"Have you ever?"
That was a quote first heard at Darlington in 2003 when it was Ricky Craven versus Kurt Busch on the last lap. The ensuing beating, banging and hammering towards the finish line saw Craven win the race.
The margin of victory: 0.002 seconds.
Imagine trying to do that at a track where drafting is key, trust is required, and the track is 2.66-miles in length.
Oh yeah, it happened.
Talladega has a way of showing some of the craziest moments in NASCAR. It's mostly because of the flips, the accidents, and the insanity that comes after that. Don't expect that to happen this time around.
When that checkered flag was in the air, eight cars were committed to either winning the race, or pushing someone to victory. One driver had the lead entering turn one, but another had it entering turn three.
Side-by-side out of turn 4 and coming to the tri-oval, it suddenly became a three-wide affair. Fans screaming, broadcasters in disbelief. Who was going to win it?
At the line, it was Jimmie Johnson pulling it out to get his first win of 2011. The margin of victory: 0.002 seconds.
"Have you ever?" was repeated again by Larry McReynolds as we had not seen a finish as close as that, let alone with that many cars, at Talladega. It was a race defined by the tandem packs, but will be remembered by the finish.
That finish was excellent for many of the writers. Only three finished outside the top-10, with six bringing home top-five runs. A great day by everyone in all, but the random finished have closed up the points just a bit, and positions have changed.
Here's a look at the standings at the end of the Aaron's 499:
Sal Sigala Jr. (286) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished fourth (1)
Kelly Crandall (283) Clint Bowyer finished second (0)
Billy Fellin (256) Clint Bowyer finished second (1)
Ryan O'Hara (256) Kevin Harvick finished fifth (1)
Rob Tiongson (253) Kevin Harvick finished fifth (1)
Kara Martin (244) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished fourth (0)
Christopher Leone (240) Carl Edwards finished sixth (1)
Dustin Parks (235) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished fourth (0)
Misan Ayuka (235) Jamie McMurray finished 21st (0)
James Broomhead (227) Carl Edwards finished sixth (0)
Michael Hirshbein (209) Juan Pablo Montoya finished 30th (1)
Summer Dreyer (206) Denny Hamlin finished 23rd (0)
NEXT RACE: After all that excitement of Talladega, we all need a break. Talladega has a tendency to wear everybody out, even the fans.
Thankfully, next Sunday is Easter. So, the Sprint Cup Series has a break from competition. There will be both a Truck and Nationwide race, so there's opportunity to get a NASCAR fix for the holiday weekend.
So, there's an extra week to strategize and think of the next driver to pick. It will be a different race, and a much different track. In fact, it will be "Racing Perfection."
Up next, the Richmond International Raceway. Writers, picks for the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 are due by Thursday, April 28, at 9 p.m. ET.
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