Jamie McMurray finished second, while Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top five.
MORE: Danica says she had a feeling about Ricky’s chances
“This is for all the guys at the shop,” Stenhouse said in victory lane. “This year, every race we’re getting better. We knew Talladega was a good track for us. I can’t say enough about the guys. We’ve been terrible for a long time, but this year, we’re getting better and better, and we knew Talladega was a good place for us. The car was so fast this weekend.
“It’s been a long time since I pulled into victory lane. And a long time since we drove the pole.”
Stenhouse, a two-time champion in the Xfinity Series, ended his Cup drought by passing Busch on the final lap.
MORE: Busch takes swipe at ‘Dega as frustration grows
Stenhouse also helped Roush Fenway Racing snap a winless streak, having not won since Carl Edwards won at Sonoma in 2014.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Stenhouse said. “It’s cool to have [team owner] Jack Roush back in Victory Lane.”
A big reason Stenhouse won is because he avoided a huge wreck that his girlfriend, Danica Patrick, was not lucky enough to survive. The 18-car wreck on Lap 169 swallowed a host of drivers.
AJ Allmendinger spun out Chase Elliott with 20 laps to go, creating a massive wreck. Allmendinger’s car went upside-down, but he was able to walk away under his own power. At least 18 cars appeared to be involved in the wreck, including big names like Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick, Danica Patrick, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr.
MORE: Loose wheel on late restart dooms Dale Jr.
“It’s just a bummer to be in an accident. We got stage points in the first round, and we were close in the second round. But everyone knows how these races go in the end,” Patrick said after she was knocked out due to the crash. “Everyone was driving really reasonable. Hard, but not stupid. It was pretty good, until the end. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Talladega fan-favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. started second but ended up finishing 22nd. Earnhardt is racing in his final NASCAR season after announcing his plans to retire last month.
It doesn’t appear any drivers were injured in the wreck.
Complete results
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 2. Jamie McMurray 3. Kyle Busch 4. Aric Almirola 5. Kasey Kahne 6. Kurt Busch 7. Brad Keselowski 8. Jimmie Johnson 9. Paul Menard 10. David Ragan 11. Denny Hamlin 12. Kyle Larson 13. Ty Dillon 14. Clint Bowyer 15. Chris Buescher 16. Cole Whitt 17. Elliott Sadler 18. Matt DiBenedetto 19. Daniel Suarez 20. Gray Gaulding 21. Joe Gase 22. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 23. Kevin Harvick 24. Matt Kenseth 25. Ryan Newman 26. Brendan Gaughan 27. Corey LaJoie 28. Jeffrey Earnhardt 29. Landon Cassill 30. Chase Elliott 31. AJ Allmendinger 32. Joey Logano 33. Erik Jones 34. Michael McDowell 35. Martin Truex Jr. 36. Austin Dillon 37. Trevor Bayne 38. Danica Patrick 39. Ryan Blaney 40. Reed Sorenson
Talladega’s 2.66-mile track is the biggest on the Cup Series circuit and is also the steepest with 33-degree banking turns.
Highlights
This is what makes Talladega so exhilarating.
NASCAR Cup Series points leader Kyle Larson scrubs the wall. Larson returned moments later.
If you thought the NFL’s pylon cam was cool, check this out.
Brad Keselowski wins Stage 1. Here are the top 10 finishers who will be awarded points.
- Brad Keselowski Team Penske 10 2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing 9 3. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 8 4. Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing 7 5. Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing 6 6. Joey Logano Team Penske 5 7. Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing 4 8. Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing 3 9. Ryan Blaney Wood Brothers Racing 2 10. Erik Jones Furniture Row Racing 1
Denny Hamlin wins Stage 2. Here are the top 10 finishers who will be awarded points.
- Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 10 2. Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 9 3. Ryan Blaney Wood Brothers Racing 8 4. Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing 7 5. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports 6 6. Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing 5 7. Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing 4 8. Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports 3 9. Erik Jones Furniture Row Racing 2 10. Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing 1
