In an unprecedented event, the largest NASCAR crash in history occurred on Sunday afternoon, involving nearly the entire field at Talladega Speedway.
The catastrophic collision resulted in the destruction of 28 cars, although no injuries were reported.
According to Gateway Pundit, the crash was triggered by an aggressive move from Joey Logano, who was two rows behind the leader, Austin Cindric. ESPN reported that Logano gave Brad Keselowski a hard shove directly into Cindric, causing Cindric to spin and instigate a melee that damaged 27 of the 40 cars in the field.
In the aftermath of the crash, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., despite having a chunk of sheet metal missing from his driver side door, managed to drive his car into victory lane. However, the victory was not without controversy. Some teams argued that Stenhouse's door was missing safety foam and he should have been forced to pit for repairs.
"I bet they did. I didn't see any missing foam," said winning crew chief Mike Kelly, who suspects NASCAR will review how it handled the chaotic cleanup. He added, "They were put in a tough situation with that many cars involved in the wreck, and that many [tow trucks]. It's a tough situation."
Stenhouse later admitted there was indeed foam hanging out of the gaping hole in his car. The race was red-flagged for nearly nine minutes for cleanup, and 22 cars remained on the lead lap for the two-lap overtime sprint to the finish. Many of these 22 cars were damaged.
In a thrilling conclusion, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. emerged victorious at Talladega, winning by a mere 0.006 seconds in a photo finish. This incident underscores the inherent risks and unpredictability of NASCAR racing, even as it raises questions about safety protocols and the handling of such large-scale accidents.
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