Nascar Race Today

Every year, drivers bemoan Talladega Superspeedway. To hear them go on, it seems none of them truly wants to race there -- or at Daytona -- anymore, especially given the single-car conga lines that have become prevalent at both restrictor plate tracks. There is always talk that Talladega should be removed from the Chase schedule. Drivers claim that the race there is too unpredictable, and it has been dubbed the "wild card" of the playoffs. In fact, if NASCAR announced that it planned to drop Talladega from its schedule entirely and to limit Daytona to the season-opening Daytona 500 (for traditional reasons only), probably 90 percent of the drivers would have no complaints.

That would be a major mistake on NASCAR's part because Talladega and Daytona provide something that is desperately needed but scarcely seen on the Cup circuit these days: upsets. One of the problems with the sport in recent years, and perhaps one of the reasons why its popularity has waned, is that Cup racing has become top-heavy and somewhat predictable when it comes to race winners.

Just look at how this season began. The first nine races were won by Jimmie Johnson (who took two), Matt Kenseth (two), Kyle Busch (two), Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, and Kevin Harvick. Nothing but the big boys. Then the series went to Talladega and, surprise, David Ragan popped up and won for only the second time in his seven-season Cup career, driving for underfunded Front Row Motorsports. Afterward, Ragan's team had an emotional celebration in Victory Lane, and numerous other drivers said how happy they were to see him win.

Then boring reality returned, and the next four races were won by Kenseth, Harvick, Tony Stewart, and Johnson.

Races at restrictor plate tracks and, to a lesser extent, the schedule's two road courses, open possibilities for drivers who are outside the field's top dozen or so. That was proved once again this past Sunday as Jamie McMurray won at Talladega, giving both him and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing their first Cup victories in three years. In fact, since 2001, nearly one-fourth of the races (12 of 52) held at Talladega and Daytona have resulted in what could be considered upset wins, including Brad Kezelowski's breakthrough victory at Talladega in 2009, Trevor Bayne's out-of-nowhere win in the 2011 Daytona 500, and even 48-year-old Dale Jarrett's triumph at Talladega in 2005, the final victory of his career.

Meanwhile, true upsets are rare at the other tracks on the schedule. They happen on occasion, such as Regan Smith's winning at Darlington and Paul Menard's kissing the bricks at Indianapolis, both in 2011, but the frequency is far less than it is at restrictor plate tracks, where 23 percent of all races during the past 13 seasons have been upsets.

This is not to suggest that Cup racing needs an upset every other week. But without restrictor plate tracks, they would probably happen only once or twice a year at most, and that lack of unpredictability can become monotonous. Upsets are one of the things that make all sports so exciting. The day before the Talladega race, upsets were pulled off in Southeastern Conference football by Auburn (over Texas A&M), Mississippi (over LSU), Vanderbilt (over Georgia) and Tennessee (over South Carolina). Those games provided a jolt of energy throughout the conference and dominated national sports coverage.

Without the occasional upset, drivers are unable to have that breakthrough moment that propels them into the conversation and enables them to build their own fan base. That has been a major problem for the Cup Series recently. Consider that the past three Rookies of the Year have been Stephen Leicht, Andy Lally and Kevin Conway.

Who? Exactly.

Supposedly they are the three best new drivers of the past three years, and yet none of them has made any sort of significant impact on the series. So, if anything, the Sprint Cup Series needs more moments like those provided by Talladega and Daytona, not fewer. Of course, the possibility of upsets could be why the big name drivers dislike those places so much. They don't want the new dark horses doing something that pushes them from their comfortable perch.

1. Jimmie Johnson (2nd previously) -- For the rest of the season, unless something unexpected occurs, whoever leads the point standings -- Johnson or Matt Kenseth -- will also sit atop the Power Rankings. Johnson deserves it right now, because even with his 13th-place showing at Talladega on Sunday, his average finish since the Chase began is 5.5, the series' best.

2. Matt Kenseth (1st) -- It's bad enough that he finished 20th at Talladega, but it was also the second-worst result among the 13 Chase drivers. (Hard-luck Kasey Kahne finished 36th). Next up is Martinsville, where Johnson has as many career victories as Kenseth has top-10s (eight each).

