During the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Talladega Superspeedway, there was plenty of chaos. Poor old Noah Gragson found this out the hard way, with 25 laps left on the scoreboard. Around that time, he was leading the race, but got punted into a spin and went nose-first into the outside wall.
As he slid down, Myatt Snider hit his car and sent it back up into the wall. When his car slithered back down a second time, he got hit again and careened towards the infield.
According to replays, the #02 of Brett Moffitt got turned by Jeff Burton. Moffitt then tagged an unsuspecting Gragson, and the latter was simply a passenger. Later on, Santino Ferrucci, CJ McLaughlin, and Caesar Baccarella rammed into his car. In the end, he was classified as 30th and DNF from the race.
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A scary crash for Noah Gragson at Talladega (he's okay). pic.twitter.com/E4bkrSRagz
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 2, 2021
How will this crash affect Noah Gragson?
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Of course, this would have massive consequences in the Playoff fight, especially with Brandon Brown winning. With none of the Top 12 winning a single Playoff race, things have just gotten all the more difficult. While Gragson seems to be alright and there is no lasting damage, it has certainly dented his championship hopes for the moment.
On the bright side, he sits in seventh in the standings, and should theoretically escape first-round elimination. However, there is still the Xfinity Series race at the Charlotte Roval. This will give the drivers an opportunity to try and avoid the bottom 4 places and make it into the Round of 8.
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At the moment, Jeb Burton, Myatt Snider, Riley Herbst, and Jeremy Clements are in the most vulnerable positions. However, Noah Gragson and Harrison Burton are right on the bubble as well, in seventh and eighth respectively. So, Gragson and Burton will be eager to attain the highest position possible to escape the elimination zone.
READ MORE: Noah Gragson to Re-Sign With JR Motorsports for the 2022 Xfinity Series Season