Talladega, a favourite venue on the Nascar calendar, can always be counted on for some incredible crashes. And this morning's Geico 500 was no different.
Although actually, for the most part, it was different. The race passed by largely without incident; barring a few minor single-car incidents. For a fleeting moment, it appeared that we might be able to run to the finish without one of Talladega's trademarked multi-car smashes.
That all turned on its head (see what I did there) with 19 laps to go, after AJ Almendinger made very slight contact with the rear of Chase Elliot's Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet.
The contact sent Elliot into an uncatchable fish tale, which in turn drew in Almendinger. From there, chaos reigned. Both initial drivers spent time either on their sides or on their lids as the field piled into them one by one. Included in those to pile were both Team Penske cars driven by Joey Logano and Brad Keslowski, both of whom looked primed to win the race earlier on.
When the dust settled, it was revealed that 18 cars had been involved in the wreck. It took officials 27 minutes to clean up the strings of car guts (and the completely inverted Almendinger, left upside down on the track) before racing resumed. Pole sitter Ricky Stenhouse eventually took the win; the first Nascar win of his career after several years of trying.