Nascar Race Today

- Was there a deeper message – or deeper concern – in Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s decision to move to the back of the field late in Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway?

Earnhardt showed early he had a car capable of contending for the win and led 26 laps – second-most in the race.

Yet after losing the lead during late pit stops, Earnhardt drifted toward the rear of the field and finished 26th, unable to make his way back to the front.

Many of his fans were upset there wasn't a daring charge.

Earnhardt seemed to forecast the coming discontent, addressing his decision.

After explaining the difficulty he saw in other drivers' ability to make that charge during the race, Earnhardt turned to perhaps a more telling reason for his strategy:

"I knew there was going to be a wreck, and I didn't want to be in it. Simple as that," he said. "There were three right there at the end."

On the surface, there is nothing out of ordinary about these comments. Multicar wrecks at restrictor-plate tracks have become common, particularly late in races, and they can be some of the sport's most violent.

There is, however, additional significance.

Many might forget it was at Talladega in the fall of 2012 when Earnhardt suffered his second of two concussions within a six-week span that caused him to sit out two races in the Chase, effectively ending his championship hopes.

That last-lap Talladega incident involved 25 cars. After the race, Earnhardt – long a fan of racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Talladega – called restrictor-plate racing "bloodthirsty" and said he no longer had any desire to compete in the races.

His comments at the time soon were overshadowed by his injury and absence from the track.

Could it be his actions Sunday were more a reminder of his current feelings toward this type of racing than a poor strategy?

Blaney to make Cup debut: Ryan Blaney, son of NASCAR veteran Dave Blaney, will make his Cup series debut this weekend in Team Penske's No. 12 Ford.

Blaney has made one start in the Truck series at Kansas (a third-place finish) and one start in the Nationwide series (an 11th-place finish).

Should both Ryan and Dave qualify for the race, it would be the first time a father and son have competed in the same Cup race since Bobby Hamilton and Bobby Hamilton Jr. started the 2005 MBNA 500 at Atlanta.

Ryan competes full time in the Truck series for a team owned by Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski.

New All-American Series leader: For the first time in nearly 22 months, two-time reigning national champion Lee Pulliam does not lead the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national Division I standings.

Anthony Anders, on the power of eight wins in 16 outings, occupies the top spot, followed by Dillon Bassett, Tommy Lemons Jr., Pulliam and Matt Bowling.

Dillon to run Truck race: Austin Dillon, the 2011 Truck series champion and Cup series rookie, will make his first Truck start of the season Friday night at Kansas. He will drive an entry for NTS Motorsports. Dillon won last year's inaugural Truck race at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

NASCAR penalizes crew chief: Kenny Francis, the crew chief for the No. 5 Cup team and driver Kasey Kahne, was fined $25,000 by NASCAR for having weight affixed improperly on the car during qualifying last weekend at Talladega.

With his top 20 finish at Talladega on Sunday, NASCAR driver Josh Wise took the Dogecoin community one step closer "to the moon."

Wise drove the Dogecoin-sponsored No. 98 Ford Fusion, complete with an image of a Shiba Inu, at Talladega Speedway and even rose to the top five within the final 25 laps.

"There was a last lap where I had a really great run coming to the white flag and had a few guys pushing me from behind," Wise said. "The No. 18 car kind of cut across the front of me and I had to let off to keep from basically wrecking him and probably 15 of us others including myself, so it kind of killed our momentum and we ended up 20 ^th but I thought we had a really good shot at a top 10 or top 5 there up until that point."

Wise inspired many first-time NASCAR watchers from the Dogecoin community. Dogecoin is a digital currency, and there is a very active community of Dogecoin users on the link-sharing website Reddit. Since the initiative to fund Wise's car first began, the driver has become familiar with Dogecoin and Reddit, even doing a few AMA's (Ask Me Anything) and interacting directly with the fans.

"What made it cool was just the support of the community and the excitement around it," Wise said. "That's pretty unique from a sponsor."

As for whether another Dogecoin-sponsored car is in his future, Wise kept the option open.

"We're trying to get that sponsorship on a consistent basis, you know, and that's really going to take our team to the next level as far as being competitive," Wise said. "Whether that's with Dogecoin or Reddit communities or however we get that, that's definitely what we're looking for."

The Internet can't get enough information about the Dogecoin-sponsored car that took 20th place in Sunday's NASCAR race at the Talladega Superspeedway. Nor can fans of both NASCAR and the cryptocurrency get enough information about the Dogecar's driver, Josh Wise.

The speedster went on the social media site Reddit on Monday night and invited the public to ask him anything. Here are some of the best questions and answers (and Reddit handles) from the session:

"I am about to blow your mind! I drive my wifes car that she owned since before we got married. 2007 Acura TSX gangstaaa. ok maybe not."

"I might have a surprise for you all with that Give me a week or so.."

We'll be staying tuned. If your appetite for Dogecoin Dogecar still isn't sated, check out the full transcript on Reddit.

TALLADEGA, Ala. - Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't want to get in a big wreck near the end of the race Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, and he didn't.

But he also didn't have a shot to win as his decision to lay back after a fuel-only pit stop with 36 laps remaining put him 13th and he never ran any higher the rest of the day.

MORE: Hamlin wins | Race results | Keselowski caused two wrecks | Danica leads

The Hendrick Motorsports driver couldn't get a run on the lead pack and opted to fall back and stay out of the wreck. The only move he tried to make didn't work and he settled for 26th in the Aaron's 499.

Earnhardt charged to the outside on a restart with eight laps to go, but Josh Wise pulled out in front of him, stalling his momentum.

"That killed us," he said. "Anytime somebody jumps in the outside lane in front of you, you are not going to shove them on out there, especially a car like that. It just killed us."

The reason he didn't make a move before then, or try again? He said he couldn't.

"We put ourselves in a bad spot back there in the back," Earnhardt said. "We was great leading the race. When we came down pit road to get fuel, them other guys were way more aggressive.

"I couldn't do nothing after that but drive up in there and get wrecked. So I just sit there and watched the wrecks until the end of the race."

The winner of the Daytona 500 admitted disappointment in himself for the strategy.

"I wasn't confident that we could get to the front," Earnhardt said. "I just knew all we could do was drive into the back of that pack and sit there and ride and get boxed in and probably get run over or run into in one of those crashes. ... We avoided tearing up a good car.

"We'll try to go to Daytona and just do it a little bit different to where we are (not) pitting and giving up all that track position at the end. You can't give up all that track position and expect to get it back. It's just not going to happen."

While he had a fast car, Earnhardt said he didn't see many drivers who could run from the rear to the front. Earnhardt did miss several wrecks, passing four cars just by attrition late in the race.

"I couldn't go anywhere with a three-wide or two-wide (move) - the outside lane doesn't work very well," he said. "When we gave up the lead coming on pit road, I knew we weren't going to be able to get back to the front.

"Nobody has been able to drive from the back to the front today. The guys that stayed out are the ones who ended up in the top three there. We needed to be up front all day."

With a win this year, points aren't a huge deal for Earnhardt, but that was not part of his mindset, he said.

"That had nothing to do with it," Earnhardt said. "I knew there was going to be a wreck, and I didn't want to be in it. Simple as that. There were three right there at the end."

Our experts weigh in on four of the biggest questions in NASCAR this week:

Ed Hinton, ESPN.com: Hamlin and JGR president J.D. Gibbs sure think so. And in the current Chase format, a win is a win. Sure, Talladega is largely luck and avoiding mistakes. But bad luck and a couple of desperation mistakes were what got Hamlin into the doldrums in the first place. Gibbs knows how confidence-dependent Hamlin is and thinks he'll be fine now. Hamlin feels he can "at least rest easy" regarding the Chase. So yes, this win solves his problems, which were shaken self-confidence and a hard-luck feeling.

Brant James, ESPN.com: There's still trouble in the Joe Gibbs Racing camp in general and for Hamlin in particular, but the win Sunday at least alleviates the pressure of qualifying for the Chase. Now he has 16 races to figure out why a season he expected to start with a flourish has been pretty mundane except for spurts at Daytona and Talladega. A win is a win, but success at a plate track doesn't really translate mechanically. Maybe it will emotionally, psychologically, though. And for a driver who seems to ride emotion and momentum, for better and worse, that could clear the path for some performance breakthroughs.

