Johnson Dominates Martinsville

Jimmie Johnson came into Martinsville needing to dominate the race and put pressure on Brad Keselowski.  Johnson came into Martinsville and dominated the race, leading laps en route to his fourth race of the season. 

Johnson celebrates another Martinsville win (John Harrelson/Getty Images)

Jimmie Johnson won the pole for the TUMS Fast Relief 500, and he led the field to the green flag.  Johnson was able to jump down in front of Brian Vickers heading into Turn 1 for the lead.  Vickers was driving the No. 55 car, which qualified second for the third race in a row.  Jeff Gordon had one of the best cars early, and, by lap 33, he was able to get past Vickers for second place.  But no one could catch Johnson, who was the leader when the first caution of the race came out on lap 45 for David Stremme, who blew a right front tire.  The leaders made their first stops of the day, and Johnson was able to beat Gordon off of pit road.  Denny Hamlin was penalized for speeding on pit road, and was forced to restart back in 32nd.

The race restarted on lap 52, and Johnson restarted on the bottom and he was able to beat Gordon out of Turn 2.  On lap 68, Gordon was able to take the lead away from his Hendrick Motorsports teammate.  The caution came out on lap 97 for David Gilliland, who blew a right front tire.  The leaders pitted, and Johnson led Kyle Busch and Gordon off pit road.

The race restarted on lap 104, and Johnson and Busch raced side-by-side for the first lap before Johnson was able to clear the 18.  Gordon was able to drive under Johnson on lap 107 to retake the lead.  Johnson got stuck on the outside, and dropped back to fourth.  On lap 115, Vickers was able to drive under Busch for second place.  On lap 128, Travis Kvapil spun in Turn 2, bringing out another caution.  Gordon, Busch, and Martin Truex Jr. stayed out while the rest of the field made pit stops.

The race restarted on lap 137, and Gordon was able to clear Busch for the lead.  Vickers was able to get around Gordon for the lead on lap 148.  On lap 149, Busch spun in Turn 4, bringing out the fourth caution of the race.  The leaders hit pit road, and Vickers was able to retain the lead, and he led the field back to the green on lap 156. 

Vickers leads Hamlin and Gordon (Tyler Barrick/Getty Images)

Vickers had a tight race for the lead with Johnson and Hamlin, but Hamlin was able to get the lead on lap 165, and Johnson followed him through for second place.  On lap 172, Johnson was able to get around Hamlin for the lead.  On lap 182, Clint Bowyer gave Johnson the bump and run to take the top spot.

Marcos Ambrose spun in Turn 2 on lap 199, to bring out the fifth caution of the race.  The leaders came in to make their pit stops, and Johnson beat Gordon and Bowyer off pit road.  Hamlin was once again caught for speeding, and had to restart 24th.  The race restarted on lap 205, and Johnson restarted as the leader on the inside.  Gordon was able to work his way around on the outside to take the lead.  The caution came out again on lap 212, this time for a spin involving Kvapil and Ambrose. 

Gordon led the field back to the green flag on lap 219, and he was able to get ahead of Johnson for the lead.  On lap 226, Bowyer was able to get around Gordon for the lead.  Kurt Busch spun after contact from Kevin Harvick, bringing out another caution on lap 228.  Bowyer led the field back to the green flag, and Johnson restarted on the high side and stayed alongside Bowyer for over a lap, but Bowyer was able to stay ahead of the 48.

Keselowski makes a pit stop (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Kevin Harvick pulled off the track on lap 336 to make a green flag pit stop.  Gordon came in on lap 337 for fuel.  Bowyer pulled off to pit on lap 350 to make his pit stop.  Hamlin became the leader when Bowyer made his stop, and Hamlin gave up the lead on lap 356 to make his pit stop.  Keselowski made his pit stop on lap 358, and his team said that he would be able to make it all the way to the end of the race without having to stop again.  On lap 364, Vickers gave up the lead to make his pit stop, and Kasey Kahne was the leader when stops had cycled around.

On lap 371, Hamlin slowed considerably on the backstretch, and he radioed in that his batteries were dying.  Clint Bowyer was able to get around Kahne for the lead.  Hamlin continued to stall his car out as his car lost and regained power, but finally he slowed to stop on the frontstretch, bringing out the caution on lap 391.  The leaders came in to pit, and Johnson beat Bowyer off pit road. 

