Race for the Championship (2022–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Talladega Frights - full transcript
Take one of the greatest
concrete short tracks
in the world and turn it
into a premier dirt track.
Dirt racing is
how NASCAR began,
and Bristol represents really
the roots of this sport.
For some, it
brings them back home
to what they did growing up.
But for some, it takes them so
far out of their comfort zone.
250 laps of a half mile
dirt racetrack. That's...
Absolutely nuts, whether
you're watching it
or you're driving.
Dirt and mud really
kind of forced me out
of my comfort zone.
Your cars don't handle great.
You're running them on the edge.
It's tough to compete.
Something's got to give.
The Ultimate's a race I
wish I could have back.
My initial reaction
when people ask me how being a dad
has changed me is to
kind of shrug it off.
I've heard people say, you
know, once you have kids,
you won't take as many
chances on the track.
I... ing actually
want the opposite way,
mostly because I'm a
contrarian and I hate
when people say stuff like that,
and I wanted to prove
them wrong so bad.
Brad Keselowski,
driver number six
and team owner of RFK Racing.
Most of my full time career
has been with Roger Penske,
driving the number two car.
What Brad did to Penske
doesn't get talked about enough.
He was instrumental
in really revitalizing
that NASCAR program,
lifting it up to the
heights they are now.
Brad Keselowski is
our 2012 Sprint Cup Series champ.
Had a lot of
success with Team Penske.
Now, onto the next endeavor.
He has jumped into
the ownership pool.
He's kind of taking the
legacy of Roush Fenway,
and now it's Roush
Fenway Keselowski.
So, he's put his name
on a championship team.
There was some promise
of potential, but so far,
that promise of potential
really hasn't been met.
We got trouble!
It's Brad Keselowski!
He's sideways!
There's a lot of pressure
on Brad to go in,
make a difference, and
start getting results.
My earliest memories
are traveling
to the racetrack with my dad.
My dad wasn't known
for having fun.
He was known for being
a very serious racer.
He looked at it as the way
he providing for his family.
Coming
from a racing family,
the biggest advantage was
just knowing the process
that it would take to be aware.
The cons are you're not a
very well-rounded person,
and you define yourself
off of one very small thing,
which is winning or losing.
I owe so
much to motorsports
and to my dad for
starting that passion.
With every accomplishment
that I had in motorsports,
I'd really hope that it would
draw me closer to my dad,
and it never really did.
He was just a really simple man.
He valued, you know,
physical labor.
He just ground every
day, his whole life.
So I had a lot of motivations
to be a motor sports
outside of my dad.
You know, I can't say that
owning the team is something
I did just to impress my dad,
but it certainly was part of it.
Brad Keselowski's first season
as a driver owner started off
really well at Daytona
with winning the duel.
He's an owner now
and he's headed to Victory Lane.
Brad Keselowski
has scored the win.
Everybody was like,
"Wow, look at the difference
Brad's making."
But then once
everybody left Daytona,
it was a struggle on some
days to get in the top 20.
They had struggled mightily.
Then they get hit with this
absolutely detrimental penalty
for an illegal
parts modification.
With a next gen car,
you are not allowed
to make any changes to
single source supplied parts,
and NASCAR wanted to
send a clear message.
That penalty
essentially has made it
to where if he doesn't win,
he's not going to
make the playoffs.
Missing the playoffs
would be a huge disappointment.
Not winning a race would
be a bigger disappointment.
I'm Ricky Stenhouse
Jr. Drive the number 47
for JTG Daugherty Racing.
Go! Come on!
Whether it be NASCAR
or short track racing,
I just want to get out
and compete and win races.
When I came in to
stock car racing,
I had no idea what I was doing.
Ricky's a dirt guy. I mean, he
comes from a dirt background.
He's run dirt races many
years. A lot of success.
What did you think when
I rolled the bottom
of one or two? I actually
felt pretty good.
Yeah.
I'm very proud of him, not
only as a race car driver,
but just as a son,
hopefully a father to be.
You know, I watched
my dad raise sprint cars,
you know, from the time
I was six weeks old
until I got in a sprint
car at 15 years old.
So, you know, us
working together again
reminds me of when, you
know, I started racing.
Every opportunity
that came along,
he capitalized on it and
he's never wavered from that.
This season, it's been
wreckers or checkers for Ricky.
We either see maybe top ten,
top 15, or they're
not in the picture.
Oh, crash!
Stenhouse in the wall.
The 2022 season's been
up, down, sideways.
Had a freaking
tire go down again.
JTG and Ricky Stenhouse
Jr... They're a smaller team.
Their resources aren't
like those of Hendricks,
aren't like those of James.
So, you're not going to be able
to take your shot every week
when you're a one car
organization like they are.
But Bristol Dirt, that's
where I would look to see JTG
really kind of shine and
have opportunity to win.
Bristol's my favorite
racetrack by far, dirt or concrete.
I know I'm going
to have a good run.
He darn near won
the race last year.
Finished second.
Stenhouse
sends it in,
but Logano is going to win
the dirt race at Bristol.
You win a race and it
puts you in the playoffs.
So, for me personally,
that's still the goal.
It's race day
at Bristol Motor Speedway.
This is definitely one of
the most anticipated races
on the NASCAR calendar.
Buckle up, everybody. This one
is going to get a little dirty.
Dirt racing
is so different.
You're putting a
setup in your race car
and you're hoping the track
conditions are going to fit.
Joey Logano!
It's hard to say
you feel confident
just because we won last year.
These cars are much,
much different.
So, I'm cautiously
feeling optimistic.
I'm gonna go race.
Can I have my hug?
Oh, thank you so much. Mwah.
Pace car rolling.
Boogedy-boogedy-boogedy!
Let's go racing, boys!
The initial
few laps is very tense.
Once the track gets
packed in, it's good.
Ricky
Stenhouse, way up high.
I started running above the line
that everybody else was running,
which in duration, was
called the cushion,
and I picked, you know,
four or five of them off.
Ricky's
always on that cushion,
always on the hammer.
Doesn't surprise me a bit.
Pretty wide. Whoa, now.
I'm still not a dirt guy.
The experience level on dirt
for me is still fairly low.
Cars on a dirt track act
completely different.
When these cars get the
front grille mucked up,
there's no air
getting to the engine,
and then the visibility
out the front windshield...
In you see those in-car cameras,
that's what the driver's seeing,
which is relatively nothing.
Oh, boy,
this is not good.
Whoa,
baby. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Bristol Dirt Race started
out really poor for us.
Our car was handled terribly,
and we were going to the back.
We were one of the slowest cars.
Then the track just started
to change a little bit,
and we got really fast
and drove up in front.
We do not need them to
wreck in front of us.
Around
goes Brad Keselowski.
Ooh!
Did you see Dad?
What place is he in?
Well, he just spun.
So, he had to go back. He's
in, like, 20-something.
When I spun out, I
was just thinking,
"Oh, man, I blew this race."
Especially with the
weather coming in.
The heavier stuff...
This is through us.
How long is that?
38 minutes.
You're at a point in
a race when you know
weather's threatening,
your past half way,
and the question is if
the race is stopped,
is it gonna be restarted?
What is the risk
reward? Do you pit
and put yourself in a position
where that race is restarted,
you're in a good spot? Or
do you gamble, stay out,
take the track position, and
then hoping the skies open up
and Mother Nature
is on your side.