Ryan McGee, ESPN The Magazine: No, but it sure helps. I look at this like I do what winning at Phoenix did for Carl Edwards. Their mile-and-a-half program has been awful, but, because they won early and essentially clinched a Chase berth, that has allowed them to throw the kitchen sink at the intermediate tracks all spring and summer, a chance to do some R&D to get that turned around before the Chase gets here. The same now applies for Hamlin. The heat is off, so they can get to work on what's ailing them with a bit of a safety net. But perhaps even bigger is that a win might solve Hamlin's biggest issue, which has been a crisis of confidence. When I talked to him the Friday before his bummer run at Richmond, he seemed downright depressed. I'm betting that's not the case now.

It's been a season of missed opportunities for Denny Hamlin. But Sunday at Talladega? Not so much, writes Ed Hinton. Story

John Oreovicz, ESPN.com: People often talk about restrictor-plate races and road courses being anomalies compared with the rest of the NASCAR schedule, and that could be the case with Hamlin's win at Talladega. Hamlin and the No. 11 Toyota were stout at Daytona, so his performance at Dega wasn't a surprise. But the team's inconsistent performance just about everywhere else raises some questions. The Talladega victory certainly will raise morale, but in a season when all 16 Chase spots might be filled by race winners, will a single win be enough?

Marty Smith, ESPN Insider: It goes a long way. Few athletes I've ever covered ride the confidence wave like Hamlin does. When he's confident in himself and in his opportunity, he's among the Sprint Cup elite. When he's not, he's not. In the broad-stroke view of the season, winning Talladega is more a feeling of relief for Hamlin than anything. He's in the Chase. I think that in itself will be beneficial.

Hinton: Not no, but hell no, and the expletives I'm thinking are much stronger than that. Never before on this forum have I been so irked by a question. Anyone who complained about that finish would have thrown beer cans and seat cushions into the arena at the Roman Colosseum. What is NASCAR supposed to do? Keep racing until the fans turn thumbs up? I despise GWC in the first place. It's phony, unnatural, unsporting, total show biz, and it unfairly changes the outcomes of races, just to kowtow to a few tweeting malcontents. Baseball, football and basketball fans accept that not all games can be great. Dega on Sunday was a close game. Clint Bowyer, who might well have won with a GWC, pointed out that had there been one at that point, "everybody would have been out of gas." Then there'd have been some fans who'd have complained about a "fuel mileage race." You absolutely cannot win with some of them. Electronic scoring recorded 188 passes for the lead under green -- count 'em; 188 passes for the lead. The NASCAR fans I've known and loved for 40 years used to be tough, hardy, savvy of the finer points of racing beyond a blatant fireworks show and understanding that they can't have candy for every course of every meal. I think most are still like that. But there has emerged a small group of children not just spoiled but spoiled absolutely rotten. I'm outraged we're even talking about this stuff. I only wish I had more space here and more leeway with language. Then I'd tell you how I really feel.

James: NASCAR philosopher Dale Earnhardt Jr. summed it up best when I once asked him whether fans and media exert too much pressure on NASCAR's decision-making process regarding competition. Years ago, he said, the throng seemed to better understand that not every race will culminate in a theatrical and thrilling conclusion. "If you got a s--- sandwich, you got a s--- sandwich," he said. "If you got f---ing turkey, you eat turkey." Just hope for turkey next week and move on.

McGee: Hey, I was disappointed, too. But it just is what it is ,and no, it shouldn't have gone green again. Listen, you can only rig it up so much. Sometimes we're just going to end races under yellow. But I'll take what we have now, where finishing under yellow happens so rarely that people get freaked out about it, over the way it used to be, when the reason people were freaking out was because it happened so often.

Oreovicz: NASCAR takes a lot of heat for throwing phantom debris yellows that happen to create exciting race finishes. But this time there is no doubt the debris was real (there was a 6-foot-long bumper cap lying in the race groove near the start-finish line) and the caution was necessary. Letting them race to the flag would have been foolhardy, and NASCAR doesn't change its rules on the fly like some other racing series tend to do. It was a disappointing finish, but it was handled correctly.

Smith: No. If they had restarted the race, there would've been 10 more destroyed cars. Everyone wants green-flag finishes -- especially NASCAR. But sometimes the safe decision is the only decision.

Hinton: It's good racing and excellent as a developmental series. Camping World just re-upped for seven more years as series sponsor, and, in making the announcement, NASCAR chief marketing officer Steve Phelps called the Trucks loyalists "one of the most consistent and durable audiences in all of sports." The viewership might be small, but it's solid as a rock -- averaging 800,000 per event for the past six years. They're reminiscent of the beloved Saturday-night short-track crowds of yore. Individual team sponsorships are the toughest part, and that's why the sparser schedule. But hey, Trucks gave us our first eyefuls of the likes of Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle in the past, and more recently Kyle Larson, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Chase Elliott. If the Trucks' future is questionable, then so is all of NASCAR's.

James: Commercially, the series announced a renewal of its sponsorship deal with Camping World, which would extend the partnership to 14 consecutive seasons by its conclusion. Competitively, there are potential marketable stars such as Darrell Wallace Jr. and Ben Kennedy. But the schedule is brutal. Too many off weeks, and the series too often feels like undercard filler.

McGee: First, taking a whole month off is nuts. Either start and end the season later or find a more balanced schedule. I have always believed that the best course for the Trucks series is to go back to its roots and race mostly non-companion events in markets that deserve NASCAR but likely will never host a Cup race. That goes back to my early days covering stand-alone events in places such as Louisville, Kentucky; Portland, Oregon; and Topeka, Kansas. But it also goes to some recent experiences. I think about the past few years when I covered weekends when the Trucks ran on Friday of a Cup weekend and no one was around, but then when I went to Rockingham, North Carolina, and Eldora, Ohio, and the place was electric. I think it has done its best work as a feeder and an ambassador series that can help the sanctioning body stay in touch with its short-track, small-market roots that so many think it has lost touch with.

Oreovicz: The Truck series just seems increasingly irrelevant in a number of ways, although the announcement of a seven-year extension of Camping World's title sponsorship certainly makes the future more comfortable. I still don't think NASCAR can continue to sustain three national championships -- there just isn't enough time and money to go around. For the trucks to remain relevant at a national level, I believe the series needs to separate itself from Cup and Nationwide and race at unique venues like Eldora and what used to be called Indianapolis Raceway Park. NASCAR's three national series are bunched too close together, and creating greater differences and unique identities among them could benefit them all.

Smith: Better than it seemed last week, given a brand-new entitlement agreement extension with Camping World. This, of course, is provided the teams can find funding. Talking to owners, that's a legitimate concern.

Hinton: Unfortunately, that's mighty iffy, considering that the game of musical chairs at the top is getting more and more frantic. For one thing, the scramble to bring sorely needed Chase Elliott to the top -- his father's old fans are coming out of the woodwork in droves -- all but locks up the next really good seat in Cup. Sponsorship appeal plays in. Darrell Wallace Jr., Dylan Kwasniewski, the Buescher boys -- you could just keep on naming names -- are creating something of an Oklahoma land rush for rides.

James: Unfortunately for him, probably not. The NASCAR machine forms opinions on prospects unfairly young, and immediate, Kyle Larson- and Chase Elliott-like performance is the demand. Brad Keselowski barely made it and became a Cup champion. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. lost his Nationwide ride briefly and went on to win two titles in the series. Their types of story are increasingly rare, however.

McGee: I hope so. But reality says it's going to be really, really tough. The only way it'll work is for a big team to take a swing at him knowing he doesn't automatically bring sponsorship money. And even though he's just 25, not being officially inked as a big team's development project creates the perception that he's older than he is. The last time someone made the leap Cassill would have to make was Brad Keselowski. But even Brad has described his career climb to me as likely being the last time that will ever happen that way, saying, "I feel like I was Indiana Jones snatching his hat just before the big stone wall closed behind him forever."

Oreovicz: It seems pretty unlikely that he's going to get a big break in the Cup Series, but being a perennial front-runner in the Nationwide Series isn't a bad alternative. Cassill is fortunate in that he is a decade younger than the likes of Sam Hornish Jr., who at 34 is struggling to maintain his foothold in NASCAR despite nearly winning the Nationwide title last year. But by the same token, every time a rapidly rising young hot shot such as Kyle Larson or Chase Elliott comes along, it diminishes Cassill's chances of re-establishing a Cup career. It's all about being in the right place at the right time.

Smith: Even if it's possible, it won't be easy. Talent and charisma are important, but they only get you so far these days.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to Kansas City, Kansas, this week for the 5-Hour Energy 400. The race will be a Saturday night special under the lights. Kansas Speedway has always produced action-packed racing, but the night racing may be the best fans have ever seen at the race track.

