That's Talladega!I like a lot of different sports. Any given KU basketball game beats any given Royals game. Any given Chiefs game beats any given NASCAR race. However, if I had to pick my top two most enjoyable sporting events to watch, they would be Talladega I & II. The second of the two is scheduled during the Chase. In this case, that’s the relatively benign sounding AMP Energy 500. The name may seem innocuous enough - the track is anything but. It’s the home of “The Big One” and the last best chance the rest of the field has to end JJ’s relentless drive toward a fourth consecutive championship.
I’ve written somewhere around 430 posts on UFR, but I’m not sure I have written anything better than the Talladega I post race. I wanted to simply copy the bulk of it again, but if there is another finish like that one, better to copy it then.
Some drivers will win and some will lose at Talladega, however the fan always gets the checkered flag because there simply is no better entertainment in sports - especially near the end - somewhere around 4 p.m. Sunday. Set your alarm.
As you know, Jimmie Johnson leads the point’s race by 118 over Mark Martin. Johnson has won three straight championships and he has been unbeatable in the last half the Chase each season. This race is #7 of 10. If he can widen his lead by staying out of trouble at Talladega, he’s as close to a lock for a four-peat as you can get.
Here are Johnson’s first five versus last five races in the Chase (average finish).
| 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | |
| First 5 | 3.2 | 4.6 | 7.8 | 18.4 |
| Last 5 | ???? | 6.8 | 2.2 | 3.2 |
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AVG FINISH AT TALLADEGA
Shown are the top-5 drivers by points and their average finish at Talladega in the last five years and last 10 years. As you can see Stewart has been the best of the five, Martin the worst. Everything else being equal, Johnson should expand his lead. Of course, Martin has defied all odds this year so far and there is the memory of Edwards rocket ship on the last lap in April… so who knows could happen?
| Driver | Pts Behind | 5 Years | 10 Years |
| Johnson | — | 14.7 | 17.7 |
| Martin | -118 | 32.0 | 21.5 |
| Gordon | -150 | 20.6 | 15.9 |
| Stewart | -192 | 14.0 | 14.6 |
| Montoya | -200 | 18.6 | 18.6 |
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Lastly, Johnson has finished #9 (2008), #2 (2007) and #24 (2006) in this race during his three championships. If he finishes in the top-10 it’s likely to solidify his lead. However, if he finishes #24, this could still be a horse race. Being a Martin fan, I’ll be pulling for some serious body rearrangement. It may be the only chance the nonJohns have.