The final laps of the Jack Links 500 at Talladega turned into an intense battle between Ford and Chevy, culminating in a photo finish. Ford drivers Austin Cindric and Ryan Preece managed to hold off Chevy’s Kyle Larson and William Byron to cross the finish line in a nail-biting fashion. Cindric, ending a 30-race winless streak, clinched the victory by a mere yard, or 0.022 seconds on the clock, just edging out Preece as they navigated through lapped traffic.

“That bright yellow car looks great up front. I’m thankful for everyone’s support,” Cindric expressed his gratitude after the race. “Having a photo finish at Talladega, to be able to do it, get in the playoffs in front of this amazing crowd on a beautiful day in Alabama.”

UPDATE: Both Preece and Joey Logano were disqualified post-race. Logano, who finished fifth, and Preece will now be scored in 38th and 39th place, respectively.

The race at Talladega always carries the looming threat of “The Big One,” a massive wreck that can engulf the entire field due to the nature of the high-banked superspeedway. However, this time, with 67 lead changes and 23 different leaders, the Big One did not materialize, leading to a clean and competitive final sprint to the finish line with only four cautions throughout the race.

For the first two stages, the race saw only minor incidents, such as a collision involving Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Ryan Blaney, as well as Christopher Bell hitting the wall after a push from Denny Hamlin. Bell acknowledged that such incidents are part of the racing dynamics with the current rules package.

The early stages saw Larson and Bubba Wallace clinching stage wins, with the field running as wide as four-wide, showcasing intense competition. Apart from a few early mishaps, the race was relatively routine until Joey Logano’s outburst over the team radio regarding Cindric’s strategy.

Logano’s frustration with Cindric’s actions added drama to the race, with Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Anthony Alfredo also leading laps. As the race neared its conclusion, a thrilling battle ensued between Ford’s Cindric and Preece against the Chevy trio of Byron, Larson, and Bowman.

Despite the Chevy drivers opting not to make a move into a third lane due to lapped traffic, Cindric and Preece engaged in a fierce duel for the win, ultimately won by Cindric. Larson expressed his disappointment at not being able to make a move on the final lap.

Byron continues to lead the season standings, with Larson moving into second place. Cindric’s victory propelled him to 15th place in the standings, marking a significant climb. Post-race inspections revealed violations by Preece and Logano’s cars, leading to disqualifications acknowledged by Team Penske.

Team Penske stated, “The No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang was disqualified following post-race inspection at Talladega today. One of the 18 bolts on the surface of the spoiler that connect to the base was found to be loose, and NASCAR penalized the team as a result. This was not intentional and happened throughout the course of the race event. Team Penske accepts the disqualification.”