Matt DiBenedetto Wins 1st NASCAR Race At Talladega

Matt DiBenedetto won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ Chevy Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, Oct. 1.

DiBenedetto won after the caution flag came out during overtime on the last lap. Corey Heim got hit from behind by Tyler Ankrum and came back down into the field to bring out the final yellow flag.

Bret Holmes crossed the finish line first, but after a few minutes, NASCAR declared DiBenedetto the winner at Talladega as he was leading when the caution lights came on. It’s DiBenedetto’s first win across all three NASCAR national series.

Some wild moments occurred during the race, starting off near the end of stage one.

Jordan Anderson’s truck caught fire while he was in the top 10. He tried to slow down enough to get out, and as he started to climb out, his truck hit the inside wall. He was airlifted to a local hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, after suffering some burns, his crew chief told FOX Sports. NASCAR later told FOX Sports he was awake and alert.

NASCAR reports that Jordan Anderson is awake and alert after this scary crash at Talladega. pic.twitter.com/z3qe4VpWWz

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 1, 2022

Stage one ended under caution, and John Hunter Nemechek took maximum stage points as the leader.

Shortly after stage two started, Colby Howard blew a tire and spun, bringing out the caution. No harm was done though, and he pitted and got fresh tires.

Then, Lawless Alan cut a tire and darted hard into the outside wall. Bryan Dauzat also had some damage to the front of his truck, as did Alan’s Niece Motorsports teammate Carson Hocevar. However, the latter’s damage was from a piece of debris that wedged in the nose of his No. 42. His team worked hard to get the debris out, and he eventually got up to the front of the field.

Stage two was won by Chandler Smith, but not before he incurred damage to the rear of his truck. On the final lap of the stage, Zane Smith blew a tire and also had some right rear damage.

Varying pit strategies separated the early front runners, allowing for someone like Holmes to get up front and lead a few laps. Unfortunately, he got shoved out of the bottom lane into the middle and fell back. Christian Eckes and Hocevar also fought for the lead in both lanes.

As much of the field went down pit road around lap 63, Hailie Deegan came in too hot into her pit stall and a tire carrier fell down. As a result, the tire rolled off into the grass, and after the remaining trucks passed…