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GEICO 500: Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin earn stage wins at Talladega

By Nick Tylwalk

May 7, 2017; Talladega, AL, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) makes a pit stop during the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
May 7, 2017; Talladega, AL, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) makes a pit stop during the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Being out front was usually, but not always, the place to be during Stage 1 and 2 of the GEICO 500 at Talladega.

The Big One did not arrive during the first 100-plus laps of the GEICO 500. But since it’s always a possibility at Talladega Superspeedway, the best place to be is out in front, and arguably the second best place is well behind the possible chaos.

Both of those strategies paid off for the stage winners on Sunday. Brad Keselowski was always right near the lead in Stage 1, and he managed the traffic behind him just fine as he claimed the green and white checkered flag. He was aided by some trash on the grill for pole sitter Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who had to drop back after leading a big chunk of the stage but still rallied to come in second.

Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin dropped way back and nearly lost the lead draft in Stage 1. But he was able to use pit strategy to start Stage 2 up front, and he led 40 of the 55 laps en route to a stage win of his own.

As Talladega is wont to do, it scrambled things up a bit and allowed some drivers who haven’t earned many stage points in 2017 to grab top-10 spots. The likes of Paul Menard and Danica Patrick racked up some rare points, ones that they could desperately use.

The final stage of the GEICO 500 is shorter in relation to the overall race length than most Cup Series races this season, but there’s still plenty of time for big shake-ups and/or big wrecks before it’s all said and done.

GEICO 500 Stage 1 results

  1. Brad Keselowski, 10 points, one playoff point
  2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 9 points
  3. Kyle Busch, 8 points
  4. Martin Truex Jr., 7 points
  5. Trevor Bayne, 6 points
  6. Joey Logano, 5 points
  7. Paul Menard, 4 points
  8. Danica Patrick, 3 points
  9. Ryan Blaney, 2 points
  10. Erik Jones, 1 point

GEICO 500 Stage 2 results

  1. Denny Hamlin, 10 points, one playoff point
  2. Kevin Harvick, 9 points
  3. Ryan Blaney, 8 points
  4. Martin Truex Jr., 7 points
  5. Jimmie Johnson, 6 points
  6. Kyle Larson, 5 points
  7. Kurt Busch, 4 points
  8. Kasey Kahne, 3 points
  9. Erik Jones, 2 points
  10. Jamie McMurray, 1 point
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