GEICO 500: The Big One arrives with 20 laps to go at Talladega, puts AJ Allmendinger on roof

A wild wreck with 20 laps to go in the GEICO 500 mangled numerous cars and left one driver literally upside-down.

Racing at Talladega Superspeedway is always dicey. NASCAR Cup Series cars going nearly 200 mph just feet or even inches away from each other means calamity is never far away — even in today’s GEICO 500, which made it to the last 20 laps without a multi-car accident.

But when The Big One arrived, it came with all the fury the track is known for.

Even worse, it started with two cars driving in the top five. A.J. Allmedinger tried to bump draft with Chase Elliott, who was second at the time. The contact sent Elliott around, where he slid along the outside wall as cars piled up behind him.

One of those cars belonged to Allmedinger himself, who arguably took the wildest ride as his No. 47 slid on its side and eventually settled on its roof. Danica Patrick also hit the inside wall hard not once but twice.

Joey Logano, whose No. 22 had been one of the better cars all afternoon, was the one who got into Elliott after he was sideways, lifting him off the ground.

Fortunately, the drivers who took the worst in the collision ended up getting checked out in the infield care center and released quickly. Even Allemdinger was okay, sounding more upset that he wrecked a good car than with the beating he took. He and Elliott were seen on camera talking and Elliott managed to flash a smile, at least in the moment.

The GEICO 500 was red flagged in the aftermath of the wreck, and with 19 laps remaining, the hope is that the cars still in one piece can bring it home without another moment like this.