Tony Stewart and Cleetus McFarland were among eight drivers involved in a major Stage 1 crash in Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
On Lap 17, Stewart Friesen wiggled in Turns 1 and 2, receiving contact from behind from Andrés Pérez and veering left into Kris Wright, who shot across the track and hard into the outside SAFER barrier. Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion who made his second start of the season, was in the middle of the melee and had nowhere to go, receiving heavy damage in an incident that also included Cole Butcher, Daniel Hemric and Corey LaJoie.
MORE: Race results | At-track photos: Talladega
“It’s just a racing deal. It’s part of it at restrictor plate races,” Stewart told FS1 after being evaluated and released from the infield care center. “Stewart (Friesen) couldn’t go anywhere, I mean he had an issue, he said, and he’s stuck in the middle — he can’t go anywhere, so he’s doing the best he can to hang onto it and just everyone around him got caught up in it.”
McFarland, making his third career Truck Series start, was behind the wreck as it developed and darted low to avoid it as he neared the backstretch. But contact from another truck sent him sideways and into the inside wall, suffering heavy damage to this No. 4 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet.
Speaking to reporters after being evaluated and released from the infield care center, McFarland — a YouTube personality turned part-time NASCAR driver — believed he was at fault for the DNF.
WATCH: Hear from McFarland
“It was great, feeling it out, and then massive wreck in front of me,” McFarland said. “There’s trucks going everywhere, and I got slowed down. I was woed up, I thought I was good, and then I got tapped in the back left as I was coming down the track. Probably my fault, and I just went over and crunched the nose on my truck, ended my day short.
“I thought for a second I was gonna save it, but then it just had a little too much yaw, and it circled around. I jammed on the brakes to try and get the truck to slide straight, but I was too late. I already screwed myself.”
McFarland’s national series debut ended in similar fashion, crashing on Lap 5 of the season-opening Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway in a single-car incident. Since then, though, he tallied an additional Truck start at Michigan International Speedway, as well as a pair of O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races and a lengthy springtime test at Rockingham Speedway.
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In his most recent visit to Talladega in the spring, McFarland paced 19 laps in April’s ARCA Menards Series race, ultimately finishing second after leading into the tri-oval on the final lap.
Those reps gave him increased confidence for his Alabama return, with sights set on an increased NASCAR schedule in 2027.
“I feel like I was totally in control, and I knew I was tight, so I made the right decisions to put myself on the outside with my spotter,” McFarland said. “Things really did feel good today. I felt like I was finishing, for sure, outside of some crazy thing, and to just end on such a stupid situation, it blows.
“I’m really frustrated because this time, it’s not like I just did a bonehead move in the middle of the race and slammed into the wall like I did in Daytona. I feel like I had so much leeway ahead of me.”
MORE: Chase drivers have pit-road issues
Hemric was the only driver collected who is competing in The Chase presented by Mobil 1, but two postseason competitors had issues before the wreck. Justin Haley suffered a flat tire on Lap 13, forcing most of the field to check up, including Chase driver Chandler Smith, who dropped toward the rear of the field. Christian Eckes, runner-up in each of the last three races, suffered a flat tire on Lap 15 and made an unplanned visit to pit road. He entered Friday’s race fourth in points.
