Astonishing NASCAR Cup Series crash sees almost all cars taken out

Lydia Mee

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Astonishing NASCAR Cup Series crash sees almost all cars taken out image

What started as a minor collision during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway led to almost all of the cars getting caught up in the aftermath.

The dramatic crash was triggered when Austin Cindric was hit by Brad Keselowski. The unforeseen jolt caused Cindric to lose control right at the front of the pack, spiraling into a disastrous chain reaction that engulfed 28 vehicles leaving only 12 cars unscathed.

Headlining contenders such as Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and Chase Briscoe found their playoff hopes destabilized. The only playoff drivers to not be caught up in the chaos were Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, William Byron, and Denny Hamlin.

Post-crash, cleanup operations presented a big challenge as the marshalls got to work removing the debris from the track.

Ross Chastain was one of the unlucky drivers involved. He commented on the crash whilst speaking to the media after his race was over:

“I’m not sure what happened with those guys down the middle line,” Chastain said out of the care center. “Coming into the tri-oval I followed the 8, Team Chevy, pushed him in the third lane, fanned out to push a Chevy, and yeah, somebody got chucked up and seeing Ryan in there, I’m guessing it was the yellow blur I saw was the 12.

“For our Busch Light Chevy to kick off hunting season with a camo can, I wish we were more invisible like we’ll be in the woods with that can than we were there coming to the end. Yeah, big hit, this Gen 7 car is super safe though. Kept me safe, they got the fire put out and we’ll go on to next week.”

Going into the race weekend, the drivers on the bubble of the Round of 8 were Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suárez, Chase Briscoe, and Austin Cindric. There is just one more race to go in the Round of 12, giving the drivers one final opportunity to secure a spot. 

The next race is set for next Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

NASCAR Cup Series: Current Playoff Standings

  1. William Byron - +34
  2. Ryan Blaney - +28
  3. Christopher Bell - +28
  4. Kyle Larson - +18
  5. Denny Hamlin - +11
  6. Alex Bowman - +8
  7. Chase Elliott - +4
  8. Joey Logano - +4
    On the bubble:
  9. Tyler Reddick - -4
  10. Daniel Suárez - -14
  11. Chase Briscoe - -25
  12. Austin Cindric - -29

Lydia Mee

Lydia Mee Photo

Lydia Mee is a passionate motorsport journalist based in the UK. She has a background in covering Formula 1, NASCAR, electric vehicles, and other various motorsports and has interviewed current and former drivers such as Mario Andretti, Alain Prost, and Johnny Herbert amongst others. She's a strong advocate for women in motorsport and a more diverse industry. Her work has been seen on Sports Illustrated, On SI and Newsweek. She can be followed at @lydiameemotorsport on Instagram and @LMeeMotorsport on X.