It was clear throughout much of the day that JGR had brought three strong entries to large fast track, but a wild finish shuffled Kyle Busch back to a 15th-place finish and Denny Hamlin saw his day end after 138 laps with an engine failure.
Hamlin, who won one week ago at Martinsville Speedway, started the No. 11 FedEx Express in the ninth position when the field was set based upon current point standings after rain cancelled Saturday's qualifying session. He proved strong once again through the first half of the race, leading five different times for a total of 11 laps, but his engine failed on lap 137 leaving a trail of oil behind and ending his day early in 38th place.
Safety was a primary focus for NASCAR on Sunday at Talladega as the day began with instructions to all drivers to limit bump drafting going into the corners. The result was that the large accidents that have become famous at Talladega were largely avoided through the majority of the race as drivers went long runs in single file order. All three JGR entries followed along with the strategy and along with Hamlin, both Joey Logano in the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota and Kyle Busch in the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota would prove to have no trouble moving to the front of the field when desired.
But as the race neared its conclusion and racing went two- and three-wide two major accidents would in fact end up playing a large factor in the ending despite NASCAR's efforts. Logano and Busch were both racing in the top 10 when Ryan Newman would flip onto the hood of his car on lap 183 of the scheduled 188-lap race. Newman would emerge from the car unharmed but the race would be red flagged on lap 185. When it restarted on lap 189, Logano found himself in the third position, while Busch had been shuffled back out of the top-10.
The race would not finish under green however, as a multi-car accident caused the caution to fly for the final time just as the leaders took the white flag for the final lap. Fortunately both JGR cars left on the track were able to avoid the problems, but neither was able to attempt a last lap run to the front of the field for an attempt at victory.
Logano would earn his second top-ten and first top-five in his first two races of his career at Talladega with his third-place finish, while Busch would be credited for a 15th-place finish.
Jamie McMurray would capture the checkered flag, while Kasey Kahne finished second, Logano was third, Greg Biffle fourth, and Jeff Burton fifth. There were six cautions for a total of 23 laps and an amazing 60 lead changes among 26 different drivers over the course of the 191-lap race, which was extended three laps for a green-white-checkered finish.
The unfortunate result for Hamlin moved him back into 11th place in the point standings in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. Meanwhile Kyle Busch maintained his position of 13th and Logano moved up one spot into 19th.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Texas for the eighth race of the Chase to NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series Championship next Sunday. The Dickies 500 will begin at 3:15 PM ET with live, high-definition coverage provided by ABC, beginning with its pre-race show at 2:30 PM. The race will also be broadcast live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 128.
