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Brian Scott started on the pole. It was his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole as he made another infrequent start in NASCAR's highest series. The race went green and Scott couldn't hold onto the lead as Paul Menard, his teammate, was able to take the lead and lead the first lap of the event. Just as Menard took the lead, the racing began to pick up as drivers raced side by side and three wide throughout the field. Menard held the lead for a short amount of time until Danica Patrick took the lead on lap 6 to the cheers of the Talladega crowd. Patrick attempted to remain out front, but Jeff Gordon used the outside line to take the lead on lap 8. Just as Gordon took the lead, he began to battle hard for the lead with Menard and Patrick. As the field raced behind them, the three leaders ran three wide at the front of the field. As the laps began to click away, Brad Keselowski began to make his way to the front of the pack. On lap 14, Keselowski took the lead from Patrick, but Keselowski made a mistake that led to the first caution on lap 14. Keselowski cut across Patrick's front bumper too early entering turn 1 and Keselowski went for a spin down the track. He slowed down enough to almost come to a stop, but he slid up the speedway. He came up right into traffic as Terry Labonte and Trevor Bayne were coming by. Both barely missed the sliding leader and drove away without damage. Jamie McMurray drove through the grass below the track and he tore up a few pieces of the splitter on his car, which caused him to lose a few laps. Keselowski also drove away without damage, but a flat tire cut some important lines and he ended up losing a good many laps. No drivers received the lucky dog. The caution brought the first stops of the day and a good bit of strategy.
Matt Kenseth was the only driver to decide to take fuel only while the rest of the leaders took two tires. Paul Menard was able to come out first after taking two tires. Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart, and others originally stayed out, but they all came in the second time back around pit road. This left Paul Menard out front for the restart. The race went back green and immediately the field fanned out as Menard held onto the lead. It wasn't long before new contenders made their way to the front. On lap 20, Matt Kenseth took the lead from Menard as the field battled hard behind them. Kenseth stayed out front a few moments before Joey Logano took the lead for the first time on lap 22. Logano moved into a groove as drivers began to drop to the back of the pack to avoid a sure to be coming caution. Denny Hamlin began his ascent up through the field and he began battling Logano for the lead on lap 30. By lap 33, it was Hamlin's lead with Logano beginning to falter slightly. Hamlin began to battle for the lead with a few select drivers, but he remained the major player at the front. It wasn't long before Jimmie Johnson surmounted a charge and he took the lead on lap 41. Johnson led for a couple of circuits before Logano moved back to the front on lap 43 as the lead continued to change rapidly. Logano moved into a rhythm once again and he held the lead until the second caution waved on lap 50. Debris was spotted on the frontstretch of the track. Jamie McMurray received the lucky dog to gain a lap back. The caution flag stops brought a little bit of strategy. David Ragan took two tires while the rest of the lead lap drivers took four tires. Kyle Busch was the first driver to make his way off of pit road. The race would enter its longest green flag stretch of the afternoon and it would be a battle for the drivers to keep it green.
The race went back green and Joey Logano used the momentum on the outside of the track to take the lead from Kyle Busch. Busch looked to run away, but Greg Biffle quickly took the lead away from him in lap 57. Biffle took the lead and he began to hold onto it for a while. Laps clicked through the afternoon and the field continued to race hard as Biffle still remained the leader. They kept it clean, though, and the halfway point of the race came within about ten laps. As it approached, the drivers began to pick their partners for green flag pit stops. In a few laps, the first round of green flag pit stops of the race began on lap 91 with Biffle still on point. All the drivers began to make their way onto pit road and the stops cycled through quickly. All the stops went through cleanly and Biffle returned to the lead. Just as Biffle began to move back into another rhythm, the third caution of the race waved on lap 106 to end the green flag run. Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track. Jamie McMurray received another lucky dog. The caution, due to its close proximity to green flag stops, brought some more strategy. Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, and others took fuel only while Kurt Busch and a few others took two tires. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to make his way off pit road first, which was met by joyous cheers from the crowd. The debris was cleaned up and the field was lined back up.
The race went back green and the two lines on the restart began to battle side by side. Dale Earnhardt Jr. still remained the leader as others chased him down. Earnhardt held the lead a short time before Trevor Bayne was able to take the lead on lap 114 with the help of Ford teammate, Marcos Ambrose. Bayne began to battle with Earnhardt and the rest of the drivers at the front before Earnhardt took the lead back on lap 120. Just as Earnhardt took the lead, the field began to straighten out single file slightly. The single file action up front lasted a few laps before the outside line once again made a charge. On lap 135, Marcos Ambrose made his way to the lead as the race closed in on fifty long laps to go. Just as Ambrose took the lead, Brad Keselowski, who was still laps down and running with the pack, made a mistake that led to the fourth caution on lap 137 and the first big one of the day.
