{"id":2591,"date":"2016-05-01T17:30:32","date_gmt":"2016-05-01T22:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=2591"},"modified":"2016-05-01T19:32:39","modified_gmt":"2016-05-02T00:32:39","slug":"brad-keselowski-takes-checkers-in-action-filled-talladega-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2016\/05\/01\/brad-keselowski-takes-checkers-in-action-filled-talladega-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Brad Keselowski takes checkers in action-filled Talladega race"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service<\/b><\/p>\n

TALLADEGA, Ala. \u2013 Taking control in the final three laps of Sunday\u2019s wreck-filled GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway<\/a>, Brad Keselowski<\/strong> claimed his fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series<\/a> victory at the 2.66-mile race track and solidified his spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.<\/p>\n

\"Brad

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, poses with the winner’s decal in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Matt Sullivan\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Choosing the top lane for a restart on Lap 186 of 188, Keselowski powered his No. 2 Team Penske Ford past Kurt Busch with two laps left and crossed the finish line as a gaggle of cars wrecked behind him coming to the stripe.<\/p>\n

“The last three or four restarts before that, the high lane had went, and as the leader a lot of it is out of your control,” Keselowski said in Victory Lane. “You need the cars behind you to push and a couple of them they did and a couple they didn\u2019t.\u00a0 That\u2019s just part of racing, and there was nobody at fault with that.<\/p>\n

“We actually lost the lead and got a better run. Jamie McMurray behind me gave me a great push, and then Kyle Busch gave me a push that was big to clear the 41 (Kurt Busch), and without those two I couldn\u2019t have made it to the front. So \u2018Thank you\u2019 to them. It\u2019s Talladega. This is my fourth win here. I never thought I\u2019d win at Talladega four times, and I\u2019m super-pumped. This is awesome.”<\/p>\n

\"Brad

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Matt Sullivan\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

In claiming the 19th victory of his career, Keselowski became the fourth two-time winner in the Sprint Cup series this season.<\/p>\n

The race ended under caution, with Kyle Busch in second place and Austin Dillon bringing his battered No. 3 Chevrolet home in third as the survivor of two early crashes. McMurray ran fourth, one spot ahead of polesitter Chase Elliott, who worked his way up from ninth to fifth after the final restart.<\/p>\n

Ty Dillon finished sixth after taking over for Tony Stewart under the first caution on Lap 51, a move that proved wise given the combination Stewart\u2019s recent recovery from a broken back and the chaos that followed late in the race. Clint Bowyer was seventh\u2014his best result so far this year\u2014and Kurt Busch was shuffled back to eighth on the final lap.<\/p>\n

\"Brad

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Sarah Crabill\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

With drivers jockeying for position and making risky moves throughout the race\u2014with a sense of urgency exacerbated by the threat of rain that never came\u2014Sunday\u2019s event featured 10 cautions and more torn-up race cars than one can count on a full complement of fingers and toes.<\/p>\n

There wasn\u2019t just one “Big One.” There were three massive wrecks at Talladega on Sunday, with one melee on Lap 161 involving 21 cars, more than half the field. Kurt Busch ignited that accident by tapping Jimmie Johnson\u2019s bumper in the wrong place, turning Johnson\u2019s No. 48 Chevrolet into Paul Menard\u2019s Chevy and triggering a wreck that ended with chassis strewn across the racing surface and on the infield grass.<\/p>\n

On Lap 181, a 12-car chain-reaction incident took out hard-luck Matt Kenseth, who had led 39 laps, second only to Keselowski\u2019s 46.<\/p>\n

\"Brad

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, celebrates with a burnout after winning during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Sarah Crabill\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Earlier, on Lap 96, Chris Buescher\u2019s No. 34 Ford took the brunt of a seven-car crash that ended with Buescher barrel-rolling three times after contact from Michael Annett\u2019s Chevrolet.<\/p>\n

“I thought we were clear of the wreck,” Buescher said after leaving the infield care center. “I saw it happening in front of us and checked up, and the next thing I knew I was upside down.<\/p>\n

“We felt we were decent this race. We were holding our own and waiting, but here we are. It\u2019s unfortunate. I really hate it for the guys.”<\/p>\n

By the time Buescher flipped, Dale Earnhardt Jr.\u2019s winning chance already had evaporated. Fighting a loose handling condition in heavy traffic, Earnhardt lost control of his No. 88 Chevrolet on Lap 50 and wiped out Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne.<\/p>\n

\"Brad

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, celebrates winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Sarah Crabill\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Earnhardt returned to the race only to be ridden into the Turn 1 wall when Carl Edwards\u2019 damaged Toyota blew a right front tire and shot up the track into Earnhardt\u2019s path.<\/p>\n

That was a two-car incident, a small one relative to the multicar crashes that followed in the second half of the race, which, in true restrictor-plate racing fashion, produced 37 lead changes among 17 drivers.<\/p>\n

“You know, it’s just Talladega,” Kyle Busch said, summing up the afternoon. “It is what it is. These cars, you try to get a little bit aggressive, start bumping people and pushing people, they’re real easy to get out of control.<\/p>\n

“I really don’t know why we’re bumping and pushing and everything else, because these cars, they go slower when you push. Makes a lot of sense. That’s how stupid we are.”<\/p>\n

