2014 GEICO 500

2014 GEICO 500
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Race 32 of 36 in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season
Date October 19, 2014
Location Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama
Course Permanent racing facility
2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Distance 194 laps, 516.04 mi (830.32 km)
Scheduled Distance188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km)
WeatherPartly cloudy with a temperature of 68 °F (20 °C); wind out of the northwest at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h)
Average speed 160.302 mph (257.981 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing
Time 48.825
Most laps led
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 84
Winner
No. 2
Brad Keselowski
Team Penske
Television in the United States
Network ESPN & MRN
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree (Television)
Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle (Booth)
Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Buddy Long (3 & 4) (Turns) (Radio)
Nielsen Ratings 3.0/7 (Final)
2.8/7 (Overnight)
4.757 Million viewers[11][N 1]

The 2014 GEICO 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on October 19, 2014, at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 188 laps on the 2.66-mile (4.28 km) super speedway, it was the 32nd race of the 2014 Sprint Cup Series season, as well as the sixth race of ten in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Brad Keselowski held off hard charges from Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth and Landon Cassill to score his sixth win of the season. Matt Kenseth finished second, while Clint Bowyer, Landon Cassill, and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five. The top rookies of the race were Austin Dillon (13th), Cole Whitt (15th), and Kyle Larson (17th).

Previous week's race

Kevin Harvick shot ahead of Jeff Gordon on the final restart with two laps to go to win the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.[13] “Oh, we came here and tested thinking that this was going to be the hardest round to get through because of Talladega,” Harvick said. “There’s so much that you can’t control there. We wanted to try to control the things that we could control. We felt like Kansas and here (Charlotte) were playing to our strengths; and just see where it fell after that once we get to the next round. So I’m really proud of everybody at SHR. I’m really proud of all my guys on this team. I just can’t thank everybody enough.”[13] "I'm really proud of that finish, really proud of that effort," Gordon said. " ... Kevin was tough. I knew he was going to be tough once he got out there."[13]

Report

Background

Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - which is closer to turn one than at Daytona. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators, although the current capacity is 80,000 seats.

Two-time series champion Terry Labonte made his 890th and final career start. “This is the third time I’ve run my last race,” Labonte told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Friday. “It’s been fun. It’s been exciting. I wish I was 10 years younger.”[14]

Knockout rule changes

On September 4, NASCAR announced changes to the knockout format for Daytona and Talladega in an effort to speed up the qualifying process.

The following modifications were made to the knockout qualifying format for restrictor plate races. All other rules first implemented at the Las Vegas race will continue to be used.

“This revision in national series qualifying at Talladega should be more exciting for our fans,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR senior vice president of competition and racing development. “It will feature a more accelerated pace, provide greater opportunity for team strategy to come into play and it should more closely resemble actual racing conditions.”[15]

Practice and qualifying

Clint Bowyer was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 47.788 and a speed of 200.385 mph (322.488 km/h).[16] Kyle Busch was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 49.056 and a speed of 195.205 mph (314.152 km/h).[17] Brian Vickers won the pole with a time of 48.825 and a speed of 196.129 mph (315.639 km/h).[18] “I thought that coming to three (laps) to go that we literally no shot,’’ said Vickers, who scored his first career Sprint Cup victory at this track in 2006. “We were way back. Like a half a straightaway behind the whole field and they all checked up and gave me a chance and gave me a run.’’[18] Justin Allgaier, Joe Nemechek and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. failed to qualify.[18] “I thought being the last car in line would be beneficial for us,’’ Stenhouse said. “We had Jeff Gordon leading the pack there I thought we would have a good shot at putting a good lap in, but my spotter was telling me, ‘Hey, you have 30 seconds to get across the start-finish line’ as we were entering Turn 3. I don’t guess (Gordon’s spotter) was giving him a lot of information. He kept slowing the pack down, and we didn’t get a good lap and never got across the start-finish line in time. My spotter was giving me the information I needed, and I wish (Gordon’s spotter) would have been doing the same.”[18] Jeff Gordon started 43rd for only the second time in his career.[18] “The plan was shot before the plan started,’’ Gordon said. “I messed up ultimately. I just mistimed getting to the line. The whole group was going so slow, I knew I had to have a gap. When I came across the line, I thought I had enough to be able to complete that lap and get one more, which was the only way we were going to be to make it (to the second round), but we came up short. It’s a mess out there. It’s not easy.’’[18] Originally, Nemechek made it though the first round, but his time was disallowed after the oil tank encasement was found to be improperly installed. This allowed Reed Sorenson, who originally failed to qualify, to start the race.[18] Brad Keselowski qualified fifth, but due to an alternator change, started from the rear along with Matt Kenseth, who changed an engine.[18] Terry Labonte, who made his final start, qualified ninth. It was his best qualifying performance since Sonoma 2005.[19] "You know, it's only about the third time I've said this is gonna be my last race, but this is really gonna be the last one," he said Saturday. "It's been fun."[19]

Race

The race was scheduled to begin at 2:21 PM Eastern time, but started at 2:23 p.m. with Brian Vickers leading the field to the green. He didn't hold the lead for long as Jimmie Johnson took the lead from him on lap two.

