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Hocevar claims first Cup victory at Talladega; massive wreck collects more than 20 cars
TL;DR
Carson Hocevar won his first NASCAR Cup race at Talladega, surviving a massive wreck involving over 20 drivers. The incident scattered the field during the Jack Links 500 on Sunday.
Key points
- Carson Hocevar won his first NASCAR Cup race
- The race took place at Talladega
- More than 20 drivers were involved in a major wreck
- Hocevar outlasted Chris Buescher
- The event was the Jack Links 500
TalladegaJack Links 500Carson HocevarChris Buescher
A major wreck involving more than 20 NASCAR drivers scattered the field at Talladega Sunday. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Sean Gardner via Getty Images
TALLADEGA, Ala. — The best way to survive Talladega: Finish first. The second-best way: Not even race Talladega at all.
Carson Hocevar chose the first route, claiming the Jack Links 500 on Sunday for his first career NASCAR Cup win. Hocevar outlasting both Buescher and one of the largest, by sheer numbers, wrecks in recent NASCAR history.
Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, at the track for a sponsor event, escaped the carnage by not even climbing into a car at all. He happily offered up his perspective now that he’s a visitor, not a driver, at the beast of a track.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen,” Johnson, a two-time Talladega winner, said a couple hours before the race. Johnson, clearly relieved at no longer having to deal with the “anxiety,” in his words, of racing at NASCAR’s largest and fastest track, pegged the challenge of racing at Talladega no matter what the year.
“Most races, you have tire fall-off and pit stops and other elements that you can focus on, and really control your own destiny,” he said. “But as we all know with the pack … anything can happen.”
On Sunday, pretty much everything did. A reworked, extra-long 98-lap first stage proceeded without incident, as most teams stayed at lower throttle to keep the stage a single-stop one. The result was one of the more placid stages of the entire season, a gentle tour around the plains of East Alabama.
Ryan Preece led a parade of six Fords to the end of the first stage, edging out Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano for the stage win. The feeling all along both the inside and outside of the track’s 2.66 miles was that this was anyone’s race … and the track hadn’t yet begun to show its teeth.
The carnage kicked off 18 laps into the second stage, on Lap 116. Ross Chastain bumped Bubba Wallace from behind, setting off a massive wreck that decimated the field:
Contact at the front of the field!
Many, many cars are collected in this @TALLADEGA incident!
Q&A
How many drivers were involved in the Talladega wreck?
More than 20 NASCAR drivers were involved in the major wreck at Talladega.
Who won the Jack Links 500 at Talladega?
Carson Hocevar claimed victory in the Jack Links 500, marking his first career NASCAR Cup win.
What is the significance of Carson Hocevar's win at Talladega?
Hocevar's win at Talladega is significant as it marks his first victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.
What happened during the race at Talladega on Sunday?
The race featured a massive wreck that scattered the field, impacting the performance of many drivers.