Keselowski might argue that point, because pushes from both McMurray and Busch got him to the front when it counted most.<\/p>\n

Note: \u00a0Additional photos after results.<\/em><\/p>\n

Talladega, Alabama<\/b><\/p>\n

Sunday, May 01, 2016<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1. (7) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2. (17) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 3. (2) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 4. (30) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 5. (1) Chase Elliott #, Chevrolet, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 6. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 7. (34) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 8. (18) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 9. (19) * Ryan Blaney #, Ford, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 10. (13) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 11. (32) Landon Cassill, Ford, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 12. (33) * Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 13. (12) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 14. (28) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 15. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 16. (6) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ford, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 17. (39) * David Gilliland, Ford, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 18. (36) * Cole Whitt, Toyota, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 19. (26) Bobby Labonte, Ford, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 20. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 21. (31) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 188.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 22. (5) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 182.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 23. (4) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, Accident, 180.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 24. (37) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, Accident, 180.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 25. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, Accident, 180.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 26. (10) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, Accident, 180.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 27. (23) Aric Almirola, Ford, Accident, 180.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 28. (15) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 178.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 29. (24) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 173.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 30. (21) Brian Scott #, Ford, 172.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 31. (8) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 170.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 32. (25) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 168.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 33. (20) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 166.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 34. (40) David Ragan, Toyota, Engine, 151.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 35. (9) Carl Edwards, Toyota, Accident, 109.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 36. (35) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, Engine, 98.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 37. (27) Chris Buescher #, Ford, Accident, 95.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 38. (38) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, Accident, 94.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 39. (11) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, Accident, 82.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 40. (3) Dale Earnhardt Jr, Chevrolet, Accident, 63.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:\u00a0 140.046 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:\u00a0 03 Hrs, 34 Mins, 15 Secs. Margin of Victory:\u00a0 Caution.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:\u00a0 10 for 41 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:\u00a0 37 among 17 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:\u00a0\u00a0 C. Elliott # 1-13; M. Kenseth 14-28; C. Elliott # 29-38; M. Waltrip 39; Kyle Busch 40-51; A. Almirola 52; A. Allmendinger 53; D. Ragan 54-55; M. Waltrip 56; M. Kenseth 57-71; B. Keselowski 72-82; D. Hamlin 83; B. Keselowski 84; D. Hamlin 85-88; B. Keselowski 89-96; D. Patrick 97-99; K. Harvick 100-102; C. Elliott # 103-106; K. Harvick 107-108; T. Bayne 109-115; K. Harvick 116-117; T. Bayne 118; K. Harvick 119-120; T. Bayne 121-128; B. Labonte 129; R. Newman 130; C. Whitt 131; T. Bayne 132-135; K. Larson 136-137; T. Bayne 138; K. Larson 139-145; M. Kenseth 146-152; B. Labonte 153; M. Kenseth 154-155; T. Bayne 156; B. Keselowski 157-165; J. Logano 166-171; B. Keselowski 172-188.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):\u00a0 B. Keselowski 5 times for 46 laps; M. Kenseth 4 times for 39 laps; C. Elliott # 3 times for 27 laps; T. Bayne 6 times for 22 laps; Kyle Busch 1 time for 12 laps; K. Harvick 4 times for 9 laps; K. Larson 2 times for 9 laps; J. Logano 1 time for 6 laps; D. Hamlin 2 times for 5 laps; D. Patrick 1 time for 3 laps; D. Ragan 1 time for 2 laps; B. Labonte 2 times for 2 laps; M. Waltrip 2 times for 2 laps; C. Whitt 1 time for 1 lap; A. Almirola 1 time for 1 lap; A. Allmendinger 1 time for 1 lap; R. Newman 1 time for 1 lap.<\/p>\n

Top 16 in Points: K. Harvick – 351; Kyle Busch – 342; C. Edwards – 337; J. Johnson – 329; J. Logano – 316; Kurt Busch – 312; B. Keselowski – 300; D. Earnhardt Jr – 279; M. Truex Jr – 274; A. Dillon – 272; C. Elliott # – 271; D. Hamlin – 269; J. McMurray – 261; A. Allmendinger – 232; M. Kenseth – 231; T. Bayne – 228.<\/p>\n

\"Chase

Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, leads the field past the green flag to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Sarah Crabill\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Brad

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"A

A birthday cake is presented to Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Skittles Marvel Toyota, prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Dale

Dale Earnhardt Jr, driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, has an on track incident during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Jerry Markland\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Brad

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, leads the field during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Joey

Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Skittles Marvel Toyota, race ahead of a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Ty

Ty Dillon takes oer for Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Kyle

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Skittles Marvel Toyota, pits during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Sarah Crabill\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Danica

Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 Aspen Dental Chevrolet, spins in the pits in front of Paul Menard, driver of the #27 Moen\/Menards Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Sarah Crabill\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service TALLADEGA, Ala. \u2013 Taking control in the final three laps of Sunday\u2019s wreck-filled GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Brad Keselowski claimed his fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at the 2.66-mile race track and solidified his spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Choosing the top lane […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[79,209,16,206,208],"class_list":["post-2591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-brad-keselowski","tag-geico-500","tag-nascar","tag-talladega","tag-talladega-superspeedway"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/TSS_NSCS_VL_050116.jpg?fit=5184%2C3216","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-FN","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2591"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2609,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591\/revisions\/2609"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}