Ryan Blaney took the lead from Johnson on lap three.

Johnson retook the lead on lap 16.

Brad Keselowski took the lead on lap 27.

Johnson took back the lead on lap 30.

Johnson ducked onto pit road to make his first stop of the race on lap 39. Denny Hamlin assumed the lead.

Hamlin pitted on lap 40 and handed the lead to Tony Stewart.

Kasey Kahne took the lead on lap 45.

Greg Biffle took the lead on lap 46.

Jamie McMurray took the lead on lap 47.

Keselowski retook the lead on lap 51.

Kahne took back the lead from Keselowski on lap 52.

The first caution of the race flew on lap 60 when Jamie McMurray cut a tire and turned down into Joey Logano past the exit of turn 4.[20] "It's not destroyed, but it's pushed in. I see zero damage behind the exhaust," Keselowski's spotter Joey Meier reported to the crew.[21] Jimmie Johnson took the lead back from Kahne when the leaders pitted.

The race restarted on lap 66.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. took the lead on lap 76.

Just as the leaders were preparing to make their scheduled stop, the second caution of the race flew on lap 103. Aric Almirola hooked J. J. Yeley into the backstretch wall. A number of cars were collected in the melee including Kyle Busch "We are destroyed...it's everything," Busch lamented on his car radio.[22][23] J. J. Yeley, Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola, Austin Dillon, A. J. Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, Brian Vickers and Tony Stewart were involved in the incident.[23] "We had rear end damage, we got hit from behind, forced us into somebody in the front," team owner Joe Gibbs said in the garage as the crew made repairs. "The whole front fascia is gone. Our guys have done a great job, but we’ve had to replace a lot of the front end."[23] "We were just all starting to shuffle around there and getting ready to pit, and I think it was the 83 in front of me, and I think he might have been trying to check up to get to the bottom," said Almirola. "I just barely started to push him and it hooked his car and we all wrecked."[23] "It's disappointing," Rogers told FOXSports.com. "Everyone on this team has been executing really well, and I'm really proud of them, but something happened out of our control and took us out of the Chase. That's part of this sport. That's part of it. We all knew it coming into Talladega. We're the unfortunate victims this time. Kyle is ... I can’t praise him enough," said Rogers. "He has really stepped up to be a great leader of this race team in the Chase and we've had a couple things go against us -- getting the nose knocked off at Loudon, today, and Kyle's done a really good job of biting his lip and just backing the race team and letting us do our job. Kyle, I can't say enough good about him. I'm really proud of him. It's been a lot of fun working with him through this Chase, and we're not done yet."[23] David Gilliland stayed out when the leaders pitted and assumed the lead. He made a stop and handed the lead to Jeff Gordon. He stopped and gave the lead to Ryan Blaney.

The race restarted on lap 109 and Blaney lost the lead to Landon Cassill the next lap.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. took back the lead on lap 111.

Kevin Harvick took the lead on lap 113.

Jimmie Johnson took back the lead on lap 115.

Caution flew for the third time on lap 131 after Michael McDowell slammed the wall in turn 4. Cole Whitt stayed out when the leaders pitted to take the lead. He pitted the next lap and handed the lead back to Johnson.

The race restarted on lap 136.

Brad Keselowski retook the lead with 50 laps to go.

Johnson took the lead back from Keselowski with 49 laps to go.

Martin Truex, Jr. took the lead with 32 laps to go.

Jimmie Johnson took back the lead with 31 laps to go.

Truex took the lead back from Johnson with 25 laps to go.

Johnson took back the lead with 24 laps to go.

Danica Patrick took the lead with 21 laps to go.

Patrick pitted with 15 laps to go and handed the lead to David Ragan.

Kyle Larson spun on the apron of turn 1 and brought out the fourth caution of the race with 14 laps to go. Jeff Gordon was the only car who hadn't pitted and had to give up the lead to stop for fuel. Ryan Newman cycled to the lead.

The race restarted with nine laps to go.

Jimmie Johnson took back the lead with seven laps to go.

Newman took back the lead with six laps to go.

Debris brought out the fifth caution with five laps to go.

The race went past its advertised distance and went into overtime. The first Green-White-Checker resulted in a multi-car crash on the backstretch. It started when David Gilliland tapped Greg Biffle who clipped Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and collected a number of other cars. Brad Keselowski was ahead of race leader Newman and assumed the lead.