Kevin Harvick dominated the last race at Kansas. Harvick started the Hollywood Casino 400 on the pole and led a series-high 138 laps on his way to Victory Lane. Joey Logano also had a good race. He started fifth, led the third-most laps and finished fourth. Both drivers should be strong candidates for a win Saturday night.

The strategy for selecting the winning combination this week should be to analyze the results from the three races at intermediate race tracks this season (Las Vegas, California and Texas). The only exception would be for Kyle Busch.

Busch has a series-best average finishing position at the three intermediate race tracks this season, but if he is Superman, Kansas Speedway is his kryptonite. He has not finished inside the top 30 at Kansas in the last three races. Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards are the safest picks in the field this week.

Here are my top-30 drivers for the race at Kansas with stats from driveraverages.com and career stats from racing-reference.info:

1. Matt Kenseth: This should be the week Kenseth punches his ticket for the Chase. Kenseth won this race last season, and he has the second-best average finishing position on the intermediate race tracks this season. Kenseth has won twice at Kansas and should be the favorite under the lights this week.

2. Jeff Gordon: Gordon has done everything but win a race this season. He won the first two races at Kansas but has not been to Victory Lane at the race track since. Gordon had the car to beat at the last race at an intermediate race track. Gordon started 12th and finished second at Texas. Expect the same results from the No. 24 team this week.

3. Joey Logano: Logano was nicknamed "Sliced Bread" as a rookie. Finally, he is starting to live up to the nickname. Logano already has two wins this season and could add a third Saturday night. Logano won the last race at an intermediate race track and finished fourth at Las Vegas. He will be one of the drivers to beat at Kansas.

4. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski has been fast at every race track this season. He has already won one race at an intermediate race track this season (Las Vegas), and he won at Kansas in 2011. Keselowski has finished four of the eight races he started at Kansas in the top 10. He will be up front again this week.

5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick dominated the last race at Kansas. He started on the pole and led 138 laps on his way to Victory Lane. It looks like his mechanical issues may finally be behind him. Harvick is a safe pick for a top-five finish Saturday.

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt had a horrible race at the last intermediate race track. He started 19th and finished last after he tried to drive his car through the wet grass. Look for Earnhardt to bounce back this week with another strong finish at Kansas. Earnhardt has the fifth-best driver rating in the last four races at the race track.

7. Carl Edwards: Kansas Speedway is Edward's home race track, but he has yet to find his way to Victory Lane. That does not mean Edwards is not worth selecting for your team this week. Edwards has finished nine of his 13 races at the race track in the top 10. He should make it 10 for 14 Saturday night.

8. Jimmie Johnson: Will Johnson ever find his way to Victory Lane this season? The answer is probably yes, and it could happen this week. Johnson has the second-best average finishing position and the second-best driver rating in the last four races at Kansas. Johnson will easily finish in the top 10 this week.

9. Paul Menard: Menard is my sleeper pick this week. The Richard Childress Racing cars have figured out the intermediate race tracks this season. Menard has finished all three races at the intermediate race tracks inside the top 10. He also has a streak of three consecutive top-10 finishes at Kansas. He is a great pick for your team this week.

10. Greg Biffle: Biffle started out the season looking lost at the intermediate race tracks. After finishing 22nd at Las Vegas and 40th at California, Biffle figured things out at Texas with a sixth-place finish. Kansas is one of Biffle's better race tracks. He has two wins and has finished nine of his 15 races inside the top 10.

11. Kyle Larson: Do not overlook Larson this week. He has really adapted to the intermediate race tracks. After finishing 19th at Las Vegas, Larson finished second at California and fifth at Texas. Do not be surprised to see him run up front in his first race at Kansas.

12. Tony Stewart: Stewart has two wins at Kansas and has finished nine of his 15 starts in the top 10. Stewart has finished two of the three races this season at the intermediate race tracks in the top 10. He will come close finishing in the top 10 this week.

13. Brian Vickers: Vickers has run well this year on the intermediate race tracks. His worst finish this season on this type of track is 13th at Las Vegas. He may not be as good as his fourth-place finish at Texas, but he will easily finish inside the top 15 this week.

14. Martin Truex Jr.: Kansas Speedway is one of Truex's best race tracks. He has finished three of the last four races at Kansas inside the top five. He is normally an automatic pick for your team when the series visits Kansas, but Truex has struggled this season. If you are feeling lucky, he is worth a gamble.

15. Kasey Kahne: Kahne has the fourth-best average finishing position and the sixth-best driver rating in the last four races at Kansas. He has only finished one of the last six races at the race track outside the top 10. He is too inconsistent this year to be selected for a top-10 finish, but if it were to happen, do not be surprised.

16. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer is a Kansas native and is always a fan favorite at the race track. Bowyer has not found his way to Victory Lane at Kansas, but he has finished eight of his 11 races inside the top 15. He will easily finish inside the top 20 this week.

17. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won the 2012 spring race at Kansas, but he has not been very good in his last four races at the race track. The last time Hamlin finished inside the top 10 at Kansas was in the fall race of 2009. There are better race tracks to use Hamlin for your team.

18. Ryan Newman: Newman started out his career with three consecutive top-two finishes at Kansas, but he only has one top-10 finish in the last 13 races. Newman's average finishing position on the intermediate race tracks this season is 14.3. Newman will finish in the top 20, but do not expect much more from him.

19. Jamie McMurray: McMurray ran well in this race last season. He started 14th and finished seventh. His average finishing position at Kansas is 18.6. He should finish near his average this week.

20. Kyle Busch: Stay away from Busch this week. For some reason he has horrible luck at Kansas. This is by far his worst race track, and it is not even close. Busch has not finished inside the top 10 at Kansas since 2006. Although he has the best average finishing position at the intermediate race tracks this season, he is not worth the gamble this week.

21. Kurt Busch: Busch has had some success at Kansas, but he has not been consistent enough to select for your team this week. His average finishing position at the race track is 16.9. He finished 26th at Las Vegas and 39th at Texas. Those race tracks are similar to what he will experience Saturday night. Save Busch for later in the season.

22. AJ Allmendinger: Allmendinger is starting to find more success with his new race team. After starting the season without a top-15 finish in his first four races, Allmendinger has finished five of the last six races in the top 15. He would be a good value pick this week for Fantasy Live.

23. Austin Dillon: Dillon's first race in the Sprint Cup Series came at Kansas. He started 26th and finished 26th. He has more experience now, but do not expect much more than a top-25 finish from Dillon this week.

The cars from Richard Petty Motorsports have been much better on the shorter race tracks then they have been on the larger race tracks. Almirola has an average finishing position of 26.6 on the intermediate race tracks. Save Almirola for the short race tracks.

25. Marcos Ambrose: Ambrose has not been much better than his teammate Aric Almirola this season at the intermediate race tracks. His average finishing position is 24.6 in the three races. Do not plan on using Ambrose again for your team until the race at Sonoma in June.

26. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Stenhouse has usually been good at the intermediate race tracks, but that has not been the case this season. Stenhouse finished 27th at Las Vegas, 34th at California and 26th at Texas. Those are not the stats you want for your team this week.

27. Casey Mears: Mears has been good for a value pick this season at the intermediate race tracks, but if you select him, do not expect him to finish near the front. His average finishing position at the intermediate race tracks this season is 23.6. Mears would be a good selection for Fantasy Live this week.

28. Michael Annett: Annett has never competed in a Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas. In his five starts in the Nationwide Series at Kansas, Annett has an average starting position of 18.4 and an average finishing position of 16.4. He may not perform that well this week, but he should easily finish inside the top 30.

29. Justin Allgaier: There is nothing special about Allgaier this week. He has only competed in one race in the Sprint Cup Series at Kansas. He started 21st and finished 39th after being involved in a crash. Do not expect much more than a top-30 finish from Allgaier this week.

30. Danica Patrick: Patrick has competed in three races at Kansas. Her average starting position is 31.1, and her average finishing position is 33.3. She has been involved in crashes in two of the three races. There are better drivers for your team this week.

Group A: Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon

Group B: Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Paul Menard

Group C: Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon

Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, AJ Allmendinger, Michael Annett

Captain: Matt Kenseth

Driver 3: Carl Edwards

Driver 4: Paul Menard

Driver 5: Kyle Larson

UPDATE: Denny Hamlin wins at Talladega

Brad Keselowski caused his second wreck of the day on Lap 136, sparking a big crash at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday.

Keselowski, who was six laps down at the time, was racing in the middle of a big pack of traffic near the front of the field when he appeared to get loose and lose control of his car.