It's not a fun position
for a crew chief to be in.
We're not pinning.
A dirt track with a
little bit of rain... it's like ice.
We've got action stopped here.
I wouldn't say
it's raining hard at all,
but obviously, it's
enough to really
have to stop this race
and stop the cars.
So if the rain doesn't stop,
NASCAR will call the race
and you finish where you
are currently placed.
That's bad news for
the guys at the back,
but it's good news if you're
one of the guys at the front.
We're second right now.
So, if it keeps raining,
we finish second.
I hope it rains
harder.
I think it's starting
to rain hard enough
where this thing is over.
rain.
Very light rain
falling at the moment here
at Bristol Motor Speedway.
We're hoping to return
to racing action.
We're being told that the track
is actually in pretty
good shape right now.
We're second right now.
So, if it keeps raining,
we finish second.
I hope it rains
harder.
NASCAR thinks rain
done in 10 minutes,
racing in 20 minutes. Okay.
If we get that going,
yeah, we'll be sixth.
I think you stay out.
How many cars are on the lap?
A bunch.
The rain
has pretty much stopped
and we're getting
close to racing.
Kyle Busch and Joey Logano will
be lined up on the front row.
During a rain delay,
I was pretty certain
that was going to be the
end, but I was wrong.
With the way the
weather changed,
I wanted to make one more
adjustment, 'cause I felt like
that was going to put us in that
position to go win the race.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s
going to get some adjustments
on his car before
we go back to green.
More people stayed out than
I thought would stay out,
and so that kind of threw
us off there a little bit.
Hundred-lapper.
Here we go.
We're
back to green.
Logano, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney.
- Whoa!
- Whoa! Hold onto it, Kyle Busch.
It's going to be Tyler
Reddick, Logano, Blaney.
Keselowski up to fifth,
just ran his personal
fastest lap of the night.
They're in
a pretty good dogfight.
After Busch getting
shuffled back on the restart,
he's not happy. He wants to
get back up to the front.
He gets hard into the
left quarter panel.
Keselowski now rolls out.
Brad, just so you
know, your last lap
was the fastest on track.
All the lap before
that, we're top 3, 4, 5,
somewhere in there.
So, doing good, man.
10-4.
Looking on back
in the pack right now,
we've got Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
That whole last stage
was just trying to play catch-up
and pass as many as we could.
Looks like he's
fallen back. He'll try to refire
and try to move back
up to the front.
Yeah, I was frustrated
with myself, that I wanted
to make one more adjustment,
not thinking of how much
track position we would lose
and what I was going to
have to try and make up.
We've got a pile up
here in turns three and four.
Man.
Cody Ware spun,
Chase Elliott into him,
Daniel Suarez into Elliott,
and Ricky Stenhouse
got the worst of it.
Oh, man, we
can't catch a break.
We ended up a couple laps down,
and really, that was the end
of our night, unfortunately.
We got Reddick, we
got Kyle Busch, we Joey Logano.
He's sitting in third place.
We got some contenders, man.
24 laps to go.
Green flag waves.
Tyler Reddick on the outside,
gets a shove from Chase Briscoe.
Joey Logano
behind those two,
looking for some racing room.
Don't
count him out, either.
Now Logano gets inside
Kyle. They bump and bang into 3.
Logano slides up
the racetrack in turn four,
a little bit of a wiggle.
Logano
is losing some ground.
Kyle is gaining some. I
think he'll get by Logano,
but it's not going to be enough
to catch the race
leader, Tyler Reddick.
Man, I just wish I stayed
in front of the 18.
We would've had a shot
at winning the race,
but we just weren't fast
enough to be in that mix.
White flag's
going to wave. One lap to go.
Briscoe dives to
the bottom of the racetrack,
side by side.
They get loose! They spin!
Who's going to save it?
Stay to the line.
Kyle Busch
is gonna win, barely!
That's what I'm
talking about, man!
I mean, it was fun. I had fun.
I don't know if we
were a third place car,
but we took a third
place, so I'll take that.
We were a top four or
five car probably there,
and then at the
end, it went away.
Unfortunately had a bad restart
and got shuffled back again.
So, really cyclical for us.
Yeah, Ultimate's a race
I wish I could have back.
Definitely, we feel like
we could win that race.
When you go in there
with those expectations,
it's a letdown when you
don't do that for your team.
But we loaded up and
focused on Talladega.
It's been a challenging season
for Brad Keselowski and Ricky.
They have to have a win if
they want to go playoff racing.
Helmet got
really dirty at Bristol.
Race did not go
according to plan.
We left a lot to be
desired out there.
We wanted to carry good
momentum going into Talladega.
You know, my guys
prepare really,
really good speedway cars,
and so, I know going in,
I'm gonna have a really
good opportunity to win.
One of the unique
things about JTG is
the fact that you got Brad
Daugherty as a co-owner.
It's not often you
see a seven foot guy
walk into the garage,
he owns a NASCAR team.
He's a rarity.
You don't alright?
Everything good?
I'm good. Just beating
myself up a little bit
after this weekend.
My dad was a huge stock car fan,
grew up in a little small town
of Black Mountain,
North Carolina,
and the heroes that you read
about in our local newspaper
were the race car drivers.
So, that kind of piqued
my interest in racing.
And then as I went
along, went to college
at University of North Carolina,
played for the legendary
Coach Dean Smith,
played for almost a decade
for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
And so, that was my day job.
And people, you know, they would
see me throughout the years,
racetracks or owning race teams
and they just couldn't
wrap their head around it.
Like, "Aren't you
a basketball guy?"
I'm like, "Yeah, but
I love race cars."
So, here I am 35 years later,
still messing with race cars.
Alright!
Hey, what's going on,
man? How are you doing?
I don't know. If I had a tail,
I don't think I'd be wagging it.
- It'd be tucked under.
- It'd be tucked. Yeah.
Yeah, it was an
interesting race.
I mean, practice was one way,
and the race was
totally different.
What we thinking,
Talladega-wise?
When? When? Yeah.
I feel like we will have the
best car when we go there.
So, next eight, nine races,
we got to make some hay.
Like, say we only need one.
We only need one, but
we got to make some hay.
Talladega is a
good place for us.
Talladega is a great place.
Might as well get another win.
That's right.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Is
a bit of a specialist.
The wins he has in the Cup
Series are on super speedways.
He knows how to race
those kind of tracks.
He maybe thought Bristol
Dirt was going to go his way.
Didn't happen. So, a race
like Talladega is crucial
for JTG Daugherty
because it's a
race they can win.
Usually second half, teams
our size kind of struggle
because the goliaths get all
their momentum, you know?
But maybe we can...
I feel like this year could be
different though, with this car.
You know, I think
the bigger teams
are figuring out things
a little quicker.
But the parts and pieces
are all staying the same.
Yeah, I think that's part
of the mentality of it, too.
We just got to keep
chewing at them. We goo.
Attitude to
everything, you know?
To this point in the
season for Joey Logano,
it had been fairly erratic.
He had started off the year
with a great win, the Clash.
He and his wife welcomed
another child in the world.
Things seem to be going great.
And then in the first couple
of months of the season,
we've seen a lot
of ups and downs.
