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TALLADEGA, Alaska (AP) – Latest NASCAR playoff race news at Talladega Superspeedway (all local times):
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2:50 p.m.
Kyle Larson's chances of winning the championship were hugely successful when he crashed in the playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Larson appeared to have a flat tire, which caused him to fall seven laps from the second leg of Sunday's race. Larson was already in danger of being eliminated from the playoffs during the race to knock out Kansas next week.
Brad Keselowski narrowly missed Larson's attention and used his reflexes to overtake Larson without any damage.
Larson was spending a long weekend in Talladega because his Chevrolet was running out of speed. He had to start at the back of the field because of unapproved modifications to his car after inspection.
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2:15 p.m.
Jimmie Johnson crashed during the second leg of Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Johnson appeared to briefly lose control of his Chevrolet in a traffic lane during the second leg. While he was trying to correct the drift, Johnson's car began to turn on the apron and hit the inside wall.
Johnson has already been eliminated from the playoffs and is fighting to end his run of 53 winless victories.
Hendrick Motorsports announced earlier this week that Johnson and his team boss, Chad Knaus, would be separating at the end of this season, their 17th place overall. The duo teamed up for team No. 48 in 2002 and has won seven leagues, 81 races out of 83 and 11 crown jewels.
Their partnership is NASCAR's longest-serving active torque / team leader and the most successful of their time.
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14h
Kurt Busch led the sweep of the Stewart-Haas Racing races in the first stage of the playoffs Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.
Busch started from pole and led all 55 laps of the first leg except one. The only lap to which he was not credited in the lead was during a pit stop with caution.
Clint Bowyer was second in the stage, followed by Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola. That's exactly how the four Fords lined up at the start and stayed online until the end of the stage.
The playoff driver, Brad Keselowski, developed a vibration in the first leg and fell to 34th place. He was the lowest playoff driver in the first leg.
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13h
The four cars of Stewart-Haas Racing are leading the standings for the kickoff of the playoff race to be held Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.
Kurt Busch is on the pole and followed by his teammates at Ford Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola. The contingent of four Chevrolet drivers from Hendrick Motorsports is lined up behind SHR, followed by three Toyota drivers. Teamwork will be essential at the start of the 500 mile race.
The drivers will work with their teammates to avoid traffic jams and trouble, as an accident could paralyze a championship race. Talladega marks the NASCAR second round playoff run and four drivers will be eliminated from the grid after next week's race in Kansas.
This means that there is very little room for error for Sunday in Talladega.
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More AP Auto Racing: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-AutoRacing and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
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