Keselowski broke loose in turn 4 right in front of Trevor Bayne. Keselowski went around and Bayne had nowhere to go, but into Keselowski's door. The two went up towards the wall and a few drivers were already there. Paul Menard, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Alex Bowman piled into the two and into the outside wall as they slid onto the frontstretch. Behind them, Cole Whitt ran into Brian Scott and Scott went towards the inside wall. Tony Stewart hit Scott while Michael Annett went for a spin. All drivers drove away with damage ranging from light to heavy. Jamie McMurray received the lucky dog. The huge accident and ensuing caution brought some more pit stops for the leaders and, for some, the last of the afternoon. Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, and others took fuel only while Greg Biffle, Marcos Ambrose, and others took two tires and Dale Earnhardt Jr. took four tires. Greg Biffle, who led for a stretch earlier, was the first to come off pit road. The crash was cleaned up and the field was lined back up. The race went back green and Biffle was able to hold onto the lead as the thrashing pack behind him looked for the lead as the laps wound down. On lap 146, Dale Earnhardt Jr. managed to take the lead away. Earnhardt looked to move into a groove and take his second restrictor plate win of the year, but the fifth caution waved on lap 151. David Gilliland lost an engine on the backstretch. Smoke poured out of his Ford as he coasted to the edge of pit road. Gilliland's race was over after he had a chance for a good finish. Jamie McMurray received another lucky dog to gain yet another lap back. The caution brought a few drivers down pit road to top off with fuel. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., and a few others decided to come down as they wanted to guarantee they could make it to the finish. Along with those drivers coming down, Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, and others stayed on track with Biffle remaining the leader. It would be interesting to see how the strategy worked for all the drivers as the end of the race approached.
The race went back green and Greg Biffle was able to hold onto the lead. The field began to battle hard and it looked like the pace was picking up as the race was close to finishing. A few drivers began to drop to the back, knowing a wreck was coming soon. Biffle held onto the lead until Brian Vickers managed to move in front on lap 161. Shortly after Vickers took the lead, he began to battle with Denny Hamlin and a newcomer to the front, Justin Allgaier, for the lead. These three drivers battled for a few laps before Kevin Harvick passed them all and took the lead on lap 168. Harvick began to move into a rhythm as the field battled two wide all the way around the speedway. Harvick looked to be in the lead for the remainder of the race, but the sixth caution of the race waved on lap 175 and the second big one of the event happened. Jimmie Johnson broke loose in turn 3. Johnson went down the track and made slight contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr, but the two saved it. Joey Logano stacked up behind Johnson and went up the track. Reed Sorenson, David Ragan, Kurt Busch, and Michael McDowell all piled into Logano and into the outside wall hard as they had nowhere to go. All the drivers were able to drive away after the contact, but each one had some damage that would cost them a chance for a good finish. Jamie McMurray received another lucky dog to move within two laps of being back in contention with the leaders. The caution brought some more final stops for the leaders. Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, and others came down pit road for fuel and some tires to make the final run of the race. The leaders remained on the track. Now, only ten laps remained and they would be an action packed ten laps.
The field was lined back up and the race went green. Denny Hamlin made his resurgence back to the front and he took the lead from Kevin Harvick on the restart. Hamlin looked to move into the lead for good as the laps clicked away and the field looked restless behind him. Hamlin wouldn't make the rest of the way green as the seventh caution waved on lap 183. Carl Edwards had a tire problem entering turn 1. Edwards went around and up the track. He backed into the outside wall and Ryan Newman slammed into him. Cole Whitt spun harmlessly beneath them while the two above him drove away. Edwards had heavy damage, but Newman would be able to return to the event. Jamie McMurray received another lucky dog to move within a lap of returning to the lead group. The caution slowed the field and, with the clean up, the race would go back green with only two laps to go. Denny Hamlin lined up on the inside with Kevin Harvick above him and Greg Biffle right behind Hamlin. The drivers lined up two wide after the clean up and the race went back green for what would be the final time. As the field entered turn 1, Hamlin and Harvick were dead even. Both drivers looked for the lead, but they were still side by side as the field started to become reckless behind them. Hamlin began to pull away from Harvick as they entered and left turns 3 and 4. Hamlin passed through the trioval with the field behind him and the white flag in the air. As Hamlin passed the line, a wreck happened behind him. Ryan Newman bumped Alex Bowman and Bowman slid down into Jimmie Johnson. Johnson turned Bowman up into the wall and he made contact with the outside wall. At the same time, Cole Whitt sent Justin Allgaier around and Allgaier was able to save it, but a piece of his front bumper flew in the air. As all drivers drove away from the scene, the bumper landed right at the finish line. Meanwhile, Hamlin continued to hold the lead as a caution was looking like it was sure to come. Still, the field raced looking for an opportunity to make their move. Unfortunately, as the leaders hit the backstretch, the eighth and final caution waved on lap 188 after the white flag had already waved. This brought the race to a close and Denny Hamlin, who was leading, was given the win. It was a very deserving win for Hamlin after a struggling past year.
