The “big one” always looms when NASCAR makes its way to Talladega Superspeedway. Whether the race takes place in the spring or fall, the event can have major implications in the chase for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
Tight racing at the Yellawood 500 on Sunday saw a big wreck on the front straightaway and Joey Logano and Riley Herbst taking the hardest hits.
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With six laps to go and David Gilliland leading the pack, Logano had Carson Hocevar on his bumper and Ross Chastain in front of him. Logano got loose, spun and nailed the wall. He flipped onto his roof and took a ride upside down as his vehicle crossed the line.
In the midst of the carnage, Herbst seemed to have hit the wall and lost his ability to hit the brakes. Herbst drove into the outside retaining wall and veered to his left. Herbst appeared to go full speed into the inside barrier beyond the apron. He bounced off the wall before his vehicle came to a complete stop.
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NASCAR said Logano and Herbst were both taken to the infield care center for evaluations and released. Logano was sixth in the points standings coming into the race. Herbst was out of contention.
The race picked back up minutes later. Kyle Larson was leading to start overtime and picked up the white flag. He fell off the lead going down the backstretch but motored his way as the pack moved to the final stretch.
Larson, somehow, came away with the victory by 0.041 seconds over William Byron and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The defending NASCAR Cup Series champion came into the race leading Christopher Bell by five points. But Bell crashed early and set him back a bit.
Larson’s victory meant he got closer to the title with two races remaining on the schedule.