Hamlin's car is pushed by the wrecker after losing power on the frontstretch (Jared Tilton/Getty Images)

Johnson led the field back to the green on lap 400, and he was able to clear Bowyer coming out of Turn 2.  On lap 422, Kevin Harvick radioed in to his crew that his engine was blowing up, but he was able to continue on.  Denny Hamlin came back onto the track on lap 423 after diagnosing the problem with a faulty master ignition switch.  On lap 438, Juan Pablo Montoya spun after contact from Johnson, bringing out the caution.

The race restarted on lap 445, and Johnson was able to get ahead of Gordon to get the lead.  On lap 475, Harvick's engine finally let go, bringing out the caution.  Most of the field came in to make pit stops, while Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. stayed out. 

Keselowski led the field back to the green flag on lap 481, followed by Earnhardt, Johnson, and Gordon.  Keselowski was able to get ahead of Earnhardt, but Johnson was able to get around him for second.  Johnson quickly began working on the bumper of Keselowski.  With 14 laps to go, Johnson was able to get around Keselowski for the lead, and Keselowski was soon shuffled back to fifth.  The caution came out on lap 490, when Sam Hornish Jr. dove into the corner, getting into the back of Carl Edwards, who spun into Earnhardt. 

Johnson led the field back to the green flag on lap 495, and he was able to get in front of Busch to take the lead.  Busch got close over the final five laps, but he couldn't get close enough to use his bumper.  Johnson would pull away to win his seventh race at Martinsville.

Kyle Busch finished second, and Kasey Kahne finished third.  Aric Almirola had a strong run, and finished fourth.  Clint Bowyer finished fifth, and was followed by Brad Keselowski, who had a strong outing at Martinsville.  Jeff Gordon finished seventh.  Brian Vickers, in his final race of the season, finished eighth.  Bobby Labonte got a rare Top 10, and finished ninth.  Greg Biffle rounded out the Top 10  Matt Kenseth finished 15th, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 21st in his first race back from a concussion.  Martin Truex Jr. finished 23rd, one lap down.  Tony Stewart finished 27th, the first car two laps down.  Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin finished 32nd and 33rd, respectively.

Brad Keselowski lost the points lead, and is now two points behind Jimmie Johnson.  Here are the unofficial points, courtesy of NASCAR.com:

Everyone knew that Jimmie Johnson would be strong at Martinsville, and he was.  He dominated in his win, and is now the points leader for the first time in the Chase.  But Brad Keselowski surprised everyone again, and was able to get a Top 10.  Next week, the Sprint Cup Series rolls into Texas for the AAA Texas 500.  The race can be seen next Sunday at 2 p.m., only on ESPN.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Kenseth Survives Wreckfest at Kansas

Kansas Speedway repaved before the Hollywood Casinos 400, and it turned out to be a great move.  The race was exciting, with many of the front-runners having problems.  Matt Kenseth pancaked the wall when Aric Almirola spun in front of him, but it didn't affect him that much; Kenseth was able to pull away on multiple restarts and win his third race of the season.

Kenseth celebrate his third win of the season (Tyler Barrick/Getty Images)

Kasey Kahne won the pole and led Mark Martin, who qualified second for the second week in a row, to the green flag. Martin was able to get around Kahne coming out of Turn 2 to take the lead.  Clint Bowyer, who started third, didn't get a good start and dropped all the way back to eighth place by the end of lap one.  Aric Almirola caught Martin on lap five, and he took the lead on lap seven coming off Turn 2

On lap 32, Casey Mears blew a right front tire and pounded the outside wall to bring out the first caution of the day.  The leaders came down pit road, and Almirola won the race off pit road, followed by Kyle Busch.  Mark Martin came down in second place, but he came out of the pits in fourth. 

The race restarted on lap  37, and Almirola and Busch raced side-by-side through turns 1 and 2, before Busch got loose heading into Turn 3.  The second caution came out on lap 41 for Busch, who got out of the groove in Turn 4 and spun down the frontstretch.  Almirola led the field to the restart on lap 45, and he was able to jump down in front of Jimmie Johnson heading into Turn 1. 

