Story By: BRANDON LEE / RFK RACING – TALLADEGA, AL – For the second-straight time at the high banks of Talladega, Brad Keselowski finished second in dramatic fashion, this time by a 0.006 margin in a three-wide photo finish.
Teammate Chris Buescher was the winner of stage one, but was collected in a 28-car incident with three laps remaining to ultimately finish 17th.
“He (Larson) gave me a good push down the frontstrech, but the 24 was able to really stick with the 47 there and just needed a tiny bit,” Keselowski said after the finish. “It’s a good finish for us. We’ve been knocking on the door of these plate tracks. I hate that we didn’t bust through with a win, but I’m happy to be right there in contention.”
6 Recap
Keselowski qualified 13th in Saturday’s single-car session. He found his teammate early, charging to the front of the pack in the first 10 laps. The BuildSubmarines.com Ford led the field back to green at lap 15 following the first pit sequence of the day, one of two times the No. 6 would lead a lap.
As action heated up in stage one, Keselowski ultimately faded off the lead pack, finishing 27th in stage one. He began the second stage from 30th, setting up a green-flag cycle some 20 laps later. When the host of Ford cars hit pit road at lap 83, Keselowski was prevented from entering pit lane, forcing him to pit on the following lap. He finished that stage in 31st, and restarted the final stage from the same position.
Keselowski’s final stop came under green at lap 171 from P7, just before the big crash ensued a handful of laps later. The incident sent the race into NASCAR Overtime with Keselowski in P2 as the finish ended in dramatic fashion at the line.
17 Recap
Buescher’s afternoon began from the 20th position, but he wasted no time advancing towards the front. By lap 11 – the first caution of the day – he was up to fifth just behind teammate Keselowski. He went on to take the lead in the final lap of the opening stage, earning that stage win.
He led the field back to green for stage two after pit stops, and midway through that stage pitted under green from fifth. He went on to finish 18th by lap 120 (stage two end), setting up for the final 60-lap dash to the checkered.
After firing off 13th in stage three, his final pit stop – at the time – came at lap 169. However, a 28-car pileup – the largest in NASCAR’s history – unfolded at lap 183, collecting the No. 17 with front-end damage. The team worked on the NEXLETOL Ford in multiple stops in the laps following, putting Buescher back on track 22nd, before finishing 17th.
Up Next
The ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway plays hosts to the final race in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs next weekend. Race coverage Sunday is set for 2 p.m. ET on NBC, with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).