While competitors battled for stage points, the Chevrolets of Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain passed Ryan Blaney just seconds from the finish. Bowman filled the outlet in the center as Blaney moved back, but when the bumpers connected within the all the time treacherous triangle, Blaney's automobile lurched sideways. The No. 12 Penske Ford bounced off Shane van Gisbergen's door before shooting across the track, striking Chastain's No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. Both cars crashed on lines eight and ten. Their race got here to an end and each drivers ended the day equally disillusioned.
“We obviously dropped back quite a bit in track position; I got stuck in lane 4 and it just killed us,” Bowman explained. “Overall, I'm a bit disillusioned with myself. I often made bad moves and broke number 12 [Blaney] just with a foul push. Of course, I used to be just attempting to push him to assist our line on the stage and I just hit him within the flawed spot.
“I hate that I did it. I hate that I made bad decisions and didn't do a superb job today. Frustrated because we had a extremely good Ally Camaro today. The team did a extremely good job and naturally we had moments where we were really good, but when it comes to execution I made too many mistakes and put us in too many bad moments. Of course I hate that I ruined the opposite guys' days too.
Blaney, who’s the defending Cup Series champion, finished thirty ninth and Chastain, who won last weekend at Kansas, finished last. Bowman continued to play and eventually finished sixteenth on the list. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Thanks to an enormous crash within the closing laps, things weren't too dire for Blaney. That leaves Talladega 25 points above the cut line to Bowman's 26.
“48 just ran me over”
Blaney, very frustrated with Bowman, didn't mince his words concerning the incident after he was released from the infield care facility.
“I don't know if he ever picked me up and just drilled me from like three car lengths away,” said Blaney, who ended up only two points shy of the elimination zone. “Worst possible place to do it, so it's pretty stupid of him and he ends up getting away scot-free as usual. This is the end of the day.”
Blaney continued: “I had a sense the eighth was going to occur [Blaney] he would reach out and help Chevy. Of course he wasn't going to assist me, so we ended up inside. I didn't think it was terrible. We'll probably still run fifth or sixth after which forty eighth [Bowman] just ran all the way through me within the tri-oval. It just blew me away. I don't know what he thinks.
