In NASCAR parlance, ‘The Big One’ is the name given to the kinds of large, multi-car crashes that take place on superspeedways. There, speeds are so high and the racing is so contentious that if any driver loses control, it’s likely that he’ll wipe out five or more other cars in the process.
But this weekend, the big crash of the YellaWood 500 came at the very front of the NACAR Cup Series field, making for a new record: The Talladega crash was the biggest ‘Big One’ in the series’ history.
NASCAR at Talladega: ‘The Big One’ takes out 28 cars
With five laps to go in the NASCAR Cup Series’ YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, you’d have been forgiven for assuming you were looking at a demolition derby.
Team Penske’s Austin Cindric was leading the Playoff race off Turn 2 when all hell broke loose. Cindric’s teammate Joey Logano bumped into the rear end of Brad Keselowski, pushing Keselowski up into Cindric.
The No. 2 Ford driver lost control of his machine, hooking him into Ricky Stenhouse Jr. before his car became a moving target that the rest of the NASCAR field had to avoid.
Unfortunately, Cindric’s car collided with both drivers in the third row, kicking off a chain reaction that collected almost every car in the field.
When all was said and done, 28 cars had been involved in the crash — a new NASCAR record.
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“I just got turned at the front of the field,” Cindric said after the race.
“Unfortunately that’s how Daytona ended for us, and I think what that says is we’ve got really fast race cars and great execution.
“As the leader, I was trying to be as predictable as possible as far as taking pushes and it’s just a real shame.”
A shame indeed. Cindric had looked quick all race long, and securing a victory — or even a great overall finish — would have helped him advance to the Round of 8, the final Playoff elimination round before the Championship 4 is decided.
Instead, Cindric now resides 29 points below the transfer cutline, forcing him into a must-win position for the Charlotte Roval coming up this weekend.
At the very least, Cindric isn’t alone on that front. Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, and Chase Briscoe are all currently on the outside of the cut line looking in, with Logano being bumped out of the transfer spot as a result of the late race wreck. Those four drivers will be battling hard at Charlotte to advance.
“The Big One” describes any crash involving six or more cars in a NASCAR event, with the name being coined in the 1990s. Superspeedway races at tracks like Daytona and Talladega are particularly susceptible to massive pile-ups, as the high speeds and the nature of restrictor-plate racing keeps the field bunched up.
The concept, though, has been harshly criticized. Many fans have argued that NASCAR “plays up” these big crashes — using them for advertisements, and even naming a three-pound Talladega hot dog “The Big One.”
But the biggest issue at Talladega concerned NASCAR’s Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP).
The DVP was introduced in 2017; under this policy, a wrecked car can be worked on within a certain time frame. If the driver of the wrecked car is able to return to the track and get up to speed within this time frame, they’ll be allowed to re-join the race.
However, if a driver is towed directly to the pits after an accident, teams are not allowed to repair the car, and the car cannot return to the track. Further, if a driver climbs out of his car, he is discounted from continuing.
While the six-minute clock is often enough time for teams to assess and repair damage, the DVP came under fire again at Talladega. With 28 damaged cars littering the track, it was a challenge for safety crews, drivers, and tow vehicles to assess the damage quickly and to decide whether to bring drivers to the pits (where crews could work on the car) or the garage (which means, effectively, that the car is ‘done’ and will not be allowed back onto the track).
“It’s comical,” Joey Logano said after the race. “When I got out of the car, I saw a bunch of cars that, after a red flag, we’ve been sitting there for 10 minutes, and everybody is sitting there hoping they can roll a little bit. It’s just goofy.”
Chase Briscoe echoed a similar sentiment, saying. “There was a lot of confusion on the backstretch about what to do and how to do it. It was pretty frustrating, to say the least.”
The YellaWood 500 went into overtime, with a handful of cars taking the restart. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took victory.
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