Chase Elliott became the first 2022 NASCAR Playoffs driver to win in the post-season by winning the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Sunday afternoon’s race (10/2) was more like a chess match than a battle. There were only six caution periods in the race. Two of those were the end of the first two stages of the race. Only one was for a multi-car incident on the track.
Following last week’s record number of caution periods at Texas, it seemed drivers were more focused on being calculated and precise in their racing. This produced racing that was based on strategy and position to be there in the end. It led to 17 drivers exchanging the lead 57 times during the race. Ross Chastain and Aric Almirola tied for the most laps led at 36 each during the 188-lap race. Ryan Blaney managed to win stage one of the race. Chase Elliott was the winner of stage two.
Chase Elliott was the leader only four times for a total of 10 laps. However, he was the leader when it counted the most. Following the final caution of the race, Chase and Ryan Blaney battled side-by-side for the win over the final two laps of the race. Chase got a push from Erik Jones going through turns three and four on the last lap. That helped him to surge ahead to the lead and cross the finish line first.
The win was Chase’s second Cup Series win at Talladega and his fifth win of the 2022 season. It also gives him an automatic advance to the Round of Eight in the NASCAR Playoffs.
Ryan Blaney finished in second-place. Michael McDowell took home third-place. Ross Chastain claimed fourth with Denny Hamlin in fifth. See the complete race results for the YellaWood 500 here.
The win places Chase Elliott at the top of the NASCAR Playoffs point standings. Ryan Blaney is in second with Ross Chastain in third. Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano round out the top five in fourth and fifth respectively. See the complete NASCAR Cup Series point standings here.
The final race of the Round of Twelve will have the drivers not locked into the next round with plenty of anxiety. The Round of 12 elimination race is the Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course Sunday, October 9th.
By: Buck Stevens
