(WOMR file photo)
This wasn’t just any Nationwide race, this was Talladega! Talladega is the place where it is high-speed, high-banks, and high-danger. It is also the place where strange bedfellows make for a good story. Another way of putting it is that you have the opportunity “to dance with the devil”!
This is the place where the black #3 made its first appearance, albeit in the Nationwide Series, since Dale Earnhardt,Sr. put on the driving lesson for the generations in October of 2000! That was to be the very last victory for the man in black!
For most of the Aaron’s 312, the afternoon it was your typical Talladega racing with some pack racing, and some two-car tangos. However, with about 10 laps to go there was a yellow flag, allowing some late race pit strategies to unfold, and the pack to consolidate. On the restart, in what turned out to be Green-White Checkered #1, there was a huge wreck midway down the back straight just after taking the green.
Eric McClure’s huge crash
Kevin Harvick got turned around up in the front of the pack, bottle-necking those that were behind. Eric McClure, further back in the pack, also got turned around, headed straight towards the inside wall, hitting it at full throttle, destroying his car, and requiring the EMT’s to cut him out of the car. McClure was airlifted to the University of Alabama, Birmingham Medical Center for further evaluation.
After about 20 minutes, the race was restarted for another attempt at finishing the race under green. Kyle Busch lead the pack to the green flag the two lap mad dash for the finish. As the pack dashed off into turn #1, Joey Logano tucked in behind Kyle, and the strategy wheels were beginning to turn. The pack maintained their positions until coming out of turn #4, racing for the checkered flag. However, the two leaders stayed lined up until entering the tri-oval.
Kyle was a sitting duck!
Logano pulled out for a try at passing Kyle on the high side as the two entered the tri-oval,. Once Logano pulled out for the pass, it was a drag race to the checkered flag. Logano prevailed for his first victory at Talladega by .0034 seconds!
As side note, Sam Hornish, Jr. slid up into Danica Patrick in the tri-oval. Both cars made slight impact with the outside retaining wall as they crossed the start-finish line. Danica, now trailing Hornish, sped up, latched onto Hornish’s bumper, turned him right, and stuck Hornish into the crash wall after the race! (Looked just like Kyle Busch/Ron Hornaday incident last year at Texas Motor Speedway)
Is there some equal justice coming down from NASCAR??? I am just saying that NASCAR needs to administer the penalties equally whether it is Kyle Busch, Danica Patrick, or Dale Earnhardt, Jr.!!
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
