Denny Hamlin survived a post-race investigation to win the NASCAR Cup Collection Playoff race at Talladega, edging out Matt DiBenedetto in a photo-finish through the third interval of additional time.

An enormous accident on 187 of a scheduled 188 involving factors chief Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr and Alex Bowman introduced out the second pink flag interval of the race and despatched it to additional time.

The second interval was then deserted after Bubba Wallace (RPM Ford) spun into the wall after contact with Ryan Preece (JTG Daugherty Chevrolet) and picked up Ryan Blaney’s Penske Ford within the ensuing melee.

A Talladega-record 13th warning interval as soon as once more neutralised the race as DiBenedetto, Chris Buescher and Chase Elliott all desperately tried to avoid wasting sufficient gas till the pitlane was opened.

When the race restarted for the ultimate time with a two-lap shootout, Buescher’s Roush Fenway Racing Ford acquired in behind DiBenedetto’s Wooden Brothers Racing machine, with the duo dropping the remainder of the sector on lap 199.

Nevertheless, William Byron’s Hendrick Chevrolet managed to get between the 2 at the beginning of the ultimate tour of the two.6-mile superspeedway, permitting Erik Jones (Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) to fit into second behind DiBenedetto, with Buescher, Byron and Hamlin (JGR) main the pursuing pack.

The main pair have been caught at Flip 3, the place Jones moved up the monitor to dam Buescher and was despatched excessive into the wall.

DiBenedetto then moved low to dam Byron’s run, leading to contact that compelled the Hendrick driver sideways whereas behind, the fast-catching Hamlin was compelled onto the apron beneath the monitor limits line by Buescher.

Byron gathered his automobile collectively and ran side-by-side with Hamlin till a late run from the recovering DiBenedetto and Jones on the excessive line misplaced him momentum, as Hamlin took the flag first in a photograph end, simply 0.023s forward of DiBenedetto.

Hamlin prevails in Talladega playoff photo-finish

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Jones crossed the road third, with Ty Dillon (Germain Racing Chevrolet) fourth and Byron fifth.

NASCAR investigated Hamlin for the incident by which he went beneath the yellow line, however cleared him of any wrongdoing, securing his place within the subsequent section of the Playoffs.

Nevertheless, it did hand penalties to DiBenedetto (for forcing Byron beneath the road) and sixth-place on the highway finisher Elliott (for bettering place whereas out of monitor limits on the run to the flag) – each dropping to the rear of the automobiles that completed on the lead lap.

DiBenedetto’s penalty elevated Jones to second and Dillon to 3rd from Byron, however Elliott’s group succeeded in having his penalty overturned and Buescher punished for forcing him out of monitor limits.

Behind Elliott and Ryan Newman (RFR Ford), Tyler Reddick took a ninth prime 10 of the marketing campaign for Richard Childress Racing, forward of John Hunter Nemechek Entrance Row Motorsports Ford.

Brennan Poole took a maiden profession prime 10 end with ninth for his Premium Motorsports #15 Chevrolet Camaro, forward of Preece who rounded out the highest 10.

Brad Keselowski (Penske) was caught up in a spin on the ultimate lap and dropped to 18th, whereas Harvick’s repaired Stewart-Haas Ford trailed dwelling 20th – the worst consequence for the common season champion since a 26th at Homestead.

Hamlin prevails in Talladega playoff photo-finish

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Blaney, Joey Logano (Penske) and reigning champion Kyle Busch (JGR) all failed so as to add respectable factors to their tallies by advantage of being caught up in accidents all through the race, that means Logano and Busch should win at Charlotte subsequent week to be assured of their place within the subsequent Playoff spherical.

In his remaining superspeedway race earlier than retirement from NASCAR, Jimmie Johnson helped to set off an enormous crash on lap 109 after being tapped by Clint Bowyer, which led to the primary pink flag being waved.

Superspeedway-only driver Brendan Gaughan was one of many victims of the lap 109 pile-up – the retiring #62 Beard Motorsports driver’s remaining Cup race ending prematurely in consequence.

Outcomes – 200 laps

Pos Driver Group Automotive Hole 1 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 4h05m58.s 2 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 0.086s Three Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet s four William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet s 5 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford s 6 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford s 7 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet s eight John Hunter Nemechek Entrance Row Motorsports Ford s 9 Brennan Poole Premium Motorsports Chevrolet s 10 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet s 11 J.J. Haley Spire Motorsports Chevrolet s 12 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet s 13 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet s 14 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet s 15 Timmy Hill MBM Motorsports Toyota s 16 Matt Kenseth Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet s 17 Joey Gase Petty Ware Racing Ford s 18 Brad Keselowski Group Penske Ford s 19 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford s 20 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford s 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wooden Brothers Racing Ford s 22 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet s 23 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 2 Laps 24 Darrell Wallace Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet Accident 25 Ryan Blaney Group Penske Ford Accident 26 Joey Logano Group Penske Ford Accident 27 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Accident 28 Corey LaJoie Go FAS Racing Ford 12 Laps 29 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Accident 30 James Davison Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 82 Laps 31 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Accident 32 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Accident 33 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Accident 34 Daniel Suarez Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota Accident 35 Brendan Gaughan Beard Motorsports Chevrolet Accident 36 Michael McDowell Entrance Row Motorsports Ford Overheating 37 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Accident 38 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet Accident 39 Christopher Bell Leavine Household Racing Toyota Accident – J.J. Yeley Rick Ware Racing Ford Withdrawn

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