There was another multi-car crash near the end of Stage 2, which also caused a red flag.
At the back of a much smaller pack following the earlier incident, things got four-wide and Leland Honeyman got hooked down the track. He slammed into Connor Zilisch, which ended his historic streak of 18 consecutive races with a top five finish. As the wreck escalated, Connor Mosack spun up the track and got hit hard by both Dean Thompson and William Sawalich. Blaine Perkins was also involved.
The six-car wreck came with just a few laps left in Stage 2, and NASCAR officials chose to red flag the race as the entrance of Turn 1 needed a lot of speedy dry. The second red flag was not as long, lasting ten minutes and 35 seconds.
Sawalich, Thompson, and Mosack were unable to continue. While Thompson and Mosack were checked and released from the infield care center, Sawalich (driver of the No. 18) has since been transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
There were no details offered other than the fact that the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was awake and alert. Sawalich, aged 19, had nearly made it through the wreck, but Mosack came sliding up in front of him in a significant impact for both drivers.
New update
In a social media post at 3:11am EST, almost nine hours after the race's conclusion, Joe Gibbs Racing provided the latest update, saying: "William Sawalich has been released from the hospital."
Sawalich has since posted the following message: "Appreciate all the messages and calls last night. Finally made it back home from Talladega — a little sore, but feeling better and thankful for all the support. Grateful for my team, the racing community, the NASCAR medical staff, nurses and doctors at UAB Hospital, friends and family."
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