

    Down to the final 40 laps of the race, Hamlin stabilized his advantage to less than a second over Bowman while Truex, one of the fastest cars on the track, moved into third place. DiBenedetto settled in fourth place while Blaney and Elliott battled for fifth place. Jones, Keselowski, Byron and Harvick were scored in the top 10 ahead of Bowyer, the Busch brothers, Almirola and Christopher Bell. Johnson was in 17th place behind Custer while Logano and Austin Dillon were in 27th and 33rd. Meanwhile, Kenseth and Newman were in 22nd and 23rd, Bubba Wallace was in 28th behind Logano and Buescher was in 18th ahead of Nemechek, McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    Under the final 40 laps, green flag pit stops occurred as Kyle Busch pitted along with Harvick, Bowman, Blaney, Truex, Byron, Hamlin, Elliott, Bowyer and Keselowski.

    Shortly after, the caution flew with 32 laps remaining due to debris coming off of Johnson’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE with Johnson sustaining a flat right-rear tire. By then, some that included DiBenedetto had yet to pit while Bowman passed Hamlin to emerge as the first car a lap down. Under caution, some that included Kurt Busch, Buescher, Nemechek, Bell, Kenseth and McDowell pitted. Ultimately, DiBenedetto cycled back as the leader of the race followed by Kurt Busch while Bowman was back in 10th place. Others that included Hamlin, Truex, Blaney, Elliott, Keselowski, Jones, Kyle Busch, Byron and Harvick would take the wave around to cycle back on the lead lap.

    Following a cleanup session and when the field cycled through, the race restarted under green with 25 laps remaining and with DiBenedetto and Kurt Busch on the front row. At the start, the field expanded to three- and four-wide racing through the turns while Kurt Busch and DiBenedetto battled dead even for the lead. 

    With 23 laps remaining, Kurt Busch emerged with the lead over DiBenedetto while Bell, Nemechek and Newman moved into the top five over Kenseth and Buescher. Blaney carved his way to eighth place followed by Johnson and McDowell. Meanwhile, Playoff contenders Bowman, Hamlin, Elliott, Harvick, Truex and Keselowski were mired back in 11th through 16th. 

    Three laps later, with 20 laps remaining, Kurt Busch continued to lead by a narrow margin over DiBenedetto. Bell continued to settle in third place followed by Nemechek and Newman. Behind, Blaney and Bowman overtook Kenseth for sixth and seventh as both continued to march to the front with fast cars.

    A few laps later, the caution flew when Nemechek spun below the apron in Turn 3 before he came up across the track, where he was avoided by the field, though Jones and Stenhouse made contact with one another and against the Turn 3 outside wall to avoid hitting Nemechek.

    Under caution, some that included Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Truex, Harvick, Keselowski, Jones, Almirola and Byron pitted while the rest led by Kurt Busch and DiBenedetto remained on the track. In addition, Logano, the first car pinned a lap behind, received the free pass to return on the lead lap.

    With 13 laps remaining, the race restarted under green with Kurt Busch jumping in front of DiBenedetto and retaining the lead. Behind, Blaney was the first competitor to peak out in a three-wide battle for positions while Bowman started to battle Newman, Bell and others for third place. 

    Down to the final 10 laps of the race, Bowman and Blaney, both of whom were the fastest cars on the track, started to gain ground on Kurt Busch and DiBenedetto for the lead while Hamlin also started to move back into the top five.

    With eight laps remaining, Kurt Busch was still ahead by less than two-tenths of a second over DiBenedetto and Bowman was in third while Hamlin started to battle Blaney for fourth place and the field behind continued to dice for positions. During this time, Bell fell off the pace after making contact with the wall on the backstretch.

    Shortly after, the caution returned when Byron spun across the frontstretch after bumping into Bell as LaJoie also sustained damage, which evaporated a slim lead for Kurt Busch and created an opportunity for Bowman, Hamlin and Blaney to pounce again.

    The racing under green resumed with two laps remaining and with Kurt Busch and DiBenedetto on the front row followed by Bowman, Blaney, Hamlin and Newman. At the start, Kurt Busch jumped ahead with a strong start. In Turn 2 and with the field fanning out, Hamlin passed Bowman and DiBenedetto to move into second place through Turns 3 and 4 as Kurt Busch started the final lap of the race.

    On the final lap, Hamlin was stuck in a battle with DiBenedetto for second place. By then, Bowman, Truex and Blaney battled for fourth through sixth on the track while Kyle Busch made his way up to seventh place. Though DiBenedetto cleared Hamlin for second place in Turn 2, Kurt Busch was starting to stabilize his narrow advantage entering Turn 3. In Turn 4, Kurt Busch was able to pull ahead and win by a tenth of a second over DiBenedetto. 

    With the win, Busch punched his ticket into the Round of 8 in the Playoffs as he became the 12th winner of this year’s Cup season while recording the first victory of the season for Chip Ganassi Racing. In addition to achieving its sixth victory of the season, Chevrolet achieved its 1,500th win across NASCAR’s three major division series (Cup, Xfinity and Truck).

    “This is what kids dream of when they grow up racing,” Busch said in Victory Lane on NBCSN. “You dream of winning at your hometown track and for two decades, it’s kicked my butt. Tonight, with this Monster Energy Chevy, I’m in awe. I knew the race would come to us we needed it to get to nightfall. One of those quirky [crew chief] Matt McCall pit sequences finally unfolded. We got lucky. You got to be lucky and you have to be lucky in any race, but we did it tonight with teamwork and pulling through and just not giving up. This is Vegas.”

