Kyle Busch Wins Talladega With the Caution Flag Waving In Double Overtime

Tobie Christie.com

TALLADEGA, AL – APR 23, 2023 - RIS – Kyle Busch just happened to be in the3 right place at the right time to claim victory in Sunday’s GEICO 500 NASCAR Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday.  It was his second win of the season and his 62nd career win. Busch was the beneficiary after Ryan Blaney pushed Bubba Wallace hard into turn 1 and caused the No. 23 Toyota to spin into the wall. Blaney had lead for a good portion of the race, but the carnage that resulted in the second overtime is very typical of races on the high banked 2.66-mile speedway.

Busch had not won a race at Talladega since the spring of 2008. Incredibly, Busch was told to pit for fuel after the first overtime attempt. At the end of the race, every driver in the field was worried about fuel mileage after the first attempt at overtime was unsuccessful. Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson tangled, resulting in huge hits for Ryan Preece and Kyle Larson. All drivers were okay and were able to climb from their cars. Though there were incidents that caused cautions, the final one was brutal.

 Sometimes you got to be lucky,” Busch said after the race.. “Some of these races come down to that. You got to take them when they come your way. The seas kind of parted there when they (Blaney and Wallace) went up the racetrack. They were trying to push draft. These cars are just not stable enough to do that. I saw the 23 (Wallace) just turn a little bit sideways. I was like, ‘Get out of the way, just miss it.’ Tried to see if I was ahead of the 12 by the time it was called.”

Busch’s final run did not come easy. 

“We were sweating it (fuel) being close,” Busch said. “We got to gamble. You’re up here, got to take the track position when you have it, give it what you can on the restarts, see what happens. Lo and behold, it worked out. Knock on wood for this one.”

Several contenders, including Ty Gibbs and Aric Almirola, ran out of fuel during the second overtime. Blaney was still able to finish second, with Chris Buescher, Chase Briscoe and Brad Keselowski rounding out the top five.

The race’s first overtime went under caution quickly as Ross Chastain made a move to the middle to challenge Blaney for the lead. Noah Gragson lost control beside Chastain, starting an accident that involved several cars. Behind the leaders, Kyle Larson slid sideways and was hit hard by Ryan Preece. Chastain sprinted away from the contact.

The race landscape changed significantly with five laps to go when Joey Logano switched lanes and was bumped by Corey LaJoie, sparking a crash that involved six cars and brought out the caution flag. Blaney was the race leader.

Harrison Burton was out front with 47 laps to go when he was hit in the rear in a tight draft by Noah Gragson. Burton slid to the inside and off the racetrack before regaining control. The incident led to several cars spinning out near the rear of the pack, causing the race’s fifth caution.

The wreck dropped Burton to 33rd for the next restart.

A last-second move earned the Stage 2 win for Aric Almirola, who beat Chase Elliott to the line by a few feet. Kevin Harvick was third.

Elliott edged Alex Bowman and Chastain to win the first stage. The stage win was the first of the year for Elliott, who missed six races because of a leg injury. Wallace led 23 laps of the 60 during the stage.

Chase Briscoe lost control of his car entering pit road on Lap 44, spun and eventually stalled, causing the day’s second caution period.

Stage 1 winner: Chase Elliott

Stage 2 winner: Aric Almirola

Next week, the Cup drivers head to Dover, Delaware to the one-mile-high banked oval.

