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Amid chaos, unlikely winner

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By JENNA FRYER The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2009

Updated: 11/02/2009 01:11 am

TALLADEGA, Ala. - NASCAR demanded drivers be on their best behavior at Talladega Superspeedway, where a ban on bump-drafting sanitized what's usually one of the most spectacular races of the season.

In the end, chaos reigned, just like always.

After 450 miles of what resembled a slow Sunday drive, the action picked up and the outcome was much of what everyone has come to expect out of Talladega: An unlikely winner, two spectacular crashes and an army of drivers frustrated about the unpredictability of restrictor-plate racing.

"I think we all know that's what's going to happen when we come to Talladega," said Jeff Gordon, who first ran out of gas and then wrecked - all in a five-lap span.
Jamie McMurray was the surprise winner, snapping an 86-race winless streak by leading 32 late laps and holding on in a race that ended under caution. Jimmie Johnson, meanwhile, ended up sixth, likely wrapping up his NASCAR-record fourth consecutive championship.

"I made the comment ... it's just going to be luck," McMurray said. "(It's) whoever can get in the right row and make the moves."

That's how it usually works at Talladega, where horsepower-sapping restrictor plates slow the speeds and force drivers to use aggressive maneuvers to plow their way through tight packs of traffic.

But after Carl Edwards' airborne April crash into the frontstretch fence, NASCAR has felt the pressure to cut down on the dangerous bumping and blocking that usually triggers the multi-car accidents known as "the Big One." Officials warned at the start of the weekend that they didn't want to see drivers shoving each other around the speedway.
NASCAR president Mike Helton ramped it up another notch Sunday in a stern pre-race lecture that banned all bumping in the corners. He was peppered with questions from the drivers but held firm and warned that a victory could be stripped if it was gained through bump-drafting.

In response, the 43-car field spent much of Sunday in a single-file parade lap that looked to be a conscious thumbing of the nose at NASCAR.

"I think everyone was just content to log laps," said Denny Hamlin, who was sidelined with an engine problem before the finish. "Where is the middle ground between the new NASCAR rule and racing? Let us race."

They did when it counted, and as always, it got dicey when the racing picked up with about 20 laps remaining.

Ryan Newman's harrowing crash with five laps to go left him upside down in the grass, and NASCAR needed a stoppage of almost 13 minutes to cut him from the car. Outspoken in the wake of Edwards' April crash, he was none too pleased to have spent almost 15 minutes trapped inside his car.

"It's probably the closest thing to being stuck in a tomb and not being able to get out. All my body weight was pressed against my head," he said. "I respect NASCAR. I just wish they respected me."

His crash set up two-lap sprint to the finish, and that was halted when Mark Martin went flipping across the track in a spectacular crash. The race ended under caution, with McMurray in Victory Lane.

Because Johnson spent most of the race puttering around the back of the pack, he was stuck in the mid-20s when Newman crashed. Crew chief Chad Knaus sensed a lengthy delay and quickly called Johnson in for gas - a decision that may have clinched the title.

The final finishing order showed Johnson in eighth, but he was adamant he finished sixth.

After a lengthy review, Johnson was credited with sixth, stretching his lead to 184 points.

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