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May 28, 2012

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Bowyer edges Harvick under caution at Talladega

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Clint Bowyer edged Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick to win at Talladega Superspeedway.

The race Sunday ended under caution because of a multicar accident way behind the leaders. Bowyer and Harvick kept racing until the yellow flag was displayed, and neither had any idea who won.

NASCAR needed several minutes to review the finish as the teammates anxiously waited for a decision. Bowyer did burnouts in anticipation of the call, then reached his hand out his window to congratulate his parked teammate.

The race to the Sprint Cup title remained tight, with contenders Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin all finishing inside the top 10.

Glance at the 12 drivers in the Chase

A glance at the 12 drivers competing in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship heading into this weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway (in order of points):

DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson

CHASE POINTS: first, 5,998 points

CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 17

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (Spring, 2006)

LAST WEEK: A very rare misstep in Martinsville, a place he's dominated lately. Struggled to find the right setup early and settled for fifth, allowing Hamlin to pull within six points with four races remaining.

CHASE CHATTER: "It was a solid performance, something we can't be disappointed in," Johnson said. "I wish we were a little better but there is a lot of racing left."

DRIVER: Denny Hamlin

CHASE POINTS: second, 5,992 points (-6)

CAR: No. 11 FedEx Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 9

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 3rd (Spring, 2008)

LAST WEEK: Pulled off a perfect weekend at Martinsville, taking the pole then pulling away from Johnson over the final 30 laps to sweep both stops at NASCAR's shortest track and turning the Chase into a two-driver race.

CHASE CHATTER: "I don't think I've ever closed that well, ever," Hamlin said.

DRIVER: Kevin Harvick

CHASE POINTS: third, 5,936 points (-62)

CAR: No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 19

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (Spring, 2010)

LAST WEEK: Posted his best-ever finish at Martinsville by coming in third, perhaps thanks to a pit crew switch with Clint Bowyer's folks. Drew within 62 points of Johnson, but will likely need to win at least one of the last four races to make a run at the title.

CHASE CHATTER: "Right now, we have four more weeks," Harvick said. "I'm really looking forward to Talladega and just racing hard."

DRIVER: Kyle Busch

CHASE POINTS: fourth, 5,826 points (-172)

CAR: No. 18 M&Ms Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 11

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (Spring, 2008)

LAST WEEK: Continued his strong mid-Chase run with a fourth-place at Martinsville including a terrific move past Johnson in the final laps.

CHASE CHATTER: "Jimmie and I, we know how to do it and I didn't do it rough enough to where I turned him or anything," Busch said. "I just tried to give him a little bit, a little bit to try to get by him."

DRIVER: Jeff Gordon

CHASE POINTS: fifth, 5,795 points (-203)

CAR: No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 35

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (six times)

LAST WEEK: Slipped further out of serious contention with a 20th-place effort at Martinsville, helped in part by a midrace run-in with Kurt Busch that send Gordon into the wall in Turn 4.

CHASE CHATTER: "At this point we're just racing to try to get the best finishes, and we'll continue to do that as we move forward," Gordon said.

DRIVER: Carl Edwards

CHASE POINTS: sixth, 5,785 points (-213)

CAR: No. 99 Aflac Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 12

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 5th (Fall, 2005)

LAST WEEK: Continued to grind it out at Martinsville, finishing eighth as he closes in on a second straight season without a victory.

CHASE CHATTER: "I know for me personally I was worn out toward the end, but to come home eighth, I don't know how we did in points, but it's probably better than we started and that's good," Edwards said.

DRIVER: Tony Stewart

CHASE POINTS: seventh, 5,762 points (-236)

CAR: No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart/Haas Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 23

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (Fall, 2008)

LAST WEEK: A pair of pit road miscues and a late tire problem sent Stewart tumbling through the field at Martinsville, finishing 24th.

CHASE CHATTER: "It went green for a really long time at the end, and our car got really tight and we're not sure really why," crew chief Darian Grubb said.

DRIVER: Jeff Burton

CHASE POINTS: eighth, 5,752 points (-246)

CAR: No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 33

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 3rd (Fall, 2001)

LAST WEEK: Jumped a couple of spots in the standings with a strong run in Martinsville, running as high as second before coming in ninth to post his 15th top-10 of the season.

CHASE CHATTER: "We weren't as good as we needed to be at the end," Burton said. "We put a great effort out there and it's hard to believe you can finish ninth in a car that was that good."

DRIVER: Kurt Busch

CHASE POINTS: ninth, 5,721 points (-277)

CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 19

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 3rd (four times)

LAST WEEK: Finished 16th at Martinsville, but settled a score, knocking Gordon out of serious contention by sending the four-time champion into the wall.

CHASE CHATTER: "I didn't mean to get into him that hard, but I guess that shows the game we're gonna play," Busch said. "One bump versus another bump, it still seems like the scorecard isn't even."

DRIVER: Matt Kenseth

CHASE POINTS: 10th, 5,705 points (-293)

CAR: No. 17 Crown Royal Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 21

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 3rd (Fall, 2005)

LAST WEEK: A penalty for speeding while exiting pit road late in the race at Martinsville cost him as he ended up 15th.

CHASE CHATTER: "We sped on pit road somehow, which was weird because I wasn't racing anybody," Kenseth said. "I guess I wasn't paying enough attention on the last segment down there."

DRIVER: Greg Biffle

CHASE POINTS: 11th, 5,682 points (-316)

CAR: No. 16 3M Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 3.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 15

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 4th (Fall, 2009)

LAST WEEK: A pair of pit-road penalties and a cut tire sent Biffle sinking to a 33rd-place finish at Martinsville.

CHASE CHATTER: "It was kind of unfortunate today," Biffle said.

DRIVER: Clint Bowyer

CHASE POINTS: 12th, 5,592 points (-406)

CAR: No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 9

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 5th (Fall, 2005)

LAST WEEK: His miserable Chase continued at Martinsville, where a midrace collision with the wall sent him to the garage for a lengthy stretch and he wound up 38th.

CHASE CHATTER: "We were working on the handling and thought we were getting it figured out," Bowyer said.