NASCAR race at Talladega live updates: Chase Elliott earns fifth win of season

Talladega Superspeedway is one of those racetracks that draws a huge audience because, as the saying goes, “anyone can win” there. But who will win today?

NASCAR reporter Alex Zietlow will be passing along live updates from the NASCAR Cup Series race today in the section below. Refresh this page for the latest news. Full results will be posted after the race.

Unofficial results

Live updates: YellaWood 500 at Talladega

Stage 3

Lap 188: Chase Elliott is your winner with a great move on the restart and final lap.

Lap 185: We go back to green at one of the most interesting (and dangerous) tracks to restart in a virtual green-white-checker finish. Erik Jones was actually judged to be the leader here as the yellow flashed earlier, so Jones and then Blaney lead the field to the green. Michael McDowell, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott and Todd Gilliland are next in line, though that will matter little after the field splits for the restart.

Lap 183: CAUTION! Things will slow down here as the yellow flag waves. Ryan Blaney is in the lead as the flag waves for the 16 car who stalled at the very tail end of the pit boxes. It’s not an ideal scenario, but any teams worried about gas longevity are likely breathing a bit easier. When the green waves, we should have three to go here. Meanwhile, the 16 gets a push out of the way.

Lap 182: The inside line has finally worked its way back to the front of the race, and Erik Jones led the charge. He’s sitting in front for now with six laps to go. Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain remain glued to the front of the high line.

Lap 178: With 10 laps to go here, nothing still coming of all of the minor maneuvering near the front. There will be a mad dash to the front here, which could get dicey, in the final 10 laps as drivers jockey for important playoff points. But for now, Blaney’s content to lead the line on the high side. The low line is about eight cars back.

Lap 174: Ryan Blaney remains in front after a nice block on Ross Chastain here for the lead. Erik Jones and Michael McDowell are next in line, but the jockeying for position right there at the front has been incredible. Now up to 54 lead changes today, with 17... yep, 17... different drivers having led at least a lap.

Lap 168: With just 20 laps to go, the strategies are going to be interesting here. Will the leaders push hard to stay up there? How worried are the middle-of-the-packers about a wreck here as the intensity ramps up? Ryan Blaney maintains the lead (which today is rare given the record number of lead changes we’ve seen). Ross Chastain remains glued to his bumper for now. Four Fords, two Chevys in the Top 6.

Lap 162: Ryan Blaney takes fuel only and emerges from pit road as the leader. The rest of the field takes a pit stop here. Important update, too: Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick are penalized for entering pit road too fast. As field cycles out: Blaney still leads; Ross Chastain and Erik Jones follows closely behind.

Lap 159: We have 29 to go here in Talladega, and we’re in single file toward the bottom of the track again. Critical pit stops incoming. Ryan Blaney leads the pack, followed closely by Brad Keselowski, Todd Gilliland and Kevin Harvick.

Lap 142: An update: Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Todd Gilliland and Kevin Harvick make up Top 5, all staying in the outside draft line.

Lap 121: Drivers pit under caution. Final stage is about to go green. Talladega has seen some clean racing — really only one wreck early in Stage 1 has infected this year’s run — but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been aggressive driving. There’s been a lot of action particularly toward the front of the pack.

Stage 2

Lap 120: Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott are working together well, building great momentum on the bottom line. Tyler Reddick, leading the outside line, has to bail to the outside because he ran out of fuel. Elliott, on the final stretch of the final Stage 2 lap, defects from the inside line and seizes the lead and edges Larson. Masterful driving from Elliott. Stage 2 point-getters, in order: Elliott, Justin Haley, Larson, Daniel Suarez, Erick Jones, Ross Chastain, Landon Cassill, Chris Buescher, Daniel Hemric and Chase Briscoe. (Eight of the 10 drivers who finished in the Top 10 are Chevys. Buscher and Briscoe drive Fords.)

Lap 104: With 17 to go in Stage 2, the entire field has gone on and off pit road, and Tyler Reddick is leading the field. The No. 8 car won last weekend’s race at Texas.

Lap 100: Talladega is now single-file as different cars elect to go down pit road. Christopher Bell has a tire split in half and spins out as he goes into pit road. No contact with any wall (just barely) or other car. Very lucky. The pole winner will be penalized for speeding entering pit road, but Bell will take that as opposed to a broken toe link or worse.

Lap 92: We’ve hit a groove. Aric Almirola, Kevin Harvick, Todd Gilliland, Kyle Larson and Erik Jones are running in the Top 5 — and they’re all on the inside line. The question drivers are asking themselves now: When should we hit pit road? A bulky inside line indicates that pit stops are coming soon.

Lap 71: Some aggressive racing has made Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin bail and head to the rear of the pack. Erik Jones, Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola and Kevin Harvick are running Top 4. The outside and inside lines are pretty level.

Lap 65: And we’re green again! Stage 2 begins.

Stage 1

Lap 60: HUGE run coming off Turn 4 for Ryan Blaney, who uses the momentum from the outside line to claim a Stage 1 win over Denny Hamlin. Less than two feet separated Blaney and Hamlin on that photo finish. Fantastic racing under green to end that first stage. Those collecting stage points (in order): Blaney, Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Noah Gragson, Erik Jones.

Lap 57: William Byron and Denny Hamlin... working together? It can’t be. The two drivers were at the center of some controversy last week when Byron wrecked Hamlin under yellow last week. Hamlin and Byron are dueling, but Hamlin is leading the outside line — getting pushed by Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney — and the outside line is the place to be. Three laps to go.

