Clint Bowyer won Sunday’s Amp Energy Juice 500 after a chaotic finish at Talladega Superspeedway.
Bowyer edged his Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick for the lead just before NASCAR displayed the caution flag on the final lap for a five-car accident on the frontstretch. A.J. Allmendinger’s car got airborne and flipped upside down on the track before it rolled back over. Allmendinger was not injured.
After the 500-mile race ended under caution, it took NASCAR several minutes to determine a winner. Officials reviewed replays and then credited Bowyer with the victory.
Bowyer, who is one of the 12 drivers in the championship Chase, picked up his second win of the season and the fourth of his Sprint Cup Series career. He won the first race in the Chase last month at New Hampshire. However, Bowyer was penalized 150 points after his New Hampshire-winning car failed post-race inspection. MiamiHerald.com
Bowyer and Kevin Harvick were side-by-side for the lead, and both believed they had a rightful claim to the crown as the cars slowed back to the start/finish stripe. The two teammates then pulled down onto the apron in Turn 1, with Harvick sitting and watching Bowyer’s burnout.
“You know, it was so close because we didn’t know where the caution had come out,” Harvick said. “I was pretty confident that I beat him to the start/finish line. But you just never know where the caution flew.
“Heck, I honestly didn’t even know the caution was out until halfway through Turns 1 and 2. They probably told me on the radio. But at that point you’re so in tune with what’s going on, trying to focus on when you got a guy behind you pushing you. You got to hold the wheel straight.”
The two drove close enough to each other to exchange handshakes, all the time awaiting a ruling from the sanctioning body. Bowyer eventually drove down pit road, getting congratulations from several crewmembers before the verdict was finally announced. NASCAR.com
Interim crew chief Scott Miller, filling in for Shane Wilson, who was suspended because of the New Hampshire violation, said Bowyer “did a fantastic job of putting himself in position to win. We tested the waters all day long to see what would work and what wouldn’t work.
“The key to everything today was having a fast race car and him putting himself in the right position to be able to win a race.”
Childress said visiting victory lane Sunday “brought back memories of 10 years ago when Dale Earnhardt won the race.” That win was the last of Earnhardt’s career. FOX News
Juan Pablo Montoya, the pole sitter, finished third, while David Reutimann and Joey Logano rounded out the top-five. Martin Truex Jr. was sixth.
Jimmie Johnson was scored in seventh place and took a 14-point lead over Denny Hamlin, who overcame a one-lap deficit to finish ninth. Harvick moved to within 38 points of Johnson, which makes it the closest Chase points battle with three races to go.
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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Amp Energy Juice 500 at Talladega - Race Results
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