    “[Hamlin] had ton of speed,” Busch added. “I was wide open and you just have to manipulate the draft. I pulled out some old drag racing skills on the restarts. I knew that that was our strong suit, I knew that that was the Ford’s weak suit. We just put ourselves in position and we held them off. [Team owner] Chip Ganassi was up in the suites somewhere and I could feel him breathing over my neck, ‘I wanna win,’ and we did it.”

    DiBenedetto tied his career-best Cup result by finishing in second place as he came up one position shy of recording the 100th win for the Wood Brothers Racing team while Playoff contenders Hamlin, Truex and Bowman rounded out the top five.

    “Two seconds at Vegas,” DiBenedetto said. “It’s tough to come that close, just wanted it so bad for this team. I love driving for the Wood Brothers. I want that number 100 [win] for them so bad and for Menards, the whole family and everything they do for us and the team, and having Duracell on the car this week, we’re keeping her charged up good. Our car was the best it had been at the end, just couldn’t get control on those restarts. [Kurt Busch] did a great job. We had completely different ratios for the restarts and once he gained control of the race, he played the right games on the restarts, knew what we had on our weakness there. Man, it’s tough to come that close. I just want it so bad, but I’m proud of the team. They did a great job. My pit crew did a great job tonight and really earned that one for us.”

    “We had a dominant car today and I’m proud of the whole FedEx team for giving me such a great car,” Hamlin said. “By far the best car I’ve had in Las Vegas in a long time. It was really, really good. Happy with it and this new tire here. We’ll run that a few more times this year. Really encouraged by the way we ran, but very disappointed that we didn’t get a win. It’s just been the way that the playoffs have gone. Whoever stays out the longest puts themselves in a great spot to win. I feel good about it. I certainly had a great day. It’s something I’m happy about, it’s about how we ran and how fast we were. We restarted 13th there with just a few laps and then the top got shuffled and we were able to make some ground on the bottom. If either one of the cautions don’t happen, we’re still in great shape, but it took them like seven laps to get a piece of debris off and then we had debris right in the fuel window.”

    “I guess it is good to be disappointed in a fifth-place finish,” Bowman said. “We did not need that caution to come out in the middle of the pit cycle like that. I thought it was going to be ok for us, but we just couldn’t get through traffic as well as we needed to. Our program is continuing to improve and I just feel like this is another Vegas race that go away from us. At least it was a good points day, which is what we need.”

    Kyle Busch, who won at his home track in the Cup circuit in 2009, settled in sixth place while Blaney, Erik Jones, Buescher and Harvick rounded out the top 10. 

    “We weren’t great early on and didn’t quite have the long run speed,” Kyle Busch said. “We worked on it and I thought we were making some gains on it and then we got that damage and got way back in traffic. Then there towards the end, was just able to get lucky on a couple of the last restarts in order to pick off a few spots with the M&M’s Camry and get ourselves in a better position for the finish. It was a pretty dismal day I guess. I looked like it was going to be about 12th or 14th if we didn’t have some good moves on that last restart there to get us a sixth-place finish.”

    Keselowski finished in 13th followed by teammate Logano while Almirola and Elliott finished 17th and 22nd. Austin Dillon ended his night in 32nd place. Jimmie Johnson finished in 11th place in his 22nd and final run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    There were 20 lead changes for 11 different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 36 laps.

    Results.

    1. Kurt Busch, 29 laps led

    2. Matt DiBenedetto, eight laps led

    3. Denny Hamlin, 121 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    4. Martin Truex Jr.

    5. Alex Bowman, five laps led

    6. Kyle Busch, six laps led

    7. Ryan Blaney, one lap led

    8. Erik Jones

    9. Chris Buescher, 10 laps led

    10. Kevin Harvick

    11. Jimmie Johnson

    12. Clint Bowyer

    13. Brad Keselowski, two laps led

    14. Joey Logano, one lap led

    15. Ryan Newman

    16. Cole Custer

    17. Aric Almirola

    18. Matt Kenseth

    19. Ryan Preece

    20. John Hunter Nemechek

    21. Michael McDowell

    22. Chase Elliott, 73 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    23. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    24. Christopher Bell

    25. William Byron, 12 laps led

    26. Ty Dillon, one lap down

    27. Corey LaJoie, one lap down

    28. Bubba Wallace, two laps down

    29. Daniel Suarez, three laps down

    30. Brennan Poole, three laps down

    31. Gray Gaulding, six laps down

    32. Austin Dillon, seven laps down

    33. J.J. Yeley, seven laps down

    34. Quin Houff, nine laps down

    35. Joey Gase, 12 laps down

    36. Josh Bilicki – OUT, Suspension

    37. Timmy Hill – OUT, Rear end

    38. Tyler Reddick – OUT, Accident

    39. Chad Finchum – OUT, Engine

    Bold indicates Playoff contender

    Playoff standings.

    1. Kurt Busch – Advanced

    2. Kevin Harvick +61

    3. Denny Hamlin +58

    4. Brad Keselowski +16

    5. Martin Truex Jr. +15

    6. Joey Logano +11

    7. Chase Elliott +10

    8. Alex Bowman +9

    9. Kyle Busch -9

    10. Clint Bowyer -20

    11. Aric Almirola -27

    12. Austin Dillon -32

    The Round of 12 in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will continue next Sunday, October 4, at Talladega Superspeedway for the YellaWood 500. The race will occur at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.