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2009 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway

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2009 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway

2009 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway

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2009 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway:

This weekend Talladega Superspeedway hosts what many refer to as the biggest wildcard in the 2009 Chase for the Cup. This race track was not kind to the three point leaders when we were here in April. Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon each crashed with Jimmie Johnson's 30th place effort the best finish of the three. If this happens again during this weekend's 2009 AMP Energy 500 the 2009 Chase for the Cup could get much tighter going into the final three events.

Tickets:

Speedway ticket office 1-877-Go2-DEGA

Buy online from TicketsNow (direct link)

The Track:

Talladega Superspeedway is the longest track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit measuring 2.66 miles. A steep 33 degrees of banking in the corners and 18 degrees in the front tri-oval make handling a secondary consideration. Talladega is big, fast, and all about horsepower and drafting.

Race Distance:

188 laps = 500 miles

The Big Picture:

Jimmie Johnson finished second last week in Martinsville and added some more points onto his lead. Now only four races remain in the 2009 Chase for the Cup and Johnson's lead over Mark Martin is up to 118 points.

The top twelve:

  1. Jimmie Johnson
  2. Mark Martin -118
  3. Jeff Gordon -150
  4. Tony Stewart -192
  5. Juan Montoya -200
  6. Kurt Busch -240
  7. Ryan Newman -312
  8. Greg Biffle -350
  9. Denny Hamlin -352
  10. Carl Edwards -413
  11. Kasey Kahne -439
  12. Brian Vickers -530

Storylines:

Talladega has been called the wildcard event in the Chase since the very first Chase schedule was announced. Talladega is known for "The Big One" which can end a driver's points hopes in an instant.

This year the three point leaders have some extra worry in the back of their minds. All three crashed and suffered terrible finishes here in April.

  • Jimmie Johnson crashed and finished 30th.
  • Mark Martin crashed and finished 43rd.
  • Jeff Gordon crashed and finished 37th.
The 2009 AMP Energy 500 could prove to be a major force in the 2009 Chase for the Cup if lady luck turns her head on Hendrick Motorsports once again.

Media Coverage:

TV: ABC Sunday, November 1st, 12:00PM Eastern.

Radio: MRN and SIRIUS Satellite

Actual Race: 1:10PM Eastern

Recent Events:

2008 Winner: Tony Stewart

2008 Polesitter: Travis Kvapil

Last Year:

The 2008 AMP Energy at Talladega was quite a show. This race had everything. It set records for leaders and lead changes, featured a green-white-checkers finish and a controversial call at the checkered flag.

This race came down toa green-white-checkers finish. Tony Stewart lead them to the green over Regan Smith. Coming to the checkers Regan Smith jumped below the yellow line and passed Stewart to cross the finish line first.

After NASCAR reviewed the tape Tony Stewart was awarded the win. Regan Smith was posted in 18th as the last car on the lead lap.

Predictions:

Chevrolet drivers have won eighteen of the last twenty-one races at Talladega. Dale Jarret's surprise win in 2005 and Toyota's Joe Gibbs sweep in 2008 are the only non-Chevy victories since Dale Earnhardt Sr. started the streak in the spring of 1999.

NASCAR is a sport of momentum and streaks. Kyle Busch won here in 2008 as part of that Toyota sweep. He also lead the most laps here in the spring in a race that saw many of the top contenders fall victim to various incidents. Kyle Busch does not know fear and that, combined with a fast racecar, makes him a favorite this weekend in Talladega.

For my backup pick we don't have to look very far. The driver that lead the second-highest number of laps in the spring was Kyle's Joe Gibbs teammate Denny Hamlin. Hamlin has never won a restrictor plate race. Every one of his seven career victories came on the relatively flat race tracks of Pocono, Loudon, Martinsville and Richmond. However Joe Gibbs has his restrictor plate engine program on top of their game and Denny Hamlin could well be the beneficiary of that this weekend.

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