Unofficial Results: GEICO 500, April 23, 2023, Talladega Superspeedway
Fin, Str, Driver, Car, Laps , St1, St2, Tms Led, Laps Led, Playoff Pts, Pts, Status
1) 17, Kyle Busch, No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Chevrolet, 196, , , 3, 3, 5, 40, Running
2) 5, Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Wurth Ford, 196, , , 9, 47, , 35, Running
3) 10, Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 196, , , , , , 34, Running
4) 4, Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors YOG Ford, 196, , , 1, 1, , 33, Running
5) 20, Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Castrol Edge Ford, 196, , , 1, 2, , 32, Running
6) 24, Erik Jones, No. 43 U.S. AIR FORCE Chevrolet, 196, , , 1, 3, , 31, Running
7) 18, William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet, 196, 4, , 1, 1, , 37, Running
8) 6, Christopher Bell, No. 20 Rheem Toyota, 196, , , , , , 29, Running
9) 22, Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet, 196, 10, , 2, 5, , 29, Running
10) 28, Todd Gilliland, No. 36 gener8tor Skills Ford, 196, , , , , , 27, Running
11) 38, JJ Yeley(i), No. 51 Jacob Companies/Biohaven Ford, 196, , , , , , 0, Running
12) 29, Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 196, 1, 2, 7, 18, 1, 44, Running
13) 13, Tyler Reddick, No. 45 MoneyLion Toyota, 196, , , , , , 24, Running
14) 27, Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 196, 2, , 3, 8, , 32, Running
15) 1, Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Freight Direct Toyota, 196, , 8, 1, 7, , 25, Running
16) 33, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/Cheez-It Chevrolet, 196, , 9, , , , 23, Running
17) 32, Ty Dillon, No. 77 NationsGuard Chevrolet, 196, , , , , , 20, Running
18) 26, Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 196, , , , , , 19, Running
19) 37, BJ McLeod, No. 78 B'laster Chevrolet, 196, , , 1, 1, , 18, Running
20) 2, Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford, 196, , 1, 3, 11, 1, 27, Running
21) 11, Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford, 196, , 3, 2, 11, , 24, Running
22) 23, Ross Chastain, No. 1 Moose Fraternity Chevrolet, 196, 3, , 1, 3, , 23, Running
23) 31, Austin Hill(i), No. 62 Realtree Chevrolet, 196, , , , , , 14, Running
24) 34, Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Celsius Chevrolet, 196, , , , , , 13, Running
25) 36, Riley Herbst(i), No. 15 Monster Energy/Mechanix Wear Ford, 196, , , , , , 12, Running
26) 15, Austin Cindric, No. 2 Menards/Duracell Ford, 196, 6, , , , , 16, Running
27) 7, Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, 196, , 6, 4, 19, , 15, Running
28) 12, Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota, 195, , 4, 6, 35, , 16, Accident
29) 19, AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Farmsmart Chevrolet, 195, , , , , , 8, Accident
30) 8, Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Penzoil/Autotrader Ford, 195, 8, , 3, 3, , 10, Running
31) 3, Ty Gibbs #, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, 194, , , 3, 4, , 6, Fuel
32) 30, Noah Gragson #, No. 42 Wendy's Beef is in the Bag Chevrolet, 189, 7, 10, 1, 1, , 10, Accident
33) 9, Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 189, 5, , , , , 10, Accident
34) 16, Ryan Preece, No. 41 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford, 189, 9, 7, 1, 2, , 9, Accident
35) 21, Michael McDowell, No. 34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, 189, , , , , , 2, Running
36) 25, Harrison Burton, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford, 183, , 5, 3, 11, , 7, Accident
37) 35, Zane Smith(i), No. 38 Wellcare Ford, 141, , , , , , 0, Accident
38) 14, Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, 141, , , , , , 1, Accident
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie

Length: 196 Laps, 521.36 Miles
Time: 3 Hrs, 33 Mins, 25 Secs.
Average Speed: 146.575 MPH
Margin of Victory: Under Caution

Stage 1 Top 10: 9, 48, 1, 24, 5, 2, 42, 22, 41, 99
Stage 2 Top 10: 10, 9, 4, 23, 21, 19, 41, 11, 47, 42

Comments: Kyle Busch won the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, his 62nd career NASCAR Cup Series victory.

Prior to the start, the following cars dropped to the rear of the field for the reasons indicated: No. 2, 16 and 36 (unapproved adjustments).

Cautions: 8 for 34 laps;
Laps: 3-6 (No. 34 Incident in Turn 4 [None]);
44-47 (No. 14 Stopped on PIt Road [45]);
62-67 (Stage 1 Conclusion [14]);
122-126 (Stage 2 Conclusion [22]);
143-147 (No. 3, 21, 38, 42 and 62 Incident in Turn 3 [14]);
185-189 (No. 7, 15, 21, 22, 24, 47 and 99 Incident in Turn 2 [78]);
191-194 (No. 1, 4, 5, 10, 41, 42 and 54 Incident in Turn 2 [62]);
196-196 (No. 2, 6, 16, 19 and 23 Incident in Turn 2 [None]).

Lead Changes: 57 among 21 drivers;
A. Almirola 1-6;
C. Briscoe 7;
B. Wallace 8-30;
D. Suarez 31-34;
K. Busch 35;
R. Chastain 36-38;
R. Preece 39-40;
E. Jones 41-43;
C. Elliott 44-47;
A. Bowman 48-52;
C. Elliott 53-55;
A. Bowman 56;
C. Elliott 57;
A. Bowman 58-59;
C. Elliott 60-62;
B. McLeod 63;
D. Hamlin 64-70;
K. Harvick 71-76;
J. Logano 77;
M. Truex Jr. 78-82;
J. Logano 83;
M. Truex Jr. 84;
J. Logano 85;
M. Truex Jr. 86-97;
B. Wallace 98-99;
K. Harvick 100-104;
B. Keselowski 105-106;
C. Elliott 107;
M. Truex Jr. 108;
C. Elliott 109;
B. Wallace 110-114;
C. Elliott 115-119;
A. Almirola 120-122;
W. Byron 123;
A. Almirola 124-125;
B. Wallace 126;
H. Burton 127-130;
R. Blaney 131;
H. Burton 132-137;
R. Blaney 138-140;
H. Burton 141;
R. Blaney 142-143;
D. Suarez 144;
R. Blaney 145-146;
B. Wallace 147-149;
R. Blaney 150-154;
T. Gibbs # 155-156;
R. Blaney 157-168;
T. Gibbs # 169;
R. Blaney 170-179;
T. Gibbs # 180;
R. Blaney 181-188;
N. Gragson # 189;
R. Blaney 190-193;
K. Busch 194;
B. Wallace 195;
K. Busch 196.

