From the first wave of the green flag to Tony Stewart’s controversial trip to victory lane, the Amp Energy 500 was as much an exercise in survival as conquering the track at Talladega Superspeedway.
It was a task the 12 drivers in the Chase for the Cup failed miserable, as nine of them wrecked or had tire problems.
“Talladega is a tough place,” car owner Jack Rousch said. “You come here and try to avoid somebody else’s wreck, and then unfortunately you can be making a charge to the front and get involved in your own.”
Surprisingly, the most damaging blow to the championship contenders on Sunday was dealt by the two drivers with the most to lose.
Rousch Fenway Racing teammates Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle triggered a wreck with 15 laps remaining that involved six Chase drivers and narrowly missed consuming point leader Jimmie Johnson.
“I was very lucky to not have anyone following me too closely,” Johnson said. “If somebody hit me from behind, I would have been collected in it. It would have been over.”
The Amp Energy 500, with its array of big wrecks and tire failures, is exactly what opponents of restrictor plate racing point to as the reason races at Talladega should not be included in the Chase.
Still, the race had many lead changes, intense drafting and a controversial finish in which winner Regan Smith was disqualified for passing Stewart below the yellow line, causing officials to award Stewart a much-needed victory.
“I have to admit: I was impressed with how well everyone used the bumpers [at Talladega],” Johnson said. “If you can get hooked up bumper-to-bumper, you can make stuff happen — that’s why everybody was using it so much.”
Most importantly, though, Talladega Superspeedway injected a little excitement into the Chase for the Cup.
Johnson came out of the weekend with a comfortable lead in the standings, but the race behind him is very close, and if the No. 48 team should struggle, several drivers will be right back in the championship hunt.
“We’re not even halfway through the Chase — anything can happen still,” Stewart said. “Until they say mathematically that you’re out, you still got a shot. You never know what’s going to happen from week to week.”
It may be nerve-racking for the drivers and sometimes frustrating for fans, but restrictor plate racing certainly is exciting. Talladega lived up to its billing as the wild-card race in the Chase, but as the championship contenders found out Sunday, it also was a wild ride.
NASCAR NOW
Up next: Bank of America 500
Where: Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Charlotte, N.C.
Green Flag: Saturday, 7 p.m.
TV: ABC
Track : Quad-oval with 24 degree turns with a 5 degree frontstretch and backstretch
Capacity: 165,000
Defending champion: Jeff Gordon
Wilson’s pick: Jimmie Johnson
Get up to speed on the latest in NASCAR — listen to Wilson’s Race Report every Monday and Friday at 5:40 on 93.1 WPOC.
