Jamie McMurray Takes Checkered At Talladega

With the Auburn-clad black and white Chevy, McMurray stunned the field and held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the day in Alabama.

With a poor running by Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson finished well enough (13th) to take the points lead.

Other Chase drivers had an off day, hoping to finish up front after the supposed "Big One" that always seems to happen at Talladega. The "Big One" never made its appearance, so we had five Chase contenders finish behind 15th. Notable finishes include Jeff Gordon in 14th, Kevin Harvick in 12th, Greg Biffle in 11th, Clint Bowyer in 10th, Martin Truex Jr. finishing in 8th, and Kyle Busch finished in 5th.

Next week, we visit the "Paperclip" that is Martinsville.