TC Daily Pit Stop: Looking Back at Chaotic NASCAR Weekend from Talladega Superspeedway
TC Daily Pit Stop: Monday, October 7, 2024
The final superspeedway weekend of the season has passed us by, and now, the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series head to the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL for the final road course of the season. With a new layout, the track should provide some high-intensity action.
But first, here’s a recap of everything that happened at Talladega:
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Surges to Talladega Victory in Three-Wide Photo Finish
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. is officially a four-time NASCAR Cup Series winner.
The JTG Daugherty Racing driver managed to hold back the field in NASCAR Overtime to win Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, beating Brad Keselowski to the start-finish line by 0.006 seconds.
Keselowski had to settle for second, with William Byron in third-place. Kyle Larson and Erik Jones each secured top-five finishes. The rest of the top-10 included Christopher Bell, Justin Haley, Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace, and Denny Hamlin.
RACE RECAP
WATCH VIDEO OF FINISH
RACE RESULTS
DRIVER POINTS
OWNER POINTS
ROOKIE POINTS
MANUFACTURER POINTS
INSPECTION REPORT
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:
Austin Cindric Turned from Lead to Trigger 28-Car Pileup at Talladega
Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain Crash Hard Coming to End Stage 2 at Talladega
Daniel Suarez Goes for Spin Trying to Blend into Pack at Talladega
Sammy Smith Advances to Playoffs Round of 8 with Talladega Win in Overtime
Against all odds, Sammy Smith is moving on to the next round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.
The JR Motorsports driver captured his second career victory in Saturday’s United Rentals 250, making a last-lap pass on Riley Herbst and Chandler Smith and holding back the field in NASCAR Overtime.
Ryan Sieg finished in the runner-up position. Riley Herbst, Sheldon Creed, and Chandler Smith completed the top-five in the rundown. Polesitter Jesse Love was sixth, with Jeb Burton, David Starr, Brennan Poole, and Kyle Sieg rounding out the top-10.
RACE RECAP
RACE RESULTS
DRIVER STANDINGS
OWNER STANDINGS
ROOKIE STANDINGS
MANUFACTURER STANDINGS
INSPECTION REPORT
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:
Grant Enfinger Scores Maiden Victory for CR7 Motorsports at Talladega, Advances to Championship Four
Grant Enfinger and CR7 Motorsports are headed to the Championship 4.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series veteran earned a special hometown win in Friday’s Love’s RV Stops 225 at Talladega Superspeedway, collecting the first victory for Codie Rohrbaugh’s CR7 Motorsports in the process.
Taylor Gray finished in the runner-up position in the No. 17 for TRICON Garage. Daniel Dye was third, with Rajah Caruth and Lawless Alan completing the top-five. Christian Eckes, Rya Reed, Stefan Parsons, Bret Holmes, and Spencer Boyd rounded out the top-10.
RACE RECAP
RACE RESULTS
DRIVER POINTS
OWNER POINTS
ROOKIE POINTS
MANUFACTURER POINTS
INSPECTION REPORT
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:
Veteran Racer David Starr Emotional After First Top-10 Finish in 7 Years
On Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, an eighth-place finish was enough to bring a 56-year-old racer to tears. And for good reason.
David Starr, who once upon a time was a prolific racer in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ranks, where he recorded four victories and two top-five finishes in the championship standings in a five-year stretch in the early 2000s, has just been trying to cling to his dream of wheeling race cars around the track in the NASCAR National Series in recent years.
As the native of Houston, Texas climbed from his SS-GreenLight Racing machine on Saturday evening after securing his first top-10 finish in seven years, he couldn't help but flash the competitiveness spirit that made him such a force in the NASCAR Truck Series two decades ago.
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Layne Riggs Okay After “Hardest Lick I’ve Taken in My Life”
While he failed to make it into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs, Front Row Motorsports driver Layne Riggs came into Friday’s Loves RV Stop 2225 at Talladega Superspeedway as the hottest driver on the circuit.
Riggs came into the day on a five-race top-five finishing streak, including back-to-back wins at Milwaukee and Bristol. After he rebounded from a 33rd-place starting spot due to issues in pre-qualifying inspection, Riggs found himself near the front of the field with under 30 laps remaining in the event.
Then, after a green flag pit sequence, all hell broke loose.
Riggs, who said there was nothing he could have done to prevent his involvement in the crash once the incident was triggered, said once he knew there was no saving his No. 38 machine, his mind switched into survival mode as he braced for impact.
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Nick Sanchez Upset with NASCAR Officiating Miscommunication at Talladega
Nick Sanchez came into Friday afternoon’s Love’s RV Stop 225 at Talladega Superspeedway fourth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship standings, and the Rev Racing driver was eight points above Rajah Caruth as the final driver inside of the Playoff cutline.
However, after a disappointing day, which saw Sanchez finish 22nd, the 23-year-old racer finds himself seventh in the eight-man Playoff Grid, and he’s now 20 points outside of the cutline. While his Playoff ranking is not ideal, Sanchez was irate about NASCAR’s officiating team at the conclusion of the 85-lap event.
According to Sanchez, who was involved in two accidents on the day, following his second spin which occurred with just 13 laps remaining in the event, the driver and his No. 2 team were hampered by conflicting decisions by NASCAR officials on pit road, and up in the officials tower high above the 2.66-mile superspeedway.