Almirola was the leader when the caution came out on lap 71 for AJ Allmendinger, who wrecked between Turns 3 and 4.  The leaders made pit stops, and Jimmie Johnson was able to gain the lead coming off pit road.  Johnson led the field back to the green flag on lap 77, and he was able to get ahead of Almirola when he bobbled on the restart.  The caution came out on lap 83 for Jeff Burton, who got turned into the outside wall by Tony Stewart. 

Johnson led the field to the green flag on lap 87, and he was able to get ahead of Almirola heading into Turn 1.  Johnson pitted on lap 120 to start a round of green flag pit stops.  Almirola became the leader, but he blew a right front tire on lap 122 to bring out the caution.  The leaders came in, and Clint Bowyer won the race off pit road.  Bowyer led the field to the green flag on lap 128, but Kenseth was able to get the lead heading into Turn 1. 

Jimmie Johnson spun around and hit the outside wall in Turn 4 to bring out the caution on lap 136.  Matt Kenseth led the field back to the green flag on lap 142, but the caution came out for a spin by Bobby Labonte on lap 143.  Labonte backed into the outside wall after contact from David Gilliland.

Johnson takes his wrecked car to the pits (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

The race restarted on lap 147, and Matt Kenseth was able to pull ahead of Jeff Gordon to take the lead.  On lap 155, Landon Cassill and Danica Patrick got together, and they both spun out.  She over-corrected, and shot back into the outside wall.  Some of the leaders pitted under the caution, but the first four cars stayed out. 

Mark Martin was the leader and led the field back to the green flag on lap 163, and Martin was able to clear Denny Hamlin coming out of Turn 2.  The caution came out on lap 166 for a spun by Tony Stewart, who got loose coming off Turn 2.  The race restarted with 100 laps to go, and Martin was once again able to clear the field for the lead.  Bowyer jumped to the inside of Hamlin, while Kenseth went to the high side, shuffling Hamlin back to eighth.  Heading through Turn 3, Marcos Ambrose and Trevor Bayne made contacting, sending them both into the wall.

With 95 laps to go, Martin started above Almirola, and the two raced side-by-side through Turns 1 and 2.  Coming off Turn 2, Almirola got loose and spun down to the inside of the track, but the race continued on without a caution.  On lap 174, Biffle, who was running third, got loose and pounded the wall coming out of Turn 4, spinning into the grass to bring out another caution.  Under the caution, Kenseth pitted to fix damage he received when he hit the wall while Almirola spun.

 Martin led Bowyer to the green flag on lap 180, and he was able to clear him coming out of Turn 2.  One lap later, coming off Turn 4, Kyle Busch was racing Ryan Newman for seventh when he was spun and hit the outside wall.  Newman then turned into Sam Hornish Jr., and spun through the infield grass. 

Kyle Busch spins after contact with Ryan Newman (Tyler Barrick/Getty Images)

Martin led the field back to the green flag with 79 laps to go.  He was able to clear Bowyer coming out of Turn 2, and Bowyer began to race side-by-side with Paul Menard, before Menard was able to get second place the next lap.  With 59 laps to go, Hamlin came in to make a green flag pit stop.  The fuel window for the race was 45-50 laps, but Hamlin was going to try and push it.

Martin hit pit road with 55 laps to go for tires and fuel, handing the lead over to Menard.  While Martin was on pit road, Almirola hit the outside wall when he blew a right front tire.  His car caught fire, but it was extinguished by the time he got out of the car.  The field came in to make pit stops, and Mark Martin was the lucky dog.  Denny Hamlin, who pitted at the same time as Martin, was the first car a lap down.

The race restarted with 45 laps to go, and Kenseth led the field to the green flag.  Kenseth was able to get ahead of Tony Stewart heading into Turn 1, while Paul Menard shot around Stewart for second.  With 41 laps to go, Kasey Kahne got around Menard for second, and set his sights on Kenseth. 

Mark Martin leads the field (Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

On lap 230, Mark Martin began to slow down the frontstretch.  He radioed in to his crew and said that he believed that he had lost a cylinder.  On lap 234, Hornish hit the outside wall after blowing a right front tire to bring out another caution.  Under the caution, most of the cars in the back of the pack came in to make pit stops, including Denny Hamlin, who may have been short on fuel.  The No. 55 team went under the hood of Mark Martin's car to try and find out why his car was losing power. 

