A.J. Allmendinger wins Indy road course Cup race

The inaugural race for the NASCAR Cup Collection on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway highway course seemed poised for an easy end.

However with 9 laps to go within the 82-lap scheduled distance, a particles warning worn out Kyle Larson‘s lead of over 4 seconds on Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott.

And with that, issues bought wild.

Two main crashes in the identical spot on the 14-turn circuit pushed the race into double time beyond regulation. On the second OT try, Chase Briscoe went off track in Flip 1 whereas racing for the lead with Denny Hamlin, was given a stop-and-go penalty for stated infraction, after which turned Hamlin round in Flip 10.

Benefiting from the insanity? A.J. Allmendinger, the full-time Xfinity Collection common for Kaulig Racing who took the lead coming to the white flag and went on to assert his second profession Cup victory.

Ryan Blaney completed second. Larson and Elliott wound up third and fourth, respectively. Matt DiBenedetto accomplished the highest 5.

“That is unbelievable,” Allmendinger instructed NBC Sports activities. “In my wildest desires, I couldn’t think about the way in which that simply performed out. … It was survival of the fittest. We in all probability had, like, an eighth- to Tenth-place automobile. I sped on pit highway. I believed I used to be gonna end twelfth to fifteenth. After which these restarts have been simply insane.

“It’s nice when you’ve gotten a automobile proprietor (Matt Kaulig) that simply says, ‘Go get me trophies.’ He doesn’t care if that factor’s torn up.”

Allmendinger’s automobile wasn’t torn up at race’s finish. However a number of different vehicles have been, due to the 2 late pileups.

Off the restart with six laps to go within the scheduled distance, Martin Truex Jr. spun in Flip 6, however the race stayed inexperienced.

Then one lap later, the within curb protecting Flip 6 got here up. It had already been repaired a number of occasions in the course of the race after items of particles bought caught beneath it.

William Byron hit the curb exhausting and spun out. Different drivers behind him did in order effectively. Some hit the surface boundaries, together with Joey Logano, whose automobile went exhausting right into a tire pack.

The incident introduced out the purple flag for 19 minutes, 13 seconds. Throughout that interval, observe employees eliminated the within curb at Flip 6 and rebuilt the tire pack.

9 drivers have been formally concerned in line with NASCAR. There have been no accidents.

“I’ve by no means had that have – it mainly felt like I hit a wall,” Byron instructed NBC Sports activities. “I got here by means of that nook the identical each single lap. We have been working fourth there behind Larson, and he will get over the curb in the very same spot, and one thing, after he hit it together with his proper rear, it peeled up.

“As quickly as I bought there, I hit one thing and it simply threw me utterly off-line. … I wasn’t off-line in any respect (getting into the flip). I used to be truly protected as a result of I noticed what occurred to (Larson). It seemed like he jumped within the air together with his right-rear (tire), and I used to be like, ‘Let me attempt to get just a little bit additional left.’ Clearly, I simply nailed one thing that simply got here up off the observe. Only a bummer.”

After the race returned to yellow-flag circumstances, James Davison‘s automobile then dropped fluid on the observe. The following clean-up prolonged the race into time beyond regulation.

The primary OT try led to calamity, once more at Flip 6. As Bubba Wallace went off-course, Michael McDowell went airborne over a unique, horizontal curb to the within.

The following, seven-car crash noticed Wallace escape the spinning McDowell (Wallace was then penalized for short-cutting the course). However others, together with Cole Custer and Richard Childress Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon, have been swept up.

This incident introduced out the purple flag once more for 4 minutes, eight seconds. There have been no accidents.

Michael McDowell will get airborne and a number of vehicles are collected in time beyond regulation. #NASCAR x @IMS

📺 NBC
💻 https://t.co/K0jeN99Gw2
📱NBC Sports activities App pic.twitter.com/6LQo4zd7n6

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 15, 2021

That arrange the second OT try, the place Briscoe’s hopes of scoring his first profession Cup victory – one yr after his Xfinity win on the Indy highway course – went awry together with his penalty and conflict with Hamlin.

Hamlin ended up twenty third on the end, three spots forward of the penalized Briscoe in twenty sixth.

The 2 males later met on pit highway to listen to one another out. After they parted methods, Hamlin stated he felt that Briscoe turning him wasn’t intentional, however believed Briscoe confirmed a “lack of expertise” in persevering with to race him after he’d been penalized.

“I don’t assume he was malicious,” Hamlin instructed NBC Sports activities. “I’ve raced with him for a yr now. He’s not that type of individual. However it was simply unhealthy judgment.”

In contrast to Hamlin, who stated he was notified of Briscoe’s penalty “instantly,” Briscoe maintained he didn’t get phrase of it till reaching Flip 10. He then tried to cease there since he didn’t know if “it’d make up for it or not.”

“I get why he was upset,” Briscoe instructed NBC Sports activities. “I might’ve been upset too. However Denny’s been in my scenario the place you’re attempting to go to your first win. He requested why I didn’t wait. I felt that was my greatest alternative to win the race, if I may get beneath him there.

“I knew A.J. was going to be fast both method. I had older tires, so I needed to get going once I may. I’m sorry it ruined his day. That was by no means my intention.”

STAGE 1 WINNER: Tyler Reddick

STAGE 2 WINNER: Tyler Reddick

WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Erik Jones completed seventh to assert his first prime 10 for the reason that Bristol Dust race in March.

WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Hamlin’s greatest alternative to lastly submit a win within the 2021 season glided by the boards within the second OT try. Even so, he was nonetheless capable of clinch a spot within the playoffs on factors.

NOTABLE: Allmendinger’s win was the primary for Kaulig Racing on the Cup degree.

NEXT: Aug. 22 – Michigan Worldwide Speedway (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN)