The streak is over at four.
On Sunday (Oct. 2) at Talladega Superspeedway, in a YellaWood 500 that saw the most lead changes of any NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chase Elliott became the first playoff driver to win his way through into the next round, claiming his fifth win of the season and second of his career at Talladega. The victory ended a run of four consecutive non-playoff winners, with three drivers who failed to make the postseason sweeping the Round of 16 and the just-eliminated Tyler Reddick winning last week at Texas Motor Speedway.
Restarting just behind the leaders on the bottom lane with two laps to go, it was a perfectly-timed move to jump to the outside and pick up a push from fellow Chevrolet pilot Erik Jones that gave the second-generation Most Popular Driver the track position and help to mount a charge on the closing lap, pulling past the dominant Ford of Ryan Blaney and blocking him all the way to the checkered flag.
ELLIOTT EDGES BLANEY AT THE LINE TO WIN! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/NOzWSv9WyX
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 2, 2022
Underdog Michael McDowell finished a strong third, with playoff rivals Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin completing the top five. Jones, rookie Todd Gilliland, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe will leave Talladega with solid top-10 runs.
With a shot at a good day for playoff and non-playoff drivers alike, there was fighting at the front all throughout stage one. Polesitter Christopher Bell lost the lead immediately to Aric Almirola, who traded the top spot back and forth with Chastain, Suarez, Jones, Elliott, Kyle Busch and others.
Entering turn one on lap 24, Harrison Burton jumped in front of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the outside lane. Stenhouse moved up to the bumper of the No. 21, sending Burton spinning in the middle of the pack, collecting Joey Logano, Cindric, Noah Gragson (standing in for Alex Bowman in the No. 48), Justin Allgaier (who replaced Gragson in the Beard Motorsports No. 62) and Ty Gibbs.
A push gone wrong.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. gets into the back of Harrison Burton. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/IfOdf9kzax
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 2, 2022
Burton and Gibbs took their cars behind the wall. Both young racers were checked and released from the infield care center, while all other drivers involved were able to continue.
After a caution for Corey LaJoie’s flat right-front tire, Denny Hamlin fended off charges from Cole Custer, Elliott and William…
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