In what appears to be the biggest wreck of the season this far, a huge number of drivers found themselves involved in ‘The Big One’ at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend (May 7th).
Taking to the track for the GEICO 500 at one of the most well-known NASCAR tracks in the world, drivers AJ Allmendigner and Chase Elliot connected for a brief moment, but just long enough to trigger a massive crash that tore up a majority of the cars on the track.
Holding in third place at the time, Allmendinger inadvertently turned Elliot from behind and both went airborne in one of the worst multi-car crashes of 2017. Luckily no drivers were hurt in all the commotion, but it was certainly a sight to see for anyone watching at the speedway or during the live broadcast.
With the crash nearly clearing the field, it opened up a spot for several other drivers to chase down the win and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. came out on top. This was his first Cup Series win in more than 150 starts. It also became his team’s (Roush Fenway) first win in 101 races – a dry streak that has been ongoing since 2014.
Speaking about the accident to FOX Sports NASCAR, racing veteran Allmendinger opened up about what started the crash.
“Once I got to Chase (Elliott), I got loose. I barely tapped him,” He said. “And then I tried to get off him but at that point it was too late. It was just one of those things battling for the lead. … I hated that happened, but it’s Talladega. I’m not a big fan of it, but if you’re up front and you’ve got a chance to go for it, racing happens I guess, here.”
What do you think of the massive crash? Let us know in the comments.
Watch the full coverage from FOX Sports NASCAR on ‘The Big One’ at Talladega in the video below.