I feel like everyone this
year has had ups and downs.
That tells me that nobody has
really run off and figured
this next gen car out.
So, going into Talladega,
I don't feel very confident
in anything there.
You know, it's always
an intense race.
It's always going
to be a big finish.
But I think when it comes
to what Talladega is,
it's a big country party.
They party really, really hard,
and that's what it's all about.
Welcome, everyone!
This is the only
set on the circuit
that fills a party
like this one!
'Dega, baby!
Whoo!
Here they are...
The barbecue wrestlers!
That's what Talladega is.
And then there's a
race at some point.
Talladega is the biggest
superspeedway on the circuit.
And it's so dangerous because
the cars race at 200 miles
an hour, inches apart,
for 188 laps at a time.
It's really a spotter's race.
Those drivers rely on
the eyes of the spotter
because a lot of times,
the drivers have no idea
what's going on around them.
The spotter is so important.
It's literally the difference
between life and death.
Good to go. Right
to block my ass off.
The spotters have become more
and more involved at every race,
but Talladega, superspeedway in
general, those are the tracks
where they earn their
paycheck the most.
For me and Joey, I feel like
we lean on each other more so
than any driver I've
ever worked with.
Yeah, because he would
rather stayed down the 23
and detach at 12.
When you're pushing, you know,
making sure that you recognize
the gap in front of you
so you don't push the
guy in front of you
and him too hard,
and that's ultimately
about to cause a lot of
the big wrecks here lately.
I'm going to key
off of you. So if you say,
you know, half in
front, one in front,
one in front, probably
going to start pushing.
You can key off my voice, too.
If it starts getting high,
you know it's
getting really close.
Having that relationship
with somebody that you trust
and can coach you along,
that's very valuable.
I might blow it up.
Engine room is not
going to be happy.
Oh! Oh, I cleared you!
I want my spotter to
communicate at such a high level
that I know what's
going on in the race
without having to
think about it.
I can clearly
communicate with T.J.
I'm just smoother.
I think this spotter role
has taken on a lot more
in the last handful of years.
It's not 1985 anymore,
when the cars are separated
out by seven seconds.
They can only see so much inside
of them cars, and at Talladega,
Brad's safety is my
number one concern.
Go high, go high, go high.
There's no caution.
Keep digging.
But a close second to that is
the competitive side of things.
I know going into it
that we're going to have
a shot at winning it.
And for Brad, this is
a must-win situation.
Got your swimmies?
Where's your swimmies at?
My favorite part
about being a dad
is whether you win or whether
you lose on the racetrack,
you're a dad no matter what.
Go.
You almost have it.
Catch your breath. Whoa!
How'd Dad get a bloody nose?
How was your day today?
I ran three hours
in the simulator.
Like the video game? Yeah.
So is it, like, work
time or is it game time?
Eh, it can turn in the
game time a little bit.
Yeah. Okay.
Oh, without a doubt, Paige
is the boss of the family.
I might wear the pants, but she
tells me how to put them on.
Game time. It's bonding.
It's bonding.
You know, teams have to bond.
While we're here with the kids,
you're playing video games?
You know, it isn't really play.
I found, like, a half a second.
Being an owner and a driver
is certainly a balancing act.
You know, if you feel like
something's holding you back,
you can immediately
go attack it.
But with that comes
the accountability,
when things don't go right
and you've made a decision that
clearly wasn't strong enough.
You like being an owner
and not just a driver?
You like being both?
I like if things aren't
going the right way,
I can talk to people and fix it.
There's plenty to fix.
Doesn't mean it
can't be done. No.
It'll take time and a
lot of elbow grease.
And a lot of bonding. Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
I got the whole family
coming with me this weekend.
Stroller coming?
Scooter's coming?
It's a pretty light weekend, in
all honesty, for the drivers.
There's no practice. We
just qualify on Saturday.
So it's a great weekend to
bring your family because
you actually get to spend
time with them a little bit.
So that's the plan.
What can go wrong?
Do you have Amelia?
You're good?
Why don't you get her out?
Yeah, that's what I meant.
Oh, you! Oh!
You're too quiet.
We forget about you.
It's hard to travel
with everybody right now
because it's nonstop, 24/7.
There's always something.
Load it on up here. Take care.
You want to put
Amelia in the front?
You want to put Amelia
in the front of you?
Oh, yeah, Amelia, we keep
forgetting about you today.
Kind of forgot about you.
"Oh, yeah. My kid's
still in there."
It's the work-life balance
of, you know, how do you
be a husband, be a father,
be a race car driver?
You can't do it all
at the same time.
Family trip to Talladega.
It's frustrating for me that
I can't be the best at it
all at the same time,
because that's the
way I want to be.
I just want to be the best.
It's race
weekend here in Talladega.
The fastest, most dangerous,
and wildest track of the season.
You're not even at a mile yet.
Hmm. Not what I like to hear.
I'm thinking three.
Three will be good.
You know, today,
this is one that, you know,
Madison and I have
always, you know,
got up and gone running.
Fun track to go run
in, a lot of space.
So, you can really log
some miles pretty quick.
Sometimes I think about
the race a little bit,
but most of the time, I'm just
trying to think about anything
and just kind of cruising.
You know, I want to be fresh,
and I feel like I'm
fresh when I start my day
with some kind of activity.
- Morning, guys.
- Morning. How are you?
Pretty good.
Talladega's always a racetrack.
I feel very confident going to,
but there's not a lot
of room for error.
And so, I normally
don't really worry
about the danger of racing.
But, you know, at Talladega,
we are going high speeds
and we are in a cage.
Love it or
hate it, race day is here,
and time to buckle in
for 500 miles of racing.
Going to the spotter stand,
getting ready for
the big race today.
- Good day, man.
- See you, buddy.
This is Talladega,
and the spotter's role
is amplified here compared
to most tracks we go to.
Joey is my best friend
and I don't want to
be the reason, like,
that he does get in a wreck.
For a spotter, there's
a lot of sleepless nights
when these races get close.
Are you gonna move down some?
Joey and Brad know
each other well,
so I don't feel like
they'd be hesitant
to work with each other
if that's how it
lines up near the end.
If we're all aligned back there,
and we're not towards the front,
why don't we just try to
cycle our way up there?
I'm taking that. Yep.
Brad Keselowski!
Super high
hopes for Talladega.
You know, you hate to
pick tracks and say,
"Hey, this is, you
know, our only chance."
But, you know, Talladega
is one of our best chances
every year to win a race.
Love you. Love you. Good luck.
Thank you. Keep her
calm out there, alright?
Keep your calm out there.
Love you, Dad. Love you, too.
Should we let
Jame-o drive today?
Should we let him drive?
- I love you.
- Love you.
Good luck, baby. Thanks.
Bye, baby.
Love you. See you
after the race, okay?
Okay.
Drivers!
Start your engines!
188 laps.
In a word, it's chaos.
Tough start to the
season for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
That places him deep in the
points and makes it necessary
to win a race if he's
to make the playoffs.
Alright. Coming
to the green here.
Brad
Keselowski, he need to win
so he can get him
and his organization
in the championship hunt.
Alright, man, stay focused.
You got to do it here.
Put it all together.
He talked to Brad,
said on the first lap,
"Middle's open. Let's go."
