Race: Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
Track Specs: 2.66-mile superspeedway / 188 laps
Weather: Cloudy, 80 degrees
Race Winner: Brad Keselowski
Dale Jr.’s Finish: 40th
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s defense of his 2015 Talladega victory did not go as planned as a pair of accidents left the six-time Dega winner with a 40th-place finish. The result drops Earnhardt one spot Earnhardt to eighth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings through 10 races.
From the start of the race, Earnhardt told his crew that the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet was too tight and that his splitter was making contact with the track as he tried to claw his way to the front of the pack. Crew chief Greg Ives attempted to remedy the car’s handling under a green-flag pit stop at lap 39.
Shortly after the pit stop, Earnhardt reported the same handling characteristics with his No. 88 machine. At lap 50, while racing inside the top 15, the No. 88 broke loose in turn two and collected several other cars.
The Nationwide crew went to work, exacting repairs to the No. 88 car and sent Earnhardt back on track 46 laps down.
At lap 110, Carl Edwards’ No. 19 car blew a right-front tire and shot his car up the race track into Earnhardt’s Chevrolet. The hard impact was enough to end the 88 team’s afternoon. Earnhardt was released from the track’s infield care center.
Brad Keselowski earned his second win of the season followed by Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Jamie McMurray and Chase Elliott.