MORE: Brad-Danica wreck | Hamlin wins | Talladega results | Bad move by Earnhardt

Keselowski spun in front of Trevor Bayne, igniting a big crash that claimed at least 12 drivers. Bayne, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, polesitter Brian Scott, Alex Bowman, Tony Stewart and others were caught up in the accident.

"I don't know what happened. I just spun out in front of the field," Keselowski said. "It just broke loose and spun out on me. I don't know if I ran over something or just busted the rear end or what. I feel bad for the guys who were caught up in it."

Keselowski was involved in a wreck early in the race, when he cut down and hit Danica Patrick , causing him to spin.

He was trying to get one of his laps back when he wrecked again, drawing the ire of several drivers and crewmen.

"I'm not really sure why he was driving the way he was driving," said Gordon, one of several drivers knocked out of the race. "He was laps down and I don't know what he was doing obviously thinking that was going to be the way to get his lap back and all that did was get a bunch of other cars wrecked."

"Brad made a pretty bold move early in the race," said Matt Kenseth, who tangled with Keselowski last week at Richmond. "I thought he was a bunch of laps down, but Brad just spun out in front of all of us and tore up a bunch of racecars."

Keselowski said he was trying to race to the front to get one of his laps back.

"We were trying really hard to get our lap back there and without a yellow or a break, I had to be really aggressive and hope something went our way," Keselowski said.

Keselowski confronted Kenseth on pit road last week after the two made contact late in the race. Kenseth called Keselowski's move Sunday "mind-boggling," referring to Keselowski's quote after last week's race.

"I will say one thing: If it was the other way around, if it was anybody else except for him, we'd all be getting lectured (by him)," Kenseth said. "I didn't know he was that many laps down honestly. He came down in the front of the 10 car early and spun out and was racing pretty aggressively there to try and get it back."

RELATED: NASCAR official release In racing terms, it might have qualified as a jumped start when Camping World Chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis let slip in March that a long-term extension of his company's entitlement sponsorship with NASCAR's truck series was in the works. His explanation now makes it hard to knock his eagerness. "Why not tell someone you want to renew your vows if the marriage is good?" Lemonis said. The renewal, a seven-year extension of the company's sponsorship, was officially announced Monday morning, meaning the tailgate tour will remain theNASCAR Camping World Truck Series through 2022. The extension affirms the RV and camping company's commitment, continuing a relationship as title sponsor that dates back to 2009. "(It) is a long time, but as I told somebody earlier, I don't want to be one of those companies that is a fly-by-night advertiser," Lemonis told NASCAR.com. "You see a lot of people show up on a car or sponsor a race, and they're in for a year or two and then they're gone. They make a huge splash, and then they're gone. I want the fans to know, and I want NASCAR to know, that's just not us. We've paid our dues and now we're here to stay."

The dues Lemonis mentions pre-date the truck series' entitlement. By his count, Camping World has sponsored 19 NASCAR drivers, most notably four-time truck series champion Ron Hornaday Jr., and has participated as a race entitlement sponsor 14 times across all three NASCAR national series. In the time since Camping World increased its buy-in to the sport, Lemonis' company has enjoyed significant growth. Camping World has opened 35 new stores to bring its total to 100 and has expanded its reach to a younger demographic, widening the low end of its average customer age from 45 to 35 years old. "For me, it really just comes down to economics and I always tell people that the numbers don't lie," Lemonis said. "When I look at the return on investment that I've gotten over the last five, six, seven years, with my association with NASCAR, I don't want to call it a no-brainer, but it was a very easy decision." Lemonis gave an early indication of his decision in March before theNASCAR Sprint Cup Series' second race of the season, sponsored by the CNBC show he hosts -- "The Profit." The 40-year-old businessman said later that he merely wanted to curb fruitless speculation about the partnership's direction. "I felt like we needed to put an early rubber stamp of commitment and endorsement on a business," Lemonis said. "I wanted people to know that we fully support it, and I didn't need to create some sort of unneeded drama or an uneasiness." The deal comes with added incentive for Lemonis' other business interests. Good Sam Roadside Assistance and two of Lemonis' newer acquisitions -- CarCash and AutoMatch USA -- will be among official NASCAR partners. While the renewal comes as a strong show of stability, Lemonis is fully aware of NASCAR's recent wave of change. From last season's introduction of the Gen-6 car to this offseason's switches to a revamped Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup postseason and multi-car qualifying, the sport's top series has undergone dramatic changes. But the Camping World Truck Series has seen its share of freshening, too, from this season's new body styles to the infusion of new driver talent. The openness to try new company strategies, Lemonis said, was another persuading factor in reaching Monday's agreement. "I always worry when I do business with anybody or partner with them if they believe in the status quo," Lemonis said. "I think we all know that the status quo is the formula for extinction, and I think NASCAR, the teams and the manufacturers realize that in order for this business to survive, but more importantly flourish, it has to evolve. "Of course, in any business we're going to try things, and not everything is going to work. I think the willingness to admit when they don't work and fix them is the right thing, but I'd rather die trying than wait for something to happen." MORE:

It was an up-and-down afternoon for Danica Patrick Sunday at Talladega.

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- In the early going of the Aaron's 499, Danica Patrick was running up front, leading laps and looking very much like she would challenge for her first NASCAR victory.

But despite avoiding numerous crashes and finishing with an undamaged car, Patrick somehow placed 22nd and out of contention Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.

So what happened? How did a car that once looked so strong look so feeble late?

"I made an aggressive move to take the lead and the next thing I knew I was spinning. Obviously, there was some kind of contact but I don't know what happened."-Brad Keselowski

The problem, Patrick said, was an overheating Chevrolet, which after a few laps in the pack began losing power. It was an issue many encountered on an afternoon with a hot sun and temperatures well into the 80s.

"When you get back a little bit in the field it gets even worse," Patrick said. "It just felt like it kind of died a little bit; then I started getting passed. So I dropped back to get some clean air. Got some track position, a couple of times and got up there a little bit, but heating was definitely an issue."

In a race where the top groove was the fast way around NASCAR's biggest track, Patrick was limited to the bottom lane and unable to pass cars as she had earlier.

The day wasn't without incident for Patrick. While running near the front on Lap 6, she and Brad Keselowski made contact, which sent Keselowski spinning down and then up the track into traffic. Patrick emerged unscathed, but Keselowski wasn't so lucky. He broke a radiator hose and fell several laps behind.

Keselowski wasn't sure whether Patrick gave him enough room, or whether he cut her off and clipped the nose of the No. 10 machine.

"I made an aggressive move to take the lead and the next thing I knew I was spinning," Keselowski said. "Obviously, there was some kind of contact but I don't know what happened."

An equally unsure Patrick offered her version of what transpired.

"I was running the bottom and I was feeling like I was going to get hung out," Patrick said. "He went up to the outside and I was looking in my mirror to see if I was clear of the 24 (Jeff Gordon) to slide in. I was moving up to get in that lane and I just thought (Keselowski) had enough momentum to be gone past me.

"I don't know if it was just me coming up -- it very well could have been. I don't know if it was him coming down. I'm not 100 percent sure. My apologies if that was all my fault."

The day did have positives, however.

Patrick paced the field twice for a career-high six laps, just the third time she's led a Sprint Cup race overall.

"It was nice to lead laps; it was nice to lead more than one where you just get pushed by the (scoring) line," Patrick said. "It makes me look forward to Daytona, and make me think really hard how we're going to stay up front. Because it's not that easy to go from 25th to lead; it takes some help and it takes some luck. That last little bit of strategy is what I have to figure out."

Denny Hamlin wins the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

In his 300th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start, Denny Hamlin overtook Kevin Harvick coming to the white flag to win the Aaron's 499 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

The 45th annual spring event at the 2.66-mile superspeedway finished under caution, as a multi-car incident initiated from behind the leaders as the white flag waived. As the final lap continued, debris sat on the frontstretch forcing NASCAR to throw the yellow and halt Hamlin's challengers. The win awarded the 33-year old driver his first points paying triumph at a restrictor plate track and virtually ensured him a berth into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

"We really just want to win races -- regardless of what implications this means for the Chase," said Hamlin. "It feels good to be back in victory lane in a points paying event anyway. Couldn't do it without this FedEx team -- my pit crew has done an awesome job. They picked me up no less than 10 spots every single week and they did it again today. It just strategically saw that things were getting a little heavy there in the middle part of the race and those guys got in a wreck and we were able to avoid that and just play our cards right there and make the right strategy. Just proud of our day today."

