Talladega had already delivered a brutal reminder of how quickly a championship race can unravel. The first Big One struck on Lap 132, triggering a 12-car pileup that collected Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and several other Chase contenders. Blaney’s race ended, while Hamlin’s team faced extensive front-end repairs as the title fight took another hit. Yet the YellaWood 500 still had one more terrifying twist in store. With the laps winding down, another violent crash threatened to turn a tense finish into a frightening scene.

With five laps remaining, another massive crash tore through the field, sending Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford upside down and bringing the race to a halt, as reported by Bob Pockrass. The three-time Cup Series champion had been battling near the front, only to become caught in a late-race pileup. The sight of his car rolling onto its roof stunned the crowd, while another violent impact involving 23XI Racing’s Riley Herbst added to the alarm.

Logano’s car was sent into a series of violent movements before landing upside down, turning a battle for the finish into a fight to escape the wreckage. The No. 22 Ford had been in contention for the win after taking Stage 2, beating Larson to the line by just 0.012 seconds. That earlier success made the late crash even more punishing for Team Penske, which had seen Logano positioned to capitalize on the chaos that had already eliminated several title contenders.

The most reassuring moment came when Logano climbed out of the overturned car under his own power. Fans watching the wreck applauded as he emerged, a welcome sight after the frightening roll. NASCAR’s safety team then took him to the infield care center for evaluation. He was checked over and released, providing relief that the crash had not left him with an injury requiring further treatment.

Speaking to NBC after the crash, Logano summed up the frightening experience with a blunt admission: “Happy to be alive.” He also praised the Next Gen car’s safety, relieved that the driver’s compartment had not suffered the kind of intrusion he experienced during his previous major flip.

That earlier incident came at Talladega in April 2021, when contact involving Denny Hamlin and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. sent Logano’s car airborne and sliding upside down. The crash left a roof support pressed against his helmet, prompting serious concerns about the protection around the cockpit. NASCAR subsequently strengthened the roof structure and introduced superspeedway rule changes. This time, Logano’s comments offered a more reassuring assessment of how the car had protected him through another terrifying rollover.

Logano was not the only driver facing a frightening moment in the closing laps. Riley Herbst, driving for 23XI Racing, was also caught in the late-race mayhem. His car slammed into the outside wall, but that was not the end of it. Herbst then appeared to lose his brakes completely, causing him to hit the inside wall at virtually full speed again. Thankfully, Herbst too was evaluated and subsequently released from the infield care center without any major concerns.

For Herbst, the crash was a brutal end to a race that had shown flashes of promise. He had finished sixth in Stage 1 and briefly led the field after the restart for Stage 2, demonstrating that he could run with the front pack at Talladega. But superspeedway racing offers little protection when a wreck begins in front of a tightly bunched field. Drivers can be left with nowhere to go, even when they have no role in triggering the incident.

The violent impacts forced NASCAR to display the red flag, stopping the field so safety crews could reach the damaged cars and clear the track. Unlike a routine caution, the red flag meant drivers had to wait while officials dealt with the wreckage before racing could resume. With so little time left, the interruption also turned the final stretch into a test of patience for drivers still capable of competing for the win.