NASCAR NATION – 11-3

Talladega was supposed to be the race that would be the wild-card event in the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup, the event to throw a major twist and mix up the standings.
But as has been the common theme in this year’s annual installment of NASCAR’s version of the playoffs, the outcome was far from expected, as the series leaves with its tightest three-driver, three-race battle in history.
Clint Bowyer narrowly edged by teammate Kevin Harvick before the caution flag flew due to a major crash which sent AJ Allmindinger’s car into the air, rolling several times before coming to a stop. Bowyer had just moved around Harvick as the caution flag flew, and after several minutes of video review, NASCAR confirmed Bowyer as the victor.
But the real winner was Harvick, who capitalized on point leader Jimmie Johnson’s seventh-place finish and second in points Denny Hamlin’s ninth-place result to cut the point deficit to just 38 points between the top three drivers with just three events remaining.
“I’m just very, very happy for a lot of reasons,” Bowyer said in victory lane. “Everybody at RCR (Richard Childress Racing) has worked very hard to get us back. To have Kevin racing for a championship is obviously where [teammate] Jeff Burton and I wanted to be. But to have him still with a shot at winning a championship, that’s very important. But to be able to win two races in a Chase for our race team is very important.”
Despite not claiming the victory, Harvick was nothing but smiles after congratulating teammate Bowyer on the racetrack.
“We beat the guys we needed to beat,” Harvick said following his second place finish. “I feel good about the last three tracks. For me, it’s all about not making a mistake. You’re going to have to run in the top five and have a chance to win. Forcing it usually leads to mistakes.”
The race has the second most lead changes in NASCAR history, with the lead changing at the start-finish line 87 times amongst 26 drivers. Dale Earnhardt Jr. lead the most laps, 24, but was involved in a wreck with Jeff Burton and finished 39th.
Polesitter Juan Pablo Montoya, still seeking his first NASCAR victory on an oval, finished third, giving Chevrolet a 1-2-3 finish. He was followed by the Toyotas of David Reutimann in fourth, Joey Logano in fifth, and Martin Truex Jr. in sixth. Johnson was seventh, Jeff Gordon eighth, Hamlin ninth, and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top 10 in his Dodge. The highest finishing Ford was Paul Menard in 13th.
Other chasers included Matt Kenseth in 16th, Carl Edwards in 17th, Greg Biffle in 19th, Kyle Busch in 25th, Kurt Busch in 30th, Tony Stewart in 31st, and Jeff Burton in 41st.
Chase for the Sprint Cup Standings (After seven of 10 races): 1. Jimmie Johnson (6149 Points); 2. Denny Hamlin (-14); 3. Kevin Harvick (-38); 4. Jeff Gordon (-207); 5. Kyle Busch (-230); 6. Carl Edwards (-247); 7. Tony Stewart (-317); 8. Matt Kenseth (-324); 9. Kurt Busch (-250); 10. Jeff Burton (-352); 11. Greg Biffle (-361); 12. Clint Bowyer (-367).
Camping World Truck Series: Kyle Busch barely edged Aric Almirola – a mere 0.002 of a second – to capture the Camping World Truck Series’ Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.
The victory was Busch’s sixth Truck Series win in just 13 starts in 2010. Almirola was second, followed by Johnny Sauter in third, Matt Crafton in fourth, and Ricky Carmichael in fifth.
Todd Bodine continues to lead Aric Almirola by 216 points with three events remaining.
Other News: Jim Hunter, V.P. of NASCAR’s Corporate Communications, passed away last Friday after a lengthy battle of cancer. Hunter was involved with NASCAR for over 40 years, as a journalist, track president, and NASCAR executive. He was 71.
Coming Up: All three series head to Texas Motor Speedway for the third to last event of 2010. Don’t miss any of the action as the season comes to a close.
Bruce Knoll, 18, of Eldora, can be contacted by email at bknoll jr4cmcherald@yahoo.com
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