TALLADEGA, Ala. | NASCAR demanded drivers be on their best behavior at Talladega Superspeedway, where a ban on bump-drafting sanitized what’s usually one of the most spectacular races of the season.
In the end, chaos reigned, just like always.
After 450 miles of what resembled a slow Sunday drive, the action picked up and the outcome was much of what everyone has come to expect out of Talladega: An unlikely winner, two spectacular crashes and an army of drivers frustrated about the unpredictability of restrictor-plate racing.
“I think we all know that’s what’s going to happen when we come to Talladega,” said Jeff Gordon, who first ran out of gas and then wrecked — all in a five-lap span.
Jamie McMurray of Joplin, Mo., was the surprise winner of the Amp Energy 500, snapping an 86-race winless streak by leading 32 late laps and holding on in a race that ended under caution. Jimmie Johnson, meanwhile, ended up sixth, likely wrapping up his NASCAR-record fourth consecutive championship because of all the late action.
“I made the comment ... it’s just going to be luck,” McMurray said, “whoever can get in the right row and make the moves.”
That’s how it usually works at Talladega, where horsepower-sapping restrictor plates slow the speeds and force drivers to use aggressive maneuvers to plow their way through tight packs of traffic.
But after Carl Edwards’ airborne April crash into the frontstretch fence, NASCAR has felt the pressure to cut down on the dangerous bumping and blocking that usually triggers the multicar accidents known as “the Big One.” Officials warned at the start of the weekend that they didn’t want to see drivers shoving each other around the speedway, and proved it by parking Michael Waltrip during a Friday practice when he didn’t back off Johnson’s rear bumper.
NASCAR president Mike Helton ramped it up another notch Sunday in a stern prerace lecture that banned all bumping in the corners. He was peppered with questions from the drivers, but held firm and warned that a victory could be stripped if it was gained through bump-drafting.
In response, the 43-car field spent much of Sunday in a single-file parade lap that almost looked to be a conscious thumbing of the nose at NASCAR.
The race ended under caution, with McMurray in victory lane.
Because Johnson spent most of the race puttering around the back of the pack, he was stuck back in the mid-20s when Newman crashed. Crew chief Chad Knaus sensed a lengthy delay and quickly called Johnson in for gas — a decision that may have clinched the title.
When cars ahead of him in the running order began to run out of gas because of the red-flag delay, Johnson vaulted up in the standings. The final finishing order showed him in eighth, but he was adamant he finished sixth.
After a lengthy review, Johnson was indeed credited with a sixth-place finish that stretched his lead in the standings to 184 points over Martin with three races remaining.
“From where we were with the red flag to where we finished, I’m still in shock,” Johnson said. “I can’t believe that it worked out.”
•MASSEY WINS TOP FUEL: Spencer Massey raced to his second top fuel victory of the season, beating No. 1 qualifier Larry Dixon in the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals. Other series winners were Larry Morgan in pro stock, Robert Hight in funny car and Andrew Hines in pro stock motorcycle.
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