Thinkin’ Out Loud: Brad Keselowski Spoils Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Farewell Party at Talladega

Who’s in the headline – In a true survival of the fittest, it was Brad Keselowski who was the first driver under the checkered flag on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. Keselowski was able to make a pass on Ryan Newman on the last lap to power to the victory as two handfuls of cars were left on the track for the final three laps of the race.

What happened – NASCAR came up with stage racing during the playoffs and a demolition derby broke out in Talladega. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first pole at the track but was never really a factor until the late stages. Instead, it was last year’s winner Joey Logano who was the first of 16 drivers to swap the lead 30 times during the event. Logano led the most laps (59) in the race, winding up fourth driving a car that looked like it had banged fenders at Martinsville.

And that was one of the cars in good shape after Sunday. There were 11 cautions for 47 laps, which included three red flags for incidents. Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson was parked for working on his car under one of them; in all, eight playoff drivers were eliminated. 40 cars started the race and 36 of them are listed as involved in caution flags.

Just another race at Talladega.

Why you should care – Everyone talked about Talladega being a wild card race that could make or break someone’s playoffs. While it did shuffle the standings a little, it ultimately wasn’t much of a game changer thanks to all the carnage. It did prove that Ford continues to have the aero advantage on the plate tracks, winning all four of them this season and seven in a row dating back to the spring race at Talladega in 2016. The biggest concerns from the race surround the playoff drivers. Jamie McMurray is now in a huge hole, 29 points outside the top eight. Joe Gibbs Racing has only one driver, Denny Hamlin, on the positive side of the cut line right now. Johnson sits eighth and needs a strong run at Kansas to hang on.

What your friends are talking about

Like it or not, most of the fan interest for plate races is for the wrecks. While there have been some “Big Ones” in the last few years, it has been quite some time since we’ve witnessed this kind of destruction. Roughly nine racecars were still capable of running inside the lead draft at the end of the race, less than a quarter of the field. 26 cars failed to finish, easily a season high and the highest total for NASCAR’s playoff era. It was the closest we’ve gotten to the late 1990s Survivor-type plate racing in quite sometime.

George Silbermann, NASCAR’s vice president of regional and touring series, is leaving to assume a new role. Going forward, Silbermann will be President of the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States. The committee is an association of all of the major sanctioning bodies in America. His focus will now be on issues facing the auto racing industry in the United States. Silbermann will also become the U.S. representative to the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). He will work in both roles until the end of the year as NASCAR transitions his replacement.

Brennan Poole’s future at Chip Ganassi Racing is uncertain after an odd sequence of events. A report earlier this week indicated he could be the new pilot of the No. 27 Cup car for Richard Childress Racing. But he might also be back in the No. 48 car in the XFINITY Series, too. Felix Sabates, co-owner of Chip Ganassi Racing, said he expects the Texas native to return in 2018 on SIRIUS XM Radio after that report surfaced.

Martin Truex Jr., the predominant favorite for the championship this season, has full sponsorship for 2018. With Erik Jones heading to the Joe Gibbs Racing camp next season, 5-Hour Energy is going to stick with Furniture Row Racing and share time with Bass Pro Shops on the No. 78. As of now the team, has 30 races committed from Bass Pro Shops and 5-Hour Energy with another six lined up with Auto-Owners Insurance.

This also signals the death of the No. 77 team to this point. FRR announced this week that it will not field the car next season due to a lack of sponsorship. They hope to field a second car in the future, but they are currently intent on bringing 100 percent of their effort to the No. 77 team. It’s notable that owner Barney Visser, who ran his own company (Furniture Row) on his car for full seasons in the past is refusing to do so for a second team in 2018.

Speaking of commitments for next season, Front Row Motorsports announced this week that Landon Cassill is out of the No. 34 next season. David Ragan has received no official confirmation for next year, but he is expected to be back in the No. 38 next season, as first reported by Frontstretch. 

Earnhardt left Talladega with an extra racecar this weekend. Talladega Superspeedway and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame presented the No. 2 car that his father drove to his first championship in 1980. Earnhardt was able to drive the car on track and also through the garage area during the weekend. He was also presented with champagne bottles from his father’s final win in 2000 and his first victory in 2001 at the famed superspeedway. Fans were treated to a view of the car as Donnie Allison took a lap in front of the field before the race.

Amy Earnhardt has been tabbed to drive the pace car before the race at Martinsville Speedway in two weeks. As the Dale Earnhardt Jr. retirement tour continues, he is incorporating his wife which is always good to see. Martinsville has been nice enough to include her in the event as well.

