TALLADEGA, AL — The NASCAR Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway came to an abrupt stop after a violent late crash sent Joey Logano’s car upside down and left multiple drivers shaken. The red flag came out with five laps remaining as safety crews rushed to turn Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford back onto its wheels.
Logano was racing for the lead when contact in the tri-oval unsettled his car. After getting a bump, he lost control, spun up the track and, with additional contact from Carson Hocevar, flipped fully over. His car slid across the track on its roof, but no other car struck him while he was upside down.
Late-race contact in the tri-oval triggers the biggest wreck
The crash started when Logano became slightly sideways in the tri-oval as the field fought for position at the front. That small mistake quickly escalated into one of the most dangerous moments of the day at Talladega, where pack racing leaves little room for error and even a slight shove can change the outcome instantly.
Once Logano turned back up the track, the field behind him had almost no time to react. The sequence ended with his car rotating onto its roof and sliding through the chaos. NASCAR officials stopped the race immediately, and the scene became a scramble for crews, wrecked cars and drivers trying to understand what had happened around them.
The pileup reached far beyond the front of the field. At least 15 cars were damaged in the incident, underscoring how quickly one wreck can spread through a superspeedway draft and collect competitors across several lanes of traffic.
Riley Herbst slams the inside wall after his brakes fail
Riley Herbst was also caught in the wreck and took a hard hit of his own. After crashing into the outside wall, he appeared to have no brakes and then slammed the inside wall with significant force. He climbed out gingerly afterward, and it was clear the impact had knocked the wind out of him.
Herbst later appeared with a cast on his left wrist and told NBC that he was okay. He thanked 23XI and Toyota for their support and said the year had been a difficult one. He said the team had a shot at the end, but the car got shuffled out before he was caught in the Talladega wreck.
Herbst was among the drivers checked at the infield care center and released after the crash. His comments reflected the mix of frustration and relief that often follows a superspeedway pileup, where a strong run can vanish in an instant when the pack breaks apart.
Logano says the safety response made the difference
After being checked, Logano described the flip as one of the most alarming moments of the race and said he had not yet seen the replay before talking to reporters. Watching the sequence later, he said the bump in the tri-oval appeared to put him in the wrong spot at the worst possible time.
He called it a classic Talladega moment and said that once he realized he was upside down, he knew the situation was serious. Logano also praised the safety crew for quickly getting the car turned over and getting him out safely after several hard hits.
Logano said the car performed well in the wreck and noted that the roll cage did not appear to crush, unlike in a previous flip he experienced. His final takeaway was blunt: he said he was just happy to be alive after the crash.
All drivers involved were evaluated and released after the wreck
Logano, Herbst and the other drivers involved were checked at the infield care center and later released. That included a long list of competitors caught in the aftermath, among them Hocevar, Austin Cindric, Brad Keselowski, Daniel Suarez, AJ Allmendinger, Chris Buescher, Chase Briscoe, Harrison Burton, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Alex Bowman, Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen.
The size of the list showed how deep the wreck reached into the field once the cars stacked up at speed. Talladega’s drafting style often produces big accidents, but this one stood out for the violent flip, the hard wall impact and the number of cars left damaged across the track.
Even with the severity of the crash, the immediate medical evaluations brought some relief after a frightening scene. The race resumed after the delay, but the focus for many observers remained on the condition of the drivers and the force of the impact.
Kyle Larson takes the win after a chaotic Talladega finish
Once the wreck was cleared and the race continued, Kyle Larson emerged as the winner of the wild Talladega event. He charged from 11th on the final lap to secure the victory in a finish that contrasted sharply with the danger and confusion that had just unfolded in the final laps.
The race again showed why Talladega remains one of NASCAR’s most unpredictable venues. A late battle for position can turn into a major accident in seconds, and even experienced drivers can be swept into trouble when the pack compresses near the end of the race.
For Logano, the result was secondary to the ordeal itself. The crash turned a front-running run into a survival story, and his comments after the race made clear that the outcome could have been far worse.
