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Multiple Truck Series drivers involved in early crashes at Talladega
NASCAR Truck Series driver Grant Enfinger. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Multiple NASCAR Truck Series playoff drivers involved in early crashes at Talladega

A pair of early crashes in Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway may have drastically altered the complexion of the Truck Series championship hunt. 

On Lap 5 of 85 in the Love's RV Stop 225, a crash occurred on the exit of Turn 4 that involved two playoff drivers. 

Trouble bites playoff drivers early at Talladega

A bad push from Tanner Gray to Chandler Smith resulted in contact between Smith and playoff driver Grant Enfinger, sending Enfinger spinning into the middle of the track. 

Playoff driver and defending Truck Series champion Ty Majeski caught Enfinger with the left-front of his No. 98 Ford. While Majeski's damage was minimal, Enfinger's No. 9 Chevrolet was totaled. Majeski's team put an abundance of tape on his left-front to fix the damage. 

Gray said on the radio that he did not believe he hit Smith. 

Jake Garcia also suffered heavy damage in the crash. 

The incident knocked Enfinger — the defending Talladega winner — out of the race. The Fairhope, Alabama, native will have to win the Oct. 24 race at Martinsville Speedway to get back to the Championship 4 and race for his first title. 

On Lap 10, the yellow flag flew again after another playoff driver in Layne Riggs got turned by Smith, his Front Row Motorsports teammate, in Turns 1 and 2. Riggs' No. 34 Ford only sustained minor left-front damage. Connor Mosack was also involved in the Lap 10 wreck. 

"I don't know why we're pushing so hard in the corner," Riggs said over the radio after the incident. "What the hell?"

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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