The NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series returns to Talladega Superspeedway in what is possibly be the most gut-wrenching playoff race on the schedule. The point standings have been tight, and a superspeedway race can ruin many drivers’ chances of moving on. This year the aero-package has been extremely sporty on superspeedway tracks with speeds increasing this year compared to the previous years. This produces a faster pack, with a smaller margin for error.
Hendrick Motorsports swept qualifying with all its drivers making up the first two rows. Chase Elliott jumped out front as the pole sitter and moved down in front of Alex Bowman. The Chevy train began to form on the bottom line. Meanwhile, the Fords began to line up on the top with Brad Keselowski receiving a big push from Clint Bowyer. Keselowski jumped into the lead, bringing his Ford partners along for the ride.
Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch both made their way to the front of the field and began to battle each other for the top spot. This gave Ryan Blaney an opportunity to have a go for the lead as well. Ryan Blaney completed the pass for the lead on lap 20, as the race was settling down for now.
On lap 38, the Ford cars began coming down pit road from green flag servicing. Blaney locked up his tires while braking on his way to pit road. He spun into the grass and was tagged with a speeding penalty. In the middle of the green flag cycle, the caution comes out for Spencer Boyd as he stalls out in the middle of turns three and four. Keselowski resumed the race from the lead with fifteen laps left in the stage.
The Chevy teams formed a line at the top of the track and made a run for the leaders. William Byron prevailed and took the lead late in the stage. Coming back to the checkered flag in stage one, William Byron wins with Joey Logano in a close second place.
The green flag waved, and Ryan Blaney continued the race from the lead. After the field moved to three-wide, it eventually settled down into a single-file with Blaney pacing the field. On lap 74, the top line reformed and Joey Logano was pushed to the front of the pack. Logano could not hold on for long. The field went back to the three-wide with Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski battling for the lead.
On lap 91, the Chevy group began to pit under the green flag. On lap 108, Alex Bowman surged to the front. Shortly after, Joey Logano had a push and was coming for the lead. He made a move on Bowman, and Bowman made a late block and was shoved by Logano. Bowman spun and collected many drivers in the wreck. Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Larson, and Martin Truex Jr all suffered race-ending damage from the wreck. The stage did not return to green, and Clint Bowyer wins stage two under caution.
Clint Bowyer jumped out to an early lead from the restart. The field was not racing under the green flag for long, as Bubba Wallace spins going down the backstretch. After another debris caution, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. paced the field for the green flag on the top lane. Kyle Busch took the lead from the bottom, as the top lane lost momentum.
Another caution came out as Clint Bowyer spun out in turn three. The leaders came down pit road for servicing, and William Byron won the race off pit road. Ricky Stenhouse Jr continued to charge to the front and he retook the lead. With 25 laps remaining, another caution flag waved involving nine drivers. Stenhouse Jr. continued to lead on the restart.
Kyle Busch had a run from the middle lane. The younger Busch moved sideways after receiving a bad push from his older brother, Kurt Busch. Brendan Gaughn, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Kurt Busch were all swept up in the wreckage.
The race now came down to one final restart with two laps remaining. Ryan Blaney held the lead for the first lap around. Ryan Newman jumped to the front going down the backstretch. Newman and Blaney were side-by-side coming through the tri-oval. Blaney had a big enough run to beat Newman by eleven inches. Ryan Blaney wins the 1000Bulbs.com 500 in the sixth-closest finish of Talladega’s history by a 0.007 margin.
After an insane rain-delayed race over Sunday and Monday, the point standings have changed incredibly. Alex Bowman and William Byron were both taken out of the race early. Byron now sits in basically a ‘must-win’ position 27 points below the cut off line. Bowman sits 18 points below the cut off line in ninth place. Both drivers have put together great seasons, and it will take some magic this coming Sunday to advance on the next round. Clint Bowyer and Chase Elliott also both sit in must-win positions below the cut off line as well.
All four drivers have shown a lot of speed all season long, especially at 1.5-mile tracks. They are must-watch drivers for the elimination race at Kansas Speedway this weekend, as all four drivers know what it takes to pull off the improbable in order to advance to the next round of the Cup Series Playoffs.