SB Nation Atlanta - NASCAR At Talladega: Clint Bowyer Scores 100th Victory For Richard Childresshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46601/atlanta-fave.png2011-10-23T18:08:14-04:00http://atlanta.sbnation.com/rss/stream/22722582011-10-23T18:08:14-04:002011-10-23T18:08:14-04:00NASCAR At Talladega Results: Clint Bowyer Wins On Last-Lap Move
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<p>Clint Bowyer overhauled teammate Jeff Burton on the final lap to win Sunday's Good Sam 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway. It is his first win of the 2011 season, the fifth of his career, and his second in a row at the October event at NASCAR's biggest track.</p>
<p>Burton finished second, ahead of Dave Blaney (equalling his career-best, also set at Talladega in October 2007), Brad Keselowski, and Brian Vickers. Kasey Kahne finished sixth, ahead of Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Michael Waltrip, and Martin Truex Jr. Carl Edwards, the point leader entering the race, finished 11th. He holds a 14 point edge on teammate Matt Kenseth who finished 18th.</p>
<p>Jimmie Johnson, in need of a rebound, finished 26th, sandwhiched between teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon. All three likely saw their Chase hopes finally come to an end with only four races remaining.</p>
<p>The race was marred by a pair of vicious, late-race accidents. Michael Watlrip turned Bobby Labonte entering the first turn on lap 174. Labonte bounced off Landon Cassill and pounded the wall before being slammed by Kurt Busch.</p>
<p>On the restart from that accident, Mark Martin was bumped by Denny Hamlin, turning him down into Regan Smith who pounded the wall head on. Labonte and Smith both walked away from their wrecked cars, while Busch drove to the garage area under power.</p>
<p>Kevin Harvick who entered the day second in the standings, finished 32nd, nine laps off the pace after being collected in the largest wreck of the day at lap 104. Fellow title contender Kyle Busch, involved in the same accident, finished 33rd.</p>
<p>Bowyer's victory is the 100th for car owner Richard Childress. His No. 33 team is likely to be largely scaled back for the 2012 season, with Bowyer moving on to drive for Michael Waltrip Racing in 2011.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/10/23/2509041/nascar-at-talladega-results-clint-bowyer-wins-on-last-lap-moveAaron Rosser2011-10-23T16:15:34-04:002011-10-23T16:15:34-04:00NASCAR At Talladega Update: Championship Contenders Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch Involved In Crash
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<p>With 84 laps remaining in the Good Sam 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, the championship picture has changed for two of the chief contenders.</p>
<p>Kevin Harvick was one of several drivers involved in a crash triggered when Marcos Ambrose spun his Richard Petty Motorsports teammate A.J. Allmendinger in front of a group of cars. Kyle Busch (another title contender), Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Paul Menard were also involved. McMurray and Montoya, along with Menard and Harvick, had been among the strongest of the "two-car tandems" during the race.</p>
<p>Harvick, who entered the race second in the standings, has significant damage to the nose of his Chevrolet. Carl Edwards, who entered the race with the lead, stands to gain a number of points so long as he can avoid being involved in a similar situation. Edwards has run outside the top-30 for the entire race, preferring to hang out near the tail of the field to avoid being caught up in any accidents in the race's early stages.</p>
<p>This is the third time teammates have come together during the race. Joey Logano bounced off Busch and spun as the cars approached pit road. At lap 80, Tony Stewart turned teammate/employee Ryan Newman, sending Newman through the frontstretch grass and doing heavy damage to his Chevrolet.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/10/23/2508857/nascar-at-talladega-update-championship-contenders-kevin-harvick-kyleAaron Rosser2011-10-23T15:35:20-04:002011-10-23T15:35:20-04:00NASCAR At Talladega Update: Tandem Racing Dominating The Day
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<p>The Good Sam 500 at Talladega is nearly 70 laps old, and - unsurprisingly - the story of the day has been the two-car tandem racing that took hold at the season-opening Daytona 500 and held through the other two restrictor plate races this year.</p>
<p>Some title contenders have decided to run near the rear of the field, such as point leader Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson, in need of a series of great finishes to renew his hopes of extending his championship string to six. Denny Hamlin had also been at the rear of the field without a drafting partner.</p>
<p>Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, and Ryan Newman, meanwhile, have all spent time running near the front of the field. Kyle Busch had likewise run up front but barely dodged a bullet during the most recent cycle of pit stops when Trevor Bayne had to check up getting to pit road and Busch's partner, Joey Logano, bounced off Busch's Toyota and spun. Logano's left front tire later blew, drawing the caution flag.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/10/23/2508641/nascar-at-talladega-update-tandem-racing-dominating-the-dayAaron Rosser2011-10-20T08:18:16-04:002011-10-20T08:18:16-04:00NASCAR At Talladega: Chase Wild Card Could Ruin, Rekindle Title Hopes
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<p>Sunday's event at Talladega Superspeedway has historically gone a long way towards clarifying the championship picture. With many drivers still in contention to win the Chase and Jimmie Johnson needing a major surge to extend his title hopes, one can be certain that the end of the 500-miler will give a clear picture of who is and who isn't a contender for the title.</p> <p>Sunday's 500-mile chess match at the Talladega Superspeedway could serve as an equalizer in the race for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.</p>
<p>The Good Sam Club 500 (Sunday, 1 p.m. on ESPN) has often played that role throughout the previous seven Chase playoffs. In 2004, Jimmie Johnson suffered a blown motor that would ultimately cost him far more than the eight points he eventually lost that season's title to Kurt Busch by. The following year, Johnson, Busch, Rusty Wallace, and Mark Martin were all involved in crashes while eventual champion Tony Stewart finished second.</p>
<p>In 2008, Carl Edwards caused a wreck that cost himself, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, and Kyle Busch all dearly in their bid to dethrone Johnson that season. Martin, Kurt Busch, and Jeff Gordon all wrecked during a green-white-checkered finish, giving Johnson ample breathing room to cruise to his fourth-straight title in spite of an accident at Texas the next week.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the worst finish by an eventual series champion is Johnson's 24th-place finish after a last-lap crash in 2006. In the other six races, the champion always finished ninth or better, with three top-five finishes.</p>
<p>The moral of the story: a driver can't win the championship at Talladega superspeedway, but he can certainly go a long way towards helping him get there or helping himself lose it.</p>
<p>At the same time, a driver in a bad position could renew his chances with a strong result and enough bad luck for his competitors. That might be Johnson's last hope to extend his championship reign to six seasons, as he sits 35 points out of the lead with just five races remaining in the 2011 season.</p>
<p>Edwards, the current point leader, and chief challenger Kevin Harvick - who won at Talladega in April 2010 - both could take a step towards their first championship with a great finish Sunday. Both drivers were among the "eight cars under a blanket" result this past April.</p>
<p>For the drivers who have already seen their title hopes end or who were outside the Chase to begin with, their one goal is to pick up a victory. With the wide-open type of racing at Talladega that lends itself to surprise winners, any one of the 31 drivers outside title - aside from the start-and-park teams - could conceivably score a victory.</p>
<p>Regardless of who wins and who doesn't and who finishes well and who doesn't, the championship picture - or at least, whether or not Johnson will extend his reign - will be much clearer when the checkered flag drops Sunday.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/10/20/2499016/nascar-talladega-2011-chase-tv-scheduleAaron Rosser