Brian Scott earned his first career NSCS pole on Saturday, but never led a lap as Paul Menard, who started second grabbed the lead for the first five laps, before Danica Patrick in her roared from her seventh starting spot to lead for two laps, before Jeff Gordon anchored ahead on Lap eight, with Patrick surging back ahead leading for four laps, when 2012 NSCS champion Brad Keselowski claimed the point.

Keselowski's time at the front would be short lived however, as he made contact with Patrick racing for the lead, sending his No. 2 Miller Lite Ford for a wild slide before coming back onto the track in Turn 1, yielding the first caution on Lap 15.

Menard would inherit the lead on the restart and hold the point until the Talladega shuffle began with himself, Landon Cassill, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson all exchanging time at the front through the second caution flag on Lap 51.

Kyle Busch led the field off pit lane and the field back to green, Joey Logano with help of the draft powered to the lead on Lap 54 and battled with Biffle and Johnson for the lead. Biffle would assume the lead on Lap 60 and cover the next 35 Laps at the front, until Edwards and McDowell briefly took over, but Biffle in his No. 16 3M Ford Fusion would fight back and lead the next 10 circuits, when the third caution flag waived on Lap 107 for debris on the backstretch.

Pit stops circulated with Dale Earnhardt Jr., the Daytona 500 winner exiting first. The driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet would lead for four laps, but Trevor Bayne in the No. 21 Wood Bros. Racing entry muscled his way to the front leading six laps, before NASCAR's most popular driver regained the lead on Lap 119.

With help from behind, Marcos Ambrose on Lap 135 utilized the high line to put himself in charge for the first time, but two laps later, the first "big one" broke out in Turn 4 when Brad Keselowski, who was six laps down spun in front of Bayne and set off a big crash that claimed himself, Bayne, Michael Annett, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Kenseth, Alex Bowman, Gordon, Cole Whitt, Menard, Scott, Gilliland, Johnson and Justin Allgaier.

Under the yellow, crucial pit stops occurred with Greg Biffle, Marcos Ambrose and Earnhardt Jr. guiding the field back to green. Biffle and Earnhardt Jr. would exchange the lead over the next 10 laps, until David Gilliland's machine blew and laid down oil resulting in the fifth caution of the race.

While leading, Earnhardt Jr. decided to pit on Lap 152 and never contended again. Meanwhile, Biffle with one of his strongest runs of the year led the field back down to green ahead of Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson, Brian Vickers and Kurt Busch.

Racing resumed with the race intensity picking up as Hamlin and Vickers shuffled Biffle from the top and swapped the lead for nine laps until Harvick reasserted himself with a huge pack of cars behind on Lap 168.

The second "big one" of the afternoon came on Lap 175 when Jimmie Johnson lost control of his automobile in turn four and collected Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Joey Logano, David Ragan, Reed Sorenson, Kurt Busch and Michael McDowell.

On the restart, Hamlin and Harvick put on a show utilizing help from their peers, exchanging control of the race for the next two laps, before Carl Edwards spun, collecting Ryan Newman and Cole Whitt to bring out the yellow yet again on Lap 184.

Hamlin, though with help from Biffle and Clint Bowyer would execute his move on leader Kevin Harvick on the restart. With Biffle and Bowyer in-toe, Hamlin came to the white flag, when a crash started from behind. The field remained under green, but when debris landed in the racing groove near the start-finish line, the eighth caution of the race was flown, immediately freezing the field and earning Hamlin his 24th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.

"I've got tons of exhibition wins on superspeedways, but none with points. I like it," offered Hamlin.

Biffle, who notched his best finish of the year talked about his second top-five of 2014.

"The last few restarts were actually really good for us," said Biffle, who exits Talladega eighth in the championship standings. "That final restart Clint (Bowyer) gave us a huge, huge push and we had a huge run at the 11 car. I looked in the mirror and saw the smoke behind me and I wasn't really sure whether the caution was gonna come out and I didn't know what to do and I thought about making my move on the 11 right then because I had a huge run and I could have, and then probably off of two I could have passed him again - got beside him and sucked by him - but I just didn't want to pass too early.

"I wish I had known we weren't gonna race all the way back, but it was a good day for us. The car was really fast, a lot of speed, and I'm just happy to come out of here with a clean car."

Behind Hamlin, Biffle and Bowyer was Vickers and A.J Allmendinger. Paul Menard was sixth, Harvick wound up seventh, Kasey Kahne was eighth, Larson ninth and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. comprised the top-10.

Jeff Gordon, despite being winless continues to lead the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. Matt Kenseth is second (-3), ahead of Kyle Busch (-4), Earnhardt Jr. (-19) and Edwards (-19).

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is a trip to Kansas Speedway for the running of 5-hour Energy 400 on Saturday night, May 10.

1. (34) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 188, $303315.

2. (35) Greg Biffle, Ford, 188, $265985.

3. (27) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 188, $215151.

4. (18) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 188, $181760.

5. (3) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 188, $154113.

6. (2) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 188, $167384.

7. (8) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 188, $158778.

8. (42) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 188, $131145.

9. (29) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 188, $140590.

10. (25) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ford, 188, $152795.

11. (41) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 188, $104410.

12. (19) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 188, $152276.

13. (15) Aric Almirola, Ford, 188, $143821.

14. (4) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 188, $130018.

15. (5) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 188, $151146.

16. (17) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 188, $118043.

17. (43) Martin Truex Jr, Chevrolet, 188, $130493.

18. (6) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 188, $109735.

19. (26) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 188, $127280.

20. (36) Josh Wise, Ford, 188, $98535.

21. (31) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 188, $96160.

22. (7) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 188, $106835.

23. (20) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 188, $148871.

24. (37) Terry Labonte, Ford, 188, $109168.

25. (28) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 188, $105410.

26. (30) Dale Earnhardt Jr, Chevrolet, 188, $104110.

27. (38) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 188, $113107.

28. (33) Alex Bowman, Toyota, Accident, 187, $94510.

29. (32) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 187, $129024.

30. (10) Carl Edwards, Ford, Accident, 182, $111110.

31. (24) Ryan Truex, Toyota, Accident, 182, $92460.

32. (16) Joey Logano, Ford, Accident, 174, $131301.

33. (9) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, Accident, 174, $91185.

34. (22) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, Accident, 174, $91060.

35. (39) David Ragan, Ford, Accident, 174, $98910.

36. (14) Michael McDowell, Ford, Accident, 174, $90785.

37. (21) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 171, $139742.

38. (13) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 160, $130098.

39. (11) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 156, $127626.

40. (40) David Gilliland, Ford, Engine, 150, $84690.

41. (23) Trevor Bayne, Ford, Accident, 136, $72690.

42. (1) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, Accident, 136, $74690.

43. (12) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, Accident, 136, $99348.

TALLADEGA, Ala. - Denny Hamlin, winner of two races at Daytona that didn't count, finally has a points-paying victory at a restrictor-plate track.

Hamlin, who opened the season with a pair of wins in Daytona exhibition races only to finish second in the Daytona 500, was again sitting second in the closing laps Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. But he won a drag race with leader Kevin Harvick on a restart with two laps remaining, and was out front when NASCAR froze the field because of debris from an accident.

