While sparks were flying and bumpers were banging, it looked like Matt DiBenedetto would finally overcome the odds and get to victory lane for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career.
Instead, just like the 2019 Bristol night race, it was Denny Hamlin pulling out front in the waning seconds to steal the victory.
A PHOTO FINISH!@DennyHamlin beats Matt DiBenedetto to WIN at @TalladegaSuperS! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/3iFQPPInUx
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 4, 2020
DiBenedetto – a driver that carries his emotion on his sleeve – was understandably disappointed after the race.
Matt DiBenedetto gets emotional post-race at Talladega. pic.twitter.com/c7r41acsUR
— Matt Mayer (@MayerOfNY) October 4, 2020
NASCAR elected to penalize both DiBenedetto and Chase Elliott after the race for forcing drivers below the yellow line on the white flag lap.
Hamlin went under the yellow line, however, since he was forced there, he was not penalized by NASCAR.
The win is Hamlin’s seventh of the season, and it effectively locks him into the third round of the NASCAR Playoffs along with Las Vegas winner Kurt Busch and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick – who is 68 points above the cutoff.
That means there’s five spots left for the Round of 8 and Sunday’s race at Talladega separated the cutoff drivers.
Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Clint Bowyer, and Aric Almirola are the four drivers sitting behind the cutoff after each of them were involved in accidents throughout the 500-mile race.
Busch, who has been brutally honest about his thoughts that his team wasn’t good enough to advance in the playoffs, said after the race that he hates when he’s right.
Although, it looks relatively cut and dry, the Charlotte Roval has been known to throw screws in races big time. If any of those four drivers win it could bump one of the five drivers currently slated to advance.
The season continues on Sunday when the series heads to the Roval for a 1:30 p.m. CT NBC race next week.
UPDATE: NASCAR has rescinded its penalty called against Chase Elliott and in turn, penalized Chris Buescher for forcing the No. 9 car below the line. Elliott’s finish is now P5 and Buescher is now P22.
NASCAR Talladega 2 Results
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Erik Jones
3. Ty Dillon
4. William Byron
5. Chase Elliott
6. Ryan Newman
7. Tyler Reddick
8. John Hunter Nemechek
9. Brennan Poole
10. Ryan Preece
11. Justin Haley
12. Austin Dillon
13. Quin Houff
14. Alex Bowman
15. Timmy Hill
16. Matt Kenseth
17. Joey Gase
18. Brad Keselowski
19. Cody Ware
20. Kevin Harvick
21. Matt DiBenedetto
22. Chris Buescher
23. Martin Truex Jr.
24. Bubba Wallace
25. Ryan Blaney
26. Joey Logano
27. Kyle Busch
28. Corey LaJoie
29. Jimmie Johnson
30. James Davison
31. Cole Custer
32. Kurt Busch
33. Clint Bowyer
34. Daniel Suarez
35. Brendan Gaughan
36. Michael McDowell
37. Aric Almirola
38. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
39. Christopher Bell
| 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Grid | |||||
| With 1 Second Round Race Remaining | |||||
| Position | Driver | Points | P Pts. | Cutoff | |
| 1 | Kurt Busch | x | 6 | x | |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | x | 54 | x | |
| 3 | Kevin Harvick | 3121 | 67 | +68 | |
| 4 | Chase Elliott | 3097 | 22 | +44 | |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | 3094 | 35 | +41 | |
| 6 | Martin Truex Jr. | 3085 | 17 | +32 | |
| 7 | Alex Bowman | 3075 | 9 | +22 | |
| 8 | Joey Logano | 3074 | 22 | +21 | |
| Playoff Cutoff | |||||
| 9 | Kyle Busch | 3053 | 4 | -21 | |
| 10 | Austin Dillon | 3053 | 5 | -21 | |
| 11 | Clint Bowyer | 3036 | 4 | -38 | |
| 12 | Aric Almirola | 3026 | 5 | -48 | |
