NASCAR officials issued seven pit-road speeding penalties during Sunday’s Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, with Kyle Busch among the drivers caught exceeding the limit. Other drivers penalized included Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Daniel Suárez, Ross Chastain, and Harrison Burton, according to NASCAR’s official post-race report. The infractions occurred during green-flag pit cycles, a critical point in a race where pit strategy played a decisive role.
The race, the Jack Link’s 500, was won by Austin Cindric in a photo finish, edging the field by just .022 seconds. It marked Cindric’s third career NASCAR Cup Series victory. The race featured just four cautions across 188 laps, forcing drivers to make most of their pit stops under green-flag conditions, where the margin for error is small.
Brad Keselowski described pit entry during green-flag cycles as “a stack of guys trying to come to pit road as fast as they could,” highlighting the pressure teams faced. The urgency led to a collision between Busch and Keselowski as they attempted to slow for pit road during the first cycle of green-flag stops. That incident triggered the first caution of the afternoon and ended both drivers’ races early.
Busch’s pit-road speeding penalty occurred moments before his contact with Keselowski, compounding his difficulties. Despite their speeding penalties, Kyle Larson recovered to finish second, while Chase Elliott fought back to earn a fifth-place finish. However, the other penalized drivers were unable to regain lost track position and fell out of contention as the race progressed.
Under NASCAR regulations, each pit-road speeding penalty resulted in a pass-through under green, causing significant time loss and impacting race strategies. Overall, the race featured 67 lead changes among 23 different drivers, demonstrating the competitive nature of Talladega’s high-speed drafting environment. Pit-road discipline ultimately played a major role in deciding the outcome.
Ryan Preece, who initially crossed the line second, was disqualified after post-race inspection, reshuffling the final results. For teams and drivers, Sunday’s penalties served as a reminder that precision on pit road remains as critical as speed on the track.
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