Hamlin became the eighth winner in 10 races this season as drivers jockey to grab the 16 spots available in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

Here's the results from the Aaron's 499:

1. (34) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 188 laps, 123.2 rating, 47 points. 2. (35) Greg Biffle, Ford, 188, 115.1, 44. 3. (27) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 188, 67.2, 41. 4. (18) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 188, 81.8, 41. 5. (3) A J Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 188, 88.2, 39. 6. (2) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 188, 83.8, 39. 7. (8) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 188, 107.6, 38. 8. (42) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 188, 87.7, 36. 9. (29) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 188, 94.8, 35. 10. (25) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 188, 65.5, 34. 11. (41) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 188, 64.6, 0. 12. (19) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 188, 103.4, 33. 13. (15) Aric Almirola, Ford, 188, 66.3, 31. 14. (4) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 188, 74.7, 31. 15. (5) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 188, 79.4, 29. 16. (17) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 188, 55.2, 28. 17. (43) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 188, 85.2, 27. 18. (6) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 188, 45.8, 27. 19. (26) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 188, 61, 26. 20. (36) Josh Wise, Ford, 188, 48.8, 24. 21. (31) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 188, 58.2, 23. 22. (7) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 188, 74.9, 23. 23. (20) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 188, 99.8, 22. 24. (37) Terry Labonte, Ford, 188, 38.7, 20. 25. (28) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 188, 43.9, 19. 26. (30) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 188, 69, 19. 27. (38) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 188, 53.4, 17. 28. (33) Alex Bowman, Toyota, accident, 187, 62.4, 16. 29. (32) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 187, 32.4, 15. 30. (10) Carl Edwards, Ford, accident, 182, 52, 15. 31. (24) Ryan Truex, Toyota, accident, 182, 62.5, 13. 32. (16) Joey Logano, Ford, accident, 174, 91.3, 13. 33. (9) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, accident, 174, 82.4, 11. 34. (22) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, accident, 174, 50.1, 11. 35. (39) David Ragan, Ford, accident, 174, 52.9, 10. 36. (14) Michael McDowell, Ford, accident, 174, 56.2, 9. 37. (21) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 171, 77.6, 8. 38. (13) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 160, 32.6, 7. 39. (11) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 156, 69.1, 6. 40. (40) David Gilliland, Ford, engine, 150, 60.6, 5. 41. (23) Trevor Bayne, Ford, accident, 136, 77.6, 0. 42. (1) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, accident, 136, 60.3, 0. 43. (12) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, accident, 136, 44.2, 1. ___ Race Statistics Average Speed of Race Winner: 152.103 mph. Time of Race: 3 hours, 17 minutes, 16 seconds. Margin of Victory: Under Caution. Caution Flags: 8 for 31 laps. Lead Changes: 48 among 23 drivers.

Lap Leaders: P.Menard 1-5; D.Patrick 6-7; J.Gordon 8; D.Patrick 9-12; B.Keselowski 13; P.Menard 14; L.Cassill 15; P.Menard 16-19; M.Kenseth 20; J.Logano 21-31; D.Hamlin 32-34; C.Edwards 35-37; J.Logano 38; C.Edwards 39-40; J.Johnson 41; J.Logano 42-51; D.Gilliland 52; Ky.Busch 53; J.Logano 54-56; G.Biffle 57-58; J.Johnson 59; G.Biffle 60-94; C.Edwards 95; M.McDowell 96; G.Biffle 97-106; D.Ragan 107; C.Mears 108; D.Earnhardt Jr. 109-112; T.Bayne 113-118; D.Earnhardt Jr. 119-134; M.Ambrose 135-137; R.Sorenson 138; R.Newman 139; C.Mears 140-141; G.Biffle 142-145; D.Earnhardt Jr. 146-151; G.Biffle 152-158; B.Vickers 159-161; D.Hamlin 162; B.Vickers 163; D.Hamlin 164-165; B.Vickers 166-167; K.Harvick 168-180; D.Hamlin 181; K.Harvick 182; D.Hamlin 183-185; K.Harvick 186; D.Hamlin 187-188.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): G.Biffle, 5 times for 58 laps; D.Earnhardt Jr., 3 times for 26 laps; J.Logano, 4 times for 25 laps; K.Harvick, 3 times for 15 laps; D.Hamlin, 6 times for 12 laps; P.Menard, 3 times for 10 laps; B.Vickers, 3 times for 6 laps; D.Patrick, 2 times for 6 laps; C.Edwards, 3 times for 6 laps; T.Bayne, 1 time for 6 laps; C.Mears, 2 times for 3 laps; M.Ambrose, 1 time for 3 laps; J.Johnson, 2 times for 2 laps; L.Cassill, 1 time for 1 lap; Ky.Busch, 1 time for 1 lap; R.Newman, 1 time for 1 lap; R.Sorenson, 1 time for 1 lap; D.Ragan, 1 time for 1 lap; M.McDowell, 1 time for 1 lap; M.Kenseth, 1 time for 1 lap; B.Keselowski, 1 time for 1 lap; J.Gordon, 1 time for 1 lap; D.Gilliland, 1 time for 1 lap.

Wins: K.Harvick, 2; J.Logano, 2; Ku.Busch, 1; Ky.Busch, 1; D.Earnhardt Jr., 1; C.Edwards, 1; D.Hamlin, 1; Bra.Keselowski, 1.

Top 12 in Points: 1. J.Gordon, 347; 2. M.Kenseth, 344; 3. Ky.Busch, 343; 4. D.Earnhardt Jr., 328; 5. C.Edwards, 328; 6. J.Logano, 305; 7. J.Johnson, 304; 8. G.Biffle, 300; 9. R.Newman, 299; 10. B.Vickers, 297; 11. Bra.Keselowski, 294; 12. D.Hamlin, 292.

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Denny Hamlin, who hadn't been able to buy a break all season, finally caught a whopper Sunday -- at the expense of two more drivers who'd come here in about the same shape.

Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer were a moment away from ganging up for a big run on Hamlin midway through the final lap at Talladega Superspeedway.

Then, caution.

Field frozen.

Race over, save for the cruise to the finish line.

In the blink of an eye, Hamlin's spirits soared and theirs remained in the doldrums. The relief was palpable in the words of Hamlin's team president, J.D. Gibbs, in sentences that rolled out as one long sigh of relief.

"It's very nice," Gibbs said of the win. "He needed it so bad ... that win really helped a lot of the past issues get put behind him."

What's more, Gibbs' tones smacked of anticipation that Hamlin just might surge from here.

"I think Denny really operates a lot off momentum, and I think this will really help our case for 2014," Gibbs said.

Hamlin's season had been unraveling lately, after he'd had to miss a race he'd hoped to win at Fontana, California, in March with an eye injury.

"We missed out on some opportunities to have good finishes over this past month or so," Hamlin said. "I was really looking forward to California -- I felt like we had one of the best cars in practice -- and didn't get to run that event. After that, between Texas, Darlington and Richmond, we've had some bad luck ... It's very frustrating to run top five, top 10 all day and then -- we've been finishing right around 20th for three weeks in a row.

"That really takes its toll on a team."

Weeks like those "are momentum crushes," he said. But "a win like this makes you forget all those things and gives you a clean slate for the rest of the summer."

He became the eighth different winner this season, and under the win-you're-in format is very likely to make the Chase now.

Now granted, this was at Talladega, aka Casino de Alabama, where wins are heavily weighted on the luck of the scramble in the draft.

But, "even though it's a superspeedway and it's all circumstantial, it at least lets us rest a little bit easier," Hamlin said.

The circumstances in the final moments appeared to favor Biffle and Bowyer as they rushed up on Hamlin, but the roulette wheel stopped suddenly this time.

Just as the leaders took the white flag, a wreck broke out behind them, leaving debris before the start-finish line, and the wrecked car of Alex Bowman just beyond the line.

So NASCAR officials just couldn't risk a race back to the line, and threw the caution in the middle of the last lap. By rule, once the leader has taken the white flag, there can be no green-white-checkered finish.

But neither Biffle nor Bowyer questioned the call.

Complete results

"NASCAR did the right thing," said Bowyer, who wound up third. "You can't put people in danger right there. And if there'd been a green-white-checkered, everybody would have been out of gas."

Even at Talladega, "unfortunately, we don't always see that crazy, wild finish," Bowyer continued. "But I don't think that's on NASCAR."

Biffle, knowing he had Bowyer right behind him for a push, was calculating when to make his move as they entered the final lap.

"I looked in the mirror and saw the smoke behind me," Biffle said, "and I wasn't really sure whether the caution had come out, and I didn't know what to do.

"I thought about making my move on the 11 [Hamlin] right then, because I had a huge run, and I could have. And then probably off [Turn] 2 I could have got beside him and sucked by him.

"But I just didn't want to pass too early."

With the drafting freight train behind him, a premature move would have meant "I was going to be 15th by the time we got back around to the start-finish line.

"So I was just waiting. I was backing up off him quite a bit on the backstretch [to make a run] and I got probably 2½ or three cars away from him and they said, 'Caution's out.'

"I was setting up to go by him, but I just never had the chance. I wish I'd known we weren't going to race all the way back."

At the white flag, "I liked the situation I was in, for sure," Bowyer said. "I knew Greg was going to try something, and we did have a big push at him. You see those guys crashing in your rearview mirror and you're like, well, history has shown that usually if they're straightened up, not sitting in the middle of the racetrack, we're going to finish this thing under green."

But Bowyer, too, knew that "you pull out right then, you might be 15th by the time you get 2 miles over here to the start-finish line ... uh ..." And his voice trailed off and he said resignedly, "we finished third."

That was all there was to it.

And so, Bowyer's winless streak in Cup extended to 51 races, back to 2012. Biffle's slump went to 31 races, back to last summer.