Kenseth led the field to the green flag on lap 239, and he was able to clear Menard heading into Turn 1.  Martin Truex Jr. was able to get around Menard for second place coming out of Turn 2.  With ten laps to go, Kurt Busch had a right front tire go down, and he hit the wall, but he was able to get around to the pits without a caution.  Kenseth was able to continue to pull away from Truex to win his third race of the season.

Martin Truex Jr. finished second, and was followed by Paul Menard.  Kasey Kahne had a fast car all day, and finished fourth.  Tony Stewart recovered from his spin and finished fifth.  Clint Bowyer finished sixth.  Regan Smith, filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished seventh.  Brad Keselowski finished eighth, and was followed by Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.  Kevin Harvick finished 11th.  Denny Hamlin finished 13th after an uneventful day where he lost points to Keselowski and Johnson.  Mark Martin finished 24th, one lap down, after something in his engine broke.  Greg Biffle finished 40 laps down in 27th.  Danica Patrick finished 32nd after she wrecked. 

Brad Keselowski is still the leader of the Sprint Cup Points, by a mere seven points over Jimmie Johnson.  Denny Hamlin is now 20 points out of first, on the brink of being an unrealistic championship contender.  Here are the unofficial points standings, courtesy of NASCAR.com:

The Nationwide Series race on Saturday was very exciting, and it left everyone excited for the Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday.  The race proved to be one of the most exciting of the year, and Matt Kenseth was able to make it through the race with only a little incident and win the race.  Next week, the Sprint Cup Series should have another exciting race when they roll into Martinsville Speedway for the TUMS Fast Relief 500.  The race can be seen at 1 p.m. next Sunday, only on ESPN.

John Harrelson/Getty Images

Bowyer's Not Done Yet

Brad Keselowski was ready to win his sixth race of the season, and continue his run towards a Sprint Cup Championship.  But he ran out of gas while leading, and fell back in the pack.  Clint Bowyer took over the lead when the other leaders had to stop for fuel, and he was able to save enough fuel and hold off Denny Hamlin to win his third race of the season.

Bowyer celebrates his third win of the season (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Greg Biffle led Mark Martin and the rest of the field to the green flag.  Biffle picked the outside line on the start, and Martin was able to stay alongside him, and led lap two.  They stayed side-by-side until lap five, when Biffle was finally able to clear Martin for the lead coming off Turn 4.  The caution came out on lap 12 for Matt Kenseth, who blew a left rear tire and spun to the inside of the track. 

The race restarted on lap 15, and the caution came out as soon as the green came out.  The field stacked up, and Jeff Burton and David Ragan spun coming across the start/finish line.  Biffle led the field back to the green flag on lap 22, and he was able to pull ahead of the field.  Bowyer, who restarted second, didn't get a good restart, and Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. were able to get around him for second and third, respectively. 

Mark Martin races side-by-side with Greg Biffle (John Harrelson/Getty Images)

Paul Menard blew a right front tire and hit the outside wall to bring out the third caution on lap 36.  The leaders came in to make pit stops, and Jimmie Johnson beat Kevin Harvick and Martin off pit road after taking only two tires.  Biffle was 10th after stops, as he was the first driver to take four tires.  Brad Keselowski and Marcos Ambrose stayed out under the caution, and led the field to the green flag on lap 42.  Ambrose restarted on the bottom, but he was able to get around Keselowski coming off Turn 4 to take the lead.  Keselowski was able to get back around Ambrose for the lead on lap 44 heading into Turn 1. 

On lap 62, Regan Smith, who was driving the No. 88 car for Dale Earnhardt Jr., blew an engine and had to take his car to the garage.  By lap 67, Johnson had caught Keselowski for the lead, but was unable to make the pass.  Keselowski made his pit stop on lap 74, giving up the lead to Johnson, who pitted later than Keselowski.  On lap 80, Kasey Kahne made his pit stop to kick off a round of green flag pit stops.  Johnson gave up the lead on lap 85 to make his pit stop.  When Jeff Gordon made his pit stop on lap 86, Brad Keselowski cycled around as the leader. 