Like, perfect. Why not?
As they come to the
line for the first of 188 laps,
green flag.
Takes these cars
a while to get the speed.
They're still going
through the gears
down the back straightaway.
Here comes
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
He is wasting no time in
trying to get to the front.
Our lane should be
able to go a little bit.
22, 6, then you.
Good job there.
Yeah,
I was excited.
You know, the first handful
of laps that we ran,
I felt like, "Hey, guys,
we got a really good race
car. Let's just get our way
to the front and try
and stay there all day."
I know Brad's a good pusher.
We've done well
together in the past.
So, I said, "Yep, let's go."
No pressure out back.
Keselowski
stalls out behind Logano.
But hang on, Brad.
Here comes help.
And it comes in the person of
his RFK teammate, Chris Boucher.
Can they make a
push to the front?
All over it, buddy.
If you're going to be able
to work with your teammates
and make moves for the field,
that means not only do the
drivers need to work together,
the spotters need
to work together,
and need to find the right
moments where we can connect.
He knows, Brad.
So, the first
30 laps of this race,
the entire pack stayed together.
Now, they are
broken up somewhat.
Joey and Brad, one
similar characteristic
is they're very aggressive
and they know that they need
to get to the front of the
races and try to stay there.
Joey's going to probably
make a move here.
We'll go with him when he does.
Got forward and
your mirror to help.
Remember which lane
looks to be tightening.
Brad says he's with you.
They're all
just staying back there.
Brad's gonna try to
get that outside line
and push Logano by the 1.
Hold onto it, Joey!
This is not good.
Still have Brad on the tandem.
Keep pushing him there
if you can. Be smart.
Long race still.
You can count
on Brad as being one
of the hardest pushers
on the racetrack,
which if you have a car that
can take it, that's great.
That's going to get you to the
lead and keep you up front.
If you have a car
that's not as stable,
it's going to cause a crash.
Oh! Somebody loose
on the bottom! Spinning out!
Second. Back to the bottom.
Keep coming, keep coming.
What a crash
in turn number four.
Three cars involved.
One of them was Daniel Hemric.
Chase Briscoe appears
to be the other one,
And Chris Boucher is the third.
Caution. Caution, caution.
Completing
lap 60 here at Talladega,
under the caution.
How was the handling
there after 60?
Okay.
10-4.
Yeah, I mean, we just
don't have as much for you.
So, I don't know if
there's a whole lot
we're going to do there.
For the fans, superspeedway
racing is some of the best.
It's action packed.
It's nonstop from green
flag to checkered flag.
Now, if you're on the
other side of the coin,
specifically the
drivers' families,
I cannot imagine
what their heart rate
is throughout the race
because every single lap,
there's the potential
for disaster.
The bigger
tracks are kind of the ones
where I get a
little more nervous.
You just got to be
supportive and pray
that it all works out
how it's supposed to.
And here we come to the
Geico Restart Zone for stage two.
Feel like no matter how
good the driver in the car,
it seems like it's a 50/50
every time with these races.
Rolling back
through the gearbox again.
Oh! The
22 in the wall!
Back down in front of the field!
To the
inside line, backing up.
See a team play.
Here he comes.
Oh!
The 22 in the wall!
Back down in front of the field!
A lot of
cars were damaged.
Unbelievable.
Just a bad push on that restart.
Turns Joey into the wall,
and he has no control.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
With some significant damage.
That was a pretty hard lick.
We're under
caution here at Talladega.
Our first big one of the day.
Multiple cars have heavy damage.
Joey Logano is one of those.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Is one of those.
Both of their days
look to be done.
Your right front it...
I can hear it
squealing from here,
turning right.
That ended our day,
and your crew guys
are just like, "Dang."
You know, we just spent four
weeks preparing this car
for this race, and
now it's destroyed.
And so, when you don't
have the opportunity
to go race for them, it sucks.
And you're really mad sitting
there watching the rest
of the race in your bus,
not being able to go win the
race at the end of the day.
It's superspeedway racing.
Happens half the time.
What are you going to do,
get mad and kick the car
and look like an idiot?
No. Like, you just
got to move on.
I know the fans like it,
but you got to put yourself
in the driver's seat
sometimes and think,
would you really want
to strap into something
knowing you got a
pretty good shot
it's going to hurt
at some point?
Like, it's just not enjoyable,
but that's life.
Onto the next one.
I tell you, one car out
there is having a good day today,
and every time I look out,
he's running up front.
That's Ross Chastain.
Let's see what
happens here, guys.
All right, buddy.
Next time. Next time.
See some of those guys
in the back coming to Pit Road now.
Oh.
Keselowski really had the front
tires locked up, sliding on.
Damn it.
Yes. Too fast entering,
Brad. Too fast entering.
Brad Keselowski
busted for speeding on Pit Road.
He's going to have to do
a pass through penalty.
As I was trying
to get onto Pit Road,
the car wouldn't stop.
And so, I had a speeding
penalty just by being too fast.
And so, I was pushing
really hard to try to get by
some cars to get in the top ten.
We started to drive to the
front and then had big issues.
No, we can fix it.
Give him a hood pin.
Make sure Johnny has one.
And we're doing right sides.
But we've got to put
a pin in the hood.
Pinning this lap right here.
We're pinning this lap.
- Coop, can you carry your tire?
- Hey, this is the plan.
Look! Hey, he's going
to hang the tire.
He's going to hang it and leave!
4, 3, 2, 1.
Right side tires.
Hey, put it down after that.
Alright, then
go. Go, Nate, go.
Tape it down. Tape it down.
All the way. All the way.
Clear, clear, clear, clear.
I tried on the second
stop to slow down
actually a little earlier,
and it still would not stop.
So, those two penalties
clearly killed our game.
White flag.
One more time here.
Right now, your best
friends are where you find them.
Meet the bar here.
They're going to wreck.
Here comes
the big energy.
One back. Gonna have to block.
Does he
go to the outside?
He's gonna
have to. Here he goes!
Wrecking. Wrecking big.
Wrecking big. Now you're good.
Keep on going up. Ah!
How about
that? Ross Chastain.
Holy cow!
Yeah, boy!
The moose! The moose is loose!
23rd.
If you're going to win a cup,
you got to do a lot
of things right,
and some of them
are very procedural,
some of them are talent based,
some more experience based.
But you've got to
hit all those marks,
and I didn't hit all the
marks that I needed to hit
at Talladega.
I don't know. I probably
could've got 10th or something
out of that, right?
Ah,.
Brad Keselowski's best chance
at winning a race probably
is at a superspeedway,
and he saw that get away.
So, I think this is a
team that very, very much
is searching at this
point in the season.
Brad Keselowski hasn't
missed the playoffs
since the 2013 season.
That's quite an
impressive streak.
If he's going to
make the playoffs,
he's going to find a way to
win a regular season race.
And you have to wonder if
that's a realistic goal.
We are going to
change this sport.
TrackHouse
battling for the lead.
Daniel Suarez is drawn
even with Ross Chastain.
It's the ultimate dream, is
what I'm living right now.
My only thing is winning
racing championships,
and now, it's up to me.
Kyle Busch enters
the Coca-Cola 600 race week
without a contract.
Nothing happens, am I
okay just to walk away?
Yeah. I am.
The left front
tire's not doing anything.
