The overcast and threatening skies looming over the Talladega Superspeedway on Friday and Saturday finally moved off to the north and east on Saturday evening. To the delight of everyone, the sun shone brightly as Sunday morning dawned.
The weekend weather (Friday and Saturday) was an unforgiving culprit at Talladega and served to compound the economic woes currently afflicting the attendance at sporting events nationwide. Huge pockets of empty seats throughout the front stretch grandstands were quite noticeable and were perhaps a result of a less than exciting Chase stretch. Sunday’s attendance may not bode well for the next three weeks at Texas, Phoenix and the season finale at Homestead.
In true racing fashion, the crowd cheered as the engines roared through the tri-oval towards the start-finish just before 12:30 p.m. CST on Sunday afternoon and the slow and steady ‘coming up to speed’ began to take place courtesy of the newly-implemented, slightly smaller restrictor plates.
Almost five laps into the event before the first caution flag on lap 6 was caused by the Nos. 87 & 98 getting together in turn four as due to a tire being cut down by the Paul Menard Ford. Three laps of caution before the restrictor-plates engines again roar to life.
The parade of cars continues to ride, hoping to stay out of trouble as green flag pit stops commence around lap 40. On lap 50 Kurt Busch spins out after cutting down a tire and slides through the giant logo of green grass in the tri-oval. An earlier episode of bump-drafting had dented the quarter-panel and the resulting rubbing had cut down his tire. Caution flag waved for 6 laps as green flag racing returns on lap 55.
With the cars back up to speed, the single-file, freight train is created and everyone would appear to be content to settle in and ride it out for part of the race as Chad Knaus offers to put an I-pod in the drink holder of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet for the entertainment of his driver.
Green flag pit stops, perhaps the only highlights of a day seriously lacking in highlights, are beginning again around lap 95. Crossed flags go in the air as Denny Hamlin continues to show the way at the mid-point of the race.
A debris caution rears its ugly head on lap 106 and the field takes the opportunity to come to pit road. With a fuel-only pit stop, the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota driven by Denny Hamlin maintains his lead. Three laps under the yellow flag allowed the drivers to catch their collective breaths before returning to green flag racing after three laps under the caution.
Lap 139 sees the caution flag wave as the engine ‘lets go’ on the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Toyota driven by Denny Hamlin, some 50 laps prematurely. With just under 50 laps remaining, the prospects of someone trying to stretch their fuel mileage, raises some eyebrows along pit road. The caution runs for six laps and green flag racing resumes.
At 30 laps remaining, many drivers are expecting to ‘go the distance’ with onboard fuel but the prospects of a potential green-white-checker could make that strategy extremely risky. The half-mile freight train has been re-established with fewer than 25 laps to go but the chasers are becoming more and more anxious to move forward.
NASCAR fan-favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead as the race has less than 20 laps remaining and communications from the No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson indicates their desire to be cautious down the stretch after riding at the back of the pack all day. New Ford FR-9 engines being run by Roush-Fenway non-chasers are running at the front of the pack with 10 laps remaining. Five laps remaining with Jamie McMurray and Matt Kenseth showing the way….and the “big one” finally happens. The No. 39 of Ryan Newman flips multiple times after a bump from the No. 47 of Marcos Ambrose. It then comes to a rest on the infield grass lying upside down along the backstretch. Before Newman is extracted from the crumpled race car, NASCAR safety crews turn the vehicle right side up to be able to get to him. Newman is talking to his crew over the team radio as safety crews are cutting the roof from the body of the car. Newman emerges from the car and walks, under his own power, to the ambulance for the ride to the infield care center. Newman exits the infield care center and says he is “really sore.”
Caution out with four laps remaining and a green-white-checkered finish has become a reality at Talladega. NASCAR then displays the red flag with three laps to go and the field is stopped on the back stretch. A total time of 12 minutes and 34 seconds elapsed before NASCAR withdraws the red flag and the caution again waves allowing work to begin in the pits and the field to start rolling. With numerous cars running out of fuel, the No. 48 will restart sixteenth for the green-white-checkered finish.
As the green flag waves for the final two laps, many teams are unsure if they can make it through the remaining five plus miles. McMurray leads the field under green. One lap into the green-white-checkered finish and the No. 2 of Kurt Busch goes airborne after a bump from the No. 09 of Brad Keselowski. The caution brings an abrupt end to the race as Jamie McMurray survives Talladega to win the AMP Energy 500. Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton round out the top five but Championship Chase leader Jimmie Johnson finishes eighth on the day and extends his lead over Mark Martin to 187 points – a margin higher the potential point’s swing of any one race – with three events left on the 2009 calendar.