Brad Keselowski held off a hard charging Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth to win the race.[24] “I can’t believe it,” Keselowski said. “Talladega is such a wild card and to be able to win here you have to catch breaks and make your own breaks, a little of both. I can’t believe we won at Talladega. This race is the scariest of the three in the bracket. To be able to win here is really a privilege, it really is.”[25] Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson were the four drivers who were eliminated.[26] "We had a real good car most of the day," Earnhardt said. "Got real loose, kind of shuffled out. ... It's just hard racing. That's the way it goes at the end of these races. We weren't in good position."[27]

Notables

This was the last race for Terry Labonte. Go FAS Racing planned a paint scheme mimicking his time in NASCAR, with the driver's side similar to his 1996 championship season and the passenger side painted like his 1984 car. Go FAS Racing had to change it after qualifying, since NASCAR mandates the left and right side must be identical and the team went with the 1996 style.

Circle Sport Racing had their best career finishes with a sixth place from Travis Kvapil and fourth from Landon Cassill, marking the first top five and top ten finishes for Cassill and the team.

Reed Sorenson finished a respectable 14th, considering that his Tommy Baldwin Racing car only got in after Joe Nemechek's time was disallowed.

Post-race

Ryan Newman's car was found to be too low in the rear on both sides in post-race inspections.[28] However, this was found to be caused by race damage, so no penalties were issued.[29]

Results

Qualifying

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer R1 R2 R3
1 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 49.111 49.171 48.825
2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 49.731 48.634 48.924
3 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 49.040 49.001 48.983
4 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 48.994 48.877 49.357
5 2 Brad Keselowski[N 2] Team Penske Ford 49.019 48.906 49.359
6 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 49.548 49.132 49.439
7 33 Travis Kvapil Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 49.172 48.632 49.462
8 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 48.649 48.639 49.489
9 32 Terry Labonte[N 3] Go FAS Racing Ford 48.914 49.317 49.506
10 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 49.018 48.646 49.575
11 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 48.439 48.661 50.057
12 78 Martin Truex, Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 48.686 48.644 50.141
13 20 Matt Kenseth[N 4] Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 49.889 49.510
14 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 49.522 49.520
15 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 49.216 49.542
16 21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 48.901 49.771
17 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 49.529 49.803
18 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 49.950 49.850
19 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 48.298 49.899
20 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 48.144 49.934
21 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 49.521 50.140
22 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 49.203 50.144
23 49 Mike Wallace Jay Robinson Racing Toyota 49.593 51.838
24 29 Joe Nemechek[N 5] RAB Racing Toyota 49.508 0.000
25 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 49.985
26 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 50.026
27 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 50.080
28 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 50.097
29 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 50.101
30 40 Landon Cassill Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 50.102
31 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 50.129
32 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 50.184
33 83 J. J. Yeley BK Racing Toyota 50.218
34 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 50.220
35 66 Michael Waltrip Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 50.245
36 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Ford 50.266
37 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 50.863
38 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 51.110
39 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 53.980
40 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 54.065
41 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 54.163
42 24 Jeff Gordon[N 6] Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.245
43 14 Tony Stewart[N 7] Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 50.590
Did Not Qualify
44 17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 54.118
45 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 54.166
46 36 Reed Sorenson[N 8] Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 50.585

Race results

Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 5 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 194 47
2 13 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 194 43
3 33 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 194 41
4 29 40 Landon Cassill Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 194 0
5 11 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 194 40
6 7 33 Travis Kvapil Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 194 38
7 18 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 194 37
8 26 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 194 36
9 39 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 194 36
10 19 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 194 34
11 40 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 194 33
12 8 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 194 33
13 30 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 194 31
14 36 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 194 30
15 22 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 194 30
16 34 66 Michael Waltrip Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 194 28
17 42 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 194 27
18 38 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 194 27
19 27 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 194 26
20 1 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 194 24
21 15 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 194 23
22 4 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 194 0
23 3 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 194 21
24 2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 194 22
25 24 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 194 20
26 43 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 194 19
27 12 78 Martin Truex, Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 194 18
28 35 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Ford 194 16
29 21 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 194 16
30 25 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 194 15
31 28 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 194 14
32 16 21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 194 0
33 9 32 Terry Labonte Go FAS Racing Ford 193 11
34 37 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 190 11
35 31 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 189 10
36 20 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 188 8
37 10 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 187 7
38 23 49 Mike Wallace Jay Robinson Racing Toyota 186 0
39 17 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 166 5
40 41 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 145 4
41 6 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 127 3
42 32 83 J. J. Yeley BK Racing Toyota 102 0
43 14 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 102 1

