This isn’t the first rodeo for Aric Almirola. The 41-year-old and Sammy Smith have a history. Remember the 2024 Martinsville Xfinity race? The closing laps, the intensity escalated as both positioned themselves for a potential victory. It was Aric who triumphed to hold off challenges from Smith, ultimately scoring the win by a margin of 0.587 seconds. They raced each other with respect and controlled aggression. But things looked different this year at the Round of 8 race at Talladega.

Throughout the early stages, both drivers were maneuvering within the single-file draft, jockeying for positions as Austin Hill and other leaders maintained control at the front. However, the drama unfolded when Smith pulled an aggressive move that ended Aric’s day. And Smith couldn’t help but sort things out.

Aric Almirola appreciates Sammy Smith’s gesture post-Talladega crash

Speaking post-race, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran understood where Sammy Smith was coming from. He said, “I was just so focused and fixated on the seven’s bumper, and I honestly crowded him. But I mean, that’s it—it’s a game of inches at these places and everybody at the end is pushing and shoving and you just kind of running wide open and dragging a little break here and there trying to manage the runs. And yeah. Crashed. So he didn’t do anything wrong at all. And so that was nice of him to come and talk to me. But I mean, he was trying to fill the middle and go forward. And that’s what you’re supposed to do.” 

The incident occurred on Lap 92 when Smith made contact with Almirola on the backstretch. The impact sent the 41-year-old careening into the outside wall after also clipping the No. 27 driver, Jeb Burton, resulting in a heavy collision. Simultaneously, Daniel Dye ( No. 10) spun into the inside wall as the crash unfolded, creating a chaotic scene on the track.

Both drivers were part of a multi-car melee, but Almirola took the brunt of the damage from the wall hit, highlighting the risks of late-race aggression at a high-speed superspeedway like Talladega.

Sammy Smith didn’t shy away from taking accountability for his actions. Post-race he said, “I think it was more a racing situation. I don’t know, I feel bad I wrecked him. Obviously, I respect Aric and I thought we worked really good together all day. I thought maybe whoever was behind him kind of got him a little free and I maybe came up a little bit and he came down a little bit and then I was I just got him. So it definitely sucks that I did that to him.” 

After the crash, luckily, both drivers were able to continue. Smith struggled with a few issues shortly after, needing a shove from pit road, while Aric fell back into the running order, finishing his race in 24th. However, Sammy Smith made a recovery and finished ninth. The incident definitely underscored the fine line between aggressive positioning and a disaster at Talladega, as small miscalculations can quickly escalate into major accidents.

However, Smith still remains in championship contention as he sits below the cut line, 11 points behind. But it could’ve been a back-to-back victory for Aric Almirola, the latest Las Vegas Xfinity winner, as he led just 4 out of the 100 laps at the Dega. Ultimately, it was Austin Hill who made it through.

Austin Hill avoids chaos to win at the tri-oval

Austin Hill claimed victory in a chaotic Saturday showdown at Talladega Superspeedway, his second consecutive win there, navigating the mayhem by staying near the front, a familiar strategy for the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driver on drafting tracks.

Hill edged out Carson Kvapil by just 0.105 seconds to earn his 10th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win on a drafting circuit, including Atlanta, Daytona, and Talladega. The 31-year-old driver showcased his dominance by sweeping up not only the win but also the stages. The triumph secures his team a spot in the Championship 4 of the Xfinity Series Owner’s Playoffs.

After being knocked out of the playoffs at the Charlotte Roval, Hill’s win was definitely some sort of redemption. And now Hill turns his focus to Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race, chasing his first career Cup victory behind the wheel of the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet as Michael McDowell takes pole position for the Sunday YellaWood 500.