On Lap 97 of the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, Austin Dillon's race was all but kaput. Dillon was caught in a scary, seven-car crash that resulted in his car being turned, initiating a chain reaction that ended with Chris Buescher's car going airborne and tumbling down the backstretch.
Dillon's Richard Childress Racing team was able to make repairs, but Dillon's duct-taped car was running a lap down. Then, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s second crash of the day gave Dillon a free pass, putting him at the tail end of the lead lap.
Dillon received additional damage in what NASCAR scored as a 21-car pile-up with 28 laps remaining.