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
Pos Driver Points
1 Joey Logano 4,000
1 2 Kevin Harvick 4,000 (-0)
1 3 Ryan Newman 4,000 (-0)
3 4 Denny Hamlin 4,000 (-0)
4 5 Matt Kenseth 4,000 (-0)
1 6 Carl Edwards 4,000 (-0)
1 7 Jeff Gordon 4,000 (-0)
2 8 Brad Keselowski 4,000 (-0)
7 9 Kyle Busch 2,197 (-1,803)
1 10 Jimmie Johnson 2,174 (-1,826)
3 11 Kasey Kahne 2,169 (-1,831)
1 12 A. J. Allmendinger 2,163 (-1,837)
1 13 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 2,149 (-1,851)
14 Greg Biffle 2,147 (-1,853)
15 Kurt Busch 2,146 (-1,854)
16 Aric Almirola 2,101 (-1,899)

Manufacturers' Championship standings
Pos Manufacturer Points
1 Chevrolet 1,429
2 Ford 1,408 (-21)
3 Toyota 1,286 (-143)
  • Note: Only the first sixteen positions are included for the driver standings.

Notes

  1. Due to a minor crediting error, the original 2.7/6 rating and 4.358 viewing figure has been updated.[12]
  2. Brad Keselowski started from the rear for an alternator change.
  3. Terry Labonte started from the rear after NASCAR made him change his paint scheme livery.
  4. Matt Kenseth started from the rear for an engine change following final practice.
  5. Joe Nemechek's time was disallowed after his car failed post-race inspection.
  6. Jeff Gordon started 43rd as a result of Tony Stewart using the champions provisional. This was only the second time that Gordon has started last.
  7. Tony Stewart used the past champions provisional to make the race. He started 37th.
  8. Because Joe Nemechek failed post-race inspection, Reed Sorenson, who originally failed to qualify, was bumped back into the race.

References

  1. "2014 Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  2. "Talladega Superspeedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  3. "Entry List". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. October 13, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  4. "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  5. "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  6. "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  7. "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  8. "GEICO 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  9. "Points Standings". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  10. "Manufacturer Standings". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  11. Paulsen (October 22, 2014). "Sprint Cup TV Ratings: Talladega Hits Low on ESPN". SportsMediaWatch.com. Sports Media Watch. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  12. Paulsen (November 15, 2014). "Ratings Roundup: NASCAR Correction, Formula 1, EPL on NBC". SportsMediaWatch.com. Sports Media Watch. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 Pistone, Pete (October 11, 2014). "Harvick Advances with Charlotte Win". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  14. Utter, Jim (October 17, 2014). "NASCAR: Terry Labonte’s finale Sunday at Talladega". ThatsRacin.com. The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  15. Long, Dustin; Pistone, Pete (September 4, 2014). "Qualifying Format Altered for Talladega". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  16. Estrada, Chris (October 17, 2014). "Clint Bowyer leads first Sprint Cup practice at Talladega". motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  17. Bonkowski, Jerry (October 17, 2014). "The Kyle show: Busch fastest, Larson next in Cup Happy Hour at ‘Dega". motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 18.6 18.7 Long, Dustin (October 18, 2014). "Vickers Takes Talladega Pole". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  19. 19.0 19.1 Gluck, Jeff (October 18, 2014). "Terry Labonte will make his final NASCAR start at Talladega". usatoday.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  20. Owens, Jeff (October 19, 2014). "Brad Keselowski rebounds from early wreck at Talladega". SportingNews.com. Sporting News. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  21. Pennell, Jay (October 19, 2014). "Chase scare: Keselowski suffers damage in first Talladega wreck". FoxSports.com. Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  22. Hembree, Mike (October 19, 2014). "Kyle Busch on the ropes after hard crash at Talladega". usatoday.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 Pennell, Jay (October 19, 2014). "Kyle Busch collected in Talladega wreck, does not advance in Chase". FoxSports.com. Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  24. Utter, Jim (October 19, 2014). "Brad Keselowski wins GEICO 500 at Talladega to advance in Chase". ThatsRacin.com. The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  25. Pistone, Pete (October 19, 2014). "Keselowski Scores Must Win". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  26. Fryer, Jenna (October 19, 2014). "Keselowski keeps title hopes alive at Talladega". racing.ap.org. The Associated Press. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  27. Ryan, Nate (October 19, 2014). "Keseloskwi wins at Talladega; Earnhardt, Johnson out of Chase". usatoday.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  28. Report, Staff (October 19, 2014). "Ryan Newman's car measures too low". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  29. Gluck, Jeff (October 21, 2014). "No penalties: Ryan Newman's car clears NASCAR inspection". usatoday.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
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