Clint Bowyer ‘surprised’ by no big wrecks at Talladega

Clint Bowyer couldn’t believe there were no big wrecks during the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday. During the post-race coverage on FOX, the former NASCAR star explained why a big wreck didn’t happen during the final laps.

“No big wreck, that’s what surprised me,” Bowyer said. “I think the group got tight. With only two wide, those guys in the second row, whether it was [Kyle] Larson or [William] Byron on the outside, they were trying to back them up and create that momentum, but they had pushes coming from the back. Ultimately, when they caught those lap cars, and they, being [Austin] Cindric on that inside, I think it gave him that little bit of tow that he needed to pull in front of [Ryan] Preece to win. But that’s a big win for Austin Cindric and a long time coming.”

Clint Bowyer mentioned this because a big wreck happened the last time the NASCAR Cup Series drivers were at Talladega. In October, 28 drivers were involved in a crash with five laps to go. When it was all said on done, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the 2024 Talladega fall race.

More on the NASCAR Cup Series Talladega race

There were a couple of wrecks early in Sunday’s race, but the final laps just had drivers like Cindric and Preece battling for a victory. Cindric won his first race of the season, and Preece has yet to win a Cup Series race in his Cup Series career.

“I’m just so proud of this team,” Cindric said after the race, per Motorsport.com. “From the cycles to the fast cars to the fuel-only stops. Doug — my spotter, everybody. I’ve been trying for three, four years now to get a Cup win for John Menard and Menard’s. That bright yellow car looks good out front. I’m just so thankful for everyone’s support. The Ford Performance, Roush Yates engine package at these types of race tracks are second to none. We talk about in every single one of these meetings why we haven’t won one of these races. Just really proud of this effort.”