KESELOWSKI CLAIMS OT WIN
Brad Keselowski made exactly the right final move this time, winning again at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and demonstrating a painful lesson well learned.
Keselowski’s overtime victory made him the ninth driver to win through 10 NASCAR Cup races this season and avenged an embarrassing Team Penske gaffe in the season-opening Daytona 500. He and teammate Joey Logano triggered a lastlap crash as Keselowski tried to pass Logano for the victory.
“Daytona, that’s a big one. Oh man, it stings still,” Keselowski said. “But this is a good one. We’ll take it. Beggars can’t be choosers. I certainly learned some lessons from that race and I tried to apply them, and it all came together there at the end.
“Michael McDowell gave me a good push like he did at Daytona, and I was a little bit smarter with how I handled it.”
Keselowski led just one lap, the last one, in a race that featured 35 lead changes among 27 drivers.
“The whole race I had a couple opportunities to take the lead, but I just kept thinking, ‘Man, keep your car in one piece,’ ” Keselowski said.
Logano was involved in an airborne wreck and called on NASCAR to change the dangerous racing conditions at Daytona and Talladega.
“On one hand, I am mad about being in the crash and on the other, I am happy to be alive,” Logano said. “On another hand, I am wondering when we are going to stop because this is dangerous doing what we are doing. I got a roll bar in my head. That is not OK.
“I am one hit away from the same situation Ryan Newman just went through. I just don’t feel like that is acceptable.”
Newman escaped serious injury racing for the win on the final lap of the 2020 Daytona 500.
The victory, Keselowski’s sixth at Talladega, came after team owner Roger Penske pulled the three Team Penske drivers and affiliate Matt DiBenedetto onto a call this week to discuss his expectations on how they should race Sunday. Penske refused to accept another Daytona disaster when Logano or Keselowski should have won the race but instead of working together the two triggered a fiery crash that also collected a third Penske car.
All three Penske drivers have now claimed spots in the 16-driver playoff field.
William Byron was second, Daytona 500 winner McDowell — the beneficiary of that February blunder — took third and Kevin Harvick a season-high fourth.
“I felt like I was in a good spot again working with Brad and drug back off of him coming off of turn 4,” McDowell said. “I thought I would have the run but just didn’t suck him down enough.”
DiBenedetto, who led 28 laps, finished fifth but gave away the win with a late lane change that allowed Keselowski to surge to the front.
Ford drivers took four of the top five spots.
Kaz Grala finished a career-best sixth and was followed by Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon in a trio of Chevrolets.
Ford drivers took spots nine through 13, and the highest finishing Toyota driver was Christopher Bell in 17th.
Keselowski tied Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon with six wins each at Talladega. But it was his first since the fall race in 2017.
“I would have never dreamed I’d tie Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. here,” Keselowski said. “That’s something. Those guys are really legends.”
Herta takes St. Pete
Colton Herta went a solid eight years ignoring any advice about racing cars that came from his father, an actual professional driver.
Sunday on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., in their very first race working together, Herta was listening. He followed the sound of his father’s voice all the way to victory and alongside him on IndyCar’s win list.
Herta raced to his fourth IndyCar victory to match the same total his father, Bryan, achieved over his own 12year career. The son needed just 34 races for his four wins and he begins his third full IndyCar season as a strong title contender.
“Growing up I had a lot of arrogance and I didn’t want to hear anything that my dad had to say,” Herta said. “And then I realized — bigger, faster cars — I learned more about the sport and I was like ‘Hey, he actually knows what he’s talking about.’ ”
Herta started from the pole and led a race-record 97 of the 100 laps to win his first race with Bryan Herta as his race strategist. Andretti Autosport paired the Hertas for the first time this year, dismissing previous fatherson combinations that simply didn’t work in IndyCar.
The win was the first on a street course for the son, who asked his father for permission to do celebratory burnouts. It was granted, but his dad also reminded his son over the radio “wave to your fans” on the victory lap.
Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson finished 22nd out of 24 cars in his second IndyCar race. He brought out two cautions.
Notable
NASCAR is not considering mandating its competitors be vaccinated against COVID-19, and President Steve Phelps said that making it a requirement would be a “slippery slope.”