Talladega threw up a break for grabs among the three, and Hamlin caught it.

NASCAR

No weather worries today for the Aaron's 499 Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway. In a season that seems like all it does is rain, rain will not be a problem for NASCAR today.

The weather forecast calls for lots of sunshine, light winds and warm temperatures. Fans will need the sunscreen and hopefully the racing will be hotter than the mid 80s expected later this afternoon.

This will be an ever changing weather forecast so follow me on Twitter @ NASCAR_WXMAN and like me on Facebook for the latest weather updates.

Conditions in Talladega, AL: Click here for Current Weather Conditions - Look at Doppler Radar | Mobile Friendly Site | Mobile Radar

In one of the wildest races of the year thus far, Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 car took the checkered flag and won the 2014 Aaron's 499 Sprint Cup Series race at the always unpredictable .

Let the celebration begin for @dennyhamlin and his No. 11 @JoeGibbsRacing crew! -KC http://ift.tt/1iTrwF3

WINNER!!! Congratulations @dennyhamlin! #Aarons499 #DreamsComeTrue http://ift.tt/1fKjXX0

Hamlin had raced at the front of the field all day (led 12 laps) and managed to steal the show by jumping in the right line to the lead on the final restart. The caution waived on the last lap, but he had already earned his spot as the winner.

.@dennyhamlin tells @FOXSports: "We really just want to win races, regardless of the implications of the Chase." #NASCAR

As for the rest of the top five, Greg Biffle finished second, Clint Bowyer was third, Brian finished fourth and AJ rounded out the top finishers.

Here is the entire finishing order for Sunday's race at .

Source: NASCAR.com

Race weekend kicked off with 's new style of qualifying that featured a group of Richard Childress Racing drivers and affiliate cars running together. The group's approach to the knockout qualifying format resulted in the first three rows being comprised of affiliated cars.

As with every race, the lead 't last long and the track soon began shuffling drivers continuously. Whether it was Joey and the No. 22 car, Biffle and the No. 16 or one of the other top drivers who managed to string together a few consecutive laps led, the -plate race managed to even the playing field.

There were few cautions through the first 100 laps (Brad and the No. 2 car did bring out the yellow flag early, but it was a one-car accident), and that resulted in several rounds of green-flag .

Through the first 100 laps, there were 25 lead changes.

Before Sunday's race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke to Michael Vega of The Boston Globe about his team's desire to improve his overall performance this season:

We as a team, I think, improved our emphasis on our plate cars to be able to improve their performance. I think that started to show in the last 12-16 months. When [crew chief] Steve [] and I first started working together our focus was more on improving ourselves as a whole.

We really 't focus on the plate stuff as much as we needed to improve everywhere. We had to kind of put our emphasis on the plate tracks on hold for a while to try to get our team in the right direction. I think that started to happen to where we were running well enough everywhere [that] we could start to put a little more care and preparation into our plate track cars. That is definitely showing the results.

The race remained relatively calm-a term scarcely used at -for another long green-flag stretch, but on Lap 135, chaos broke loose. After got loose in front of the field, he collected 11 other cars in a huge accident.

Top drivers like Trevor , Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Paul Menard were involved in the wreck.

Gordon commented on the crash during the Fox broadcast, via .com:

Jeff Gordon on lap 136 crash: "We'll get it fixed.. but we're going to get a terrible Talladega finish. There's no fixing that" #NASCAR

The race once again heated up as the laps began ticking away. On Lap 176, Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 car were involved in another big crash that included defending race champion David Ragan, Kurt Busch, and others.

WWE legend Shawn Michaels talked about Sunday's race:

Listening to @NASCAR on the radio & #Talladega sounds like it's getting crazy awesome coming down to the finish!! #NASCAR

The late caution brought the field back together and made for an exciting run to the checkered flag. Another crash with just six laps left (the seventh yellow flag of the day) once again reshuffled the field and opened the door for Hamlin's win.

Source: NASCAR.com

After another great race at , the Sprint Cup Series schedule moves on as drivers and their teams head to Kansas Speedway next week for the 5-Hour Energy 400 Benefiting Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

The next race will take place on Saturday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on Fox.

Matt Kenseth was the 2013 spring race champion and also won the pole for that event.

Hamlin will be traveling to Kansas this week with momentum on his side. Despite struggles early in the season, he drives stronger as the season progresses and will do the same as the Sprint Cup Series hits its summer stretch.

With fewer cautions expected at next week's race, look for drivers like Johnson, Gordon, Earnhardt Jr. and Biffle to contend for a victory at Kansas under the lights Saturday night.

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- If Saturday's knockout qualifying was the preview it appeared to be, then Sunday's Aaron's 499 will be as wild, weird and favorable to underdogs as -- well -- classic Talladega races are supposed to be.

There was no "big one," as drivers had feared, in the most anticipated qualifying session of the year under NASCAR's new format. A big wreck would have been but an interruption to three rounds, especially the first, that were rife with drafting, darting and scrambling, just as purists love on restrictor-plate tracks.

Brad Keselowski summed up the day beautifully, even though he didn't make it to the final session.

"We knew it was going to be crazy, but I think this is kind of perfect," Keselowski said. "Just the right amount of craziness."

Brian Scott, a Nationwide Series regular entering only his fifth Cup race, came out of nowhere, name-wise, to snatch the pole in the final seconds of the third round.

Scott was the beneficiary by chance of a master strategy of the organization that now calls itself the "RCR alliance" -- Richard Childress Racing and affiliated smaller teams.

Alliance cars swept the first six starting positions, with Paul Menard second and AJ Allmendinger third, followed by Casey Mears, Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman. All six cars were built at the RCR complex in Welcome, North Carolina, and all six engines came from the Childress plant.

Danica Patrick, seventh, was the highest-qualifying non-alliance driver.

The best of the weirdness was that Scott, surprised that he was on the pole, really turned out to be the most experienced driver at this business of knockout qualifying in groups on plate tracks.

"It's really rare that I can come in here and say I actually have more experience than a Cup guy," Scott said before hurrying to his car to compete in Saturday's Nationwide race here.

But, "In this group qualifying on superspeedways [Saturday's session was the first ever in Cup for Talladega or Daytona], I feel like I have more experience than the Cup guys," Scott said.

"We did it in the Nationwide Series for one session at Daytona, and then we did it in the Nationwide Series for all three sessions yesterday."

So Saturday, "I felt like I knew how it was going to work. I knew that when we started the last session it was going to be a waiting game, and whoever got impatient first or panicked first was going to head out, and then it was going to be game on, and you were going to get one or two laps" at the very end.

Sure enough, Cup veteran Menard passed his alliance-mate on the next-to-last lap, because "I didn't think we had enough time to make an additional lap," Menard said.

But Scott's experience in this format told him there'd be time for one more, and he got in the best lap as the clock ran out, at 198.290 mph.

Menard happily would take both the outside front row and the excitement that got him there. "This qualifying format -- I think there's good tracks for it and bad tracks for it," Menard said. "And this is definitely a great track for it. I thought it added a lot of excitement."

The method was bypassed for the Daytona 500 in February because of the traditional twin qualifying races there. But Saturday's show begged the question whether NASCAR should have shown off the new format in its showcase race, its season opener.

As anticipated, the first 10 minutes of Saturday's first round were the best and wildest, with several big drafting packs on the track, producing lap speeds of 200-plus mph.

By the end, that first session didn't count much as far as qualifying, but it may well have been the real preview of Sunday's race.

Less than eight minutes into the frolic, Kyle Busch popped a lap at 200.574 mph, closely followed by Joey Logano at 200.171 and Jimmie Johnson at 199.912.

That was a throwback to the real Talladega -- the one that was accurately billed as the world's fastest track before restrictor plates were added, to stifle the engines and slow down the cars for safety's sake, in 1988.

But none of the fastest group from the first session made it to the third. Logano will start 16th, Busch 19th and Johnson 20th on Sunday. So there'll be the usual scramble of fast cars from mid-pack toward the front.

Logano, before Saturday, had been the only Cup driver to have made it through all rounds of all qualifying sessions all season.

"It's kind of a bummer," Logano said. "I would have liked to have kept that streak going, but I knew this was going to be the wild-card event."

The only prominent naysayer about the format here was Dale Earnhardt Jr., the reigning Daytona 500 champion, who'd said coming in that he wasn't going to take a lot of risks under this wild, new format.

Earnhardt got out of it what he put into it: He'll start 30th, but "we're not too worried about it," he said.