3. Kyle Busch (4th) -- Busch posted his fifth top-five finish in the six Chase races so far and moved to within striking distance of the points lead. (He is 26 out.) His crash and 34th-place outing at Kansas three weeks ago might end up being the race that keeps him from capturing his first Cup championship.

4. Kevin Harvick (3rd) -- With Johnson and Kenseth both finishing outside the top-10, Harvick missed a chance to pick up some significant ground in the standings. Instead, he finished 12th -- only one spot better than Johnson -- and is tied with Busch at 26 points out of the lead.

5. Jeff Gordon (5th) -- He also might have squandered his last chance to make a move toward the top. He finished one spot behind Johnson, in 14th, and now trails by 34 points. With four races left, that deficit is possible to overcome, but it is extremely unlikely that Gordon will.

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (unranked) -- He came close to giving his restless fans a much-needed victory, but demonstrated the folly of waiting until the last lap to try to make a pass for the lead. If he had made a move one lap earlier, it might have been Earnhardt in the lead when the caution flag flew on the final lap.

7. Ryan Newman (7th) -- Newman has quietly had a solid Chase, posting four top-10s in the six races. Like Busch, his downfall came at Kansas, where he finished 35th. Had Newman managed another top-10 there, he currently would be sixth in the point standings instead of 11th.

8. Clint Bowyer (9th) -- Another out-of-the-spotlight race for Bowyer, who came in 10th at Talladega. He has finished between ninth and 17th in all six Chase races and has led a total of only nine laps. As a result, nobody seems to be talking about him anymore, which for Bowyer is a good thing right now.

9. Greg Biffle (unranked) -- Speaking of out of the spotlight, Biffle is on the way to yet another good but not great season. He trails Earnhardt by only one point in the standings, but he receives about one hundredth of the attention.

10. Jamie McMurray (unranked) -- Though he's not in the Chase, McMurray cracks the Power Rankings not only because he won at Talladega, but also because he has been one of the better drivers on the circuit since the Chase began. His average finish of 11.83 in the six races ties him with Bowyer for eighth-best.

NASCAR standings 2013: Jimmie Johnson grabs points lead from Matt Kenseth

With four races left in the NASCAR season, Jimmie Johnson has grabbed the championship lead from Matt Kenseth.

A 13th-place finish propelled Jimmie Johnson to the top of the Sprint Cup standings Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.

With four races remaining in the season, Johnson holds a four-point advantage over Matt Kenseth, who finished 20th in the Camping World RV Sales 500.

"You know I feel that the races forward now are up to where the competitors go earn it," Johnson said. "You don't have this luck issue that can take place at plate tracks, so I am happy to have the points lead and we went through a lot of work to get there.

"We just go racing from here and that is the thing I am most excited for. Great race tracks, great race cars and it's just going to be a dogfight to the end."

Because of its unpredictable nature and propensity for multi-car wrecks, Talladega often can shake up the championship order. But both Johnson and Kenseth avoided trouble and were able to leave with respectable finishes. This allowed the duo to maintain the gap between themselves and Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch, tied for third-place, 26 points behind Johnson. Jeff Gordon sits fifth, 34 points back.

Johnson and Kenseth, however, didn't escape Talladega without adventure.

As the field strung-out in the latter stages and passing became a challenge, Johnson and Kenseth each found track position difficult to come by. And despite multiple attempts by both to make the bottom groove work and advance their position, neither had much success.

"I dropped like a rock for a while and was able to get in the outside lane and start making some spots back and fortunately missed the big pile up on the backstretch," Johnson said."Obviously, was paying attention to where the No. 20 (Kenseth) was. ...Thirteenth isn't the best finish, but with what we are trying to do and win a championship we beat the competition today and that is good."

After opening the Chase for the Sprint Cup with a blown engine at Chicagoland, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s climb up the standings continued at Talladega. As a narrow second-place finish to winner Jamie McMurray jumped Earnhardt three spots to sixth overall.

It was the fourth result of sixth or better for Earnhardt in six Chase races, and his second runner-up finish in the playoffs, though he's still winless on the year.