To read our lap-by-lap recap click on the link below
Unofficial Race Results
| Pos. |
St. |
No. |
Driver |
Make |
Pts. |
Bon. |
Laps |
Status |
| 1 |
22 |
26 |
Jamie McMurray |
Ford |
195 |
10 |
191 |
Running |
| 2 |
11 |
9 |
Kasey Kahne |
Dodge |
175 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 3 |
20 |
20 |
Joey Logano * |
Toyota |
170 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 4 |
8 |
16 |
Greg Biffle |
Ford |
160 |
0 |
191 |
Running |
| 5 |
18 |
31 |
Jeff Burton |
Chevrolet |
160 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 6 |
33 |
55 |
Michael Waltrip |
Toyota |
155 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 7 |
26 |
19 |
Elliott Sadler |
Ford |
151 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 8 |
1 |
48 |
Jimmie Johnson |
Chevrolet |
147 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 9 |
36 |
9 |
Brad Keselowski |
Chevrolet |
143 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 10 |
24 |
88 |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
Chevrolet |
139 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 11 |
12 |
83 |
Brian Vickers |
Toyota |
135 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 12 |
15 |
33 |
Clint Bowyer |
Chevrolet |
127 |
0 |
191 |
Running |
| 13 |
10 |
99 |
Carl Edwards |
Ford |
129 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 14 |
37 |
171 |
Bobby Labonte |
Chevrolet |
121 |
0 |
191 |
Running |
| 15 |
13 |
18 |
Kyle Busch |
Toyota |
123 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 16 |
28 |
6 |
David Ragan |
Ford |
115 |
0 |
191 |
Running |
| 17 |
41 |
36 |
Robert Richardson Jr. |
Toyota |
112 |
0 |
191 |
Running |
| 18 |
29 |
43 |
Reed Sorenson |
Dodge |
109 |
0 |
191 |
Running |
| 19 |
30 |
12 |
David Stremme |
Dodge |
111 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 20 |
21 |
29 |
Kevin Harvick |
Chevrolet |
108 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 21 |
5 |
42 |
Juan Montoya |
Chevrolet |
105 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 22 |
3 |
24 |
Jeff Gordon |
Chevrolet |
102 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 23 |
35 |
34 |
John Andretti |
Chevrolet |
99 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 24 |
14 |
17 |
Matt Kenseth |
Ford |
91 |
0 |
191 |
Running |
| 25 |
19 |
7 |
Casey Mears |
Chevrolet |
93 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 26 |
16 |
0 |
David Reutimann |
Toyota |
90 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 27 |
38 |
82 |
Scott Speed * |
Toyota |
82 |
0 |
191 |
Running |
| 28 |
2 |
5 |
Mark Martin |
Chevrolet |
84 |
5 |
191 |
Running |
| 29 |
42 |
113 |
Max Papis * |
Toyota |
76 |
0 |
191 |
Running |
| 30 |
6 |
2 |
Kurt Busch |
Dodge |
78 |
5 |
189 |
In Pit |
| 31 |
23 |
1 |
Martin Truex Jr. |
Chevrolet |
75 |
5 |
189 |
Running |
| 32 |
34 |
7 |
Robby Gordon |
Toyota |
72 |
5 |
189 |
Running |
| 33 |
25 |
44 |
A.J. Allmendinger |
Dodge |
64 |
0 |
189 |
Running |
| 34 |
17 |
47 |
Marcos Ambrose |
Toyota |
66 |
5 |
188 |
Running |
| 35 |
4 |
14 |
Tony Stewart |
Chevrolet |
63 |
5 |
183 |
In Pit |
| 36 |
7 |
39 |
Ryan Newman |
Chevrolet |
60 |
5 |
183 |
Running |
| 37 |
31 |
96 |
Erik Darnell |
Ford |
52 |
0 |
167 |
Running |
| 38 |
9 |
11 |
Denny Hamlin |
Toyota |
54 |
5 |
137 |
Out of Race |
| 39 |
43 |
78 |
Regan Smith |
Chevrolet |
46 |
0 |
99 |
Out of Race |
| 40 |
27 |
77 |
Sam Hornish Jr. |
Dodge |
43 |
0 |
44 |
Out of Race |
| 41 |
40 |
66 |
Dave Blaney |
Toyota |
40 |
0 |
12 |
In Pit |
| 42 |
32 |
98 |
Paul Menard |
Ford |
37 |
0 |
4 |
Running |
| 43 |
39 |
187 |
Joe Nemechek |
Toyota |
34 |
0 |
4 |
Running |
