Auto Racing

TALLADEGA — Instead of the three-driver breakaway that was brewing after last week's race at Kansas, the drivers left Talladega, much like the racing at the Superspeedway — all bunched up.

Star Multimedia
Slideshow: AMP Energy 500 View photos from the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

One of a handful of Chase drivers to miss the day's multi-car crashes, Jimmie Johnson remained in first place with a 72-point lead, the second-biggest difference between any two drivers.

But he's by no means feeling safe.

"I've realized in the past that the whole sport falls into a comfort zone and thinks that 60, 80, 100 points is a big gap," Johnson said. "But truly, that can go away in a hurry.

"If I had a 68 lead going into Homestead (the season finale), I'd feel a lot better."

Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle, caught up in the same wreck together, did not lose spots, but they did lose ground. Instead of 10 and 30 points behind as they started the day, they're 72 and 77 behind Johnson, respectively.

Jeff Burton also stayed in fourth place, but with his fourth-place finish and the wreck in front of him, he gained ground. He now stands only 22 points behind Biffle.

Three drivers all dropped two spots: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin, who were involved in the second big wreck, and Jeff Gordon, who was in the first one. Gordon tried to salvage points getting back on the track later, but his patchwork car exploded, ending his day with a 38th-place finish.

"Well, we was already kind of a long shot for this thing," said Earnhardt of the Chase guys' chances going into the race. "But we were runnin' good today. It is what it is. I will do whatever I can to help my teammates win it if I can't win it. That is the attitude for the rest of the season."

As every race fan knows, big wrecks happen quickly at Talladega Superspeedway. Drivers, especially those in the Chase, take different approaches at the 2.66-mile Superspeedway. Some choose to get out front, others to lay back.

Edwards was one of those. For a bulk of the day, he decided to ride around in the back of the pack. Oddly enough, when he decided to make his move to the front was when his day went south.

Edwards got behind teammate Biffle to push him to the front using the bump-drafting technique. When he did, the day's second big multi-car wreck ensued.

"Yeah, it's disappointing," Biffle said. "But we'll be alright. We've got some races left."

While he took the blame and his teammate took it easy on him, other drivers in The Chase were not so kind.

"I know that his fans won't be very proud of him sitting back there riding around like a pansy" said Harvick, now in sixth place after a 20th place finish. "…But when he decides to race, he forgot how long the front of his car was."

Clint Bowyer finished fifth, gaining two points and is now in fifth. Matt Kenseth, who finished 26th, stayed put at ninth while Kyle Busch moved up a spot to 11th with a 15th place finish.