On lap 169 of the Geico 500, eighteen drivers were involved in a massive crash triggered by NASCAR racers AJ Allmendinger and Chase Elliott.
It all started with Allmendinger bump-drafting Elliot, sending his Chevy towards the wall. Then, Allmendinger’s car got turned onto its side and then onto its roof as a pack formed behind them.
“Once I got to Chase I got loose,” Allmendinger said. “I barely tapped him. I tried to get off him at that point. It was too late. It’s Talladega. I’m not a big fan of it. You’re up front, and you’ve got a chance to go for it, and racing happens.”
According to USA Today, there were no injuries among the pack, and after leaving the care center, the two drivers that initiated the crash had a short discussion among themselves.
“He just apologized,” said Elliot. “I don’t know that it was really his fault, per se. He had a big run and kind of got to my bumper and was in a bad spot. He was skewed a little to my left rear. When that happens, it just unloads these cars too much.”
After the incident, NASCAR red-flagged the race for almost 27 minutes in order to clean up the track.