"I'll tell you, looking at our runs since Chicago, this is the best my cars have been all year," Earnhardt said. "I've had some of the best cars the last five races that I've had all season, and they say they're not doing anything different, but they sure are running really good.

"I think we're right around the corner from winning one of these races, and we're just going to keep trying."

Sprint Cup Series standings (32 of 36 races)

* Complete coverage of the 2013 Sprint Cup Chase

* Will there be another surprise winner at Talladega?

* Talladega is a championship game-changer

* Dale Jr. has fond memories of Talladega

* Kurt Busch's "Talladega Nights" paint scheme

* The good times, hard life and shocking death of Dick Trickle

Jamie McMurray wins after last-lap crash ends Talladega race.

Enter the interloper.

In a race dominated early by Matt Kenseth and later by fellow title contenders Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jamie McMurray got to the front at the right time, led the last 15 laps and grabbed victory in Sunday's Camping World RV Sales 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

McMurray was out front, leading Earnhardt in the sixth Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race of the season, when a slight tap from Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s Ford sent Austin Dillon's Chevrolet spinning into the outside wall on the backstretch.

Impact from Casey Mears' Ford launched Dillon's car into the air and severely damaged both machines.

The resulting third caution of the race froze the running order with McMurray in front for his first victory of the season (and first since 2010), Earnhardt second and Stenhouse a career-best third.

For the second time in as many weeks, a non-Chase driver went to Victory Lane in a Chase race, the first time non-Chasers have won consecutive Chase races since Tony Stewart won back-to-back at Atlanta and Texas in 2006.

That McMurray won at Talladega for the second time in his career, however, should come as no surprise at all. Four of McMurray's seven career wins have come at restrictor-plate tracks.

In the last 20 laps, the field spread out single-file in the top lane, and in fact, McMurray -- with his Cessna-sponsored No. 1 Chevrolet adorned in Auburn University colors -- had surged into the lead from the outside on Lap 174, moving up the track in front of Stenhouse and Earnhardt as the outside line began to move.

"At the plate tracks, to get the right line, it requires a lot of risk, and I felt like I was pretty patient all day, and I saw the 17 (Stenhouse) and the 88 (Earnhardt) coming on the top," McMurray said. "It just seemed the top was the better place to get hung out than if you got hung out on the bottom. Fortunately, I was able to get myself in position.

"I don't know how the last lap would have played out, because I could see the 88 trying to set me up and trying to figure out where he could get a run on me, but then I saw the caution come out behind me. Honestly, I wanted to see it end under green, but at the same time, I said if there was a caution, I would be OK with that right now, too."

Paul Menard came home fourth, followed by Kyle Busch. David Ragan, the winner at Talladega in May, ran sixth. David Gilliland, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer completed the top 10.

Jimmie Johnson finished 13th, despite leading a race-high 47 of 188 laps, but took over the series lead from Matt Kenseth, who fought an ill-handling car during the second half of the race and finished 20th after dodging the last-lap wreck. Johnson leads Kenseth, who led 32 laps, by four points with four races left in the Chase.

The last-lap move Earnhardt was planning never materialized, thanks to the caution for Dillon's wreck. Earnhardt, however, said he didn't want to risk getting shuffled back through the field by making his move too early.

"It's frustrating, because the worst part about it really is (that) you go home and you'll spend months thinking about what you could have done to not be second," Earnhardt said. "That's the worst part about it. Actually, the process of it happening and doing it isn't that bad. You're kind of happy with being competitive, and it was a good result. But you'll go back and think of a million things you could have tried different...

"We have a last-lap wreck every time, and I guess next time we're in that situation, we'll try to go a lap sooner."

1. (9) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 188, $236345.

2. (8) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 188, $180210.

3. (21) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 188, $187596.

4. (34) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 188, $154726.

5. (27) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 188, $162068.

6. (7) David Ragan, Ford, 188, $133618.

7. (24) David Gilliland, Ford, 188, $122293.

8. (4) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 188, $128235.

9. (17) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 188, $128493.

10. (20) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 188, $132793.

11. (6) Greg Biffle, Ford, 188, $106710.

12. (33) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 188, $134071.

13. (11) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 188, $140346.

14. (19) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 188, $131671.

15. (36) Michael McDowell, Ford, 188, $90310.

