Surprising news from NASCAR’s last lap crash: Top 10 surprises.
Tyler Reddick just misses trouble and wins the Cup Series with boss Michael Jordan in the house. By Deb Williams.PUBLISHED: April 21, 2024, 9:05 PM EDT.
Corey LaJoie’s Chevrolet crossed the finish line sliding on its side, the result of a massive pileup that erupted at the front of the field as more than two dozen cars charged to the checkered flag on the final lap of Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Michael McDowell triggered the “big one” when he attempted a second block on Brad Keselowski as they sped through the 2.5-mile track’s trioval. Keselowski had followed McDowell on the inside lane for the last 20 laps, often pushing him, while eventual winner Tyler Reddick ran at the front of the outside lane with Martin Truex Jr. in tow.
Coming to the checkered flag, Keselowski gave McDowell a huge shove as they exited turn four, giving the two Ford Mustang Dark Horses a clear advantage over the two Toyota Camry XSEs that had been on their outside. Keselowski then scooted high, McDowell blocked him, and Keselowski shot low. When Keselowski pulled to the inside, McDowell again tried to block him, but this time he wasn’t clear and when they touched, McDowell’s Ford turned sideway in front of the field, triggering the melee.
Reddick squeezed through for the victory and Keselowski claimed second.
Meanwhile, LaJoie’s Chevrolet went under Josh Berry’s Ford, sending its rear into the air. The impact with the wall sent LaJoie’s car on its side and sliding against the wall towards the finish line. After the car crossed the finish line it stopped and rolled over onto its tires.
Thankfully, everybody knocked me across the finish line, so I was able to finish the race because that’s what’s most important in these deals,” Berry said. “We just ride around and save gas and then wreck at the end.”
None of the drivers were injured.
“I backed up. Noah (Gragson) gave me a great push, and I went to make a move on Michael (McDowell), and he covered it,” Keselowski explained.
“I went back the other way, and I got another push from Noah. Just nowhere to go when Michael came back down. So, I hate that for him. He’s a good guy. I hope he’s all right. Just kind of the way this stuff goes, right?”
It was Keselowski’s second straight runner-up finish.
“Good finishes are important, but we want wins,” Keselowski said. “We could really taste it today, but it just didn’t happen.”
After walking from the infield care center, McDowell said he was “frustrated” but “motivated.” McDowell said that the way the accident occurred he hated it for Keselowski and for everybody who was behind them.
Several of the drivers that made it through the spinning and crashing cars secured their first top-five or top-10 finish this season.
Noah Gragson, who ran at the front of the pack for much of the race, finished third. It was his first top-five finish since August 2022 at Daytona
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s fourth-place finish was his first top five since last year’s Bristol dirt race.
Anthony Alfredo, driving the Beard Motorsports entry which competes in about four Cup races annually, finished sixth. It was only his second top-10 Cup finish and his first since October 2021 at Talladega.
Todd Gilliland, Daniel Hemric and Harrison Burton who finished eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively, all secured their first top-10 finishes this season. For Hemric, who competed in the Xfinity Series full time last year, it was his first Cup top-10 since February 2022 at Fontana, Calif. Burton’s top-10 finish in the Wood Brothers Ford was his first since last July at Pocono, Pa
Toyota Plan Goes Awry
With 35 laps remaining in Sunday’s 188-lap GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, the Toyota drivers quickly pitted for fuel and then reentered the race together in a draft.
Their plan was to force the Ford and Chevrolet drivers to alter their plans in the closing laps as the Toyota drivers were able to run at full throttle since they had enough fuel to make it to the race’s end. The other drivers were racing in a conserve fuel mode, but the Toyota drivers planned to catch them and then push them.