Regan Smith, driving the 88 car for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr., blew an engine (Tyler Barrick/Getty Images)

By lap 97, Jimmie Johnson was able to catch Keselowski to get the lead back.  On lap 106, Denny Hamlin, who had fresher tires than Keselowski, got around him for second place going through turns 3 and 4.  On lap 125, Keselowski came in to start another round of green flag pit stops.  Denny Hamlin was the leader after the stops had cycled around on lap 137, followed by Keselowski and Johnson. 

On lap 141, Johnson was able to get a run on Keselowski for second place.  Johnson quickly caught Hamlin for the lead, but he wasn't able to make a move for the lead.  The fourth caution of the night came out on lap 166 for debris in Turn 1.  The leaders hit pit road, putting Keselowski back on the same cycle as everyone else.  Johnson led the field back to the green flag, and he chose the high side.  Greg Biffle, who restarted fourth, jumped to the outside at the green flag, and he got around Johnson and raced side-by-side with Hamlin for a lap before taking the lead.  Keselowski was able to follow Biffle past Hamlin for second. 

Biffle wiggled on lap 180, and it allowed Keselowski to get the lead, and Hamlin followed for second place.  On lap 189, Kyle Busch got around Biffle for third, and set his sights on Hamlin and Keselowski.  On lap 215, Martin Truex Jr. hit pit road to start another round of green flag pit stops. 

The caution came out for debris on lap 222 just as pit stops had ended.  Under the caution, Hamlin and Johnson came in to make another pit stop for fuel only.  The race restarted on lap 228, and Keselowski chose to restart on the inside, alongside Kyle Busch.  Keselowski was able to clear Busch coming off of Turn 2. 

Johnson leads Keselowski (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

On lap 259, Martin Truex Jr. made his pit stop to start another round of green flag stops.  With 59 laps to go, Brad Keselowski ran out of fuel while leading trying to stretch it on fuel.  Denny Hamlin took over the lead, and Johnson ran out of fuel trying to save it as well.  Hamlin was the final car to pit, and Greg Biffle was the leader when stops cycled around.  Keselowski ended up in 14th after running out of gas.  Keselowski still needed help to make it to the end, as did Johnson and Hamlin. 

With 25 laps to go, Kyle Busch and Mark Martin pitted from second and third place, respectively, for a splash of fuel.  Biffle gave up the lead to get a splash of fuel as well, and gave the lead to Clint Bowyer.  Keselowski made a pit stop for fuel with 23 laps to go.  After pit stops, Bowyer led Hamlin and Johnson, who all should have been good on fuel.  Hamlin started charging towards Bowyer, but Bowyer was able to hold him off, and won his third race of the season.

Denny Hamlin was able to save enough fuel, and finished second.  Jimmie Johnson slowed drastically to save enough, and he finished third.  Greg Biffle was strong all night, and finished fourth.  Kyle Busch finished fifth.  Mark Martin had a strong car throughout the weekend, and finished sixth.  Carl Edwards had another strong race, and finished seventh.  Kasey Kahne finished eighth, and was followed by Joey Logano.  Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the Top 10.  Brad Keselowski's fuel gamble didn't pay off, and he finished 11th.  Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth finished 13th and 14th, respectively.  Kevin Harvick finished 16th.  Jeff Gordon finished 18th, the first car two laps down.  Kurt Busch finished 21st in his first race with Furniture Row Racing.  AJ Allmendinger, in his first race back from his drug suspension, finished 24th with Phoenix Racing.  Regan Smith filled in for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is out with a concussion, and finished 38th after blowing an engine early in the race. 

Keselowski's points lead was cut in half, and he now leads Jimmie Johnson by only seven points.  Bowyer was able to move up with his win, but he is still 28 points out of first.  Here is how the points stack up, unofficially, courtesy of NASCAR.com:

Clint Bowyer won his third race of the season, and it came at the most perfect time in the Chase.  Bowyer now finds himself 28 points out of first, just on the brink of a Championship rally.  Everyone beneath him in the points, in my opinion, are out of the Chase for the Championship.  Next week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400, where Keselowski, Johnson, and Hamlin should all be strong once again.  The race can be seen at 1 p.m. next Sunday, only on ESPN.