16. (18) Joey Logano, Ford, 188, $115343.

17. (5) Carl Edwards, Ford, 188, $121660.

18. (30) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 188, $113030.

19. (38) Travis Kvapil, Toyota, 188, $108468.

20. (12) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 188, $122076.

21. (2) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 188, $98460.

22. (1) Aric Almirola, Ford, 188, $122046.

23. (26) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 188, $84735.

24. (35) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 188, $104018.

25. (39) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 188, $94057.

26. (16) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Accident, 187, $127535.

27. (10) Casey Mears, Ford, Accident, 187, $96510.

28. (37) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 187, $83360.

29. (13) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 187, $133651.

30. (14) Josh Wise, Ford, 187, $84035.

31. (31) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 187, $79880.

32. (22) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 187, $87660.

33. (23) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 187, $79510.

34. (29) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 187, $87310.

35. (40) Terry Labonte, Ford, 187, $79135.

36. (28) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 186, $96980.

37. (43) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 183, $78846.

38. (15) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Engine, 142, $93625.

39. (3) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 134, $97039.

40. (25) David Reutimann, Toyota, Engine, 119, $65825.

41. (32) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, Accident, 78, $89039.

42. (42) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, Engine, 60, $57825.

43. (41) Tony Raines, Chevrolet, Engine, 2, $54325.

* Complete coverage of the 2013 Sprint Cup Chase

* Will there be another surprise winner at Talladega?

* Talladega is a championship game-changer

* Dale Jr. has fond memories of Talladega

* Kurt Busch's "Talladega Nights" paint scheme

* The good times, hard life and shocking death of Dick Trickle

A viewer's guide for the NASCAR Camping World RV Sales 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday.

NASCAR visits Talladega Superspeedway, a track where chaos and mayhem combine to create one of the wildest races of the season, on Sunday. Here is a look at the storylines and drivers to watch for during Sunday's Camping World RV Sales 500.

Restrictor-plate racing has long been a weakness for Jimmie Johnson, who a year ago finished 42nd, 35th, 36th and 17th, respectively, in the four races at Daytona and Talladega.

Accordingly, Johnson has modified his strategy for plate races. He is no longer content to ride around the back in hopes of avoiding the "big one," then charge in the latter stages with hopes of snagging a respectable finish.

This change in philosophy has proved overwhelmingly successful. Johnson opened the year with a victory in the Daytona 500, followed by an eighth-place finish in the spring Talladega before a win from the pole when the series returned to Daytona for its annual July event.

Locked into a fierce competition with Matt Kenseth for the championship that has him just four points out of the lead with five races to go, Johnson is going to need another strong run Sunday if he wishes to keep pace in the standings.

No track in the chase is more of a wildcard than Talladega, where trouble lurks around every corner and can jumble the point standings like no other. As Kenseth and Johnson have separated themselves from the rest of the Chase field, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch -- the drivers on the fringes of contention -- see Talladega as their opportunity to play catch-up.

Specifically, Harvick, Gordon and Busch need a bit of misfortune to befall Kenseth and Johnson, while at the same time posting solid enough times to close ground.

"I think we recognize where we are in the points and that this could be a turning point for us," Gordon said. "We need to come out of here with a pretty solid finish and make up some of those points that we're behind right now and that this is a track that we can do it at."

When the checkered flag waves Sunday, there will be clear an obvious division between the title contenders and the non-contenders. If Kenseth and/or Johnson can escape Talladega with a top-10, then the championship will be theirs to lose, and if not, it will be a wide-open affair over the next four weeks.

"I certainly realize that we're the point leader and pretty much pretty close to being tied with the 48 (Johnson) and if you have a bad week any week that's going to hurt," Kenseth said. "And your chances of having a bad race here are probably a little bit higher than other tracks because you can get caught up in stuff."

There was a time when Dale Earnhardt Jr. was viewed as "the man" anytime the Cup Series rolled into a restrictor-plate track. Although he has come close -- including a runner-up finish in this year's Daytona 500 -- the fact is Earnhardt has not won a plate race since 2004.

