The YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway devolved into chaos on lap 188 when Brad Keselowski got turned into the outside wall, collecting a large portion of the field
The YellaWood 500 turned into utter bedlam when “The Big One” engulfed nearly the entire lineup. The colossal pileup took out 28 cars, setting a new record for the most drivers eliminated in a single wreck in NASCAR Cup Series history.
The chaos erupted with only five laps left at Talladega Superspeedway when Brad Keselowski was nudged into Austin Cindric’s bumper while hugging the bottom line. Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford was sent careening across the track, triggering a domino effect that ensnared a slew of competitors trailing him.
After the smoke cleared from the epic collision, an unprecedented 28 racers were caught in the aftermath, including playoff hopefuls Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, and Alex Bowman. Meanwhile, Cindric, Michael McDowell, and Daniel Hemric were escorted to the infield medical center for checks but were subsequently discharged.
Michael McDowell, reflecting on the terrifying event, told the press: “I’m not really sure, to be honest with you. I came down the back straightaway and saw one car get turned – I don’t even know what car it was – and everybody just [ran] right into each other. So I didn’t have a whole lot of time to react, I was kind of in the middle of it before it even started.
Logano – who suffered a DNF and placed 33rd – echoed similar thoughts. “Everyone just gets more aggressive at the end of the races,” he said.
“I mean, it’s nobody’s fault. It’s not Brad’s fault. It’s not anybody’s fault. It’s just the product of the races we got. Everyone’s getting more and more aggressive as the laps wind down. It happens. It happens a lot.”
Talladega Superspeedway events are notorious for their chaotic nature, with drafting being a key factor on the 2.66 mile oval track. Logano, for one, is not particularly fond of the close-quarter racing.
“I didn’t even have fun today,” he lamented. “You can’t even do anything here. You get just stuck. You know, you’re running 4 wide and that looks cool, but you’re running half throttle. And you know, you get what you want to go, and it’s time to go, everyone’s just stuck too wide. And so there’s just not many moves you can make. I don’t run on these super speedways as it evolves.”
“The car’s got so much drag on it. You can’t make moves and make runs happen and cross people up. You’re just, you’re committed to where you are in that line.”
