WATCH: Wild finish at Talladega sees multiple crashes on final lap
As has become tradition, the winner at Talladega Superspeedway was decided by a pass on the final lap. Winner Ross Chastain crossed the finish line first after a series of big blocks and wild crashes behind him coming off the final turn.
As the field of cars all tried to make their final move toward victory lane, teammates pushed each other and rivals attempted to side draft each other for a competitive advantage. However, as the smoke cleared, Ross Chastain had clinched the second ever win for TrackHouse Racing, co-owned by pop icon Pitbull.
With Erik Jones’ 43 car out front at the white flag, which indicates one lap to go, second place Kyle Larson decided to move up the track in front of Kurt Busch, sending him into the wall hard. As his car came back toward the pack, Busch collided with teammate Bubba Wallace, turning him into the wall.
As Jones attempted to block the move made by Larson, Chastain continued straight through the middle. In the background, more cars hit Wallace against the wall and another car got kicked out of line toward the inside. With cars spinning out behind him, Chastain won.
Auburn coach at Talladega Superspeedway
Bryan Harsin played an important role at Sunday’s Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The leader of the Auburn Tigers is serving as the honorary pace car driver, leading the field to green to begin the race.
Prior to the exciting moment, Harsin had to get some practice laps in. Before Harsin entered the passenger seat to see what he’s in for later on Sunday, he snapped some photos with his family.
He got a special treat with the 188-lap race on the 2.66-mile track in front of a massive crowd with the new model of the NASCAR cars hitting this track for the first time.