What's the fallout from the yellow-line controversy at Talladega?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. AP
Likely lots of bitterness and grumbling. NASCAR ruled that Dale Earnhardt Jr. had already passed then-leader Matt Kenseth with two laps to go in Sunday's Aaron's 499. Thus, he wasn't in the act of improving his position when his left wheels dipped below the yellow-line apron boundary in Turn 3.
Kevin Harvick, who finished second, refused to address the issue. So did the third-place finisher, Elliott Sadler. Both said they were bumper-to-bumper and couldn't see beyond mirrors and windshields. Todd Berrier, Harvick's crew chief, and Gil Martin, Harvick's team manager, had the call explained to them afterward by NASCAR president Mike Helton and other officials. The pow-wow included video replays of Junior's pass, and Berrier emerged from the NASCAR hauler saying he accepted what he was told.
He may be in the minority. Even if others in the garage pore over those same replays and receive the same explanation from Helton, the perception of favoritism is likely to linger. It was an Earnhardt winning in dramatic fashion -- for the unprecedented fourth consecutive time at Talladega -- in an arena where the Earnhardt mystique is celebrated like no other.
Whether all that colored NASCAR's decision, no one outside the red hauler can or will say -- except in smart aleck terms. Earnhardt Jr. insisted his move wasn't intentional, that he was worried about being squeezed if Kenseth had decided to swoop down and block him. And there's no reason not to grant him the benefit of doubt.
NASCAR, however, may not be granted any benefit. Recipients of past yellow-line penalties may see to that.
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Who badly needed a good run Sunday and got one?
Terry Labonte Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images
Start with Terry Labonte, who finished fifth -- his first top 10 since a third in June at Sonoma. And Sunday's finish may be a sign of things to come. Labonte, who appears to be shaking a lengthy slump, was top-10 material at Bristol and Texas before wrecks knocked him out. After Sunday, he jumped seven spots in the Winston Cup point standings to 24th.
Next is Sterling Marlin, who finished sixth. Marlin also finished sixth at Bristol two weeks ago and eighth at Las Vegas in the season's third week, but that team has struggled otherwise. Right behind Marlin was Ward Burton, who finished seventh. It was Burton's best outing of 2003, and his first top-10 finish since a fifth last fall at Martinsville.
Robby Gordon, who was 10th, logged his best finish since a sixth at Daytona. He also jumped six spots in the standings to 13th. Two weeks after cracking two ribs at Bristol, Kyle Petty finished 11th at Talladega, his best effort this season, and his best since a 14th last fall at Atlanta. Three spots behind him, Petty Enterprises teammate John Andretti finished 14th, easily his best of 2003, and his first top 15 since last fall's 14th at Phoenix.
Last, give a nod to Tony Raines. One of five Winston Cup rookies, he finished 16th at Talladega, his best Cup effort to date.
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Who suffered the most in points after 'The Big One?'
Johnny Benson Jamie Squire/Getty Images
There are more than a few black-and-blue participants, and it has nothing to do with bruises. Ryan Newman, who set off the melee -- a 27-car pile up that was the biggest in Talldadega history -- after he cut a tire and rolled over in frightening style in Turn 2, finished 39th. But he only dropped three spots to 11th in the Cup standings.
The biggest losers -- only in points, guys -- were Ricky Rudd and Johnny Benson. Both dropped seven spots in the standings, Rudd to 19th, Benson to 23rd. Jimmy Spencer took a tumble, too, dropping six spots to 30th.
At the lesser end of the damage scale, both Bobby Labonte and Rusty Wallace lost four spots, Labonte to 15th and Wallace to 18th. Jeff Green, whose team had a miserable weekend, also dropped four spots to 31st. After Friday's inspection nightmare -- the No. 30 didn't clear until halfway through the two-hour pre-qualifying practice -- Green's motor blew up during Saturday practice. Changing it meant he started at the rear of the field Sunday, not a good place to avoid The Big One.
And who was Sunday's biggest gainer in the point standings? Sadler, the third-place finisher who jumped 10 spots to 10th.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Terry Labonte
Johnny Benson
