The last thing Jamie McMurray needed at Talladega was to crash so badly where he couldn't finish the race.
McMurray is trying to qualify for the Round of 8, but he crashed into the wall and Jeffrey Earnhardt during a five-car wreck on Lap 27 of Stage 1 of the race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Green flag pit stops are always dicey. @JamieMcMurray is out of the race following a crash. #TeamJMac #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/M3ac4Up11A
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 15, 2017
Related: Talladega's Truck series was a wreck-filled mess, and here's a roundup of the crashes
McMurray is done for the day, and he'll only have one more race to try and advance to the next round.
Race over for #NASCARPlayoffs contender @jamiemcmurray. pic.twitter.com/dXpicV2RDS
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 15, 2017
McMurray said after his exit that the wreck was his own fault.
Communication is key when pitting at @TalladegaSuperS. A little miscommunication results in McMurray's early exit. pic.twitter.com/d1fzQoxzjc
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 15, 2017
"It was my fault, I had assumed the 18 was going to let me in, I didn't even know where the 77 was," McMurray said. "We were all coming to pit road as a group and I'll take the blame for that.
"There's nothing you can do about it, right? It's part of Talladega and we know you can come out of here with a lot of points and be a winner, or come out in the position we're in now, go to Kansas and do our best."
McMurray was one of three drivers to qualify for the postseason without a win this year, and he might need a win next week at Kansas Speedway.