A look back at Jamie McMurray's third career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway including news, notes and observations by the RacingOne staff.
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Inside Line Jamie McMurray survived a last lap multi-car accident and was in front of the field at the finish line to score the win in Sunday's AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Photos
Keys to Victory Lane McMurray was in the top spot on a green-white-checkered finish and stayed there when caution came out on the final lap for the last lap melee to score the victory. Complete Results
Zero to Hero Jimmie Johnson looked like he was headed to a mid-pack finish but drafted up through the field in the closing laps and when the smoke cleared after the wild finish came home with a sixth-place finish. And Greg Biffle rebounded from a pit road penalty on lap 92 to finish fourth.
Hero to Zero Denny Hamlin went from victory lane a week ago in Martinsville to a 38th-place finish Sunday when a blown engine sidelined the JGR driver; Ryan Newman was running strong until he went for a wild tumble on the backstretch; Jeff Gordon was gaining on Jimmie Johnson in the points in the closing laps, but ran out of fuel after the red flag. The result put Gordon back in the pack where he ultimtely got caught up in the last accident.
Rookie of the Race Joey Logano continued his late season success with an impressive third-place finish on Sunday.
Chase for the Cup Jimmie Johnson gained 66 points on Mark Martin in the standings and now holds a 184-point lead. Juan Pablo Montoya was the only driver in the top five to gain a spot in the standings, moving to fourth and 239 points behind Johnson. Denny Hamlin took the biggest hit in the standings, dropping to 11th and 448 points behind. Point Standings
Notables Michael Waltrip started the day 33rd and came home seventh; Spring Talladega winner Brad Keselowski took the green flag 36th and finished eighth; Bobby Labonte gave the TRG Motorsports team an impressive 10th-place finish; Elliott Sadler rebounded from damage in the crash with Ryan Newman to score a ninth-place finish in his return in a Ford.
AMP Energy 500 Loop Data Leaders • Average Running Position: Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 8.8 • Fastest Early In a Run: David Ragan - 191.626 mph • Fastest Late In a Run: AJ Allmendinger - 191.266 mph • Fastest Laps Run: Robert Richardson, Elliott Sadler and Tony Stewart - 10 • Fastest on Restarts: Robert Richardson - 184.046 mph • Most Passes During Green Flag Conditions: David Ragan - 522 • Laps In Top 15: Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 158 • Quality Passes: Jeff Burton - 337 • Speed in Traffic: Jamie McMurray - 190.848 mph
Pit Stops • McMurray captured his third career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in his 255th career start. Detailed Active Driver Wins • McMurray won the 116th race for team owner Jack Roush. Detailed Active Car Owner Wins • McMurray became the second driver to win at Talladega from the 22nd position. He was the 12th driver overall to win a race from that position. Starting Position Facts • McMurray won the 18th race for Ford at Talladega and 595th overall for the manufacturer. All-Time Manufacturer Wins • Kasey Kahne (second) equalled his best Talladega finish as he posted his second top-10 finish at the track in 12 starts. • Joey Logano's third-place finish was his second top-10 finish in two starts at Talladega. • Greg Biffle's fourth-place finish was his best result in 14 starts at Talladega. • Jeff Burton (fifth) posted his first top-five finish since Richmond this spring. • Jimmie Johnson's sixth-place finish is his seventh consecutive top-10 finish this season. • Michael Waltrip's seventh-place finish equals his best finish this season, which came in the season opener at Daytona. • Brad Keselowski (eighth) has top-10 finishes in both of his Talladega starts. • Elliott Sadler (ninth) posted his first top-10 finish since Loudon. • Bobby Labonte's 10th-place finish was only his second top-10 finish in 2009. • The 191-lap race saw 58 lead changes among 25 drivers and an average speed of 157.213 mph. • Six caution flags were thrown for 23 laps. • The AMP Energy 500 lasted 3 hours, 13 minutes, 54 seconds.
Lug Nuts • Just when we thought Talladega couldn't get any crazier, here comes Sunday. • Neat to see Richard Brickhouse go back to the future by presenting Jamie McMurray with the horseshoe in Victory Lane. • Jamie McMurray now will have a spot in next year's All-Star Race when he drives for EGR. • You can see why Mark Martin enjoyed the last two years when the calendar rolled around to Talladega. • Maybe last week was the odd one for Denny Hamlin. • For a minute there, in the closing laps, the points picture was looking a lot better. • Ryan Newman had a car land on his hood in the spring and then he turns around and does the opposite in the fall. • Elliott Sadler kept all four wheels on the ground in his return to Talladega in a Ford.
Garage Talk • "I thought I was going to lose points with about three or four to go. So to have it turn around and lead with points over the guys, I didn't expect it." - Jimmie Johnson • "That's not something anybody wants to see at least I hope not. If they do, go home because you don't belong here." - Ryan Newman on his crash • "These races are interesting. You ride around in the first part and you just really make sure you don't wreck, that's the main thing." - Joey Logano • "It was the most emotional highs and lows that I've experienced since I've been racing here at Talladega." - Kurt Busch • "I certainly didn't think we were going to run out (fuel) right then but I guess I'm kind of glad we ran out when we did because we were at least able to get back out there and destroy our car." - Jeff Gordon • "I don't know. I really don't. I think NASCAR and all the drivers should sit in a private room, lock the doors and have a discussion and try to fix this together. That's what I'd like to see." - Elliott Sadler after being asked if there's a way to fix restrictor-plate racing.
RacingOne Rating On a scale of one to 10 AMPs we'll give Sunday's AMP Energy 500 a six. Controversial to say the least, with the single file parade that followed NASCAR's mandate to stop bump drafting in the corners. And wild right down to the finish with Ryan Newman's upside down flight, and then the last lap craziness. Talladega once again lived up to its reputation as the most unpredictable stop on the schedule. Now it's off to the Lone Star State and Sunday's Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