"You've got to make all the right decisions in the draft to put yourself in position to win," Earnhardt said. "And I haven't been doing that to win these races here, but my confidence and my determination has not changed a bit. I think you've got to adapt and I don't think I've adapted as well as I've needed to, to the way this package needs to be ran."

Earnhardt, however, is optimistic and would cherish another victory at the track he considers one of his personal favorites.

"I'm going to stay open minded to that and try to do a good job this weekend of putting the car where it needs to be and making better decisions that put me in position to have a shot at it," he said. "I just want to have a shot at it."

No driver has had more success this season in plate races than Johnson, who owns a pair of wins and an eighth-place finish in three starts. His game plan of running up front could be the difference maker in avoiding the "big one."

He may not have the victories like his championship counterpart, but it's hard to ignore the dominance Kenseth has shown this year at Daytona and Talladega. He led the most laps in the Daytona 500 before an engine failure sidelined him, and he led 142 of 192 laps in the May Talladega race.

A two-time Talladega winner who doesn't hide his enjoyment of restrictor-plate racing is as good a pick as any in a race where just about anyone is a viable contender.

* Complete coverage of the 2013 Sprint Cup Chase

* Will there be another surprise winner at Talladega?

* Talladega is a championship game-changer

* Dale Jr. has fond memories of Talladega

* Kurt Busch's "Talladega Nights" paint scheme

* The good times, hard life and shocking death of Dick Trickle

TALLADEGA, Ala. - Winning the pole at Talladega Superspeedway is good for the crew and the team, a small badge of honor for them but with the knowledge that it doesn't mean a whole lot once the race starts. So Aric Almirola and Jeff Burton will enjoy a little bit of glory until the green flag for the 188-lap race Sunday; they will start from the front row after qualifying was rained out Saturday and the lineup was based on practice speeds.

MORE: Almirola on pole | Talladega upsets | Talladega picks | Schedule

Here is how they'll start as they head into what is expected to be the biggest, wildest wild-card race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup:

1. Aric Almirola, Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford. No longer has Todd Parrott as crew chief as Parrott has been suspended for violating NASCAR's substance-abuse policy. But this race is more about the spotter-driver relationship than the crew chief-driver relationship; the crew chief makes few adjustments and difficult calls during the race.

2. Jeff Burton, Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet. Disappointed he hasn't had better results in what is now his final year at RCR. Says 2014 plans are set but still can't talk about them.

3. Marcos Ambrose, Richard Petty Motorsports No. 9 Ford. Needs a good final month to give the organization hope that 2014 will be better for the 9 car.

4. Martin Truex Jr., Michael Waltrip Racing No. 56 Toyota. Appears headed to the No. 78 car as Kurt Busch's replacement. For some reason, we don't see him channeling an inner Ricky Bobby anytime soon.

5. Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing No. 99 Ford. Had the classy move of the week - he gave his Richmond trophy, as well as a Sam Bass painting, to Fox Sports' Steve Byrnes, a veteran NASCAR broadcaster battling health issues.

MORE: Most beloved drivers | Junior at Talladega | Earnhardt Sr.'s 1993 win

6. Greg Biffle, Roush Fenway Racing No. 16 Ford. Sponsor 3M does plenty of activation around this race. Well, it is the maker of Bondo.

7. David Ragan, Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Ford. Won here in May in the first win ever for Front Row. If he makes it a sweep of Talladega races, that would be even more incredible.

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet. Has won five times at Talladega. Too bad the last time was in 2004. If he doesn't win Sunday, that's a full season (36 races) of consecutive restrictor-plate events that he hasn't won.

9. Jamie McMurray, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing No. 1 Chevrolet. Has won restrictor-plate races. Don't count him out. But don't necessarily count on him.

10. Casey Mears, Germain Racing No. 13 Ford. He could be this Talladega's David Ragan.

11. Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet. Actually went out in final practice instead of playing it conservative. That's why this team is so good - they know what they need to do depending on the weekend.

12. Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Chevrolet. Bet if you guaranteed him a 10th-place finish he'd take that and go home Sunday night.

13. Brad Keselowski, Penske Racing No. 2 Ford. Finally got a win in 2013. But he'll forget about that when it goes green Sunday and he's 0-for-the-day.