John Harrelson/Getty Images

Matt Kenseth Survives Wild Talladega Finish

Matt Kenseth hasn't had the start to his Chase that he wanted.  He also didn't have the start to the Good Sam 500 that he wanted; he was almost spun out twice, but he was able to save it both times.  On the final lap, Kenseth was making a pass for the lead, which saved him from a giant melee that collected most of the field.  Kenseth was able to miss the wreck and win his first race of the Chase.

Matt Kenseth takes the checkered/yellow flag (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Kasey Kahne led the field to the green flag, and he was able to lead the first lap with drafting help from Clint Bowyer.  Kahne led until lap 11, when Trevor Bayne got a push from Bowyer to lead the race.  Bowyer and Bayne continued to fight for the lead, until Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead on lap 14.  On lap 16, Kyle Busch lead the outside line to the lead with help from Matt Kenseth.  The first caution of the race came out on lap 17, when Cole Whitt got turned around, and clipped Carl Edwards.  Joey Logano also sustained some damage in the accident.  The leaders came in to pit, but Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard, Jimmie Johnson, and Denny Hamlin stayed out.  Before the race went back green, those four driver made their pit stops, trying to stay in the back and out of trouble. 

The race restarted on lap 22, with Kyle Busch leading Kenseth, Earnhardt, Kahne, and Jamie McMurray.  On lap 24, Earnhardt pushed Kenseth into the lead.  Kenseth was able to hold off most of the threats from the drivers in the outside line until lap 35, when Earnhardt took the lead.  On lap 41, Kenseth took the lead back from Earnhardt.  The next lap, Greg Biffle accidentally turned Kenseth, but he was able to save it and didn't wreck, but he did fall to 31st. 

On lap 50, Earnhardt lost the lead to Casey Mears.  Jeff Burton got a push from Kevin Harvick on lap 51 to take the lead away from Mears.  By lap 53, Bayne was back in the lead thanks to a big push from Aric Almirola.  Mears got back to the lead on lap 58 with help from his former teammate Jeff Gordon. 

On lap 60, Sam Hornish Jr., Brad Keselowski, and Jamie McMurray brought their cars in to the pits to kick off a round of green flag pit stops.  Most of the leaders came in on laps 61 and 62, and Earnhardt was the leader when the stops cycled around.  Earnhardt had to give up the lead to make a pass-through penalty, however; he was too fast exiting the pits.  Kyle Busch and Trevor Bayne also had to serve pass-through penalties. 

Kyle Busch leads Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

When Earnhardt pitted, Jimmie Johnson became the leader, and was followed by Mears, Gordon, Kahne, and Menard.  On lap 73, Gordon got alongside Johnson for the lead, and the next lap Kenseth pushed Gordon to the lead.  On lap 76, Earnhardt was lapped in Turns 3 and 4.  Jeff Gordon and Joey Logano almost made contact on lap 79, and he was forced to give up the lead.  He didn't stay away from the lead for long.  On lap 82, Kahne pushed Gordon back to the lead going through the trioval.  McMurray took the lead once again on the very next lap. 

On lap 90, Kurt Busch, with a push from Kenseth, took the lead for the first time during the race.  Kenseth was able to take the lead on lap 95.  Two laps later, Busch took the lead back from Kenseth.  The caution came out on lap 99 for Kurt Busch, who spun coming off Turn 2.  He hit the inside wall, and his day was done.  But Busch got out of the car, saw that he could still drive it, and drove away from the safety crews who were trying to help him.  Busch wasn't wearing his helmet, so he couldn't hear that NASCAR wanted him to stop.  Because of his actions, Busch was parked by NASCAR for the rest of the day.

The race restarted on lap 104, and Marcos Ambrose led the field to the green flag.  Kenseth charged to the lead during the restart. On lap 127, Aric Almirola pushed Biffle around his Roush-Fenway teammate Kenseth to take the lead.  He only led one lap, because Kenseth got back around him for the lead on lap 128.  Biffle pushed McMurray past Kenseth for the lead on lap 132, and Kenseth tucked right in line behind Biffle. 

