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No. 12 NASCAR Ford Wins Talladega Fall 2023 Photo Finish: Video

Talladega is always a thrilling race, and the Cup Series event on October 1st, 2023 was no exception, as a pair of NASCAR Ford Mustangs streaked toward the finish side-by-side ahead of a dramatic crash on the last lap.

Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Mustang beat out the No. 4 Mustang of Kevin Harvick by mere inches at the line, after leading only eight of 188 laps. The two race cars touched heading to the stripe but were able to keep their race cars under them, even as the pack wrecked behind them.

“I don’t really know, pretty wild last restart, let alone last couple laps,” Blaney said after the race. “Kinda lost momentum, then getting it back, got clear to the bottom to kind get to the front row and drag race it out with Kevin [Harvick]. It’s so cool to win here three times at Talladega.”

With this win, Blaney will automatically advance into the next Playoffs round. Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 6 Ford, finds himself in danger of being eliminated, just two points above the cutline. He had a DNF at Talladega after making contact with the No. 42 Chevy Camaro ZL1 of Carson Hocevar, causing the latter to spin out and trigger a massive wreck that collected Keselowski.

Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 NASCAR Ford, led 24 laps, but was relegated to a 25th-place finish after the chaos of the race. Overall, there were 70 lead changes among 24 drivers.

Harvick’s No. 4 Mustang crossed the line in second after drag-racing Blaney to the line, but he was disqualified in postrace inspection and has been credited with a 38th-place finish, or dead last.

NASCAR Cup Series Race Results, Talladega Superspeedway, October 1, 2023
Finish Start Car Number Driver Team Laps Run Laps Led Car
1 10 12 Ryan Blaney (P) Menards/Pennzoil Ford 188 8 Ford Mustang
2 8 24 William Byron (P) Axalta Chevrolet 188 12 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
3 12 11 Denny Hamlin (P) Mavis Tires & Brakes Toyota 188 3 Toyota TRD Camry
4 36 7 Corey LaJoie Gainbridge Chevrolet 188 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
5 7 2 Austin Cindric Discount Tire Ford 188 15 Ford Mustang
6 30 31 Justin Haley Morris-Shea Bridge Co. Inc. Chevrolet 188 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
7 23 9 Chase Elliott (P) LLumar Chevrolet 188 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
8 19 41 Ryan Preece Wonder Bread Ford 188 8 Ford Mustang
9 6 36 * Riley Herbst(i) Beast Unleashed White Haze Ford 188 10 Ford Mustang
10 28 99 Daniel Suarez Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet 188 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
11 34 13 * Chandler Smith(i) Quick Tie Products Inc. Chevrolet 188 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
12 17 38 Todd Gilliland Georgia Peanuts Ford 188 0 Ford Mustang
13 3 14 Chase Briscoe Old Spice Ford 188 0 Ford Mustang
14 15 20 Christopher Bell (P) DEWALT Electrical Solutions Toyota 188 2 Toyota TRD Camry
15 4 5 Kyle Larson (P) Valvoline/HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 188 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
16 13 45 Tyler Reddick (P) McDonald's Toyota 188 2 Toyota TRD Camry
17 1 10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 188 7 Ford Mustang
18 16 19 Martin Truex Jr. (P) Bass Pro Shops Toyota 188 0 Toyota TRD Camry
19 24 17 Chris Buescher (P) BuildSubmarines.com Ford 188 3 Ford Mustang
20 31 16 AJ Allmendinger Action Industries Chevrolet 188 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
21 18 34 Michael McDowell Love's Travel Stops Ford 188 5 Ford Mustang
22 35 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Sara Lee Artesano Bakery Bread Chevrolet 188 14 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
23 9 23 Bubba Wallace (P) Leidos Toyota 188 3 Toyota TRD Camry
24 2 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 188 48 Ford Mustang
25 25 8 Kyle Busch (P) X World Wallet Chevrolet 188 2 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
26 26 43 Erik Jones Allegiant Chevrolet 188 4 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
27 33 77 Ty Dillon Ferris Commercial Mowers Chevrolet 188 2 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
28 20 48 Alex Bowman Ally Chevrolet 188 13 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
29 37 78 BJ McLeod(i) Gunk Chevrolet 187 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
30 29 15 Brennan Poole(i) Finance Pro Plus Ford 186 0 Ford Mustang
31 21 21 Harrison Burton DEX Imaging Ford 175 0 Ford Mustang
32 5 6 Brad Keselowski (P) Solomon Plumbing Ford 161 5 Ford Mustang
33 14 3 Austin Dillon Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet 161 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
34 22 54 Ty Gibbs # Monster Energy Toyota 161 0 Toyota TRD Camry
35 38 42 Carson Hocevar(i) Sunseeker Resorts Chevrolet 161 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
36 27 51 JJ Yeley(i) Biohaven/Jacob Co. Ford 83 0 Ford Mustang
37 32 1 Ross Chastain (P) Worldwide Express Chevrolet 59 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
38 11 4 Kevin Harvick Busch Light Camo Ford 188 11 Ford Mustang

# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
P – Playoffs eligible

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Alexandra is a Colorado-based journalist with a passion for all things involving horsepower, be it automotive or equestrian.

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