NASCAR at Talladega results: Chase Elliott seals spot in Round of 8 with daring final lap move

David Suggs

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NASCAR at Talladega results: Chase Elliott seals spot in Round of 8 with daring final lap move image

Sunday's race at Talladega was fairly clean, with only a handful of caution flags being waved over the course of the day. So, when Daniel Hemric's No. 16 car stalled out on pit road with six laps to go, the pressure was on for those at the front of the pack.

In the end, it was Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott battling for that checkered flag. And although it looked like it was Blaney's race to lose for much of the day, it was Elliott who made all the right moves in the final two laps. And it was the Hendrick Motorsports driver who rolled into victory lane, sealing his spot in the Round of 8.

For all of Elliott's exploits, Sunday's victory wasn't just on him. Erik Jones gave him a strong push in the final lap, giving him just the momentum he needed to outpace Blaney. Ross Chastain and Todd Gilliland offered additional support in the outside lane, something Elliott desperately needed to pass Blaney on the back stretch.

To Blaney's credit, he ran about as clean a race as one could expect at the 'Dega. Elliott just had a few more tricks up his sleeve to get the job done.

Sitting with the second-most playoff points (32 points above the cut line), Blaney is in solid shape heading into the final Round of 12 race. Still, it could have all been so much different, if not for Elliott's impressive final-lap antics.

The Sporting News tracked live updates from Sunday's playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway. Below are all the highlights and results from the YellaWood 500 as they happened.

NASCAR at Talladega live updates, results, highlights

(All times Eastern)

5:20 p.m.: Blaney's out in front! Elliott trying to make a move on the outside! It's a big push from Jones and it's Blaney and Elliott looking for it with one lap left.

They're on the stretch and it's Elliott with the lead. It looks like Elliott is going to do it...and he does! Chase Elliott wins at Talladega and gets himself a spot in the next round of the playoffs.

5:19 p.m.: Two laps left, race restart on the horizon and lots and lots of dirty air. Time to get clutch.

5:11 p.m.: Jones and Blaney are going back-and-forth for first place. Jones has the edge at the moment.

However, looks like a caution flag was waved for Daniel Hemric's No. 16 car, whose car is stuck in pit road. That's great news for Blaney, who can get some gas in his whip.

Six laps left and the first caution flag in ages. Things are about to get spicy.

5:08 p.m.: What a race for Todd Gilliland, but the way! He's in fourth place and looks well-positioned for a career-best showing in a Cup Series race. Not too shabby for the talented 22-year old.

5:05 p.m.: Interesting thing to look out for: the driver who is up front is apparently using more fuel. It could get very unchy for Blaney in the final few laps. Remember, Reddick was leading for much of Stage 2 before running out of fuel in the final lap.

5:03 p.m.: Chastain making a move for the inside lane. However, Blaney got the block in, keeping his lead in the process. It is tight with 16 laps left.

4:57 p.m.: Keselowski headed to pit road. Getting wide out at the back of the pack. However, it's still Blaney and Chastain sitting out in front as we head to lap 166.

4:55 p.m.: Lead drivers are headed to pit road. It's Larson, Elliott, and Hamlin among those who pitted. 26 laps left? Is that enough time for drivers to last?

4:45 p.m.: Blaney takes the lead! Looks like the No. 12 car was riding up the track. Keselowski, who sat in third, was delicate in his pushing with Blaney, forcing Chastain to relinquish his spot to block Hamlin, who was making his dash to the front.

One move can change everything at Talladega.

4:42 p.m.: Bell, who once sat as far back as 33rd place, has rebounded fairly well in Stage 2. He's up to 15th place and surging, putting himself in for a chance at a top-ten finish.

4:36 p.m.: Chastain still holds the lead. However, Hamlin is slowly but surely edging up the pack in the inside lane. Looks like more and more drivers are mimicking Hamlin's movements in an effort to put themselves in decent position come the final few laps of the race.

4:31 p.m.: Hamlin sat right behind Bubba Wallace, who is currently in eighth. Both drivers are in the inside lane and trying to make a move for the front of the pack. However, at the moment it's Chastain leading the chase, followed by Blaney and Keselowski — all of whom are on the outside lane at the moment.