Who is mad – McMurray was trying to make his way to pit lane early in the race Sunday. As he made the move to pit lane he slowed more than people around him anticipated. In the end, he was hit by Jones, turned to the right and drilled in the passenger side by Jeffrey Earnhardt. McMurray was already in a tough spot in this round. It became immensely tougher as he finished 37^th Sunday.

You could legitimately put 30 drivers in this category, but Ryan Blaney should absolutely be pissed. Blaney appeared to have the strongest car outside of Logano all day long. He drove to the front with minimal assistance and looked capable of winning the race. Chase Elliott has heard since Dover, if not before, about not being aggressive when wins are on the line. Well Sunday, he tried to assert himself and it ended up taking Blaney out of the race.

Who is happy – Anyone who could roll their car back into the hauler had to feel good about their day. Trevor Bayne, in particular, had to feel great. Bayne was involved in the second multi-car wreck of the day and one of the red flags, but managed to finish third. Bayne hasn’t had a lot to smile about in his Cup career but Sunday gave him a much-needed dose of good luck.

We’ve always known Aric Almirola was a good plate racer. Sunday proved it with another solid result that came at a good time for all involved at the No. 43 Ford. After May’s fractured vertebrae, followed by an announcement that he’s not coming back to Richard Petty Motorsports, driver and team have struggled. In fact, Sunday’s fifth-place finish marked Almirola’s first top-10 result since the spring Talladega race. Even though he got wrecked at the line, it had to feel good looking at so few cars out the windshield.

When the checkered flag flew

• Brad Keselowski won his 300^th career start for his 24^th career Cup triumph.
• This is Keselowski’s third win in 2017.
• Keselowski has five career victories, including his first, at Talladega. That’s one behind Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon’s six for second all-time. (Dale Earnhardt Sr. holds the Talladega record with ten).
• 24 Cup victories leave Keselowski ranked 33^rd on the all-time list.
• Ryan Newman crossed the finish line as the first loser. It is his second top-two run of the season.
• Second place marked Newman’s best career finish at Talladega.
• Newman has 17 career runner-up runs, which puts him in a tie with Geoffrey Bodine and Sterling Marlin for 49^th on the All-Time list.
• Rounding out the podium was Trevor Bayne in third place.
• Third place marked Bayne’s best finish of 2017. It’s also his personal best at Talladega.
• Bayne has three career podium finishes, which is a tie for 171^st on the All-Time list.
• Rookie of the Race was Gray Gaulding after earning a career-best ninth-place finish. It’s the first time he’s won the award this year. Daniel Suarez has won the award 14 times, Erik Jones has won it thirteen times this season, and Ty Dillon has earned it three times.

The victory for Keselowski gives him the second guaranteed slot in NASCAR’s playoff Round of 8. He joins Truex, whose massive stockpile of playoff points remains unchanged at 64.

Here’s a closer look at the 12 playoff contenders with their rank, points, and playoff points heading to Kansas Speedway this week.

2017 NASCAR Playoff Standings (Playoff Points)

1. Martin Truex Jr. – 3120 (64)

2. Brad Keselowski – 3101 (26)

3. Kyle Larson – 3096 (34)

4. Kevin Harvick – 3089 (17)

5. Denny Hamlin – 3088 (13)

6. Chase Elliott – 3087 (6)

7. Ryan Blaney – 3076 (9)

8. Jimmie Johnson – 3074 (17)

9. Kyle Busch – 3067 (41)

10. Matt Kenseth – 3066 (5)

11. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 3052 (10)

12. Jamie McMurray – 3045 (3)

What is in the cooler (one to six beers, where one is a stinker and six is an instant classic)

It all depends on what you want from a restrictor plate race. If you want devastation, you got it on Sunday. Lots of leaders, gobs of lead changes, and a last-lap pass for the win. But whether you like crashes or not, it was definitely an entertaining race, one that deserves four ice cold Budweisers.

Where do you point your DVR for next week?

The NASCAR Cup Series elimination race for round two of the playoffs will be Sunday, October 22 at 3 p.m. ET from Kansas Speedway. The race can be seen on NBCSN and the NBC Sports App. It can be heard on your local MRN affiliate, www.motorracingnetwork.com and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90.

Mike Neff

What is it that Mike Neff doesn’t do? Mike announces several shows each year for the Good Guys Rod and Custom Association. He also pops up everywhere from PRN Pit Reporters and the Press Box with Alan Smothers to SIRIUS XM Radio. He has announced at tracks all over the Southeast, starting at Millbridge Speedway. He's also announced at East Lincoln Speedway, Concord Speedway, Tri-County Speedway, Caraway Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway.