Brad Keselowski wins in Talladega with an time beyond regulation move; Joey Logano entangled in a wreck within the air

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Brad Keselowski made just the right final step this time, winning again on the Talladega Superspeedway and demonstrating a painful lesson he had learned well.

Keselowski’s win in extra time made him the ninth driver to win 10 NASCAR Cup races this season and avenged an embarrassing Team Penske gaffe at the Daytona 500 at the season opener. He and his teammate Joey Logano caused a crash on the final lap when Keselowski tried to overtake Logano for victory.

“Daytona, this is a big deal. Oh man, it still stings,” said Keselowski. “But that’s good. We’ll take it. Beggars can’t be a choice. I’ve certainly learned some lessons from this race and I’ve tried to apply them and in the end it all came together.

“Michael McDowell gave me a good boost like he did at Daytona and I was a little bit smarter about how I handled it.”

Brad Keselowski celebrates with a burnout after winning in Talladega and redeeming himself and the Penske team after the last round at the Daytona 500. James Gilbert / Getty Images

Keselowski only led one lap, the last, in a race with 35 lead changes among 27 drivers.

“During the entire race I had a few opportunities to take the lead, but I kept thinking, ‘Man, keep your car in one piece,'” said Keselowski.

Logano was caught in a wreck in the air and asked NASCAR to change the “dangerous” racing conditions at Daytona and Talladega.

“On the one hand, I’m crazy about the crash and, on the other hand, I’m happy to be alive,” said Logano. “On the other hand, I wonder when we are going to stop because doing what we are doing is dangerous. I have a roll bar in my head. That is not okay.

“I’m just one stroke away from the same situation Ryan Newman just went through. I just don’t think that’s acceptable.”

Joey Logano said he was “happy to be alive” after his car blew up earlier in the race. Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Newman escaped serious injury in the final round of the 2020 Daytona 500 to claim victory.

Sunday’s win, Keselowski’s sixth at Talladega, came after team owner Roger Penske invited the three Team Penske drivers and his partner Matt DiBenedetto for a call this week to discuss his expectations for the race. Penske refused to accept another Daytona disaster when Logano or Keselowski should have won the race – but instead of working together, the two sparked a fiery accident that also resulted in a third Penske car being picked up.

All three Penske drivers have now occupied places in the playoff field with 16 drivers.

William Byron finished second in Talladega, Daytona 500 winner McDowell finished third, and Kevin Harvick finished fourth of the season.

“I felt like I was in a good place again to work with Brad and his drugs when he got off Turn 4,” said McDowell. “I thought I was going to run, but I just didn’t suck him down enough.”

DiBenedetto, who led 28 laps, finished fifth but gave up victory with a late lane change that allowed Keselowski to leap forward.

Ford drivers took four of the top five places.

Kaz Grala ended a career in sixth place, followed by Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon in a trio of Chevrolets.

Ford drivers finished ninth through 13th, and the top-ranked Toyota driver was Christopher Bell in 17th place.

Keselowski linked Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon with six wins each at Talladega.

“I never thought I’d tie Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. here,” he said. “That’s something. These guys are really legends.”

SIDELINED

Rick Ware Racing originally planned to start Jennifer Jo Cobb for her first Career Cup start, but NASCAR ruled last week that the veteran driver was not eligible.

Had she been approved for the competition, Cobb would have been the first woman to have driven at NASCAR’s highest level since Danica Patrick in 2018.

NASCAR President Steve Phelps said ahead of the race that the competition department had decided that Cobb “does not have the necessary experience to run in the Cup race”.

Cobb has 217 career starts in the Truck series and 31 in the Xfinity series. She has a career top 10 placement.

NEXT

The series goes to Kansas Speedway, where Denny Hamlin has won the last two races.