51 laps to go. Plenty of time to make a move.

4:28 p.m.: Chastain and Blaney are duking it out for first place at the moment. Currently, it's Chastain who holds the advantage. However, Blaney is within a tenth of a second, so not much between the drivers.

4:26 p.m.: Here's how things stand in the playoff standings after Stage 2. Much to consider but it's been an underwhelming run so far for Byron and Bell.

4:24 p.m.: The final stage is underway at Talladega! Elliott, Jones and Larson leading the pack!

4:11 p.m.: Reddick and Larson are even with a little less than a lap left. Looks like Larson is being pushed by Elliott.

Reddick pushed into the wall! It's between Elliott and Larson and...it's Elliott who takes the green flag!

4:10 p.m.: Larson, Elliott and Reddick are the top three with two laps to go. Nice and tight in the back straightaway. This is going to be fun.

4:05 p.m.: Larson and Reddick battling for first place with seven laps to go. Very tight up front.

Further back in the pack, one to watch is Christopher Bell. Nearly wrecked at pit road and is currently locked in 30th place. He's down a lap, but with just a few laps left before the end of Stage 2, he will get another chance to pit soon enough and should get back on the lead lap fairly soon.

Could have been so much worse for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.

3:57 p.m.: It looks like the last set of drivers are headed to pit road. That includes Almirola, who has led for much Stage 2. Looks like Tyler Reddick will pull into the front.

3:54 p.m.: Bell losing some serious draft in pit road. His tires got to stalling as he pulled into pit road, spinning out as he made his entry. He'll be penalized for going into pit road too fast and looks unlikely to nab any stage points in Stage 2. That's big for a racer who entered today's race outside of the cut line.

3:50 p.m.: Almirola still setting the pact through 37 laps of the second stage. Lots of stage left, but interestingly enough: only three playoff drivers currently sit in the top-ten (Larson in 4th, Chastain in 7th and Elliott in 9th). Seems postseason participants are hoping the conservative approach pays dividends at the 'Mega.

3:41 p.m.: Almirola back out in front. Harvick is a little less than .1 seconds behind him. 34 laps to go in Stage 2. Plenty of time for sparks to fly at Talladega Superspeedway.

3:31 p.m.: Things are getting wild at the front of the pack. Blaney shrugged into Brad Keselowski, who proceeded to clip the wall. Blaney and Keselowski have decided to drop down the field ever so slightly. Seems experienced drivers are sensing a wreck could be coming soon.

3:30 p.m.: Blaney is doing a great job blocking cars off out front. He's doing exactly what he need to do to keep his lead.

3:26 p.m.: Blaney has followed up his strong Stage 1 showing with a solid display through the first nine laps of Stage 2. He's got a .06-second lead over Kevin Harvick's No. 4 car. Things are quite competitive early in the second stage.

3:25 p.m.: Stage 2 is off and it's Kyle Larson who is running up front.

3:14 p.m.: And it's Ryan Blaney who takes Stage 1! Impressive run on the final lap by the Team Penske driver. He made a dash for the front after Turn 4 and slipped beyond Hamlin's grasp by a couple of feet.

Byron, who stayed near the top for much of the opening stage, finished 11th. That means he won't get any stage points.

3:12 p.m.: Hamlin takes it back! Gave Byron two bumps, who bizarrely proceeded to move out the way and let Hamlin get out in front. Two laps to go and it's Hamlin with the lead!

3:11 p.m.: Byron takes the lead! He crossed over into the inside line, pacing past Hamlin in the process. Looks like the Hendrick Motorsport driver is making his move for the front.

3:08 p.m.: Hamlin and Byron still going back-and-forth for first place. Seven laps left before the end of Stage 1 and sides are still looking for that all-important track position. 

2:53 p.m.: It's been an enthralling first 43 laps. Hamlin has a .1-second lead over Byron, but it seems both are working with one another to move themselves up the pack. Racing culture is so interesting.

2:48 p.m.: Hamlin into the lead! Denny came out of nowhere to pace past Almirola to take first place. William Byron lurking one spot away. Could be something to watch given the feud between Hamlin and Byron last week.

