NASCAR
Chase Elliott Scores First Victory of 2019 in Geico 500 at Talladega
In a race where nobody knew exactly what the on-track product would deliver, the fan-favorite won. After a series of late-race incidents, Chase Elliott picked up his first victory of the year at Talladega Superspeedway. Elliott now has 4 career wins on 4 entirely different styles of racetrack. This also marks the first win for Chevrolet in 2019, and first for the bowtie brand in Alabama since 2015.
New Talladega Rules Package Explained
For the first time since 1987, the Cup Series went to Talladega without restrictor plates limiting horsepower. Rather, the 2019 intermediate-track rules package was used, featuring the tapered spacer in the motor. In addition, the rear spoilers were extended to 9 inches in height. Lastly, NASCAR mandated that all teams add a wicker bill to the taller spoilers between practice sessions. In short, the new rules at Talladega reverted the racing from the aero-sensitive racing of recent years, to more of the momentum-based pack racing of the early 2000s.
Penske Power On Display Early
Despite the Chevrolet of Austin Dillon starting from the pole, the prerace favorites were the Team Penske Fords. The trio of Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney were all strong out of the gate, as they all led laps in the first stage. However, chaos would strike early on at the front of the pack, involving one of these fast Fords.
Best Friends Cause Calamity
Heading into turn 1 on lap 12, Ryan Blaney was receiving a big push from his good friend Bubba Wallace. The 43 tried to make a move to the inside of the 12, but they were still nose-to-tail. Both cars dove to the inside, but the 12 was able to regain control. The 43 was not so lucky though, as he went spinning at the front of the pack. Wallace’s spin would collect Denny Hamlin, Michael McDowell, Clint Bowyer, and Kevin Harvick. While nowhere near as costly as it could have been, this first incident at Talladega took out many strong contenders.
Early Troubles Put Johnson Behind
After the first major incident, many drivers were content just riding it out single-file to finish Stage 1. However, 1 other driver had issues that would end his chances at a good finish-Jimmie Johnson. On lap 26, Johnson blew a right front tire that sent him hard into the turn 3 wall. Due to repairs, the 7-time champion would lose 2 laps. The 48 would not be able to recover the lost ground, and went on to finish 33rd.
Pit Strategy Shakes Up Stage 1 Results
Since most teams did not stop under the caution on lap 12, the entire field would have to stop under green prior to the Stage 1 conclusion. The leading Fords made their stop with 8 laps left in Stage 1, forgoing any chance at Stage points. With 5 laps remaining in the opening Stage, the Chevrolet pack passed Martin Truex Jr. for the top spot. The leader of this pack would go on to the Stage win, Ty Dillon. The younger Dillon now has 2 Stage victories in the past 3 races, including the upset at Bristol.
Many Different Leaders in Stage 2
At the start of Stage 2, the 3 Hendrick Motorsports cars of Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and William Byron were up front. Team orders were at work here, as the Chevrolets wanted to prevent another manufacturer from winning. While Stage 2 would not have any cautions, it did see several drivers exchange the lead. All 3 Penske cars had more time out front, as well as Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. At the end of Stage 2 however, Chase Elliott was out front with help from his 2 teammates. This marks Elliott’s first Stage win of the year.
For the final stage Chase Elliott again started as the leader, but the race was far from over. After a brief debris caution Erik Jones had the point, a position he would hold for 4 laps. For the last stage Joey Logano had arguable the best car though, as he rocketed by Jones on lap 139. Another strong contender at this point was Martin Truex Jr., who looked to be on his way to his first superspeedway win.
Crazy Moment in Final Pit Stops
Logano and Truex would swap the lead amongst themselves a couple of times, as the final round of pit stops was underway. The pack of Chevrolets made their final stops with 34 laps remaining, just inside their fuel window. Under this pit cycle, an odd occurence happened wit Brad Keselowski when he made his pit stop.
With 33 laps to go, many of the Fords and Toyotas made their final pit stop, but it was a moment to forget for Brad Keselowski. He was hard on his brakes as he entered the pits in the 2nd position, and his car spun around. Amazingly, his car spun perfectly backwards into his pit box, and his crew performed a legal stop in reverse. Keselowski lost several seconds worth of time, but it was a highlight nonetheless.
Daring Strategy Call Does Not Pay Off for Chastain, Ramps Up Intensity
One driver decided to not make his pit stop with the leaders and instead was hoping for a lucky break. Ross Chastain in the Premium Motorsports 15 car cycled to the lead because of this, and he was hoping for a caution. The yellow would not fly in time for Chastain, as he made his final stop after leading 9 laps.
After the main pack shuffled back to the lead, the intensity ramped up to a new level. Chaos was brewing as Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and others were racing hard for the lead. Once Logano took the lead with 10 to go, it appeared to be a repeat of last year’s Geico 500. In that race, Logano led the final 42 laps due to aggressive blocking. However, the craziness would only go higher from here.
Chaos Brings out a Red Flag with 7 to go
As the ferocity was rising in the closing laps, a badly timed bump caused a major crash on lap 182. Aric Almirola bumped Chris Buescher in the right rear, sending the 37 hard into the outside wall. With nowhere to go, the 95 of Matt Dibenedeto plowed into Buescher, briefly sending him airborne. Also collected in this carnage was Martin Truex Jr. and Justin Haley. This 4-car-crash caused a short red flag for debris cleanup, and racing resumed with 4 laps to go.
More Carnage at Talladega on Last Lap
Even though Joey Logano restarted as the leader, this Talladega race would be one that got away from the defending champion. Several Chevrolet drivers teamed up to steal the win from the 22 Ford. Chase Elliott took the lead on the first lap after the restart, and had teammate Alex Bowman behind him.
Coming to the white flag, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had a left rear tire blow and hit the wall right at the start/finish line. No caution was called for this, and the field roared down the backstretch. Coming out of turn 2 though, a major incident happened in the middle of the pack. David Ragan in the 38 drifted wide, right into the 24 of William Byron. The 24 was sent spinning, and hit Kyle Larson and Jeffrey Earnhardt. Both cars went skidding into the inside wall at full speed. Shockingly, the 42 hit the wall while airborne and went flipping violently. Thankfully both Earnhardt and Larson walked away from the incident, but the race ended under caution.
The top 10 finishers from Talladega were Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Ryan Preece, Joey Logano, Daniel Hemric, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Brendan Gaughan, Aric Almirola, and Kyle Busch. Kyle Busch’s top 10 streak extends to 10 races, while 3 drivers in the top 5 scored career-best finishes.
Significance of Talladega Win for Chase Elliott
With the last name of Elliott, any win at Talladega is a special moment. Chase’s Hall-of-Fame father Bill Elliott won at Talladega twice, and also set NASCAR’s all-time fastest qualifying lap at the 2.66 mile track. The Elliotts originate from Dawsonville, Georgia, which is less than 3 hours from Talladega. “This is special,” said Elliott. “This is close to home for me and sort of feels like a home race.” Talladega has ben known as Earnhardt Country for decades now, but could it now be Elliott Country due to Chase’s win?
How to Watch the Next Race
With the calendar now flipping to May, the list of races coming up is truly a jam-packed schedule. Up next for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is the Gander RV 400 at the Monster Mile, also known as Dover International Speedway. Coverage begins on Sunday, May 5 at 2 PM EST on Fox Sports 1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Jimmie Johnson is Dover’s all-time wins leader with 11 victories on the concrete, but Busch and Harvick have been the kings there recently. The field of potential winners is big on the concrete, with Chase Elliott being the most recent winner in Delaware.
Be sure to follow the for Dover updates @PeterStratta, and @T101_NASCAR.
