The drivers in the Nextel Cup series raced 500 miles Sunday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway, but all of the excitement happened in the last mile and a half.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was racing down the back stretch for his sixth career Talladega victory, closely pursued by Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers.
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Two cars are faster than one in the draft at Talladega, so when Johnson pulled out of line to make his move on Earnhardt, Vickers followed him.
Unfortunately for Earnhardt and Johnson, Vickers was following a little too closely in an attempt to push his teammate to victory.
When Johnson had to back off slightly to avoid Earnhardt?s attempt to block the pass, Vickers clipped the No. 48 car, sending both Johnson and Earnhardt spinning while Vickers cruised to victory lane.
WithVickers leaving Hendrick Motorsports next season to drive a Toyota for Red Bull Racing, speculation immediately began that Vickers may have intentionally wrecked his teammate to get the win.
There were rumors that his relationship with his teammates has been somewhat strained recently, and that taking out Johnson for the win could have been a result of his frustration with the organization.
While that all makes for a good story, the explanation for the wreck is simple: It was just a product of racing at Talladega.
With the role that restrictor plates and aerodynamics play at Talladega, pushing the car in front of you, or “bump-drafting,” is the only way to pass a faster car.
NASCAR actively discourages bump-drafting for safety reasons, but it is a fact of life in plate racing.
“He knows as well as I do that if I wouldn?t have been bump-drafting, he would have never even had a shot to pass Junior,” Vickers said of Johnson after the race.
Vickers did not wreck his teammate.
He made a mistake: He was too aggressive on a track that demands patience. It is a mistake that plenty of young drivers make.
“I?ve been caught in a situation like that before,” third-place finisher Kurt Busch said. “He should have maybe given an inch instead of taking that inch that the No. 48 needed.”
Surprisingly, Earnhardt did not seem upset after the incident despite the fact that it cost him an opportunity to gain quite a bit of ground on leader Jeff Burton, who finished 27th, in the Chase for the Cup.
Johnson is a different story, though.
He was quietly upset immediately after the race but became more vocal as the evening went on, criticizing his teammate?s lack of judgment. Vickers thinks Johnson?s anger will be short-lived, however.
“We?ve been friends for a long time,” he said. “I?m sure when the time is right, we?ll have a chance to work things out.”
Vickers is right.
After he has a chance to think about everything, Johnson will realize that it?s just racing at Talladega.
Get up to speed on the latest in NASCAR by listening to Wilson?s Race Report every Monday and Friday at 5:39 p.m. on 93.1 WPOC. You can e-mail Steve at [email protected].