The caution came out on lap 139 for debris, and Kyle Busch got the lucky dog, while Earnhardt got his lap back because he was ahead of the leaders when the caution came out.  The leaders hit pit road, and Casey Mears was able to get the lead.  The race restarted on lap 143, with Mears leading Keselowski, Busch, Biffle, and Harvick.  Mears and Busch cleared the field in Turns 1 and 2, but Biffle took the lead with help from Dave Blaney, who was a lap down. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets a push past Matt Kenseth from Jamie McMurray (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

Biffle began to battle with Harvick for the lead, and they were side-by-side for over two laps.  On lap 147, Kenseth and Gordon made contact in Turn 2, but somehow they didn't wreck.  On lap 151, McMurray took the lead away from Biffle, but Biffle came back on lap 152 to take the lead once again.  On lap 155, Harvick pushed McMurray back to the lead.  Biffle was able to get to McMurray's bumper, and took the lead on lap 157. 

McMurray took the lead once again with 21 laps to go, but Earnhardt pushed Logano to the lead going through Turns 1 and 2, Harvick was pushed by everyone by Tony Stewart to take the lead.  With 18 laps to go, McMurray was pushed to the lead by Kenseth, but then Kenseth was able to duck out from behind him to take the lead for himself.  Casey Mears got around them for the lead on the next lap, for the 50th lead change of the race.  Coming out of Turn 4, Biffle got turned onto the apron, but he was able to save it and continue on.  By losing his drafting partner, however, Mears lost the lead to McMurray. 

Earnhardt and Gordon got hooked up, and tried to race their way up to the lead, but Gordon had to drift through the trioval when Earnhardt almost turned him sideways.  Earnhardt had to back off, and he fell through the field.  With 7 laps to go, Bowyer tried to get the outside line to work with help from Kenseth.  Bowyer got to the lead, but Kenseth was able to get under him to fight for the lead.  Coming through the trioval, Harvick turned McMurray, and he spun through the grass, but did not hit anyone.

Casey Mears was the first car that came in to pit under the caution, and most of the cars behind him came in.  Mears ran into the back of Biffle trying to leave his pit stall, causing both drivers to lost positions.  Clint Bowyer led Kenseth, Harvick to the green flag on the green-white-checkered.  Coming down the backstretch, Kenseth came down on Bowyer, causing the field to scatter.  Coming to the white flag, Stewart took the lead away from Kenseth.  Going through Turns 3 and 4, Stewart went up the track, and came back down on Michael Waltrip, spinning both cars across the track.  Stewart's car flipped over, and acted like a pinball while multiple cars ran into him.  The wreck collected at least 20 cars, while Matt Kenseth was able to stay ahead of it to win the race.

The Big One struck on the final lap (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch finished second and third, respectively, and were able to get through the wreck.  David Ragan finished fourth, and Regan Smith was fifth.  Greg Biffle was sixth, while Brad Keselowski finished seventh.  Keselowski was hit during the wreck, but he was able to keep the car rolling.  Travis Kvapil finished eighth, Ryan Newman ninth, and Jeff Burton was tenth.  Kevin Harvick finished 11th after being spun in the last lap wreck.  Kasey Kahne finished 12th, and Martin Truex Jr. was 13th.  Denny Hamlin ran in the back for most of the race, but spun during "The Big One," and he finished 14th.  Jimmie Johnson was wrecked, but was able to keep his car rolling and finished 17th.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 20th.  Tony Stewart was able walk away from the accident, and he finished 22nd.  Clint Bowyer finished 23rd.  Michael Waltrip, in his final race of the season, finished 25th after the accident.  Jamie McMurray finished 34th after his late race spin.  Carl Edwards finished ten laps down in 36th place.  Kurt Busch finished 39th in his final race with Phoenix Racing.  He will be in the Furniture Row No. 78 next week in Charlotte.

Talladega always shakes up the points.  Here are the unofficial points standings, courtesy NASCAR.com:

Everyone knew that Talladega would be a wild card race in the Chase, with a wreck that would shake up the points.  The race had a wild finish that caused a big shakeup in the points, but one thing is still true: Brad Keselowski is leading the Sprint Cup points.  Next week, the Sprint Cup Series heads home to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Bank of America 500.  The race is the only night race in the Chase, and can be seen Saturday night at 7 p.m., only on ABC.

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