Race Results

NASCAR Cup Series

YellaWood 500

Talladega Superspeedway

October 1st, 2023

Race #31 of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Season

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YellaWood 500
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Laps Scheduled: 188
Miles Raced : 500.1
Time of Race : 03 Hours 07 minutes 25 seconds
Average Speed: 160.097 mph
Margin of Victory : 00.012 seconds
Cautions: 4
Caution Laps: 19
Lead Changes: 70
Cars in Race : 38
Finished On Lead Lap: 29 (76%)

Ryan Blaneyposes next to his winner sticker in victory lane — Talladega, Alabama - October 1st, 2023: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards/Pennzoil Ford, poses next to his winner sticker in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Photo by Sean Gardner | Getty Images

FIN	ST	Car #	Driver	Make	TOT PTS	F PTS	B PTS	PO PTS	Laps	Led	x Led	S1	S2	STUS
1	10	12	Ryan Blaney	Ford	50	40	10	6	188	8	4	1	0	Running
2	8	24	William Byron	Chevrolet	53	35	18	0	188	12	4	2	2	Running
3	12	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	34	34	0	0	188	3	1	0	0	Running
4	36	7	Corey Lajoie	Chevrolet	34	33	1	0	188	0	0	10	0	Running
5	7	2	Austin Cindric	Ford	37	32	5	0	188	15	7	6	0	Running
6	30	31	Justin Haley	Chevrolet	35	31	4	0	188	1	1	7	0	Running
7	23	9	Chase Elliott	Chevrolet	43	30	13	0	188	8	4	4	5	Running
8	19	41	Ryan Preece	Ford	31	29	2	0	188	8	1	9	0	Running
9	6	36	Riley Herbst	Ford	0	0	0	0	188	10	5	0	0	Running
10	28	99	Daniel Suarez	Chevrolet	32	27	5	0	188	0	0	0	6	Running
11	34	13	Chandler Smith	Chevrolet	0	0	0	0	188	0	0	0	0	Running
12	17	38	Todd Gilliland	Ford	25	25	0	0	188	0	0	0	0	Running
13	3	14	Chase Briscoe	Ford	27	24	3	0	188	0	0	0	8	Running
14	15	20	Christopher Bell	Toyota	23	23	0	0	188	2	1	0	0	Running
15	4	5	Kyle Larson	Chevrolet	34	22	12	0	188	1	1	3	7	Running
16	13	45	Tyler Reddick	Toyota	22	21	1	0	188	2	2	0	10	Running
17	1	10	Aric Almirola	Ford	20	20	0	0	188	7	4	0	0	Running
18	16	19	Martin Truex Jr		19	19	0	0	188	0	0	0	0	Running
19	24	17	Chris Buescher	Ford	18	18	0	0	188	3	2	0	0	Running
20	31	16	AJ Allmendinger	Chevrolet	17	17	0	0	188	0	0	0	0	Running
21	18	34	Michael McDowell	Ford	16	16	0	0	188	5	4	0	0	Running
22	35	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr		15	15	0	0	188	14	4	0	0	Running
23	9	23	Bubba Wallace	Toyota	14	14	0	0	188	3	1	0	0	Running
24	2	22	Joey Logano	Ford	24	13	11	0	188	48	7	8	3	Running
25	25	8	Kyle Busch	Chevrolet	12	12	0	0	188	2	1	0	0	Running
26	26	43	Erik Jones	Chevrolet	11	11	0	0	188	4	2	0	0	Running
27	33	77	Ty Dillon	Chevrolet	12	10	2	0	188	2	1	0	9	Running
28	20	48	Alex Bowman	Chevrolet	15	9	6	0	188	13	6	5	0	Running
29	37	78	BJ McLeod	Chevrolet	0	0	0	0	187	0	0	0	0	Running
30	29	15	Brennan Poole	Ford	0	0	0	0	186	0	0	0	0	Running
31	21	21	Harrison Burton	Ford	6	6	0	0	175	0	0	0	0	Suspension
32	5	6	Brad Keselowski	Ford	15	5	10	1	161	5	2	0	1	Accident
33	14	3	Austin Dillon	Chevrolet	11	4	7	0	161	1	1	0	4	Accident
34	22	54	Ty Gibbs	Toyota	3	3	0	0	161	0	0	0	0	Accident
35	38	42	Carson Hocevar	Chevrolet	0	0	0	0	161	0	0	0	0	Accident
36	27	51	JJ Yeley	Ford	0	0	0	0	83	0	0	0	0	Fuel Pump
37	32	1	Ross Chastain	Chevrolet	1	1	0	0	59	0	0	0	0	Accident
38	11	4	Kevin Harvick	Ford	1	1	0	0	188	11	4	0	0	Running