"It wasn't a whole lot of fun, to be honest with you," Earnhardt said. "I'd like to do some heat races or something, maybe. That would be a little bit better than this."

For just about everybody else, Saturday was a blast that bodes well for more of the same Sunday.

NASCAR

Josh Wise's Dogecoin Ford is still running today at Talladega, and actually at the moment is in seventh place. That earned him some commentary on exactly how Doge ended up on a damned stock car.

The moment of so truth has come, the DogeCoin livery is much here in the flesh on Josh Wise'... Read moreRead on

Your Spanish version from Fox Deportes is above. Here's your "cryptocurrency" version as aired on Fox broadcast below.

NASCAR fans watching the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway may have noticed Chris MacNicol on the television broadcast Sunday afternoon. He was the guy wearing a tire and a straw hat - and he's been doing it for years. MacNicol, known as the Talladega Tire Man, has his own Facebook fan page with thousands of likes.

Tire Man told AL.com that his character was born at the 2004 Daytona 500, where he paid $5 for a tire used by Joe Nemechek. Since then, he's become a celebrity at Talladega, where people constantly stop him in the infield to get a photo.

You mean this guy @ jeff_gluck??? Have you never seen him before at Dega!! He even has a FB page!! LOL!!:) http://t.co/5Ah7ofO7Pl- betsey (@betseybydesign) May 04, 2014

Tire Man even got a photo with Austin Dillon this year.

Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR

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Richard Childress Racing cars dominated qualifying on Saturday. Will that carry over to Sunday?

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series continues on Sunday afternoon in Talladega with the Aaron's 499. Brian Scott captured the pole in qualifying on Saturday in the first time group qualifying was used at a restrictor-plate track. Richard Childress Racing-affiliated drivers took the top six spots in qualifying with Paul Menard, A.J. Allmendinger, Casey Mears, Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman following Scott.

However, don't count out any of the smaller teams from capturing victory on Sunday. As SB Nation's Jordan Bianchi writes, Talladega is a great leveler when it comes to individual performance, clearing the way for any participant to win. Victory all but assures a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Last year, Front Row Motorsports' David Ragan pulled off a surprising win at Talladega.

Fox will begin its coverage of the race at 12:30 p.m. ET with the green flag set approximately for 1:20 p.m. ET. Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds will be in the booth calling the race. The pit reporters are Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum and Krista Voda. If you can't be in front of a TV, Motor Racing Network will have the call on the radio.

Here is the starting lineup for the Aaron's 499:

Elliott Sadler receives belated birthday gift; wins Aaron's 312.

Happy belated Birthday, Elliott Sadler!

Sadler, who celebrated his 39th birthday this past Wednesday (April 30) withstood several changes on a restart with three-laps to go in Saturday's Aaron's 312 to score his 10th career NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) victory at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

With some help from NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular David Ragan, the two veterans were able to overpower Sunoco rookie Chris Buescher and JRM Motorsports pilot Regan Smith on the outside lane to send the Emporia, Virginia native back to victory lane for the first time since 2012.

"We stayed on the bottom, stuck to our guns, David Ragan did a good job of pushing us and we were able to hold those guys off at the end," said a jubilant Sadler. "It means a lot for me to get this JGR team to victory lane. They've worked their butts off last year and we weren't able to reward them. We have a lot of momentum on our side, we let one get away from us at Darlington, so to come back here and get one for all of our sponsors this is really good."

Sadler in his sixth Talladega Nationwide Series start was a factor from the drop of the green flag, but had to dodge several on-track incidents and climb from the bottom half of the top-10 after his final trip to pit lane, following a caution on Lap 83 for a solo spin by Eric McClure.

Roush Fenway Racing's rookie Ryan Reed stole the lead from pole sitter Sam Hornish Jr. on Lap one and held the point until the first caution flag waived on Lap 29 for debris. Pit strategy shuffled the leaders with Ty Dillon inheriting the lead after a two-tire stop.

Dillon would lead the field back to green, before Sadler and Sunday's pole sitter Brian Scott duked it out three laps later for possession of the lead. Meanwhile, a few positions behind them, Ryan Blaney in the No. 22 for Team Penske made contact with the No. 99 of James Buescher triggering a five car incident on Lap 44.

The yellow provided another opportunity for the field to come to pit road for tires, fuel and adjustment, with Blaney leading the parade back to green flag conditions. Meanwhile, Sadler and Scott came roaring back to the front line, shuffling for the lead over the next 10 laps before Scott was tapped by the No. 6 of Trevor Bayne on Lap 63 igniting a 10-car incident.

Sadler would maintain the lead on the restart until McClure's issue, which gave the lead to Daytona winner Regan Smith. He would lead the field over the next 20 laps before David Starr driving for TriStar Motorsports would use a push following Lap 104 restart to assert himself into first, but not before rookie sensation Chase Elliott took his turn at the front on the same lap that Chad Boat wrecked on the backstretch on Lap 108.

With a majority of the field staying out, Elliott, Starr and Sadler would become the three drivers out front and found themselves battling for the win inside the final five laps.

Following the restart, the momentum of the lead pack would be stalled on Lap 113 when Ryan Blaney lost control of his No. 22 Ford and collected five others. Quickly, NASCAR would display the red flag to ensure a scheduled distance conclusion. After a nine minute and five second pause, the field returned to caution.

With the green flag in the air for the final time, Sadler with pressure from all angles would fend off his challengers to deliver Joe Gibbs Racing its third win of 2014.

Buescher was a career-best second ahead of Regan Smith, Ragan and Hornish Jr to make up the top-five.

"Congratulations to Elliott Sadler, but this Roush Performance Mustang was awesome all weekend," said Buescher, after his Nationwide restrictor plate debut. "We knew we had a good piece, we just had to pull through with it. Regan Smith pushed me at the end. That's about all you can ask for because I'm still very new to this speedway racing, so to be able to pull off a second is really cool to me. We got the finish we deserved today."

Joe Nemechek, J.J. Yeley, Landon Cassill, Starr and Bayne comprised the remainder of the top-10.

After nine races, Elliott continues to lead the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings ahead of Sadler (-1), Smith (-3), Bayne (-31) and Dillon (-31).

Next up for the NASCAR Nationwide Series is a trip to Iowa Speedway for the running of the Get To Know Newton 250 presented by Sherwin-Williams on Sunday, May 18.

1. (2) Elliott Sadler, Toyota, 117, $58020.

2. (8) Chris Buescher, Ford, 117, $48925.

3. (32) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 117, $35675.

4. (13) David Ragan, Ford, 117, $26025.

5. (1) Sam Hornish Jr, Toyota, 117, $35900.

6. (38) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 117, $27825.

7. (34) JJ Yeley, Dodge, 117, $26625.

8. (12) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 117, $25975.

9. (16) David Starr, Toyota, 117, $25350.

10. (21) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 117, $26475.

11. (36) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 117, $25100.

12. (19) Mike Bliss, Toyota, 117, $24975.

13. (15) John Wes Townley, Toyota, 117, $18800.

14. (29) Tommy Joe Martins, Dodge, 117, $18625.

15. (7) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 117, $25150.

16. (39) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 117, $24575.

17. (18) Eric McClure, Toyota, 117, $24250.

18. (5) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 117, $24325.

19. (37) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 117, $23975.

20. (27) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 117, $24550.

21. (6) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 116, $23850.

22. (31) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, Accident, 111, $17520.

23. (33) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Accident, 111, $23370.

24. (4) Ryan Reed, Ford, 108, $23470.

25. (40) Chad Boat, Chevrolet, Accident, 107, $23570.

26. (24) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, Engine, 91, $22920.

27. (17) Jamie Dick, Chevrolet, 87, $22795.

28. (26) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Accident, 86, $16670.

29. (9) James Buescher, Toyota, 86, $22520.

30. (20) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 78, $16595.

31. (3) Darrell Wallace Jr., Toyota, 74, $22595.

32. (22) Robert Richardson Jr, Chevrolet, Engine, 63, $22170.

33. (10) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, Accident, 61, $22135.

34. (11) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, Accident, 61, $22100.

35. (28) Dylan Kwasniewski, Chevrolet, Accident, 43, $22055.

36. (30) Bobby Gerhart, Chevrolet, Engine, 31, $14730.

37. (35) Carl Long, Dodge, Electrical, 14, $20695.

38. (25) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 4, $14661.

39. (23) Matt DiBenedetto, Chevrolet, Vibration, 3, $14525.

40. (14) Blake Koch, Toyota, Vibration, 1, $14425.