Yeah, we might crash.
concrete short tracks
in the world and turn it
into a premier dirt track.
Dirt racing is
how NASCAR began,
and Bristol represents really
the roots of this sport.
For some, it
brings them back home
to what they did growing up.
But for some, it takes them so
far out of their comfort zone.
250 laps of a half mile
dirt racetrack. That's...
Absolutely nuts, whether
you're watching it
or you're driving.
Dirt and mud really
kind of forced me out
of my comfort zone.
Your cars don't handle great.
You're running them on the edge.
It's tough to compete.
Something's got to give.
The Ultimate's a race I
wish I could have back.
My initial reaction
when people ask me how being a dad
has changed me is to
kind of shrug it off.
I've heard people say, you
know, once you have kids,
you won't take as many
chances on the track.
I... ing actually
want the opposite way,
mostly because I'm a
contrarian and I hate
when people say stuff like that,
and I wanted to prove
them wrong so bad.
Brad Keselowski,
driver number six
and team owner of RFK Racing.
Most of my full time career
has been with Roger Penske,
driving the number two car.
What Brad did to Penske
doesn't get talked about enough.
He was instrumental
in really revitalizing
that NASCAR program,
lifting it up to the
heights they are now.
Brad Keselowski is
our 2012 Sprint Cup Series champ.
Had a lot of
success with Team Penske.
Now, onto the next endeavor.
He has jumped into
the ownership pool.
He's kind of taking the
legacy of Roush Fenway,
and now it's Roush
Fenway Keselowski.
So, he's put his name
on a championship team.
There was some promise
of potential, but so far,
that promise of potential
really hasn't been met.
We got trouble!
It's Brad Keselowski!
He's sideways!
There's a lot of pressure
on Brad to go in,
make a difference, and
start getting results.
My earliest memories
are traveling
to the racetrack with my dad.
My dad wasn't known
for having fun.
He was known for being
a very serious racer.
He looked at it as the way
he providing for his family.
Coming
from a racing family,
the biggest advantage was
just knowing the process
that it would take to be aware.
The cons are you're not a
very well-rounded person,
and you define yourself
off of one very small thing,
which is winning or losing.
I owe so
much to motorsports
and to my dad for
starting that passion.
With every accomplishment
that I had in motorsports,
I'd really hope that it would
draw me closer to my dad,
and it never really did.
He was just a really simple man.
He valued, you know,
physical labor.
He just ground every
day, his whole life.
So I had a lot of motivations
to be a motor sports
outside of my dad.
You know, I can't say that
owning the team is something
I did just to impress my dad,
but it certainly was part of it.
Brad Keselowski's first season
as a driver owner started off
really well at Daytona
with winning the duel.
He's an owner now
and he's headed to Victory Lane.
Brad Keselowski
has scored the win.
Everybody was like,
"Wow, look at the difference
Brad's making."
But then once
everybody left Daytona,
it was a struggle on some
days to get in the top 20.
They had struggled mightily.
Then they get hit with this
absolutely detrimental penalty
for an illegal
parts modification.
With a next gen car,
you are not allowed
to make any changes to
single source supplied parts,
and NASCAR wanted to
send a clear message.
That penalty
essentially has made it
to where if he doesn't win,
he's not going to
make the playoffs.
Missing the playoffs
would be a huge disappointment.
Not winning a race would
be a bigger disappointment.
I'm Ricky Stenhouse
Jr. Drive the number 47
for JTG Daugherty Racing.
Go! Come on!
Whether it be NASCAR
or short track racing,
I just want to get out
and compete and win races.
When I came in to
stock car racing,
I had no idea what I was doing.
Ricky's a dirt guy. I mean, he
comes from a dirt background.
He's run dirt races many
years. A lot of success.
What did you think when
I rolled the bottom
of one or two? I actually
felt pretty good.
Yeah.
I'm very proud of him, not
only as a race car driver,
but just as a son,
hopefully a father to be.
You know, I watched
my dad raise sprint cars,
you know, from the time
I was six weeks old
until I got in a sprint
car at 15 years old.
So, you know, us
working together again
reminds me of when, you
know, I started racing.
Every opportunity
that came along,
he capitalized on it and
he's never wavered from that.
This season, it's been
wreckers or checkers for Ricky.
We either see maybe top ten,
top 15, or they're
not in the picture.
Oh, crash!
Stenhouse in the wall.
The 2022 season's been
up, down, sideways.
Had a freaking
tire go down again.
JTG and Ricky Stenhouse
Jr... They're a smaller team.
Their resources aren't
like those of Hendricks,
aren't like those of James.
So, you're not going to be able
to take your shot every week
when you're a one car
organization like they are.
But Bristol Dirt, that's
where I would look to see JTG
really kind of shine and
have opportunity to win.
Bristol's my favorite
racetrack by far, dirt or concrete.
I know I'm going
to have a good run.
He darn near won
the race last year.
Finished second.
Stenhouse
sends it in,
but Logano is going to win
the dirt race at Bristol.
You win a race and it
puts you in the playoffs.
So, for me personally,
that's still the goal.
It's race day
at Bristol Motor Speedway.
This is definitely one of
the most anticipated races
on the NASCAR calendar.
Buckle up, everybody. This one
is going to get a little dirty.
Dirt racing
is so different.
You're putting a
setup in your race car
and you're hoping the track
conditions are going to fit.
Joey Logano!
It's hard to say
you feel confident
just because we won last year.
These cars are much,
much different.
So, I'm cautiously
feeling optimistic.
I'm gonna go race.
Can I have my hug?
Oh, thank you so much. Mwah.
Pace car rolling.
Boogedy-boogedy-boogedy!
Let's go racing, boys!
The initial
few laps is very tense.
Once the track gets
packed in, it's good.
Ricky
Stenhouse, way up high.
I started running above the line
that everybody else was running,
which in duration, was
called the cushion,
and I picked, you know,
four or five of them off.
Ricky's
always on that cushion,
always on the hammer.
Doesn't surprise me a bit.
Pretty wide. Whoa, now.
I'm still not a dirt guy.
The experience level on dirt
for me is still fairly low.
Cars on a dirt track act
completely different.
When these cars get the
front grille mucked up,
there's no air
getting to the engine,
and then the visibility
out the front windshield...
In you see those in-car cameras,
that's what the driver's seeing,
which is relatively nothing.
Oh, boy,
this is not good.
Whoa,
baby. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Bristol Dirt Race started
out really poor for us.
Our car was handled terribly,
and we were going to the back.
We were one of the slowest cars.
Then the track just started
to change a little bit,
and we got really fast
and drove up in front.
We do not need them to
wreck in front of us.
Around
goes Brad Keselowski.
Ooh!
Did you see Dad?
What place is he in?
Well, he just spun.
So, he had to go back. He's
in, like, 20-something.
When I spun out, I
was just thinking,
"Oh, man, I blew this race."
Especially with the
weather coming in.
The heavier stuff...
This is through us.
How long is that?
38 minutes.
You're at a point in
a race when you know
weather's threatening,
your past half way,
and the question is if
the race is stopped,
is it gonna be restarted?
What is the risk
reward? Do you pit
and put yourself in a position
where that race is restarted,
you're in a good spot? Or
do you gamble, stay out,
take the track position, and
then hoping the skies open up
and Mother Nature
is on your side.
