NASCAR Cup Talladega: Elliott beats Blaney for crucial victory
Chase Elliott profited from an Erik Jones shove on the final lap to beat Ryan Blaney to win the NASCAR Cup race at Talladega and book his place in the next stage of the playoffs.
After a late caution for a stalled car at the end of the pitlane, Blaney led the way with two laps to go and remained in front at the start of the final of the 188 laps.
As the field came off Turn 4, Blaney was on the inside with Michael McDowell behind him, while Elliott ran up top with Jones behind him.
Jones gave Elliott a shove to push him past Blaney for the lead and the two ended up racing side-by-side to the chequered flag, with Elliott winning by 0.046 seconds.
Elliott becomes the first playoff-contending driver to win one of the playoff races this season, and automatically advances to the semi-final round regardless of how he finishes in next weekend’s race at the Charlotte Roval.
The win is the fifth this season for Elliott, the most of any driver, and 18th of his career.
“It was a wild last couple laps. I wasn’t super crazy about being on the bottom [lane] and fortunately I got just clear enough off of [Turn] 2 to slide up in front of Erik.
“He gave me some great shoves. He’s a Team Chevy partner there. Just had a good enough run to get out front and then was able to stay far enough in front of Ryan at the line to get it done.
“These things are so hard to win and you have to enjoy them. I just appreciate everybody’s effort today. We’re getting ready to go to the Roval and try to grab another one.”
Race winner Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro
Photo by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images
Tucked up behind Blaney saw McDowell take third, clear of Ross Chastain in fourth, as Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five.
Having played an assisting role in Elliott’s win, Jones faded to the line in sixth place but ahead of Todd Gilliland and Daniel Suarez, as Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe completed the top 10 in Talladega.
With one race remaining in the second round of the playoffs, the four drivers lowest in the points and in danger of elimination next week at Charlotte are Alex Bowman, Christopher Bell, William Byron, and Cindric.
NASCAR Cup Talladega II - Race Results
| Cla | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Time | Gap | Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Chase Elliott |
Chevrolet | 188 | 3:15'23.307 | ||
| 2 | Ryan Blaney |
Ford | 188 | 3:15'23.353 | 0.046 | 0.046 |
| 3 | Michael McDowell |
Ford | 188 | 3:15'23.401 | 0.094 | 0.048 |
| 4 | Ross Chastain |
Chevrolet | 188 | 3:15'23.467 | 0.160 | 0.066 |
| 5 | Denny Hamlin |
Toyota | 188 | 3:15'23.490 | 0.183 | 0.023 |
| 6 | Erik Jones |
Chevrolet | 188 | 3:15'23.558 | 0.251 | 0.068 |
| 7 | Todd Gilliland |
Ford | 188 | 3:15'23.591 | 0.284 | 0.033 |
| 8 |  Daniel Suarez |
Chevrolet | 188 | 3:15'23.603 | 0.296 | 0.012 |
| 9 | Austin Cindric |
Ford | 188 | 3:15'23.619 | 0.312 | 0.016 |
| 10 | Chase Briscoe |
Ford | 188 | 3:15'23.629 | 0.322 | 0.010 |
| 11 | Landon Cassill |
Chevrolet | 188 | 3:15'23.651 | 0.344 | 0.022 |
| 12 | William Byron |
Chevrolet | 188 | 3:15'23.688 | 0.381 | 0.037 |
| 13 | Austin Dillon |
Chevrolet | 188 | 3:15'23.714 | 0.407 | 0.026 |
| 14 | Aric Almirola |
Ford | 188 | 3:15'23.753 | 0.446 | 0.039 |
| 15 | Justin Haley |
Chevrolet | 188 | 3:15'23.770 | 0.463 | 0.017 |
| 16 | Bubba Wallace |
Toyota | 188 | 3:15'23.771 | 0.464 | 0.001 |
| 17 | Christopher Bell |
Toyota | 188 | 3:15'23.838 | 0.531 | 0.067 |
| 18 | Kyle Larson |
Chevrolet | 188 | 3:15'23.841 | 0.534 | 0.003 |
| 19 | Noah Gragson |
Chevrolet | 188 | 3:15'23.906 | 0.599 | 0.065 |
| 20 | Kyle Busch |
Toyota | 188 | 3:15'23.908 | 0.601 | 0.002 |
| 21 | Cole Custer |
Ford | 188 | 3:15'24.222 | 0.915 | 0.314 |
| 22 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
Chevrolet | 188 | 3:15'24.683 | 1.376 | 0.461 |
| 23 | Ty Dillon |
Chevrolet | 188 | 3:15'24.812 | 1.505 | 0.129 |
| 24 | Brad Keselowski |
Ford | 188 | 3:15'25.087 | 1.780 | 0.275 |
| 25 | Chris Buescher |
Ford | 188 | 3:15'25.239 | 1.932 | 0.152 |
| 26 | Martin Truex Jr. |
Toyota | 188 | 3:15'25.655 | 2.348 | 0.416 |
| 27 | Joey Logano |
Ford | 188 | 3:15'26.369 | 3.062 | 0.714 |
| 28 | Tyler Reddick |
Chevrolet | 187 | 3:15'28.473 | 1 Lap | 1 Lap |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick |
Ford | 187 | 3:15'29.074 | 1 Lap | 0.601 |
| 30 | Justin Allgaier |
Chevrolet | 186 | 3:15'35.052 | 2 Laps | 1 Lap |
| 31 | J.J. Yeley |
Ford | 184 | 3:15'29.759 | 4 Laps | 2 Laps |
| 32 | Cody Ware |
Ford | 184 | 3:15'31.620 | 4 Laps | 1.861 |
| 33 | B.J. McLeod |
Ford | 182 | 3:15'33.000 | 6 Laps | 2 Laps |
| 34 | Daniel Hemric |
Chevrolet | 180 | 3:06'38.724 | 8 Laps | 2 Laps |
| 35 | Corey Lajoie |
Chevrolet | 44 | 49'03.236 | 144 Laps | 136 Laps |
| 36 | Harrison Burton |
Ford | 23 | 23'32.693 | 165 Laps | 21 Laps |
| 37 | Ty Gibbs | Toyota | 23 | 23'32.975 | 165 Laps | 0.282 |
| View full results | ||||||
IndyCar racer Daly to make NASCAR Cup debut at Charlotte Roval
Bowman misses Charlotte Roval race, confirms NASCAR Cup play-off exit
Why Alfa Romeo has kept its blade roll hoop on 2023 F1 car
The Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team has retained its unique blade roll hoop for the C43 but designed it to withstand load tests that the FIA will introduce in 2024.
Daly to attempt 2023 Daytona 500 with The Money Team
IndyCar driver Conor Daly has announced plans to enter the 2023 Daytona 500 with The Money Team, making his superspeedway debut in NASCAR Cup.
Fenestraz risked 'finishing on three wheels' with Diriyah FE pass on Mortara
Sacha Fenestraz reckoned he took a "big risk" in passing Edoardo Mortara late on in the second Diriyah E-Prix, which secured eighth for the Nissan driver's first Formula E points.
Williams: Vowles can help "finish off the journey" in F1 turnaround
Incoming Williams Formula 1 boss James Vowles can provide long-term stability and help "finish off the journey" in taking the team forward, according to sporting chief Sven Smeets.
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his team-mate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson’s journey to the 2021 NASCAR Cup title comes straight from the Hollywood blockbuster scripts. While Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup Series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.