Lap 49: Green again! 11 to go in Stage 1.

Lap 48: Still under caution. Harrison Burton, the driver who got loose and ultimately collected the field to cause the first caution, was released from the infield care center. He was asked how he felt — his rear bumper crashed into the wall, a kind of wreck that’s been under the microscope as safety has surged into the forefront of NASCAR — and the rookie said he “felt fine” and that he was disappointed by the early exit.

Lap 45: Talladega sees its third caution! Corey LaJoie spins out by himself, likely because of a flat right-front tire, and the No. 7 car is pretty beaten up. It’s later reported that he’s done for the day.

Lap 35: An update on positioning as we move into the second half of Stage 1: Chase Elliott leading the inside line and the field, with Daniel Suarez leading the outside line. Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney are also on the inside line. Aric Almirola pushing Suarez. A beautiful chess match of drafting on display.

Lap 25: Caution! A wreck toward the back of the field on Turn 1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. pushes Harrison Burton, who then gets loose and spins out and collects a bunch of cars. Among those cars: Joey Logano’s No. 22. Logano appears to have suffered minimal damage. Second stretch under yellow today. Burton and Ty Gibbs, who was also caught in the carnage, are now out of the race.

Lap 19: Erik Jones and Ross Chastain are trading the lead. Jones has had quite the summer and fall of this NASCAR Cup season. Despite not qualifying for the playoffs, he notched the first win for Petty GMS at Darlington — one that felt redemptive — and has really shined at medium- to long-racetracks.

Lap 12: We’re green again!

Lap 9: Spoke too soon! A caution comes out for debris after Ty Dillon’s right-side window comes off. A few cars enter pit road, almost exclusively taking fuel. Austin Cindric is too fast on pit road and is sent to the rear. (Cindric and his No. 2 car has loved superspeedways this year — with a win at the Daytona 500 and another Top 5 finish at the final regular-season Cup race.)

Lap 7: The Chevys at the front are working together. Erik Jones is pushing Ross Chastain, giving him energy, propelling him and keeping him in front. That’s so far the only experimentation that’s going down at Talladega. The rest of the field is feeling out the racetrack, largely staying in its two lines.

Lap 3: Ross Chastain leads the upper draft line, and Aric Almirola leads the inside line. Almirola is protecting the lead, moving back and forth. Early going Top 10: Chastain, Jones, Almirola, Suarez, Larson, Bell, Elliott, Hamlin, Dillon, Briscoe.

Green flag! 2:06 p.m.: Let’s race!

2:05 p.m.: It’s quite windy at Talladega. Flags blowing a ton. That makes for more turbulent air and only emphasizes the importance of drafting and being on the best draft line.

1:51 p.m.: Pre-race schedule is out. Invocation is set for 1:43 p.m.; the national anthem is set for 1:45 p.m.; the command is scheduled for 1:52 p.m.; and the green flag will drop at 2:04 p.m. (All these times are ET. Talladega is in CT.)

1:45 p.m.: Cars to the rear: Bubba Wallace No. 45 (engine change), Ty Gibbs No. 23 (unapproved adjustment), Tyler Reddick No. 8 (unapproved adjustment), BJ McLeod No. 78 (unapproved adjustment).

1:29 p.m.: The NBC pre-race broadcast devotes virtually all of its first 20 minutes to discussing the Next Gen car’s safety. Crew chief Steve Letarte dissects the car’s parts, explaining in part that the stiffness of the rear bumper has made what look like some back-bumper scrapes feel like violent crashes. The most detrimental wrecks this season — including Kurt Busch’s crash in Pocono and Alex Bowman’s crash last weekend — have involved the wall and the back bumper.

1:05 p.m.: As much as this race is important — what with its Round of 12 playoff implications and all — several drivers took time this weekend to speak out about the safety of the Next Gen car. Some didn’t hide their frustrations: Denny Hamlin, for instance, told reporters on Saturday that the car needed to be “completely redesigned.” Issues with the car have been rehashed a ton this postseason, and the concussion Alex Bowman sustained in Texas (and his subsequent absence in Talladega) only added fuel to that fire. (It’s unfortunate I have to clarify this, but no pun intended.)

12:52 p.m.: Auburn men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl will wave the green flag from the flagstand in this weekend’s Cup race, per a release from earlier this week. He’s one of several college basketball coaches to be part of pre-race ceremonies this NASCAR season: USC women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley drove the pace car at Darlington, and Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo gave the starting command at Michigan.

NASCAR race at Talladega Superspeedway details

• Race: YellaWood 500
• Place: Talladega Superspeedway
• Date: Sunday, Oct. 2
• Time: 2 p.m. ET
• Purse: $8,338,881
• TV: NBC, 1 p.m. ET
• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
• Distance: 500 miles (188 Laps)
• Stages: Stage 1 ends on Lap 60, Stage 2 ends on Lap 120 and Stage 3 ends on Lap 188)
• Track length: 2.66-mile tri-oval

Starting lineup

Cars to the rear: Bubba Wallace No. 45 (engine change), Ty Gibbs No. 23 (unapproved adjustment), Tyler Reddick No. 8 (unapproved adjustment), BJ McLeod No. 78 (unapproved adjustment).

This story was originally published October 2, 2022 at 12:51 PM.

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription