In many instances at Talladega Superspeedway it can be said that only one driver leaves happy and 42 others are somewhat less than enthralled with the outcome of the restrictor plate monster that sits midway between Atlanta and Birmingham.
In the case of the AMP Energy 500 two drivers departed knowing that the gods smiled and bestowed good fortune upon them. Jamie McMurray, spending much of the current season looking for next year’s ride, saw his stock peak as he watched the yellow & checkered flags wave and brought, what was left of the field, to the finish line. Jimmie Johnson, riding most of the day around 34th place and well back out of harm’s way, watched as the ‘seas parted’ and a day destined to end at the rear of the field, saw the soon-to-be four-time consecutive champion ride into the sunset in sixth place.
Six of 12 positions changed after the AMP Energy 500 on Sunday afternoon --- but the leader not only survived the restrictor plate wild-card; he actually increased his lead as all of the contenders have quickly turned to pretenders. The coronation parade to Homestead has but two stops remaining and should provide little challenge for Jimmie Johnson to maintain his 184 point lead as he transits Texas and Phoenix before basking in the warmth (and glory) of the Miami suburbs in Homestead. With the uncertainty of Talladega in his rear view mirror, the three remaining Chase events will allow the No. 48 team adequate time to prepare for the trip to Las Vegas for yet another ‘Cup’ trophy presentation.
The words (or lack thereof) spoke volumes as Mark Martin expressed his less than enthusiastic thoughts on the outcome of the AMP Energy 500. Being caught in the middle of the ‘big one,’ Mark intimated what most others were quick to say: “…something has got to be done….” The driver of the No. 5 Pop-Tarts/CARQUEST Chevrolet finished 28th and now has but an eight point lead over teammate Jeff Gordon to claim yet another second-place position in his career-long chase for that elusive championship. The off-season in the warm Florida sunshine will again leave the driver,a champion in the hearts of many, left to wonder what it will take in 2010.
Jeff Gordon saw his vision of restrictor-plate track success disappear in much the same way as teammate Mark Martin. A late version of the ‘big one’ took away any chance for the driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet to make a late season surge and cut into the Championship Chase leaders point’s advantage. Finishing 20th on the day, Gordon’s success over the last three events will be measured by whether he can overtake Martin for the runner-up position and ponder the 2010 season.
Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the No 42 Target Dodge, came to the front twice for three laps on Sunday but could only muster a 19th place finish. Montoya moves up one spot in the Chase standings to fourth and is within striking range of third place as he trails Jeff Gordon by 47 points. With three events remaining on the 2009 calendar, re-establishing momentum to carry forth towards next season will the primary objective down the stretch.
Tony Stewart, with 18 top 10’s over the first 22 weeks of the season, has seen a season of destiny become a season of ‘what might have been.’ The owner-driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet saw his day end eight laps prematurely and a 35th place finish and his third non-top 10 finish of the 2009 Chase. Stewart now drops to fifth place in the Championship Chase as he trails fourth place Montoya by 40 points with three to go.
Kurt Busch finished 30th at Talladega and was one of nine chasers to finish outside of the top 10 at Talladega. Maintaining his sixth place in the Chase, the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge trails fifth place Tony Stewart by 33 points and will be looking to move up in the standings as well as maintain his status in the upper echelon of the chase contingent.
Greg Biffle avoided the pitfalls of the gigantic restrictor plate track and completed his third top 10 finish of the 2009 Chase, coming to the yellow & checkered flags in fourth place. Moving up one position in the Chase standings to seventh place, the driver of the No. 16 3M/Filterete Ford Fusion only trails sixth place Kurt Busch by 28 points. One of only three chasers to finish in the top 10, the top five finish for ‘the Biff’ may be momentum starter needed to move the ‘Roushketeer’ contingent forward with optimism looking towards Daytona and a new season.
Ryan Newman was the big winner in the public relations game at Talladega with his multi-flip/multi-roll wrecked car appearing across virtually all of the national media outlets. A stunned audience stood and watched in silence as the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet stood up ‘Army Strong’ and protected its driver through a harrowing incident. A well-trained rescue crew was on-scene almost immediately. A quick assessment done, they proceeded to skillfully rotate the carnage that was once Newman’s race car 180 degrees to an upright position then quickly remove the roof and extract the shaken but uninjured driver. A jubilant crowd roared as Newman emerged and made his way to ambulance for the short ride to the infield care center. While the ‘car of tomorrow/today’ may have its critics, no one can deny it is indeed an inherently safe vehicle designed to ensure drivers, such as Ryan Newman, walk away from wrecks such as the one experienced on Sunday at the Talladega Superspeedway. No doubt, Ryan and Krissie Newman will give thanks for as they sit to a bountiful Thanksgiving table in a few short weeks. Something of an afterthought, Newman drops one spot to eighth in the standings and only 12 points ahead of ninth place Kasey Kahne.
Kasey Kahne, with a fourth top 10 in the 2009 Championship Chase, finished second at Talladega on Sunday and moved up two spots to ninth in the standings. The driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge seemed to be in good position for a slingshot win as the green-white-checkered finish loomed but was cut short by one lap and the opportunity to steal a win never materialized. A feast or famine Chase for Kahne could find some consolation were he able to move up one or possibly two positions over the final three weeks of the season.
Carl Edwards, looking to bring home a trophy for a fan injured when his car rode along the catch fence in the spring race, found his way to the front twice, but the fortunes of the day were to belong to teammate Jamie McMurray on this day as Edwards fell back and finished 14th on the day. Maintaining his 10th place in the Championship Chase, the driver of the No. 99 SUBWAY Ford Fusion trails ninth place Kasey Kahne by only 27 points and could be moving forward on the final three events of the season.
Denny Hamlin’s woes continued as he was bit by the restrictor plate monster at Talladega and saw his engine fail 137 laps into the event. Three top fives being offset by four finishes of 22nd or worse have taken its toll on the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota looks to make hay over the final three races and show the strength of the Joe Gibbs Racing stable. Good runs to close out the season could fine Hamlin possibly moving up as many as three positions in the Chase standings and a needed boost for sole JGR entry in the 2009 Chase.
Brian Vickers, not the luckiest chaser in 2009, found his way through the AMP Energy 500 on Sunday to finish with the lead pack as he avoided the various mishaps on the 2.67 mile superspeedway. A 13th place finish for the driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, Vickers is probably destined to finish 12th in the 2009 Chase. But having made his way into the elite group of 12 in2009 may be the boost needed to get the team ready for Daytona and another run in 2010.
Trading paint at Martinsville turned to trading barbs at Talladega as many drivers and teams were not happy in the State of Alabama this past weekend. The wild card that is Talladega Superspeedway has come and gone and the inevitability of Jimmie Johnson’s fourth consecutive championship is all that is left for the NASCAR faithful to debate over the last three weeks of the season. The somewhat less than full house at Talladega on Sunday afternoon may well be the sign that the Chase needs tweaking; not to penalize the No. 48 team but to bring the chasers into their own point structure so that one or two bad runs does not take a specific driver out of Chase contention. Three drivers are left standing with an average Chase finish of 10th place or better. But the 7.7 average of Jeff Gordon or the 9.6 average of Mark Martin pales in comparison to the 3.4 average Championship Chase average finish of the No. 48 team. Supposedly, good fortune in sports cycles itself around, so as a new season dawns in the same state where the old season ends it will be interesting to see if the hard word of the off season produces a new leader in 2010….or the cycle is not yet ready to cycle around.
