(Video) Aric Almirola causes a massive wreck involving Katherine Legge at Talladega

JGR veteran Aric Almirola triggered a huge wreck after hitting Katherine Legge's car in Talladega.

(Video) Aric Almirola causes a massive wreck involving Katherine Legge at Talladega

Aric Almirola (via Forbes), Katherine Legge (via Motorsport.com), Talladega wreck (via X/@NASCAR)

The NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talledega this weekend was an exciting affair for fans. The race was initially quite calm but two late-cautions created a thrilling spectacle. The second caution was triggered by Aric Almirola with just a handful of laps till the finish.

Almirola’s spotter Stevie Reeves told the Xfinity driver that he was clear to join the top lane. However, by the time the 41-year-old responded to the call, it was too late. The No. 19 car collided with Katherine Legge‘s Chevrolet, triggering a massive wreck. Both cars suffered damage and went off the road with Brandon Jones also getting caught up in the incident.

Following the incident, Aric Almirola complained to his spotter over the call. Although, Stevie Reeves insisted that the track was clear when he made the instruction.

Aric Almirola: Stevie, come on, I went exactly when you said ‘get up, get up!’
Stevie Reeves: You were plenty clear when I first said it, I promise you

Radio communication between Aric Almirola and Stevie Reeves

The wreck hampered the races of all drivers involved. Notably, Katherine Legge was set to get her first finish of the season after being involved in another wreck last weekend at Rockingham.

Aric Almirola takes full blame for Talladega wreck

After the race, Almirola was quite open about the incident. The 41-year-old hinted at potential miscommunication between himself and Stevie Reeves. Perhaps, the call to go to the top lane was made at a wrong time. This brought the JGR driver too close to the front of Legge’s car triggering the incident.

Aric Almirola (Via IMAGO)
Aric Almirola (Via IMAGO)

Moreover, Aric Almirola was cursing himself for losing a chance to get a good finish for the team. Though, he insisted that Legge was not at fault as he was the one who made the move too quickly.

I mean everything happened so fast here. You can’t really hesitate so. I didn’t even look at my mirror, as soon as my spotter said ‘clear up, get up,’ I moved. And I turned across Katherine’s nose so wrecked us and ended our day. So disappointed about that. Hate that we didn’t keep ourselves in contention to have a shot at it at the end… She [Katherine Legge] didn’t do anything wrong.

Aric Almirola said post-race

On the other hand, Katherine Legge was once again questioning her luck. Two consecutive wrecks in a row will take a toll on the Briton. She confessed that it felt like she could just not catch a break over the continuous bad luck. Nevertheless, Legge was determined to bounce back and she looks ahead to the next round of the Xfinity Series.

I was just kinda hanging out in the first two-thirds of the race… I thought we were gonna have a great day but can’t catch a break. It is what it is. I’m really grateful that I’m here. I had a blast… … One of these days we’re gonna get ’em.

Katherine Legge said post-race

Almirola and Legge both leave Talledega with a bad result. While the former will need to have a talk with his spotter and the team to understand why this incident took place, Katherine Legge can only hope of getting back some luck next time around. NASCAR is a brutal sport, even the smallest of errors can trigger deadly incidents, potentially affecting several drivers in the field. As such, any miscommunication between drivers and spotters must be taken seriously and avoided in the future.

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