‘The Big One’ at Talladega Superspeedway made its presence felt during Sunday’s YellaWood 500, claiming nearly entire field in a historically large crash.

NASCAR crash

“The Big One” caused a major crash with five laps remaining in the YellaWood 500 (Image: NBC)

The YellaWood 500 devolved into chaos after “The Big One” claimed nearly the entire field. The massive crash involved 28 cars, marking the most drivers ever wiped out in a single crash in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series.

With just five laps remaining in the playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway, Brad Keselowski got shoved into the bumper of race-leader Austin Cindric while running in the bottom line. The No. 2 Ford went flying up the track following the bump, collecting a plethora of other cars running behind him.

When the dust had finally settled on the massive crash, a record-breaking 28 drivers were affected – including postseason contenders Chase Elliott, Joey Logano and Alex Bowman. Cindric, Michael McDowell and Daniel Hemric, meanwhile, were taken to the infield care center to be assessed for injuries but were soon after released.

Talladega's Big One wrecks through the years - Sports Illustrated

When asked to recall what caused the harrowing incident, McDowell told reporters: “I’m not really sure, to be honest with you. I came down the back straightaway and saw one car get turned – I don’t even know what car it was – and everybody just [ran] right into each other. So I didn’t have a whole lot of time to react, I was kind of in the middle of it before it even started.

“It’s unfortunate, it’s part of speedway racing. I mean, you know when you get down to that five [laps] to go the intensity ratchets up. To be honest with you, we didn’t do a good job of controlling our own destiny. You need to be in that top four when you cycle out of that last pit stop to not ensure that you won’t be in it, but it gives you a lot better fighting chance. Because when you’re running 12-15 you’re gonna be in it, it’s just whether or not you can drive away from it.”

Logano – who suffered a DNF and placed 33rd – expressed a similar sentiment. “Everyone just gets more aggressive at the end of the races,” he said. “I mean, it’s nobody’s fault. It’s not Brad’s fault. It’s not anybody’s fault. It’s just the product of the races we got. Everyone’s getting more and more aggressive as the laps wind down. It happens. It happens a lot.”

Big NASCAR Crash at Talladega Ends With 21 Cars Piling Up

Events at Talladega Superspeedway are known to be hectic in nature, with drafting playing a pivotal role at the 2.66 mile oval track. Logano, for one, is hardly a fan of the close-quarter racing.

“I didn’t even have fun today,” he added. “You can’t even do anything here. You get just stuck. You know, you’re running 4 wide and that looks cool, but you’re running half throttle. And you know, you get what you want to go, and it’s time to go, everyone’s just stuck too wide. And so there’s just not many moves you can make. I don’t run on these super speedways as it evolves.

“The car’s got so much drag on it. You can’t make moves and make runs happen and cross people up. You’re just, you’re committed to where you are in that line.”