It's not a fun position
for a crew chief to be in.
We're not pinning.
A dirt track with a
little bit of rain... it's like ice.
We've got action stopped here.
I wouldn't say
it's raining hard at all,
but obviously, it's
enough to really
have to stop this race
and stop the cars.
So if the rain doesn't stop,
NASCAR will call the race
and you finish where you
are currently placed.
That's bad news for
the guys at the back,
but it's good news if you're
one of the guys at the front.
We're second right now.
So, if it keeps raining,
we finish second.
I hope it rains
harder.
I think it's starting
to rain hard enough
where this thing is over.
rain.
Very light rain
falling at the moment here
at Bristol Motor Speedway.
We're hoping to return
to racing action.
We're being told that the track
is actually in pretty
good shape right now.
We're second right now.
So, if it keeps raining,
we finish second.
I hope it rains
harder.
NASCAR thinks rain
done in 10 minutes,
racing in 20 minutes. Okay.
If we get that going,
yeah, we'll be sixth.
I think you stay out.
How many cars are on the lap?
A bunch.
The rain
has pretty much stopped
and we're getting
close to racing.
Kyle Busch and Joey Logano will
be lined up on the front row.
During a rain delay,
I was pretty certain
that was going to be the
end, but I was wrong.
With the way the
weather changed,
I wanted to make one more
adjustment, 'cause I felt like
that was going to put us in that
position to go win the race.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s
going to get some adjustments
on his car before
we go back to green.
More people stayed out than
I thought would stay out,
and so that kind of threw
us off there a little bit.
Hundred-lapper.
Here we go.
We're
back to green.
Logano, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney.
- Whoa!
- Whoa! Hold onto it, Kyle Busch.
It's going to be Tyler
Reddick, Logano, Blaney.
Keselowski up to fifth,
just ran his personal
fastest lap of the night.
They're in
a pretty good dogfight.
After Busch getting
shuffled back on the restart,
he's not happy. He wants to
get back up to the front.
He gets hard into the
left quarter panel.
Keselowski now rolls out.
Brad, just so you
know, your last lap
was the fastest on track.
All the lap before
that, we're top 3, 4, 5,
somewhere in there.
So, doing good, man.
10-4.
Looking on back
in the pack right now,
we've got Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
That whole last stage
was just trying to play catch-up
and pass as many as we could.
Looks like he's
fallen back. He'll try to refire
and try to move back
up to the front.
Yeah, I was frustrated
with myself, that I wanted
to make one more adjustment,
not thinking of how much
track position we would lose
and what I was going to
have to try and make up.
We've got a pile up
here in turns three and four.
Man.
Cody Ware spun,
Chase Elliott into him,
Daniel Suarez into Elliott,
and Ricky Stenhouse
got the worst of it.
Oh, man, we
can't catch a break.
We ended up a couple laps down,
and really, that was the end
of our night, unfortunately.
We got Reddick, we
got Kyle Busch, we Joey Logano.
He's sitting in third place.
We got some contenders, man.
24 laps to go.
Green flag waves.
Tyler Reddick on the outside,
gets a shove from Chase Briscoe.
Joey Logano
behind those two,
looking for some racing room.
Don't
count him out, either.
Now Logano gets inside
Kyle. They bump and bang into 3.
Logano slides up
the racetrack in turn four,
a little bit of a wiggle.
Logano
is losing some ground.
Kyle is gaining some. I
think he'll get by Logano,
but it's not going to be enough
to catch the race
leader, Tyler Reddick.
Man, I just wish I stayed
in front of the 18.
We would've had a shot
at winning the race,
but we just weren't fast
enough to be in that mix.
White flag's
going to wave. One lap to go.
Briscoe dives to
the bottom of the racetrack,
side by side.
They get loose! They spin!
Who's going to save it?
Stay to the line.
Kyle Busch
is gonna win, barely!
That's what I'm
talking about, man!
I mean, it was fun. I had fun.
I don't know if we
were a third place car,
but we took a third
place, so I'll take that.
We were a top four or
five car probably there,
and then at the
end, it went away.
Unfortunately had a bad restart
and got shuffled back again.
So, really cyclical for us.
Yeah, Ultimate's a race
I wish I could have back.
Definitely, we feel like
we could win that race.
When you go in there
with those expectations,
it's a letdown when you
don't do that for your team.
But we loaded up and
focused on Talladega.
It's been a challenging season
for Brad Keselowski and Ricky.
They have to have a win if
they want to go playoff racing.
Helmet got
really dirty at Bristol.
Race did not go
according to plan.
We left a lot to be
desired out there.
We wanted to carry good
momentum going into Talladega.
You know, my guys
prepare really,
really good speedway cars,
and so, I know going in,
I'm gonna have a really
good opportunity to win.
One of the unique
things about JTG is
the fact that you got Brad
Daugherty as a co-owner.
It's not often you
see a seven foot guy
walk into the garage,
he owns a NASCAR team.
He's a rarity.
You don't alright?
Everything good?
I'm good. Just beating
myself up a little bit
after this weekend.
My dad was a huge stock car fan,
grew up in a little small town
of Black Mountain,
North Carolina,
and the heroes that you read
about in our local newspaper
were the race car drivers.
So, that kind of piqued
my interest in racing.
And then as I went
along, went to college
at University of North Carolina,
played for the legendary
Coach Dean Smith,
played for almost a decade
for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
And so, that was my day job.
And people, you know, they would
see me throughout the years,
racetracks or owning race teams
and they just couldn't
wrap their head around it.
Like, "Aren't you
a basketball guy?"
I'm like, "Yeah, but
I love race cars."
So, here I am 35 years later,
still messing with race cars.
Alright!
Hey, what's going on,
man? How are you doing?
I don't know. If I had a tail,
I don't think I'd be wagging it.
- It'd be tucked under.
- It'd be tucked. Yeah.
Yeah, it was an
interesting race.
I mean, practice was one way,
and the race was
totally different.
What we thinking,
Talladega-wise?
When? When? Yeah.
I feel like we will have the
best car when we go there.
So, next eight, nine races,
we got to make some hay.
Like, say we only need one.
We only need one, but
we got to make some hay.
Talladega is a
good place for us.
Talladega is a great place.
Might as well get another win.
That's right.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Is
a bit of a specialist.
The wins he has in the Cup
Series are on super speedways.
He knows how to race
those kind of tracks.
He maybe thought Bristol
Dirt was going to go his way.
Didn't happen. So, a race
like Talladega is crucial
for JTG Daugherty
because it's a
race they can win.
Usually second half, teams
our size kind of struggle
because the goliaths get all
their momentum, you know?
But maybe we can...
I feel like this year could be
different though, with this car.
You know, I think
the bigger teams
are figuring out things
a little quicker.
But the parts and pieces
are all staying the same.
Yeah, I think that's part
of the mentality of it, too.
We just got to keep
chewing at them. We goo.
Attitude to
everything, you know?
To this point in the
season for Joey Logano,
it had been fairly erratic.
He had started off the year
with a great win, the Clash.
He and his wife welcomed
another child in the world.
Things seem to be going great.
And then in the first couple
of months of the season,
we've seen a lot
of ups and downs.
I feel like everyone this
year has had ups and downs.
