Carson Hocevar has nabbed his first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway today, marking the 13th time a driver has got their first career victory at Talladega.

The day started with a shake-up to the stage racing amid NASCARs bid to make superspeedway racing more enjoyable among fuel saving controversies.

The race was split into three stages as per usual, but the first stage was 98 laps, and the remaining two stages 45 laps.

While the new format did bring some interesting strategies in, the race still had largely the same product in the end; fuel saving, big wreck, somewhat lacklustre duel to the end.

After many drivers were slammed with pit penalties in Stage 1, Stage 2 started off with a mixed order at the front of the field.

On Lap 105, Bubba Wallaces #23 Toyota got turned around in front of the field by Ross Chastain, triggering a 26-car pile-up that would end many contenders’ days.

After the smoke had cleared, only 4-5 cars emerged in front of the pack heading onto the front straightaway, but others soon joined them who were eventually able to limp home.

The final two stages consisted of side-by-side racing throughout, seemingly very similar to the last few Talladega finishes, and nearly identical to last years’ Jack Links 500 where Austin Cindric was able to get the win.

On the final lap, Hocevar emerged in front of the pack and was able to take the checkered flag, solidifying his contention for the top 16 spots to make The Chase come September.

The ‘groundhog day’ Talladega race seemed to bother some fans, as NASCARs superspeedway racing product continues to disappoint.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Texas Motor Speedway next week, for the 11th race of the season.