“A good plan gone wrong.”
Here’s what happened: https://t.co/AR82NWHMPJ pic.twitter.com/umNcyyc2GE
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 21, 2024
A potentially brilliant strategy call made by Toyota teammates from Joe Gibbs Racing, 23XI Racing, and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has been derailed in a major way after four of the manufacturer’s six remaining drivers were caught up in a vicious wreck late in Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
In a six-car pack, the accident happened as the drivers stacked up entering the third corner as they went over the bumps, turning Jones head-on into the Turn 3 wall destroying the front end of the Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE, and collecting multiple others in that pack made of entirely Toyota drivers.
Jones’ teammate at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, John Hunter Nemechek, was the only driver involved in the accident able to continue in the race, while Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, and Erik Jones forced to retire from the event, joining fellow Toyota driver Christopher Bell in the garage.
“We were all pushing really hard to keep our line going, we had a plan and we just didn’t execute it as well as we should have,” said Bubba Wallace. “Hate it for our Leidos team, always look forward to running these places, then you get trapped in other people’s messes. Just hate it, it doesn’t make us look good at all.”
Jones, Hamlin, and Wallace were all checked and released from the infield care center, and with their retirements will finish 35th, 36th, and 37th place — barring issues in post-race inspection.
“I just saw the No. 43 get turned, and then I got turned,” said Denny Hamlin. “So, I’m not sure what happened first but, I’m not sure, but obviously there was a bad push up towards the front and it wiped us all out.”
“Yeah, I’m a little sore, but I’ll be alright,” said Jones after exiting the infield care center. “I don’t know the No. 23 was pushing us there we were pushing and shoving to try and make time on our strategy and I got sideways getting into three and tried to gather it up and then ended up hard into the wall.”