14. Josh Wise. Front Row Motorsports No. 35 Ford. Was fast enough in practice to know if he's in position at the end, there's no telling how high he could finish.

15. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota. Ran more than 20 laps in the first practice session Friday. That was more than most. It was like he was in a test car. What's up with that? Uh, never mind.

16. Austin Dillon, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Chevrolet. Thankful to get one more race in a substitute role for Tony Stewart. Regular sub Mark Martin is thankful, too, that Dillon is in the car for Talladega.

17. Ryan Newman, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 39 Chevrolet. Not going to enjoy this marketing exercise where people come to watch him wreck.

18. Joey Logano, Penske Racing No. 22 Ford. Engine let go in May at Talladega, so he'll try again this time around to make it to the finish.

19. Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet. Made $16 million by selling his Central Park condo. Man, if this racing stuff doesn't work out, he and his wife could go into the real estate business.

20. Clint Bowyer, Michael Waltrip Racing No. 15 Toyota. Keeps calling people dips (or something like that) on Twitter. Hopes he's not the dip that causes the big wreck Sunday.

21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Roush Fenway Racing No. 17 Ford. Glad Charlotte is over so he doesn't have to hear all those lame "are you going to run the better-half dash charity race" jokes.

22. Michael Waltrip, Michael Waltrip Racing No. 55 Toyota. Say what you want about Waltrip, at least he's smart enough to just do this race and find someone else to replace Vickers for the final four races.

23. Danica Patrick, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10 Chevrolet. All smiles thanks to a two-race deal with Aspen Dental for 2014. Hey, when you've had this bad of a season, any reason to smile is a good one.

24. David Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports No. 38 Ford. If there's any justice, he wins this time at Talladega after helping Ragan to the win in May.

25. David Reutimann, BK Racing No. 83 Toyota. His 26th last week was among four 26th-place finishes (his best) in his last 19 races.

26. Trevor Bayne, Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford. It's been nine races since Bayne last attempted to qualify. Welcome back. Now all you have to do is repeat the 2011 Daytona 500.

27. Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Chevrolet. This could be the day he gets back into the Chase. Or it could be the day he sees another chance at a title vanish.

28. Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet. Repeat after me: Stay away from Kyle Busch, stay away from Kyle Busch, stay away ...

29. Bobby Labonte, JTG Daugherty Racing No. 47 Toyota. Have to wonder if this is the last time there will be two Labontes in a Cup race at Talladega.

30. Kurt Busch, Dennit Racing No. 78 Chevrolet. Oops, make that Furniture Row Racing. But hey, just trying to get another Talladega Nights reference in here to go along with the Wonder bread paint scheme for Busch.

MORE: Could Kurt Busch drive with a cougar in his car?

31. Cole Whitt, Swan Racing No. 30 Toyota. Strong run at Talladega would boost the argument for him to run the car in the 2014 Daytona 500.

32. Juan Pablo Montoya, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet. Reportedly was wanted by MWR as a substitute for Vickers for the rest of the year. But why do that and help the team that's firing you? Exactly why he's in the No. 42 for rest of year. We think.

33. Kevin Harvick, Richard Childress Racing No. 29 Chevrolet. Still more pretender than contender unless he can make significant gains the next two weeks.

34. Paul Menard, Richard Childress Racing No. 27 Chevrolet. Has been 16th or 17th in the standings the last 10 weeks. That's about the story of his career.

35. Justin Allgaier, Phoenix Racing No. 51 Chevrolet. Maybe the only person in the Talladega infield this weekend who might just spend his time inside his motorhome drawing, working on his artwork.

36. Michael McDowell, Phil Parsons Racing No. 98 Ford. Ford engine is the one to have for him to be wanted for help at the end.

37. JJ Yeley, Tommy Baldwin Racing No. 36 Chevrolet. Just like Danica Patrick, best race of the season and only top-10 finish came on a restrictor-plate track at the season-opening Daytona 500.

38. Travis Kvapil, BK Racing No. 93 Toyota. After a week where he was in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, probably enjoying a more low-key weekend.

39. Dave Blaney, Tommy Baldwin Racing No. 7 Chevrolet. Remember the Daytona 500 when if they couldn't get the fire out or the track repaired, he would have won? He would need a similar event like that to happen Sunday.

