TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — In a battle of Ford drivers in which the blue oval was determined to find its way to victory lane, Ryan Blaney held off Kevin Harvick at the Talladega Superspeedway finish line as Blaney advanced into the round of eight of NASCAR's playoffs.
Harvick, who is retiring at the end of the year, remained winless on the season and was disqualified after the race when his car failed inspection.
Harvick crossed the finish line .012-seconds behind Blaney, as his winless streak stretched to 43 races dating back to last season. NASCAR said nearly two hours after the race that his Ford had been disqualified because the fasteners on his windshield were not secure.
The Harvick disqualification dropped him to last in the field.
The race had 70 lead changes among 24 drivers and was fairly clean. Ross Chastain was in an early crash that caused last year's championship runner-up to finish last. Brad Keselowski was in a later crash with 28 laps to go that ended the race for him, caused damage to Talladega's outer wall and stopped all action under a red flag.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
Even though he crashed and finished 32nd, Keselowski remained two points above the cutline headed to Charlotte's elimination race.
The four drivers in jeopardy of elimination are Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing, Chastain of Trackhouse Racing, Bubba Wallace of 23XI and Kyle Busch of Richard Childress Racing. Busch must win to advance.
Wallace had a lengthy post-race chat with 23XI co-owner Michael Jordan on pit road following his 23rd-place finish. Jordan appeared to be encouraging him, at one point placing his hand on the back of Wallace's neck and then shoulder, then pulling him in for a hug.
CHASTAIN CRASHES OUT
Chastain, who finished second to Joey Logano last year in the championship race, finished one spot ahead of Harvick after a collision with fellow title contenders Busch and Christopher Bell on the final lap of the first stage.
Chastain entered Talladega, the middle race of the round of 12, ranked sixth in the Cup standings and 12 points above the cutline. His last-place finish dropped him below the cutline and forced him into a high-pressure situation next week on The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Chastain has struggled in his four previous starts on Charlotte's hybrid road course/oval track. His best finish is 22nd.
“Left and right,” he said when asked how he expects next week to go. “I'm living my dream, so whatever our team brings next week, we'll put our best foot forward. As long as I'm getting to drive these rocket ships that Trackhouse brings me, I'm living my dream and we'll keep fighting.”
UP NEXT
NASCAR races next Sunday on the infield road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Christopher Bell won last year to avoid playoff elimination.
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