Allmendinger gets 1st Indy win in crash-marred Brickyard 200

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — AJ Allmendinger took vantage of 2 frightening multi-car crashes, the person getting spun retired and a punishment — each successful the last 5 laps — to triumph the Brickyard 200 connected Sunday astatine Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Making lone his 2nd NASCAR Cup commencement of the season, the 39-year-old Allmendinger raced to his 2nd vocation Cup triumph and gave Kaulig Racing its archetypal triumph successful lone the organization’s seventh bid start.

But the 0.929-second triumph implicit Ryan Blaney successful the archetypal Cup contention connected the 14-turn, 2.439-mile roadworthy people was marred by 2 immense pileups that brought retired reddish flags.

The archetypal came with 5 laps to go, starting erstwhile pole-winning operator William Byron went implicit the curbing successful the 5th crook and was sent disconnected the course. Eight much drivers rapidly followed him, instantly bringing retired a yellowish and yet a reddish flag.

“It was truthful weird, I’ve ne'er had that acquisition before,” Byron said, saying helium archetypal noticed the occupation erstwhile Kyle Larson went done the conception conscionable up of him. “I nailed thing and tore it up.”

Track workers, who had been tending to the chicane passim the race, yet removed it and towed it distant arsenic fans cheered. Even Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles walked onto the way successful a suit and tie, grabbed a broom and helped cleanable the area.

When the engines restarted, cipher was definite what to expect oregon however to navigate the altered turn. A fewer moments later, 7 much cars crashed successful the aforesaid spot and again the contention was halted.

NASCAR officials did not instantly study immoderate important injuries.

Organizers made 1 modification to the way overnight — removing a “turtle” successful the sixth crook that had caused immoderate occupation during Saturday’s doubleheader. But it was the 5th crook that became problematic Sunday.

Some wondered whether fatigue from 3 days of practice, qualifying and racing connected the aforesaid people could person led to the deterioration of the curbing.

Drivers refused to speculate.

“I don’t judge successful luck but I consciousness similar that was atrocious luck,” Joey Logano said. “Wrong place, incorrect time. I went astir arsenic a passenger, knowing what was going to happen.”

It wasn’t conscionable the crashes.

Denny Hamlin had the pb with 2 laps to spell and appeared headed toward triumph erstwhile Chase Briscoe’s second-place car went skittering done the writer betwixt the archetypal 2 turns. The 2 cars raced side-by-side concisely earlier Hamlin pulled somewhat up heading into the 10th turn.

That’s wherever Briscoe, who said helium was unaware helium had been penalized, spun retired Hamlin.

“Just a deficiency of awareness,” Hamlin said. “I conscionable wanted him to contention maine for a lap. I don’t deliberation helium did it maliciously He’s not that benignant of person. This conscionable turned everything upside down.”

Even earlier the crashes, though, this contention looked much similar short-track event.

At 1 point, Brad Keselowski deed a factual partition and pitted with the backmost portion of his car dragging. At another, way workers pulled a 3-foot conception of metallic retired from underneath curbing. Several cars utilized duct portion to support parts unneurotic and portion immoderate drivers inadvertently drove disconnected course, others were sent spinning. Following the large melee, determination was harm up and down the stopped car line.

Somehow, though, Allmendinger made his mode to the front.

“It was conscionable endurance of the fittest,” helium said. “We astir apt had an eighth to 15th spot car. Those restarts were conscionable insane.”

Allmendinger besides won a road-course contention astatine Road America successful 2013.

Larson took the points pb from Hamlin by finishing third, 1 time aft winning the Knoxville Nationals. Hamlin coiled up 23rd.

Tyler Reddick won the archetypal 2 stages, gaining important points toward a playoff spot. He bushed Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon to the gait of bricks some times with Dillon finishing 3rd successful the archetypal signifier and moving up 1 spot successful the second.

UP NEXT

After back-to-back roadworthy races, the Cup circuit returns to an oval adjacent Sunday astatine Michigan International Speedway.