40. Terry Labonte, FAS Lane Racing No. 32 Ford. Completing his 2013 season of restrictor-plate races. Could there be another one? The allure of racing has its way of drawing people back in again and again.

41. Tony Raines, Mike Hillman Racing No. 40 Chevrolet. He's in the race. But for how long?

42. Joe Nemechek, Nemco-JRR No. 87 Toyota. Could be a valuable drafting partner.

43. Landon Cassill, Circle Sport Racing No. 33 Chevrolet. Best driver at tweeting "big fan, pleeze respond" tweets to people in jest.

CONCORD, N.C. - The cheating scandal at Richmond International Raceway that rocked Nascar more than a month ago continues to be felt in a sport whose credibility has been questioned by fans, the news media and even its drivers.

As the 13-car field for the Sprint Cup playoff enters the second half of the Chase with Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway, the fallout widens. Last week, Michael Waltrip Racing announced it was eliminating 15 percent of its staff, including the No. 56 race team and Martin Truex Jr., a driver at the center of the scandal, who has paid the highest price even though it appears he did nothing wrong.

That development is among the repercussions from Richmond, the race that set the field for the playoff but was manipulated by drivers at Michael Waltrip Racing to try to help Truex qualify for the Chase at the expense of others.

"We aren't finished seeing the ripple effects of what went on at Richmond," said Kyle Petty, a longtime driver and broadcaster.

The affair began with seven laps to go in the Sprint Cup race Sept. 7, when the Michael Waltrip Racing driver Clint Bowyer spun out for no apparent reason. The spin brought out a caution flag that, along with later actions by another teammate, Brian Vickers, ultimately combined to alter the outcomes of the race and the field for the Chase. When it was over, Truex and Joey Logano were in; Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman were out.

Fans who listened to radio conversations between drivers and crew took to social media to criticize the team orders. The uproar clearly registered at the fan and media engagement center in Charlotte, where Nascar tracks social media.

Days later, after two reviews of video and audio recordings of the race, Nascar announced that it had penalized Michael Waltrip Racing through points deductions and a $300,000 fine. Truex, whose actions were not in question, was essentially pulled from the Chase. Nascar then added Newman and later Gordon to the field as an additional, 13th driver.

Officials also felt compelled to instruct drivers to give 100 percent during races.

Nascar's decision has appeased some and angered others. The most common complaint was that Nascar declined to seriously penalize Bowyer, whose spin began the manipulation but who maintains it was not deliberate.

"I think we made the decision that we thought was best for the sport," Nascar's senior vice president for racing operations, Steve O'Donnell, said recently. "With all the facts that were presented in front of us, we made a call that we thought was right. We know not everyone is going to agree with us."

O'Donnell said fan reaction did not influence Nascar's decision. But the role of social media in amplifying the fan and driver reaction - Gordon was among those who took to Twitter to complain - put the onus to react squarely on Nascar.

"I think that was huge," Petty said of the social media outcry. "I do believe a lot of that pressure on Nascar came from people on Facebook and on social media that just would not let the story die."

Fans and drivers were not the only ones angered. NAPA Auto Parts, the sponsor of the No. 56 Toyota driven by Truex, announced that it would pull out of its contract two years early and end its affiliation with Michael Waltrip Racing, a move that will cost the team millions in sponsorship dollars and that led to the contraction from three racecars to two next season and to the layoffs. Truex lost his ride as a result.

"It's been a huge challenge, obviously," said the team owner, Michael Waltrip. "We've experienced losing one of our key founding sponsors of Michael Waltrip Racing, one of the main partners that helped me start my dream of owning a team and competing at the top levels in Nascar, and that alone tells you the significance of the events post-Richmond."

NAPA did not respond to requests for comment but said on its Facebook page last month, "NAPA believes in fair play and does not condone actions such as those that led to the penalties assessed by Nascar."

Waltrip's association with NAPA goes back to at least 2001, when he drove the No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet to victory in the Daytona 500 on the day his team owner, Dale Earnhardt, was killed in a crash on the final lap of the race.

Nascar officials have not given up on NAPA as a partner in the sport. They are talking with company officials about perhaps sponsoring another team.

