It's one thing to call Talladega the "Wild Card" race in the Chase, but the events that were seen on Sunday turned the Chase into a crazy run for the title.
Two favorites in the Chase went down to on-track incidents, causing them to fall in the standings. The wrecks that took both of them out of contention to win hurt chances at a title, and little time to make up the loss in points.
At the same time, it was a typical Talladega event where incidents would happen over the course of the race, but when it came down to crunch time, things heated up.
Some drivers held back, wanting to buy time. In some cases it worked, but in many it didn't. We will see the latter part when the points are revealed.
The dominant cars on the afternoon were the RCR bunches, relying on each other and the fellow competitors to get to the lead. It came down to a pass between teammates Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer to decide the winner. Just like in this race last year, it was Bowyer getting the win on the last lap, beating his teammate in the tri-oval to get the lead and across the line.
That pass still gave RCR a milestone win, as it was victory No. 100 for Childress as a car owner. A big milestone at a track where his organization became infamous.
But, at the same time, many drivers wanting to wait to make their move faltered. Guys like Jeff Gordon had a plan, but saw it disappear quickly. Others like Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn't make the move in time, and others simply just didn't have the help needed.
That not only hurt their finishes, but also hurt every writer this week. Not only were there no victories, but no writer finished in the top-10, not even the top-15. The points are now closer than ever, even closer than the actual Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Take a look at the heartache that all these writers had after Sunday's Good Sam Club 500:
Rob Tiongson (2216) Kevin Harvick finished 32nd (3)
Sal Sigala Jr. (2214) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 25th (5)
Dustin Parks (2213) Jeff Gordon finished 27th (1)
Christopher Leone (2213) Jamie McMurray finished 29th (4)
Billy Fellin (2212) Kevin Harvick finished 32nd (3)
James Broomhead (2211) Matt Kenseth finished 18th (2)
Misan Ayuka (2210) Jamie McMurray finished 29th (4)
Michael Hirshbein (2206) Jamie McMurray finished 29th (6)
Ryan O'Hara (2206) Kevin Harvick finished 32nd (2)
Kara Martin (2196) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 25th (1)
Kelly Crandall (2190) Kevin Harvick finished 32nd (4)
Next Race: Now that the restrictor plate races are done for the season, it's appropriate that some of that aggression can be taken out at the next race. NASCAR goes from the high banks and the long distance of Talladega to something shorter, and quicker.
It's the final short track race of the season as it's another trip to Virginia, this time to the "Paper Clip" of Martinsville Speedway. A track where no car leaves without damage, and where one mistake means many laps down.
Writers, it's going to be hard to dust off all the bad luck coming from Sunday's race, but it's time to look ahead at the final four race.
Picks are due by Thursday, October 27, at 10 p.m. for the Tums Fast Relief 500.
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