Amp Energy 500 Race Review

Talladega Superspeedway -- 10/05/08

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Sunday Oct 5 2008 11:59pm

Perhaps because it is the presidential election season, one thought kept running through my head during today's Talladega race: Politics makes strange bedfellows - and apparently, so does plate racing.

After all, who would have predicted that Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s favorite drafting partner today would be … Juan Pablo MontoyaΔ That Tony Stewart would have been pushed down the backstretch on the final lap by … Regan SmithΔ That Roush teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth would be taken out by … Carl EdwardsΔ That Robby Gordon would finish one spot higher than … Jimmie JohnsonΔ

And how about Paul Menard, Scott Riggs, Robby Gordon, Joe Nemechek, Kenny Wallace, Aric Almirola, and Michael Waltrip all finishing higher (no disrespect intended) than the likes of Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan NewmanΔ

With a few exceptions, the finishing order at Talladega reminds me of those All-Star races when they used to "invert the field," with the normally mid-pack-and-back cars placed at the front of the field.

Even Tony Stewart's win today was a bit of a surprise - his first of the season and his only win at Talladega in 20 Cup starts.

Stewart was the overall lap leader, though he was out front for only 24 of 188 laps. In fact, 28 of the 43 drivers lead at least one lap today, and there were 64 lead changes overall - both figures are new records for Talladega.

The 28 lap leaders sets an all-time NASCAR record for different leaders in a Cup race, and the 64 lead changes ties for the fifth-most in NASCAR history.

Additionally, more than a third of the field DNF'd - 16 drivers - including 11 involved in wrecks and 5 with various engine problems. Spontaneous tire blowouts (cutΔ) were also an issue - the worst one sending Denny Hamlin careening hard into the wall on Lap 100. Hamlin was taken to the hospital and will be observed overnight to rule out a concussion.

The top 10 finishers were:

1. Tony Stewart
2. Paul Menard
3. David Ragan
4. Jeff Burton
5. Clint Bowyer
6. Bobby Labonte
7. Scott Riggs
8. Robby Gordon
9. Jimmie Johnson
10. Elliott Sadler

Of note, Ragan and Johnson both started the race at the rear of the field and finished in the top 10. Earnhardt Jr. did, too, but was caught up in a wreck and finished 28th.

Stewart, Burton, Bowyer and Johnson were the only Chasers to finish in the top 10.

The other Chase contenders finished as follows:

Kyle Busch - 15th
Kevin Harvick - 20th
Greg Biffle - 24th
Matt Kenseth - 26th
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 28th
Carl Edwards -29th
Jeff Gordon - 38th
Denny Hamlin - 39th

Drivers employed a variety of strategies throughout the race - some choosing to hang back while others lead when they could. Ironically, neither strategy seemed to matter much, as wrecks occurred throughout the field and some drivers escaped the carnage through pure luck.

There were two "big ones" at Talladega and one semi-big one, along with numerous other minor skirmishes. On lap 55, the 21, 24, 44, 48 cars were involved in an accident on the backstretch when David Reutimann blew a tire. Then, on lap 69, eight cars were involved in a wreck which started with a blown tire on the 83 in the tri-oval and included the 1, 9, 26, 38, 45, 70, 83 and 84 cars. Subsequently, a lap 175 wreck - this one triggered by Edwards drafting Biffle through turn 3 - involved the 16, 17, 18, 22, 28, 29, 41, 42, 55, 78, 88, and 99 cars.

Along with the above chaos, the end of the race was also controversial. Regan Smith actually crossed the finish line ahead of Tony Stewart, but NASCAR ruled that Smith improved his position by going below the yellow line and placed him at the tail end of the lead lap (18th) in the finishing order.

Smith argued that he was forced below the yellow by Stewart and that drivers had been told such a move was legal with the checkers in site, but NASCAR claimed otherwise.

In terms of points, the top four Chase contenders - Johnson, Edwards, Biffle, and Burton - all held on to their spots, though Johnson padded his lead over the others, now +72 over Edwards and +77 over Biffle.

Clint Bowyer moved up two spots to 5th, Stewart up four to 7th, and Kyle Busch up one to 11th.

Kevin Harvick fell one spot to 6th, Jeff Gordon down two to 8th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. down two to 10th, and Denny Hamlin down two to 12th.

Edwards, Biffle, Burton and Bowyer are the only drivers within a one-race points range of leader Johnson at this time.