Race Infractions

YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway

Driver	Infraction	Penalty	Lap	Lap Assessed	Flag
Carson Hocevar	Pre-Race to the Rear Unapproved Adjustments	Tail End	0	0	White
Erik Jones	Speeding on pit road	Pass Thru	40	41	Green
AJ Allmendinger	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	60	65	Yellow
Ricky Stenhouse Jr	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	60	65	Yellow
Ross Chastain	Pitting before pit road is open Garage	Tail End	60	0	Yellow
Christopher Bell	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	60	65	Yellow
Chandler Smith	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	60	65	Yellow
Brad Keselowski	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	64	65	Yellow
Denny Hamlin	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	64	65	Yellow
Martin Truex Jr	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	64	65	Yellow
Austin Dillon	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	64	65	Yellow
Ty Dillon	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	64	65	Yellow
Chris Buescher	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	64	65	Yellow
Daniel Suarez	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	64	65	Yellow
Bubba Wallace	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	64	65	Yellow
Chase Briscoe	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	64	65	Yellow
Carson Hocevar	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	64	65	Yellow
Denny Hamlin	Speeding on pit road	Pass Thru	105	107	Green
Austin Cindric	Speeding on pit road	Pass Thru	106	109	Green
Ty Gibbs	Removing equipment from assigned pit area	Tail End	122	125	Yellow
AJ Allmendinger	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Aric Almirola	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Kevin Harvick	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Michael McDowell	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Austin Dillon	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Corey Lajoie	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Chris Buescher	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Erik Jones	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
BJ McLeod	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Ryan Preece	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Bubba Wallace	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Brennan Poole	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Christopher Bell	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Chase Briscoe	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Riley Herbst	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Riley Herbst	Speeding on pit road	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Ty Gibbs	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Todd Gilliland	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	124	125	Yellow
Michael McDowell	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	162	168	Yellow
Chase Briscoe	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	162	168	Yellow
Harrison Burton	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	162	168	Yellow
Erik Jones	Equipment Interference	Tail End	165	168	Yellow

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Race Fast Facts

Talladega Superspeedway
YellaWood 500
Race Winner: Ryan Blaney
Age: 29
Team : No. 12 - Menards/Pennzoil Ford
Owner: Roger Penske
Crew Chief: Jonathan Hassler
Ryan Blaney won the YellaWood 500, his ninth victory in 301 Cup Series races.
This is his second victory and 14th top-10 finish in 2023.
This is his third victory and eighth top-10 finish in 19 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Denny Hamlin (third) posted his 16th top-10 finish in 36 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
William Byron (third) posted his fourth top-10 finish in 12 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Ty Gibbs (35th) was the highest finishing rookie.
William Byron leads the point standings by 28 points over Denny Hamlin.

Race Recap

Ryan Blaney wins YellaWood 500 thriller at Talladega to advance in NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs

October 1st, 2023

By Holly Cain - NASCAR Wire Service

Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford crossed the finish line about a foot ahead of Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick to claim victory in a thrilling final 10-lap push to the YellaWood 500 checkered flag at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on Sunday.

With the crucial Playoff win – Blaney’s third on the famed 2.66-mile high-banks – the driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford punched his ticket to the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs after being points away from elimination at the Talladega green flag three hours earlier.

Blaney led eight laps on the day but was out front the final two laps to secure the win by a slight .012-second – about the length of a tire – over former series champion, Harvick, who is retiring at the end of the season. It’s the 29-year old Blaney’s second trophy of the season and ninth of his career.

“I don’t really know, pretty wild last restart, let alone last couple laps,’’ said a smiling Blaney, who admitted he wasn’t sure if he won until his spotter confirmed. “Kinda lost momentum, then getting it back, got clear to the bottom to kind get to the front row and drag race it out with Kevin [Harvick]. It’s so cool to win here three times at Talladega.

“I won it by more than I had the last couple years,’’ Blaney conceded with a laugh. “You just don’t know. You have to drag race to the line and hope you get help. William [Byron] gave me a pretty good shove on the bottom.’’

