The field nearly made it through Stage 1 of Sunday’s Round of 8 playoff race without a caution. But on Lap 52 at Talladega Superspeedway, chaos happened.
In total, eight drivers were involved in the Turn 3 wreck, and it was AJ Allmendinger who got the worst of it. Erik Jones made the initial contact with Noah Gragson who collided with Allmendinger, sending his No. 16 Chevrolet shooting up the track. Allmendinger’s car caught on fire, and the 43-year-old was visibly in some discomfort, lying on the racetrack as the safety crew tended to him.
There's trouble in Turn 3!@chaseelliott is among the cars collected. pic.twitter.com/tNc6D3Gdfh
Allmendinger has since been evaluated and released from the infield care center, Kaulig Racing announced. His race is over, but the important thing is he seems to be OK. Allmendinger said the impact knocked the breath completely out of him.
“Uh, I feel alright. It knocked the breath out of me, and then as I stopped and I felt like the car was catching on fire,” Allmendinger said. “So, got out and tried to get my breath back. Feel OK now. Probably be sore, hard hit for my old body. … So, disappointing. That’s why I hate this place, but it’s part of this racing. At least we were up front for a little bit there. Sucks to have it happen so early.
“But at the end of the day, I get to kiss Tara and Arrow. I’ll be a little sore. It’ll be my excuse when I play Trent at my golf game; he’s gotta give me strokes now. But other than that, just disappointing. Always expect the worst here and hope for the best, and today we got the worst.”
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Almost every playoff driver made it through the wreck — everyone but Elliott. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion came into the race 23 points below the cutline, needing a good day at Talladega to put himself in good shape going into next Sunday’s Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway. His No. 9 Chevrolet is now in the garage with significant damage.
It’s worst-case scenario for Elliott, who will almost certainly be in a must-win situation at Martinsville to advance to the Championship 4. Elliott has a good track record at Martinsville; he has one win and is riding a three-race streak of top 5s.
Elliott’s misfortune is good news for the other drivers below the cutline — Joey Logano, William Byron, and Ryan Blaney. The Penske duo, in particular, made up valuable ground in Stage 1. They know how to get it done at Talladega, and all signs point to them being in contention at the end if they can stay clear of any incidents.
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