Unofficial Points: GEICO 500, Talladega Superspeedway
Rank Driver        Car   Starts        GL     Points        Ldr    Nxt    Race Wins  Stage Wins Playoff Pts
1) Christopher Bell        20     10     0       331    0       0       1       0       5
2) Ross Chastain  1       10     0       320    -11    11     0       3       3
3) Kevin Harvick   4       10     0       311    -20    9       0       1       1
4) Kyle Larson      5       10     0       295    -36    16     2       2       12
5) Kyle Busch       8       10     3       290    -41    5       2       0       10
6) Tyler Reddick   45     10     0       289    -42    1       1       2       7
7) Martin Truex Jr         19     10     -2      281    -50    8       0       0       0
8) Ryan Blaney     12     10     2       276    -55    5       0       0       0
9) Denny Hamlin  11     10     0       272    -59    4       0       1       1
10) Alex Bowman 48     10     1       269    -62    3       0       0       -5
11) Joey Logano   22     10     -4      268    -63    1       1       1       6
12) Brad Keselowski      6       10     0       267    -64    1       0       1       1
13) Ricky Stenhouse Jr  47     10     0       246    -85    21     1       0       5
14) William Byron 24     10     1       245    -86    1       2       5       10
15) Chase Briscoe 14     10     -1      243    -88    2       0       0       0
16) Chris Buescher       17     10     0       240    -91    3       0       0       0
17) Daniel Suarez 99     10     0       229    -102  11     0       0       0
18) Austin Cindric         2       10     1       213    -118  16     0       1       1
19) Michael McDowell    34     10     -1      202    -129  11     0       0       0
20) Ty Gibbs #     54     10     0       199    -132  3       0       0       0
21) Bubba Wallace        23     10     0       191    -140  8       0       0       0
22) Todd Gilliland 36     10     1       189    -142  2       0       0       0
23) Corey LaJoie  7       10     -1      186    -145  3       0       0       0
24) Aric Almirola  10     10     2       170    -161  16     0       1       1
25) Erik Jones     43     10     3       165    -166  5       0       0       0
26) Justin Haley   31     10     -2      164    -167  1       0       0       0
27) AJ Allmendinger      16     10     -2      152    -179  12     0       0       0
28) Ryan Preece   41     10     -1      149    -182  3       0       1       1
29) Austin Dillon  3       10     0       123    -208  26     0       0       -5
30) Harrison Burton      21     10     0       121    -210  2       0       0       0
31) Chase Elliott  9       4       1       120    -211  1       0       1       1
32) Noah Gragson #       42     10     -1      108    -223  12     0       0       0
33) Ty Dillon        77     10     1       78     -253  30     0       0       0
34) Cody Ware              7       -1      65     -266  13     0       0       0
35) BJ McLeod     78     7       0       56     -275  9       0       0       0
36) Travis Pastrana                1       0       26     -305  30     0       0       0
37) Jenson Button                 1       0       19     -312  7       0       0       0
38) Jordan Taylor          1       0       16     -315  3       0       0       0
39) Jimmie Johnson               2       0       11     -320  5       0       0       0
40) Conor Daly              2       1       9       -322  2       0       0       0
41) Kimi Raikkonen                1       -1      8       -323  1       0       0       0
42) Jonathan Davenport                  1       0       1       -330  7       0       0       0
43) Josh Berry(i)           5       0       0       -331  1       0       0       0
44) Riley Herbst(i) 15     2       0       0       -331  0       0       0       0
45) JJ Yeley(i)      51     7       2       0       -331  0       0       0       0
46) Zane Smith(i)  38     4       -1      0       -331  0       0       0       0
47) Chandler Smith(i)             1       -1      0       -331  0       0       0       0
48) Austin Hill(i)   62     1       3       0       -331  0       0       0       0
49) Josh Bilicki             1       -1      0       -331  0       0       0       0
50) Anthony Alfredo(i)             2       -1      0       -331  0       0       0       0
51) Matt Crafton(i)                  1       -1      0       -331  0       0       0       0
 -Ldr/-Nxt = Points behind Leader/Next higher, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series