2:45 p.m.: Kyle Busch is making his mark early. The No. 18 car is locked in competition with Suarez, Elliott and Aric Almirola for first place. Solid stuff for the non-playoff driver.

2:43 p.m.: Suarez with the early lead after the race restart. He's got the slightest of edges over Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott. With 30 laps to go in Stage 1, drivers should have enough fuel to get themselves to the end of the stage.

2:30 p.m.: Big wreck at Turn 1! Looks like Harrison Burton tried to get into the third lane and got bumped from behind. Burton spun out, causing damage to about a dozen cars. Not ideal.

2:25 p.m.: 18 laps are finished and it's Jones with the lead. He's done well here historically — he has five top-10 finishes at Talladega in his career. Whatever his approach is seems to be working well at the 'Mega.

2:15 p.m.: First caution flag of the day waved after Ty Dillon's right front window comes out. Should give racers a chance to fill up fairly early in Stage 1.

2:12 p.m.: Seven laps down and things have remained fairly calm. Almirola holds a slight edge over Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell. Lots of reshuffling to be had, though.

2:09 p.m.: Through the first three laps, it's Ross Chastain, Aric Almirola, Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez all vying for the lead position. Very tight drive so far, not much space to maneuver with.

2:06 p.m.: And the race is off! Over 100,000 fans watching on at Talladega! Should get to see a good one today.

1:35 p.m.: We are about 30 minutes away from the start of today's race. People are filing into the stadium.

1:30 p.m.: Strong words from Denny Hamlin, who praised NASCAR for docking William Byron 25 points for his antics last Sunday.

Check it out here:

What time does the NASCAR race start today?

  • Race: YellaWood 500
  • Date: Sunday, Oct. 2
  • Start time: 2 p.m. ET | 1 p.m. CT

The YellaWood 500 is listed to start at 2 p.m. ET, although the green flag is scheduled to wave at 2:04 p.m. ET.

What channel is NASCAR on today?

  • TV channel: NBC (U.S.) | TSN3 (Canada)
  • Live stream: Peacock, fuboTV
  • Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Sunday's race will be broadcast on NBC in the United States. Canadian viewers can follow the action on TSN3.

Leading the way for NBC's coverage is Rick Allen, who will handle the lap-by-lap call. He'll be joined by longtime Cup Series driver Jeff Burton, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte.

MORE: Here are the Round of 12 drivers after Bristol cutoff race

Those without cable can find Sunday's race on Peacock, and on fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

Starting lineup for Talladega playoff race

Pos. Driver Car No. Team
1 Christopher Bell (P) 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
2 Kyle Larson (P) 5 Hendrick Motorsports
3 Denny Hamlin (P) 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
4 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
5 Chase Briscoe (P) 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
6 Ross Chastain (P) 1 Trackhouse Racing
7 Noah Gragson (R) 48 Hendrick Motorsports
8 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
9 William Byron (P) 24 Hendrick Motorsports
10 Ty Gibbs 23 23XI Racing
11 Joey Logano (P) 22 Team Penske
12 Erik Jones 43 Petty GMS Motorsports
13 Daniel Hemric 16 Kaulig Racing
14 Daniel Suarez (P) 99 Trackhouse Racing
15 Harrison Burton 21 Wood Brothers Racing
16 Chase Elliott (P) 9 Hendrick Motorsports
17 Austin Cindric (P) 2 Team Penske
18 Brad Keselowski 6 RFK Racing
19 Ryan Blaney (P) 12 Team Penske
20 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
21 Justin Haley 31 Kaulig Racing
22 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
23 Chris Buescher 17 RFK Racing
24 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
25 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
26 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
27 Bubba Wallace 45 23XI Racing
28 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
29 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
30 Ty Dillon 42 Petty GMS Motorsports
31 Justin Allgaier 62 Beard Motorsports
32 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
33 Landon Cassill 77 Spire Motorsports
34 Todd Gilliland 38 Front Row Motorsports
35 BJ McLeod 78 Live Fast Motorsports
36 JJ Yeley 15 Rick Ware Racing
37 Cody Ware 51 Rick Ware Racing

(P) Playoff driver
(R) Injury replacement for Alex Bowman

David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.