Talladega Superspeedway has been highly regarded as one of the wildest racetracks in all of NASCAR. Combine that wildness with the craziness of an elimination race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and anything can and will happen on a Sunday afternoon in Alabama.
In qualifying on Saturday, the drama already began. Jeff Gordon (#24 3M Chevy) would earn the pole in his final start at the track, while all four Hendrick Motorsports cars would start in the top ten. Meanwhile, fellow Chase driver Martin Truex Jr. (#78 Furniture Row Chevy) would have his time disallowed for driving below the double yellow line during his qualifying lap.
That was not all the excitement to be seen at Talladega, however, as the race had yet to begin. Once the race got underway, green flag racing unlike that which had been seen all year long was in store. The field ran for over one hundred consecutive green flag laps, swapping the lead back and forth among many comers and goers. Going two, three, and even four wide at times, many Chase contenders would take turns at the front, while a select few others chose to hang back.
The chain of caution-free laps would be broken with just over 56 laps to go, when Justin Allgaier (#51 Auto Owners Insurance Chevy) would blow his engine. This would prove to be a saving grace for Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevy), who nearly went a lap down after a pit road penalty, and for Martin Truex Jr. who was also penalized and put a lap down earlier.
As the race wore to its anticipated exciting conclusion, the battling in the pack increased as drivers jockeyed for position, and to avoid elimination from the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Meanwhile, Greg Biffle (#16 Ortho Ford) would make a play for the lead and the win by staying out on the final set of pit stops and try and stretch the fuel. However, a late caution with five laps to go would spoil his chances of winning, and force him to pit.
The field would be set for one green-white-checkered finish, after NASCAR changed the rule for Talladega this weekend on Tuesday. On the first attempt, Jimmie Johnson (#48 Lowe’s Chevy) would get spun before the field even got to the starting line, though the green flag had been displayed. NASCAR ruled this an aborted restart and lined up the cars once more for another attempt at the green-white-checkered.
On the ensuing restart, Kevin Harvick (#4 Budweiser Chevy) would have a hard time getting started, after engine troubles had plagued him late in the race. This would cause the field to get bottled up, Harvick would spin Bayne just in front of him, and before too long cars were spinning and crashing just past the start-finish line. NASCAR then threw the caution, meaning the field was frozen and the finishing order decided by video replay.
After further review, NASCAR deemed that Joey Logano (#22 Shell Pennzoil Ford) was leading at the last loop before the moment of caution and awarded him the win in the Camping World 500 at Talladega. This win would prove controversial because of how NASCAR officiated the final restarts, with their issuance of the caution flags, as well as Harvick spinning Bayne with potential intent to end the race.
The controversy was not lost on the crowd at Talladega, who expressed their displeasure as the cars crossed the finish line under yellow. Also not lost on them was the fact that Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished second, would be eliminated from the Chase by not winning. He would be joined by Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Newman who would not move on to the Eliminator Round.
Of course, all of the results and standings remain subject to review by NASCAR because of the controversial nature of the finish. At the time of publishing, NASCAR has found no foul play was involved in the race ending. Last Word on Sports will continue to keep you updated on this controversy.
The next race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series comes next Sunday afternoon from the paperclip, Martinsville Speedway. See the Goody’s 500 from Martinsville, Virginia on NBCSN.
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