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TALLADEGA, Alabama – Aric Almirola earned Stewart-Haas Racing an overtime victory at Talladega's Superspeedway, allowing them to automatically qualify for the third round of the NASCAR playoffs.
Almirola was part of the SHR contingent of four cars, untouchable all weekend in Talladega. The four Fords swept the qualifications, won each stage of Sunday's race and used teamwork to get away from the field.
SHR was under control until a warning of three turns sent him into overtime. Then, the fuel pressure light on Kurt Busch's car started to flash, followed by Kevin Harvick's fire. As the peloton headed for the green flag, Harvick lost his chance to win by pulling off the track to get enough fuel to arrive at the finish.
Busch stayed out as leader with Almirola and Clint Bowyer looking for a niche to slip in front of him for the win. Then Busch ran out of gas and beat Almirola for his first win since joining SHR this year as Danica Patrick's replacement.
Almirola thought he won the race last week at Dover until a warning triggered by teammate Bowyer ruined his shot. A week later, he had his checkered flag and his stamp in the round of 16.
"I love running in Talladega and I got on the track thinking we were going to race and we were going to give them hell, and if we did damage we'd do some damage," he said. Almirola said. "And if we win, we win – and we win – what a cool time to do it too."
Bowyer finished second, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in a Roush Fenway Racing Ford.
Busch fainted in 14th place and was furious after the race at NASCAR, which had taken a long time to clean up the track after Bowman 's crash, and then did not launch any. warning in the last lap for a fall at the back of the field after the cars took the white flag. . If NASCAR had issued the warning, Busch could potentially have kept enough speed to win the race.
"There were two calls missed by NASCAR at the end," Busch said. "Why do we have an extra lap with yellow flag [before the final restart] is beyond me – the track was ready to go.
"In the end, once we have crossed the white flag and that there is a wreck and that an ambulance has to be rushed, I've been on the other side of that." and I was doing a race to come back to win the race and they told me: "Well we had to send an ambulance." There were two dead cars in the water there . "
Busch said he thought the rules needed to be stricter at the end of the races.
NASCAR issued an answer for not having issued the warning on the last lap:
"We were closely monitoring each car involved and actively communicating with the observers and safety trucks of Turn 1," NASCAR said in a statement. "All the cars were able to get by with their own power, or signal that they were clear.As always, we strive to make our fans go green for our fans in the stands and at home, what we have done."
UP NEXT: The elimination run of the second round of the playoffs at Kansas Speedway, where Kevin Harvick won in May and Martin Truex Jr. won last October. Harvick, Truex and Kyle Busch have teamed up to win the last five races in Kansas.
The information provided by Bob Pockrass and Associated Press of ESPN have been used in this report.
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