The struggles of Denny Hamlin have been documented for months. His Auto Club wreck in 2013 put him on the sidelines for a couple of weeks before he made his return at Talladega, where he was taken out in place of a relief driver. He ran the full race at Darlington a week later and he managed to somehow finish third at a very tough track. That was the highlight for Hamlin for a couple of months as he finished terribly in almost every race. Finally, a glimmer of light was seen at the end of the tunnel. Hamlin was able to win the final race of 2013 at Homestead and things looked to be picking up. As this season started, he ran well and looked to be back on track. The Auto Club bug bit him again, though, and he missed the race after a piece of metal made its way into his eye. Amidst all those struggles and problems, Hamlin now has a win in 2014 and he is in the Chase. Greg Biffle led the most laps and was able to walk away with a very reassuring second place finish. Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers, two Michael Waltrip Racing teammates, used the stay at the back strategy for most of the race, but they walked away third and fourth, respectively. A.J. Allmendinger kept his nose clean all day and took a very deserving fifth place finish. Behind them, some major contenders were left with bad finishes after crashes. Some of those include Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, and a good many others. Like usual, the beast of Talladega claimed some victims and the point standings were shaken up a good bit. Jeff Gordon remained the points leader, but the margin closed significantly all the way through the top twenty. After a crazy and unpredictable race, the series will head back to a typical race track in Kansas Speedway. The action, of course, probably won't be typical, but you get the idea. It will still be an interesting race as the race moves to Saturday night for the first time ever after years of Sunday afternoon spring racing. Will Matt Kenseth take two straight spring race wins at Kansas, will Kevin Harvick win his second straight at Kansas, will Denny Hamlin continue his momentum, or will another driver manage to add a win or win their first race of the year? We will have to wait until this Saturday to find out these answers and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 14- Danica Patrick bumped Brad Keselowski entering turn 1 and Keselowski went for a slide. He slid back up the track, but Terry Labonte and Trevor Bayne managed to avoid him while Jamie McMurray tore up his splitter while riding through the grass.
2nd Caution: Lap 50- Debris was spotted on the frontstretch of the track.
3rd Caution: Lap 106- Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track.
4th Caution: Lap 137- Brad Keselowski broke loose in turn 4. Trevor Bayne piled into him and they moved up the track. Paul Menard, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Alex Bowman piled into the wall while Brian Scott, Tony Stewart, and Cole Whitt began to spin and crash below these drivers.
5th Caution: Lap 151- David Gilliland lost an engine on the backstretch of the track.
6th Caution: Lap 175- Jimmie Johnson broke loose in turn 3 and made contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Joey Logano stacked up behind Johnson and Reed Sorenson, David Ragan, Kurt Busch, and Michael McDowell piled into the wall and Logano.
7th Caution: Lap 183- Carl Edwards had a tire problem in turn 1. He went up the track and piled into the wall while Ryan Newman ran into him. Cole Whitt also spun below them.
8th Caution: Lap 188- Ryan Newman bumped Alex Bowman on the frontstretch and he made contact with Jimmie Johnson. Bowman made contact with the outside wall while Cole Whitt bumped Justin Allgaier and Allgaier left some debris on track.
Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: Jamie McMurray
3rd Caution: Jamie McMurray
4th Caution: Jamie McMurray
5th Caution: Jamie McMurray
6th Caution: Jamie McMurray
7th Caution: Jamie McMurray
8th Caution: None
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Denny Hamlin
2nd: Greg Biffle
3rd: Clint Bowyer
4th: Brian Vickers
5th: A.J. Allmendinger
Notables Not in Top 5:
7th: Kevin Harvick
8th: Kasey Kahne
12th: Kyle Busch
22nd: Danica Patrick
23rd: Jimmie Johnson
26th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
30th: Carl Edwards
32nd: Joey Logano
33rd: Kurt Busch
37th: Matt Kenseth
38th: Brad Keselowski
39th: Jeff Gordon
43rd: Tony Stewart
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/lapbylap/view-all-laps.html?intid=lapbylap_lapbylapleaderboard_08292013
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/standings.live.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2014_Aarons_499/W
-Image:
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/c87a856e114efd6e3e76c2aeb973e40d883e3158/c=0-32-3184-2426&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2014/05/04//1399251439000-5-4-14-denny-hamlin-column.jpg
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