NASCAR Sprint Cup Series “Geico 500”

On a day where it was part superspeedway racing and part high-flying demolition derby, Brad Keselowski scored his 4th Talladega win.

Keselowski snapped Carl Edwards’ two-race winning streak on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, surviving a near-record number of cautions to notch his 2nd victory of the season and take a firm hold on one of the 16 spots available in the post-season Chase. Keselowski started 7th and led a race-high 46 laps, including the final 17 trips around the sprawling Alabama oval. 

The last of the day’s 10 caution periods unfolded in Keselowski’s rear-view mirror with the checkered flag in sight. The accident along the frontstretch involved 7 drivers including Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. The 10 yellow flags were one shy of the Talladega track record of 11 that was set in April 2004. 41 of the race’s 188 laps were run under caution, with a pair of major multi-car accidents disrupting the afternoon. 

Less than 30 laps from the finish, Kurt Busch tapped Jimmie Johnson to trigger a 21-car melee, more than half the starting field. 20 laps later, a 12-car incident on the backstretch took out Kenseth, who had led 39 laps. Earlier, with the race at its halfway point, Chris Buescher took the brunt of a 7-car crash that ended with his #34 Ford barrel-rolling three times after contact from Michael Annett. None of the drivers involved in the numerous accidents were seriously injured.

Edwards’ hopes for a third straight victory were finally dashed when he blew a right-front tire and collided with Dale Earnhardt Jr., saddling Edwards with a 35th-place finish. The race ended under caution with Kyle Busch grabbing 2nd place. Austin Dillon, Jamie McMurray and rookie pole sitter, Chase Elliott, completed the top five.

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– story by John Singler
www.mrn.com
Concord, NC