Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

NASCAR field wrecks across the finish line at Talladega

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated 10/2/23

The NASCAR field found itself wrecking as the Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway came to an end on Sunday afternoon. It was a drag race with Ryan Blaney and Kevin Harvick battling it out. By the time it was over, there were cars all over the track, smoke in the air, and a lot of carnage.

Ryan Blaney wins this race by a nose. However, the wreck almost stole the show. As drivers made pushes at the end of the race, Corey LaJoie found himself pushing Riley Herbst. It was a little too much, Herbst went sideways, and right into the inside line.

Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson were involved. Heck, it would be easier to tell you who wasn’t involved. Massive wreck right at the end of the race.

A @TALLADEGA THRILLER! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/C3KBsOSCye
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 1, 2023

This win moves Ryan Blaney on to the Round of 8. NASCAR at Talladega almost always produces a great finish. This one made it all the way to the checkered flag and Blaney was ahead by just .012 seconds. An insanely close finish with Kevin Harvick. It just wasn’t meant to be for The Closer.

For the second time this season, the 12 team finds themselves in victory lane. This was a really good round for Ryan Blaney, as far as tracks go. He had a shot to win last week at Texas. Speeding on pit road took that from him. This time, at Talladega, he kept it clean, kept it out front, and got the win.

Ryan Blaney advances to NASCAR Round of 8 after Talladega

So, Blaney is now the second driver in the Round of 8. When the Cup Series finishes on Sunday at the Roval, there will be four fewer drivers in the championship hunt. This is a huge win for Blaney and Team Penske. They would like to bring another championship back to the shop.

Blaney is the only Penske driver still in the playoffs. He has raced well and put himself in this position. Ford and Penske have had a bit of an up-and-down season in 2023. However, in these playoffs and on the superspeedways, they have stepped up.

Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick and Ross Chastain are all in danger of elimination. However, they all have a chance to point their way in, or win their way in next week at Charlotte.

NASCAR put on a show at Talladega as they usually do. This was a really great race. We had three-wide and four-wide racing at times, the drivers kept it together for the most part, and there were lead changes throughout the race.

Ryan Blaney is moving on to join William Byron in the Round of 8. Next week we will figure out the other six drivers making it to the semi-final round of the NASCAR Playoffs.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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