Talladega time

Random thoughts on Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Talladega:

You never know what's going to happen in restrictor plate races at the end, other than a lot of wrecks and that was the case Sunday.

It's great to see that a driver can actually make a pass on the last lap to win, even if it has to be timed perfectly like Kevin Harvick's was Sunday. So, the bigger restrictor plates along with the changed aerodynamic package made it possible to have a close finish. I also love the fact that two cars running together are faster than the rest of the pack on plate tracks. Watching follow-the-leader racing is no fun, even if it did seem like that a couple of occasions Sunday.

In the draft: Michael Waltrip may only be able to drive on restrictor plate tracks with any effectivness, but he's always a great interview. He wasn't afraid to say that one of the mid-race accidents that took him out was due to a mistake made by Kyle Busch. Waltrip is down to racing just a couple of times a year, so he doesn't have to worry about any on-track retribution the Shrub, the younger.

Hendrick feud: What's this, Jeff Gordon says he is mad at Jimmie Johnson? Do we actually have a feud brewing in-house at Hendrick Motorsports? Well, maybe for an hour or so after the race, but you can believe that Hendrick will sit these guys down and let them each tell their side of the story. Hendrick, like him or not, is too smart to let something like this hurt his team.
On the plus side though, it's good to see Jeff Gordon get upset about being taken out. Because this means he really believes his team can compete for victories and win races. They've got the competing part down, but not the victory part yet. But that may well be coming.

Worst timing for commercial: NASCAR announced before the race there would be a competition yellow at 20 laps to check tires as qualifying and final practice was rained out Saturday. So, when it's time for for those first pit stops, FOX is out on commercial. Bad timing. They've been doing this too long to make that kind of mistake.

Best driver comment picked up by TV: When Dale Earnhardt Jr. was asked by his crew chief if he wanted to 4, 2, or no tires, Junior responded: "Tires don't mean nothin' to me.''