That tells me that nobody has
really run off and figured
this next gen car out.
So, going into Talladega,
I don't feel very confident
in anything there.
You know, it's always
an intense race.
It's always going
to be a big finish.
But I think when it comes
to what Talladega is,
it's a big country party.
They party really, really hard,
and that's what it's all about.
Welcome, everyone!
This is the only
set on the circuit
that fills a party
like this one!
'Dega, baby!
Whoo!
Here they are...
The barbecue wrestlers!
That's what Talladega is.
And then there's a
race at some point.
Talladega is the biggest
superspeedway on the circuit.
And it's so dangerous because
the cars race at 200 miles
an hour, inches apart,
for 188 laps at a time.
It's really a spotter's race.
Those drivers rely on
the eyes of the spotter
because a lot of times,
the drivers have no idea
what's going on around them.
The spotter is so important.
It's literally the difference
between life and death.
Good to go. Right
to block my ass off.
The spotters have become more
and more involved at every race,
but Talladega, superspeedway in
general, those are the tracks
where they earn their
paycheck the most.
For me and Joey, I feel like
we lean on each other more so
than any driver I've
ever worked with.
Yeah, because he would
rather stayed down the 23
and detach at 12.
When you're pushing, you know,
making sure that you recognize
the gap in front of you
so you don't push the
guy in front of you
and him too hard,
and that's ultimately
about to cause a lot of
the big wrecks here lately.
I'm going to key
off of you. So if you say,
you know, half in
front, one in front,
one in front, probably
going to start pushing.
You can key off my voice, too.
If it starts getting high,
you know it's
getting really close.
Having that relationship
with somebody that you trust
and can coach you along,
that's very valuable.
I might blow it up.
Engine room is not
going to be happy.
Oh! Oh, I cleared you!
I want my spotter to
communicate at such a high level
that I know what's
going on in the race
without having to
think about it.
I can clearly
communicate with T.J.
I'm just smoother.
I think this spotter role
has taken on a lot more
in the last handful of years.
It's not 1985 anymore,
when the cars are separated
out by seven seconds.
They can only see so much inside
of them cars, and at Talladega,
Brad's safety is my
number one concern.
Go high, go high, go high.
There's no caution.
Keep digging.
But a close second to that is
the competitive side of things.
I know going into it
that we're going to have
a shot at winning it.
And for Brad, this is
a must-win situation.
Got your swimmies?
Where's your swimmies at?
My favorite part
about being a dad
is whether you win or whether
you lose on the racetrack,
you're a dad no matter what.
Go.
You almost have it.
Catch your breath. Whoa!
How'd Dad get a bloody nose?
How was your day today?
I ran three hours
in the simulator.
Like the video game? Yeah.
So is it, like, work
time or is it game time?
Eh, it can turn in the
game time a little bit.
Yeah. Okay.
Oh, without a doubt, Paige
is the boss of the family.
I might wear the pants, but she
tells me how to put them on.
Game time. It's bonding.
It's bonding.
You know, teams have to bond.
While we're here with the kids,
you're playing video games?
You know, it isn't really play.
I found, like, a half a second.
Being an owner and a driver
is certainly a balancing act.
You know, if you feel like
something's holding you back,
you can immediately
go attack it.
But with that comes
the accountability,
when things don't go right
and you've made a decision that
clearly wasn't strong enough.
You like being an owner
and not just a driver?
You like being both?
I like if things aren't
going the right way,
I can talk to people and fix it.
There's plenty to fix.
Doesn't mean it
can't be done. No.
It'll take time and a
lot of elbow grease.
And a lot of bonding. Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
I got the whole family
coming with me this weekend.
Stroller coming?
Scooter's coming?
It's a pretty light weekend, in
all honesty, for the drivers.
There's no practice. We
just qualify on Saturday.
So it's a great weekend to
bring your family because
you actually get to spend
time with them a little bit.
So that's the plan.
What can go wrong?
Do you have Amelia?
You're good?
Why don't you get her out?
Yeah, that's what I meant.
Oh, you! Oh!
You're too quiet.
We forget about you.
It's hard to travel
with everybody right now
because it's nonstop, 24/7.
There's always something.
Load it on up here. Take care.
You want to put
Amelia in the front?
You want to put Amelia
in the front of you?
Oh, yeah, Amelia, we keep
forgetting about you today.
Kind of forgot about you.
"Oh, yeah. My kid's
still in there."
It's the work-life balance
of, you know, how do you
be a husband, be a father,
be a race car driver?
You can't do it all
at the same time.
Family trip to Talladega.
It's frustrating for me that
I can't be the best at it
all at the same time,
because that's the
way I want to be.
I just want to be the best.
It's race
weekend here in Talladega.
The fastest, most dangerous,
and wildest track of the season.
You're not even at a mile yet.
Hmm. Not what I like to hear.
I'm thinking three.
Three will be good.
You know, today,
this is one that, you know,
Madison and I have
always, you know,
got up and gone running.
Fun track to go run
in, a lot of space.
So, you can really log
some miles pretty quick.
Sometimes I think about
the race a little bit,
but most of the time, I'm just
trying to think about anything
and just kind of cruising.
You know, I want to be fresh,
and I feel like I'm
fresh when I start my day
with some kind of activity.
- Morning, guys.
- Morning. How are you?
Pretty good.
Talladega's always a racetrack.
I feel very confident going to,
but there's not a lot
of room for error.
And so, I normally
don't really worry
about the danger of racing.
But, you know, at Talladega,
we are going high speeds
and we are in a cage.
Love it or
hate it, race day is here,
and time to buckle in
for 500 miles of racing.
Going to the spotter stand,
getting ready for
the big race today.
- Good day, man.
- See you, buddy.
This is Talladega,
and the spotter's role
is amplified here compared
to most tracks we go to.
Joey is my best friend
and I don't want to
be the reason, like,
that he does get in a wreck.
For a spotter, there's
a lot of sleepless nights
when these races get close.
Are you gonna move down some?
Joey and Brad know
each other well,
so I don't feel like
they'd be hesitant
to work with each other
if that's how it
lines up near the end.
If we're all aligned back there,
and we're not towards the front,
why don't we just try to
cycle our way up there?
I'm taking that. Yep.
Brad Keselowski!
Super high
hopes for Talladega.
You know, you hate to
pick tracks and say,
"Hey, this is, you
know, our only chance."
But, you know, Talladega
is one of our best chances
every year to win a race.
Love you. Love you. Good luck.
Thank you. Keep her
calm out there, alright?
Keep your calm out there.
Love you, Dad. Love you, too.
Should we let
Jame-o drive today?
Should we let him drive?
- I love you.
- Love you.
Good luck, baby. Thanks.
Bye, baby.
Love you. See you
after the race, okay?
Okay.
Drivers!
Start your engines!
188 laps.
In a word, it's chaos.
Tough start to the
season for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
That places him deep in the
points and makes it necessary
to win a race if he's
to make the playoffs.
Alright. Coming
to the green here.
Brad
Keselowski, he need to win
so he can get him
and his organization
in the championship hunt.
Alright, man, stay focused.
You got to do it here.
Put it all together.
He talked to Brad,
said on the first lap,
"Middle's open. Let's go."
Like, perfect. Why not?