Beyond the immediate effect are lingering questions about how Nascar will police the sport. Team rules have been a part of racing for years; drivers routinely aid teammates during races. How teams race against one another will now be closely monitored, particularly at tracks like Talladega, where drivers typically work together as a strategy. Every driver spin and every crash will no doubt be scrutinized.

Petty said he thought Nascar fans would forget about this scandal in short order. But there are those who think what happened at Richmond will not be so easily relegated to Nascar's colorful past.

"I think if everybody had it to do over again, I'm sure that they would do things differently," the driver Kevin Harvick said. "But you have to make decisions at the time, and those were the decisions that were made.

"Everybody is trying to move on, and it will definitely be something that is talked about for a long time."

TALLADEGA, Ala. - Aric Almirola won't shy away from admitting that not having crew chief Todd Parrott in the garage the rest of the season will impact his race team.

But of all the places where it will have an impact, Talladega Superspeedway would rank at the bottom of the list among the final five races of the year.

MORE: Lineup breakdown | Talladega upsets | Talladega picks | Standings

Almirola won the pole Saturday for the Camping World RV Sales 500 as rain washed out qualifying for Sunday's race and the field was set by Friday's first practice speeds.

The Richard Petty Motorsports driver posted the top speed at 202 mph in a car that Parrott had spearheaded the preparation for prior to his being suspended Thursday for violations of NASCAR's substance-abuse policy.

"It certainly has had some impact for sure but for all weekends for something like that to happen, Talladega is a pretty easy one," Almirola said after winning the pole.

"You just try to get your car on the ground and try not to let it rub the racetrack too much to kill the speed and you go drive it. ... I think it talks a lot about how well our race team is well-rounded. We have a lot of guys at the shop that do a really good job with our cars and these cars were prepared several weeks ago."

RPM competition director Sammy Johns is serving as interim crew chief this week while Parrott is suspended. Parrott is not expected to return before the end of the season. He must meet with a substance-abuse professional, who will diagnose him and determine what steps he must take to complete NASCAR's "Road to Recovery" program. That typically takes at least six weeks.

MORE: Driver power rankings | Best rookie classes | 2014 NASCAR schedule

Parrott is the first Cup crew chief suspended since NASCAR started random drug testing in 2009.

"We are working on a plan, and I am sure they will announce the plan next week as to our plans for the rest of the year moving forward," Almirola said. "We just have to work through that and we will keep that internal until we are ready to announce it.

"We have sat down and talked about it and tried to come up with the best solution for what is best for us. ... Todd Parrott is a good person and a good crew chief and a good friend of mine. I think he has a lot of support and a lot of people rallying behind him to get through this difficult time."

Johns indicated that Parrott will remain with the team.

"That is really a HR matter that the organization is working through right now," Johns said Thursday. "We are confident in our solution for this weekend and giving Aric the best opportunity to win.

"We'll follow up with next steps after this weekend. We support Todd and his decision to enter Road to Recovery program."

The 49-year-old Parrott won a Cup title in 1999 with Dale Jarrett and has 31 career Cup wins in nearly 20 years as a Cup crew chief.

"It was certainly unexpected and something that we weren't excited about by any means," Almirola said. "That was definitely something that caught us all off guard and something that we have had to just work with on a day-to-day basis.

"Every day has been just a little bit different and we are trying to work through it and do the best we can."

Almirola had the fastest car in the short but wickedly fast drafting practice that drivers participated in Friday. Richard Childress Racing's Jeff Burton was part of that draft and will start second. Almirola teammate Marcos Ambrose will start third.

Series points leader Matt Kenseth starts 12th, while Jimmie Johnson, second in the standings, starts 11th in the sixth race of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Kevin Harvick, third in the standings, starts 33rd, while Jeff Gordon (fourth in the standings) starts 19th and Kyle Busch (fifth in the standings) 27th. Five-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start eighth; Danica Patrick will start 23rd.

Although the starting order was set by practice speeds, who actually got in the race was set primarily by owner points with the final spots by the number of qualifying attempts. That left Penske Racing's Sam Hornish Jr. as the odd man out among the 44 entries as Penske has run its third car only once this year.