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NASCAR Chevy Driver Finishes Talladega On His Side: Video

The Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on April 21st, 2024 was pretty tame for a superspeedway race – until the last lap, of course. Several NASCAR Chevy drivers got swept up in the melee kicked off by the leaders, including one who crossed the finish line on his side.

On the last lap, Michael McDowell, driver of the No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, had the lead, diving across three lanes of traffic to defend the top spot. However, he made contact with the No. 6 Mustang of Brad Keselowski, sending him spinning across the pack and collecting several cars. The No. 1 Chevy Camaro ZL1 of Ross Chastain piled into the No. 19 Toyota TRD Camry of Martin Truex Jr. as the field unraveled into chaos behind them.

The chain reaction culminated in the No. 7 Camaro of Corey LaJoie being pushed over onto his roof before coming to rest against the outside retaining wall, sliding across the line on his driver’s side before rolling over once more and slamming down onto all four wheels. LaJoie was unharmed in the crash, and was credited with an 18th-place finish. Oddly enough, this was the second time a race car was scored 18th at a superspeedway without any wheels touching the ground – the first time was at Daytona in 2007, when Clint Bowyer crossed the line on his roof.

“I’m good,” LaJoie said after being released from the infield care center. “That was the first flip of my career in a big car. So, 10 out of 10, don’t recommend it. It was a pretty wild ride… Good thing I gave the belts a good old tug with about three [laps] to go, so I didn’t bounce around too much.”

Tyler Reddick survived the crash to win in the No. 45 Camry. The best NASCAR Chevy was Ricky Stenhouse Jr., finishing fourth in the No. 47 Camaro, followed by Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Camaro.

NASCAR Cup Series Race Results, Talladega Superspeedway, April 21, 2024
Finish Start Car Number Driver Team Laps Run Laps Led Car
1 18 45 Tyler Reddick Jordan Brand Toyota 188 13 Toyota TRD Camry
2 22 6 Brad Keselowski Castrol Edge Ford 188 2 Ford Mustang
3 36 10 Noah Gragson Overstock.com Ford 188 5 Ford Mustang
4 33 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Boost/Thomas'/Philadelphia Chevrolet 188 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
5 12 48 Alex Bowman Ally Chevrolet 188 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
6 24 62 * Anthony Alfredo(i) Dude Wipes Chevrolet 188 4 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
7 13 24 William Byron Liberty University Chevrolet 188 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
8 3 38 Todd Gilliland gener8tor Ford 188 0 Ford Mustang
9 19 31 Daniel Hemric Cirkul Chevrolet 188 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
10 16 21 Harrison Burton Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford 188 0 Ford Mustang
11 6 19 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops Toyota 188 16 Toyota TRD Camry
12 26 14 Chase Briscoe Mahindra Tractors Ford 188 3 Ford Mustang
13 32 1 Ross Chastain Jockey Outdoors by Luke Bryan Chevrolet 188 6 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
14 11 41 Ryan Preece United Rentals Ford 188 0 Ford Mustang
15 9 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 188 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
16 29 4 Josh Berry # Overstock.com Ford 188 3 Ford Mustang
17 35 77 Carson Hocevar # Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet 188 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
18 31 7 Corey LaJoie Gainbridge Chevrolet 188 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
19 7 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 188 22 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
20 21 12 Ryan Blaney Wabash Ford 188 1 Ford Mustang
21 38 5 Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 188 0 Ford Mustang
22 15 54 Ty Gibbs Monster Energy Toyota 188 1 Toyota TRD Camry
23 2 2 Austin Cindric Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford 188 16 Ford Mustang
24 34 15 Cody Ware Jacob Construction Ford 188 0 Ford Mustang
25 8 17 Chris Buescher Fastenal Ford 188 6 Ford Mustang
26 25 99 Daniel Suarez Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet 188 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
27 4 8 Kyle Busch Cheddar's Chevrolet 188 4 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
28 17 16 Shane Van Gisbergen(i) Wendy's Chevrolet 188 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
29 30 71 Zane Smith # Focused Health Chevrolet 188 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
30 5 3 Austin Dillon Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet 188 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
31 1 34 Michael McDowell Love's Travel Stops Ford 187 36 Ford Mustang
32 37 78 * BJ McLeod(i) Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet 187 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
33 20 42 John Hunter Nemechek AdventHealth Toyota 184 20 Toyota TRD Camry
34 27 51 Justin Haley Parts Plus Ford 184 4 Ford Mustang
35 28 43 Erik Jones Family Dollar Toyota 154 0 Toyota TRD Camry
36 14 23 Bubba Wallace Leidos Toyota 154 0 Toyota TRD Camry
37 23 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ultimate Fan Contest Toyota 154 4 Toyota TRD Camry
38 10 20 Christopher Bell Mobil 1 Toyota 132 0 Toyota TRD Camry

# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver

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Alexandra is a Colorado-based journalist with a passion for all things involving horsepower, be it automotive or equestrian.

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