As they come to the
line for the first of 188 laps,
green flag.
Takes these cars
a while to get the speed.
They're still going
through the gears
down the back straightaway.
Here comes
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
He is wasting no time in
trying to get to the front.
Our lane should be
able to go a little bit.
22, 6, then you.
Good job there.
Yeah,
I was excited.
You know, the first handful
of laps that we ran,
I felt like, "Hey, guys,
we got a really good race
car. Let's just get our way
to the front and try
and stay there all day."
I know Brad's a good pusher.
We've done well
together in the past.
So, I said, "Yep, let's go."
No pressure out back.
Keselowski
stalls out behind Logano.
But hang on, Brad.
Here comes help.
And it comes in the person of
his RFK teammate, Chris Boucher.
Can they make a
push to the front?
All over it, buddy.
If you're going to be able
to work with your teammates
and make moves for the field,
that means not only do the
drivers need to work together,
the spotters need
to work together,
and need to find the right
moments where we can connect.
He knows, Brad.
So, the first
30 laps of this race,
the entire pack stayed together.
Now, they are
broken up somewhat.
Joey and Brad, one
similar characteristic
is they're very aggressive
and they know that they need
to get to the front of the
races and try to stay there.
Joey's going to probably
make a move here.
We'll go with him when he does.
Got forward and
your mirror to help.
Remember which lane
looks to be tightening.
Brad says he's with you.
They're all
just staying back there.
Brad's gonna try to
get that outside line
and push Logano by the 1.
Hold onto it, Joey!
This is not good.
Still have Brad on the tandem.
Keep pushing him there
if you can. Be smart.
Long race still.
You can count
on Brad as being one
of the hardest pushers
on the racetrack,
which if you have a car that
can take it, that's great.
That's going to get you to the
lead and keep you up front.
If you have a car
that's not as stable,
it's going to cause a crash.
Oh! Somebody loose
on the bottom! Spinning out!
Second. Back to the bottom.
Keep coming, keep coming.
What a crash
in turn number four.
Three cars involved.
One of them was Daniel Hemric.
Chase Briscoe appears
to be the other one,
And Chris Boucher is the third.
Caution. Caution, caution.
Completing
lap 60 here at Talladega,
under the caution.
How was the handling
there after 60?
Okay.
10-4.
Yeah, I mean, we just
don't have as much for you.
So, I don't know if
there's a whole lot
we're going to do there.
For the fans, superspeedway
racing is some of the best.
It's action packed.
It's nonstop from green
flag to checkered flag.
Now, if you're on the
other side of the coin,
specifically the
drivers' families,
I cannot imagine
what their heart rate
is throughout the race
because every single lap,
there's the potential
for disaster.
The bigger
tracks are kind of the ones
where I get a
little more nervous.
You just got to be
supportive and pray
that it all works out
how it's supposed to.
And here we come to the
Geico Restart Zone for stage two.
Feel like no matter how
good the driver in the car,
it seems like it's a 50/50
every time with these races.
Rolling back
through the gearbox again.
Oh! The
22 in the wall!
Back down in front of the field!
To the
inside line, backing up.
See a team play.
Here he comes.
Oh!
The 22 in the wall!
Back down in front of the field!
A lot of
cars were damaged.
Unbelievable.
Just a bad push on that restart.
Turns Joey into the wall,
and he has no control.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
With some significant damage.
That was a pretty hard lick.
We're under
caution here at Talladega.
Our first big one of the day.
Multiple cars have heavy damage.
Joey Logano is one of those.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Is one of those.
Both of their days
look to be done.
Your right front it...
I can hear it
squealing from here,
turning right.
That ended our day,
and your crew guys
are just like, "Dang."
You know, we just spent four
weeks preparing this car
for this race, and
now it's destroyed.
And so, when you don't
have the opportunity
to go race for them, it sucks.
And you're really mad sitting
there watching the rest
of the race in your bus,
not being able to go win the
race at the end of the day.
It's superspeedway racing.
Happens half the time.
What are you going to do,
get mad and kick the car
and look like an idiot?
No. Like, you just
got to move on.
I know the fans like it,
but you got to put yourself
in the driver's seat
sometimes and think,
would you really want
to strap into something
knowing you got a
pretty good shot
it's going to hurt
at some point?
Like, it's just not enjoyable,
but that's life.
Onto the next one.
I tell you, one car out
there is having a good day today,
and every time I look out,
he's running up front.
That's Ross Chastain.
Let's see what
happens here, guys.
All right, buddy.
Next time. Next time.
See some of those guys
in the back coming to Pit Road now.
Oh.
Keselowski really had the front
tires locked up, sliding on.
Damn it.
Yes. Too fast entering,
Brad. Too fast entering.
Brad Keselowski
busted for speeding on Pit Road.
He's going to have to do
a pass through penalty.
As I was trying
to get onto Pit Road,
the car wouldn't stop.
And so, I had a speeding
penalty just by being too fast.
And so, I was pushing
really hard to try to get by
some cars to get in the top ten.
We started to drive to the
front and then had big issues.
No, we can fix it.
Give him a hood pin.
Make sure Johnny has one.
And we're doing right sides.
But we've got to put
a pin in the hood.
Pinning this lap right here.
We're pinning this lap.
- Coop, can you carry your tire?
- Hey, this is the plan.
Look! Hey, he's going
to hang the tire.
He's going to hang it and leave!
4, 3, 2, 1.
Right side tires.
Hey, put it down after that.
Alright, then
go. Go, Nate, go.
Tape it down. Tape it down.
All the way. All the way.
Clear, clear, clear, clear.
I tried on the second
stop to slow down
actually a little earlier,
and it still would not stop.
So, those two penalties
clearly killed our game.
White flag.
One more time here.
Right now, your best
friends are where you find them.
Meet the bar here.
They're going to wreck.
Here comes
the big energy.
One back. Gonna have to block.
Does he
go to the outside?
He's gonna
have to. Here he goes!
Wrecking. Wrecking big.
Wrecking big. Now you're good.
Keep on going up. Ah!
How about
that? Ross Chastain.
Holy cow!
Yeah, boy!
The moose! The moose is loose!
23rd.
If you're going to win a cup,
you got to do a lot
of things right,
and some of them
are very procedural,
some of them are talent based,
some more experience based.
But you've got to
hit all those marks,
and I didn't hit all the
marks that I needed to hit
at Talladega.
I don't know. I probably
could've got 10th or something
out of that, right?
Ah,.
Brad Keselowski's best chance
at winning a race probably
is at a superspeedway,
and he saw that get away.
So, I think this is a
team that very, very much
is searching at this
point in the season.
Brad Keselowski hasn't
missed the playoffs
since the 2013 season.
That's quite an
impressive streak.
If he's going to
make the playoffs,
he's going to find a way to
win a regular season race.
And you have to wonder if
that's a realistic goal.
We are going to
change this sport.
TrackHouse
battling for the lead.
Daniel Suarez is drawn
even with Ross Chastain.
It's the ultimate dream, is
what I'm living right now.
My only thing is winning
racing championships,
and now, it's up to me.
Kyle Busch enters
the Coca-Cola 600 race week
without a contract.
Nothing happens, am I
okay just to walk away?
Yeah. I am.
The left front
tire's not doing anything.
Yeah, we might crash.