The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season has been filled with close finishes all year long and Sunday’s Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway provided another classic moment.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was battling Brad Keselowski, William Byron and Kyle Larson for the lead on the final overtime lap. As the pack made its way onto the frontstretch, Byron appeared to give Stenhouse the push he needed to get out into first place.
Byron attempted to make it three-wide as the drivers neared the start-finish line, but he was a little too late. Stenhouse crossed the line in first place with Keselowski and Byron behind him.
“This team has put a lot of hard work in. Obviously, we haven’t won since the 500 in 2023,” Stenhouse said afterward, per NBC Sports. “It’s been an up-and-down season. It was a lot of hard work just trying to find a little bit of speed, but we knew this was a track one ours to come get. So, for all of our Southern Mississippi people, appreciate you all coming.
“This means a lot, winning here.”
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Stenhouse won by 0.006 seconds, according to NASCAR. Keselowski finished in second place and Byron was in third. Kyle Larson and Erik Jones rounded out the top five.
Christopher Bell, Justin Haley, Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin completed the top 10. Chris Buescher won Stage 1 and Austin Cindric won Stage 2.
Byron and Larson finishing in the top five helped their playoff standing. Byron was in first place coming into the race and Larson was third. Byron locked in his Round of 8 spot.
Bell’s sixth-place finish also increased his chance at making the cut before the field narrows down to eight drivers.
Cindric, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano were all involved in wrecks. Daniel Suarez also had car troubles and finished in 26th while Chase Briscoe finished in 30th.
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