Brad Keselowski charged past race leader Ryan Newman on the final lap and drove to victory Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, storming into the semifinal round of the 2017 playoffs that will begin in two weeks at Martinsville Speedway. Keselowski started 6th in the 40-car field and led just 7 laps. But he had his #2 Team Penske Ford in front when it counted most, taking the checkered flag first to snap Toyota’s four-race post-season winning streak. Keselowski’s margin of victory over runner-up Newman (Chevrolet) was 0.2 of a second. Three more Fords followed in the top 5 driven by Trevor Bayne, Joey Logano (Keselowski’s teammate) and Aric Almirola.
The race was red-flagged three times in the final 15 laps for cleanup after accidents that contributed to a record-tying 11 cautions on the sprawling Alabama oval. The last of those was triggered when Chase Elliott stuck the nose of his car between Daniel Suarez and Kyle Larson coming out of the next-to-last restart. He clipped Suarez’s rear bumper which lit the fuse on a six-car wreck in Turn-3. Elliott, who started on the front row, did not complete the 500 miles and finished 16th. The 11 cautions matched the track record that was set in 2004. There were just 14 cars running at the finish.
Pole sitter Dale Earnhardt, Jr., a six-time Talladega race winner, led once for 7 laps before finishing 7th in his final start there. He’s retiring at the end of the season. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. placed 26th in his bid for a season sweep after winning in May.
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– story by John Singler
www.mrn.com
Concord, North Carolina
1. Martin Truex, Jr.
2. Brad Keselowski (-19)
3. Kyle Larson (-24)
4. Kevin Harvick (-31)
5. Denny Hamlin (-21)
For the complete driver standings in the Playoffs, please visit the official page on nascar.com.
Drivers eliminated after Round 1: Ryan Newman, Austin Dillon, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch
