Matt Debenedato’s thrilling second-place finish at Talladega turned into a 21st-place finish after Eric Jones was penalized for running out of bounds on the final turn of the Yallawood 500 playoff race.
Drivers are not allowed to cross the yellow line that separates the racing surface from the intentionally sent apron, unless they try to avoid potential destruction.
To save his position from the hard-charging Jones, Dibenetto was leading the race when moved all the way from the outside wall to the inside; But he went too far and caused Jones to go down the line, when he came crashing down on the surface of the ramp.
Seconds later, Danny Hamlin, who also drew on an apron to avoid Jones, finished Dbidenetto with .023 seconds to advance to the next round of the NASCAR playoffs. NASCAR officials determined that the move below Ham Malin’s line was an attempt to avoid contact with Jones, who was awarded second place as a result of Debenedato’s penalty.
Chase Elliott also crossed the line in the last lap and was fined for moving him from sixth to 22nd, but it was later decided that Chris Buscher was forced to move him forward. In the final results, Elliott finished fifth, while beating sixth-ranked Buscher on the track to 22nd.
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After the race, an emotional debenetto, who had not yet renewed his Wood Brothers racing contract next year, said he was driving with “pure frustration” chasing the first Cup series win.
“This is how I run every race, every time I set foot in a race car. I appreciate the challenges I face because it teaches you, ”he said.
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