“This is such a special place to win at so I cannot wait to go to Victory Lane,’’ he said.

Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 Ford failed post-race inspection, resulting in a disqualification. As a result, he was moved to last place in the running order. Playoff drivers Byron, who drives the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, and Denny Hamlin, who drives the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota finished second and third. Spire Motorsports’ Corey Lajoie was fourth – his third career Top-5 finish – just ahead of a multi-car accident just before the finish line.

Blaney’s Penske teammate Austin Cindric, Hendrick’s Chase Elliott, Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley, Harvick’s teammate Ryan Preece and Front Row Racing’s Riley Herbst – making only his fourth career NASCAR Cup Series start – rounded out the Top-10.

It was a typical action-packed ‘Dega day with 70 lead changes among 24 drivers. Blaney’s teammate Joey Logano led the most laps (24) but finished 25^th.

Seven drivers led double-digit laps, but only one of those – Byron – was a Playoff driver.

Hamlin’s fourth place final effort was especially impressive considering he was issued a pit road penalty mid-race and had to recover from being a lap down.

“Not how we drew it up, but a dub (W) is a dub (W) and that was a dub (W) in our book,’’ Hamlin said. “As close as it gets to it. Made a statement bringing me a car fast enough for us to win. And obviously when I had to go there, I could, and just made the right moves at the right time and a Top-5 is a long way from where we were with about 15 laps to go.’’

Blaney joins last week’s Texas winner Byron with victories in this three-race Playoff round to earn a position in the next eight-driver round. Hamlin’s rally – after running outside the Top-20 for much of the middle of the race – keeps his position atop the Playoff standings (50 points) among those 12 drivers still Playoff eligible.

JGR’s Christopher Bell, who finished 15^th, remains fourth in the championship standings. Roush Fenway Keselowski driver Chris Buescher, who finished 20^th at Talladega, is ranked fifth. Hendrick’s Kyle Larson, who finished 16^th Sunday, holds a 17-point edge on the eight-driver cut-off line tied with regular season champion Martin Truex Jr., who finished 19^th at Talladega.

Brad Keselowski, one of two Playoff drivers to suffer a DNF on Sunday, still holds a slim two-point edge on Tyler Reddick for that eighth and final transfer position going into next week’s race at the Charlotte ROVAL, which will determine which eight drivers advance to the penultimate three-race round to set the Championship Four field.

23XI Racing’s Reddick, who finished 17^th, is in ninth place – a mere two-points back. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain who was involved in an early-race accident and suffered his first DNF of the Playoffs dropped below the cutoff line for the first time this round and is now 10^th place, nine points back.

Chastain is tied in points with 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, a former Talladega race winner who finished a frustrating 24^th on Sunday. His team co-owner, NBA superstar Michael Jordan met up with Wallace on pit road after the race offering a handshake, pat on the back and some encouraging words.

Two-time series champion Kyle Busch still finds himself in a catch-up role, essentially needing a walk-off victory next week at the ROVAL road course through Charlotte Motor Speedway. He finished 26^th and now sits 26 points behind eighth place Keselowski.

Keselowski’s position in the standings – thanks in part to his sixth stage win (stage 2) of the season – is remarkable considering his tough luck day at Talladega. He was among the eight cars collected in Talladega’s “Big One” with 25 laps remaining that brought out a nearly 10-minute red flag for clean-up.

Chastain was the first NASCAR Cup Series Playoff driver to suffer a major Talladega woe – caught up in an incident involving Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on Lap 59 racing toward the Lap 60 Stage 1 break. Busch made contact with Stenhouse’s Chevy, which was slowing on track after running out of gas. As Busch swerved to avoid crashing, his No. 8 Chevy caught the corner of Chastain’s No. 1 Chevy. It sent Chastain hard into the wall and then directly to the garage, his first DNF of the Playoffs.

“It’s just the way it goes, nothing personal with it, I don’t take any of this personally here,’’ said Chastain, who finished runner-up in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship. “Could have stayed bottom a few laps earlier probably, just had a couple cars laying in my lap and I went for the gap. Will study it and be better next time.

“Lefts and rights and living my dream,’’ he said of the crucial ROVAL race next weekend, “so whatever our team brings next week we’ll put our best foot forward as long as I’m getting to drive these rocket ships that Trackhouse [Racing] brings me, I’m living my dream and we’ll keep fighting.’’