Tyler Reddick crossed the finish line first in the #8 car after a drama-filled NASCAR AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 in Texas.
It was career win number three for Reddick in the Chevrolet but the race around Texas Motor Speedway was defined by chaos.
It included 16 Caution flags waved, a red flag delay and a violent head-on crash that saw Cody Ware taken to infield medical care centre after his car hit the wall on pit road. Ware has been released from the medical centre.
Reddick’s victory came after nearly six hours of racing in the Texas afternoon, beginning at 15:30 (local time) with the Texas sun beaming down on the grid.
The weather conditions varied greatly throughout the stages, the track cooling down 20 degrees between Stage 1 to Stage 3 which saw drivers sliding around the Speedway and there was a lengthy delay with lightning and rain, Stage 3 getting away just after 19:45.
Kyle Larson took the win of Stage 1, whilst three Caution flags were waved in the opening 57 laps with the first being brought out by Martin Truex Jnr, who slid coming into Turn 4.
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Kyle Busch was the next to spin and he went into the wall on Lap 50, continuing the bad luck for the #18 driver within the playoff races.
Alex Bowman was the next playoff contender to bring the Caution out, making contact with the wall while running in eighth position, whilst Christopher Bell also had a ruined playoff race due to tyre issues in Stage 2.
It was Ryan Blaney who won Stage 2, his fifth stage win in Texas.
Chase Elliott in the #9 had a right-rear issue and had fire burning on the right side of his car. Elliott was the playoff leader coming into this race and was leading the stage before his weekend ended.
Both Kevin Harvick and Erik Jones collided the wall early into the Stage 3 restart, but the talk of the ending stage was the drama between Denny Hamlin and William Byron.
The #24 made contact with Hamlin under the Caution flag, then the Joe Gibbs Racing driver retaliated with knocking into Bryon’s car and driving nose to bumper all through the back straight, payback for their earlier contact at the later part of Stage 2.
The chaos between the two continued over each radio, the contact being reviewed at post-race with no penalty for either driver.
NASCAR will be back at Talladega SuperSpeedway on October 2 (local time) for the YellaWood 500.
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