It’s a beautiful blue sky day in Talladega with temperatures in the upper 60s. A bit breezy with a 10 mph wind. Kevin Harvick will lead the field to the green flag. The NASCAR Race Day show was highlighting the desperate situations for a couple of drivers – Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse in particular. Instead of sitting on a set behind a desk FOX has Myers, Big Daddy and DW standing in the infield doing the pre-race show. Nice crowd in the background and beautiful sky. It looks like its more fun – and livelier – than the usual pre-race show. Nice to see them with sun on their faces. The stages are 55-55-78 for this 188 lap race.
Unfortunately it seems the fun is about to end – they’re teasing Michael Waltrip’s Grid Walk. I hate his Grid Walk. Its so lame.
At least we get to see the truck with the flag going around the track for this race. During the Xfinity race we were instead subjected to shots of drivers watching the tractor speed around the track. That truck screaming around the track is one of my favorite sites of Talladega. Also they showed a tiny bit of the fly-over for this race. I’m guessing there wasn’t a fly-over during yesterday’s opening ceremonies.
Kurt ‘KuBu’ Busch had issues with his radio communications and is racing around the track in an attempt to catch up to the field after spending time on pit road trying to get into his outside pole position.
They had a nice piece on Kurt and Ashley Busch on Race Day and on the pre-race show – same piece on both.
Mike Joy says Aric ‘Afterburner’ Almirola had a problem with the rear brake dragging during qualifying tearing up his car.
We are stuck looking through Ty Dillon’s windshield. He’s wearing the helmet cam. Boring shot. I wish they’d stay outside the cars generally. The view is just too limited from the driver’s point of view. Unless I’m driving the car, I don’t want to see that view point during the race. If something happens to a particular driver and the field is under caution I can understand taking that shot – but during the race – it’s just aggravating.
Green flag pit stops underway on lap 14 of 188.
KuBu got popped for too fast entering on his pit stop.
David Ragan too fast exiting. Pass through penalties for both.
Single file racing. Boring.
There’s a group of cars that include Bubba Wallace who’s leading the race, and the Hendrick cars that haven’t made green flag pit stops. Bubba took over the lead from Alex Bowman.
On lap 43 of 188 the majority of those cars are in for green flag pit stops and head back out together.
Brad ‘It’ Keselowski crosses the line for the end of stage one.
Restarting on lap 61 of 188 with ‘It’ in the lead.
KHarv got six turns of the wrench adjustment during his pit stop.
Green flag pit stops on lap 68 of 188 for a group. ‘It’ (2), Stinkhouse (17) and Daniel Suarez (19) too fast entering on those stops. More pit stops on lap 69 of 199. Alex Bowman too fast exiting on his pit stop.
Caution on lap 72 of 188 for a wreck including Erik ‘Da Brat’ Jones, Martin Truex Jr, Jamie McMurray, Trevor Bayne, and Kyle Larson.
Matt DiBenedetto abandons the lead to come into the pits.
Restarting on lap 79 of 188.
William Byron has some damage on the front end of the 24 car and they don’t want him to bump anyone and extend the damage to the front end.
‘Kutey’ Kyle Larson said the single file racing was ‘kinda boring’. When it’s boring for the drivers and the viewers there’s an issue.
Paul Menard wins the stage. His first stage win.
There was some racing in that stage, though with three Penske cars up front Menard (21 Wood Brothers Ford), Squinty-Douchey (22), Ryan ‘Son’ Blaney (12), there was no racing at the end of the stage amongst the leaders. Team orders can definitely make for some unexciting racing.
Kyle ‘KyBu’ Busch too fast entering.
Restarting on lap 116 of 188.
William Byron leads the field to green.
Back to single file racing with Kurt ‘KuBu’ Busch in the lead on lap 128 as the caution comes out for debris.
Ricky ‘Stinkhouse’ Stenhouse who took no tires wins the race of pit road – since everybody else took at least two tires – and will lead the field to the green flag restarting on lap 135 of 188.
Green flag pit stops underway on lap 144 of 188.
Only 7 of the lead lap cars didn’t pit.
Denny Hamlin too fast entering. Ricky ‘Stinkhouse’ Stenhouse too fast exiting.
The rest of the lead lap cars came in to the pits on lap 146 of 188.
Kasey Kahne is now leading the race.
Daniel Suarez was too fast entering.
Denny Hamlin was too fast entering on his pass-through, so now he has to serve a stop-and-go for the penalty.
Now the Penskes are back up front.
Caution with on lap 154 of 188 as Timmy Hill in the 51 is smoking his way to the garage.
Restarting on lap 159 of 188 with Joey ‘Squinty-Douchey’ Logano in the lead.
Big wreck on lap 164 of 188 including Brad Keselowski (2), Jimmie Johnson (48), Kasey Kahne (95), Darrell “Bubba” Wallace (43), William Byron (24), Ryan Blaney (12), Paul Menard (21), Clint Bowyer (14), AJ Allmendinger (47), Austin Dillon (3), Cole Whitt (72), Brendan Gaughan (62), and Michael McDowell (34). Denny Hamlin (11) got a little piece, as did Kyle Busch (18). Jimmie is able to continue. As is Bubba.
Restarting on lap 171 of 188 with Joey Logano leading the field to green.
With seven to go we’re back to running single file.
Logano wins.
Congrats to David Ragan on his sixth place finish.
Joey mentioned how well the Ford cars worked together throughout the race. He’s very happy with the win.
Kurt Busch gave a positive interview about what went wrong with his strategy for the win.
KHarv also thanked Roush-Yates engines, as did the first two.
Chase got snookered by the Fords working together. He said he thought one of them would’ve wanted to win more than they did.
Joey did some cool loop-de-loops during his burnout.
Congrats to the 48 on the 12th place finish after the spin and damage received in the wreck on lap 164.
Overall not a great race, but not as bad as the rest of the races I’ve seen this season. Talladega tends to be about the only race during a season in which the unexpected might happen and somebody interesting might win. NASCAR needs to work harder on adding more action and more intrigue to the racing – make it exciting again. Tough job, but somebody has to do it.
Motorsport News:
- Retired NASCAR driver James Hylton, 83, killed in car wreck.
- Appreciation: Iconic NASCAR driver and ARCA team owner James Hylton dies in highway crash.
- Statement from NASCAR & ARCA on the passing of James Hylton.
- Remembering James Harvey Hylton, and “Tweet” too.
- Spencer Gallagher nabs lead, Xfinity victory on overtime lap.
- Elliott Sadler lands early birthday gift with Dash 4 Cash prize at Talladega.
- NASCAR Cup drivers get turn in Fox booth for Xfinity race at Talladega.
- ‘The Big One’ collects Keselowski, others at Talladega.
- Joey Logano holds off Kurt Busch to win at Talladega.
- Joey Logano wins at yet another wreck-filled Talladega.
- Chase Elliott surprised with ‘patient’ race leaders.
- Dowling Sets Fast Time In NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Qualifying.