TALLADEGA, Ala. -- (AP) — The NASCAR Chase race at Talladega Superspeedway has been stopped under the red flag with five laps remaining after a scary wreck involving three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano, whose car went airborne and landed on its roof.
Safety crews needed several minutes to turn Logano's No. 22 Ford back over on its wheels, and Logano was able to climb from the car to cheers from the crowd.
Logano was running in fourth when he lost
control and started a 15-car pileup on the frontstretch that also included Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski, Austin Cindric, Josh Berry and Riley Herbst, who appeared to lose the brakes in his No. 35 Toyota before hitting the inside wall at virtually full speed.
“I just got a push in the wrong spot there,” Logano said. “It was very much a ‘Talladega Nights,’ Oh no, I’m upside down, this is not good’ moment. I can’t thank the safety crew enough. They did an amazing job flipping that thing over.
“The car did a great job. The last time I flipped it was crushed on my head. This time, I don’t think any of the roll cage crushed at all, so I appreciate what NASCAR’s done. Thank you and the safety team for getting me out of there. There was some vicious hits in this one. Just happy to be alive.”
Herbst, who missed a race earlier this season with a head injury, was able to exit his car with help from safety workers. He took a moment to lean against his car before removing his helmet.
Logano is a three-time winner at Talladega. He has been involved in airborne crashes before at the 2.66-mile oval that is infamous for its big crashes.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is leading after 184 of a scheduled 188 laps.
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