Talladega Superspeedway is a 2.66-mile, 33- degree high banked Superspeedway with 4,300 and 4,000-foot front and backstretches. It is, far and away, the biggest, fastest and spookiest track on the 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. With upwards of 40 cars running mere inches from one another at over 200 miles per hour, things happen in a hurry on the Alabama circuit, and when they do happen, they’re often spectacular, hence the phrase “The Big One”. Generally speaking, the190 lap-race winds itself down to a 20-lap sprint to the finish whereupon dozens of drivers lather themselves up into a frenzy as they whip their 3,400-pound cars around desperately fighting their way up into the leading pack and into the mix for the mad dash for waving checkered flag.

Talladega, yet again, lived up to its larger than life reputation on Sunday, October, 5, 2008 as The Big One hit on Lap 174 when Roush Fenway Ford’s Greg Biffle was inadvertently bumped from behind by teammate Carl Edwards in Turn 3. From there it was all smoke, flying parts, boiling fluids and crumpled sheet metal as the multi-car wreck took out 12 cars, including 50% of the drivers involved in the 10-race NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff. Carried away on wreckers or dropped off behind pit wall back in the garages were Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Matt Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, and Kyle Busch.

For all intents and purposes (as well as a NASCAR record 31 lead changes), the AMP Energy 500 was decided in a 10-lap, skinned knuckle, club swinging free for all. After a lengthy red flag hiatus to clean up what was, essentially, a junkyard, the final restrictor plate race and fourth race of the 10-lap Chase, the race went back to green on lap number 180, with Joe Gibbs Racing Tony Stewart — winless thus far in 2008 — getting the holeshot, Elliott Sadler nipping at his rear bumper. Three laps later, Sadler was shoved aside as three Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammates — Regan Smith, Paul Menard and Aric Almirola — went roaring by as if he were standing still. Then, with four laps left, Roush Fenway wheelman Jaime McMurray blew a right-rear tire, forcing the flagman to reach for the yellow flag and begin waving it furiously. And so it was, a green-white-checkered race to the finish. With drivers throwing through the gear pattern as quickly as possible to get up to the speed at the restart, Stewart led Smith, Menard, Almirola, Sadler, David Ragan, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, Bobby Labonte and Scott Riggs. Rolling the dice and deciding to gamble for the win, Regan Smith dove down below the yellow-line and crossed the finish line ahead of Stewart to cross the finish line first. It appeared to be the upset victory of the entire 2008 NASCAR season, but NASCAR quickly announced Smith’s beneath the yellow line pass was illegal and Stewart was announced the winner, ahead of Regan Smith, Paul Menard and Aric Almirola.

After everyone had crawled from the wreckage, the smoke had cleared and it was all over but the shouting, the 2008 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup leader Jimmie Johnson placed a safe, conservative ninth — as good as a win in such a fray— and increased his lead in his run at a third consecutive Cup title over Carl Edwards by 72 points. Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle sits third, just five points behind Edwards.

"Man, it's one thing to get back to Victory Lane — but to do it at Talladega — this is one of four places I haven't won a Cup race, and talk about one to win," Stewart said afterwards. "I wanted to win here for so long."

Ragan Smith, yet to win a race on the Sprint Cup level, was, understandably, crestfallen after hearing NASCAR’s decision to give the win to Stewart.

"I knew I was only going to get one shot at him," Smith said. "I knew where I was going to make my move. I don't know. I was always told that the rule is if you get forced down there, then you are the winner of the race and on the last lap, anything goes. That's what I was going with.”

And then he added.

"I got forced down there, man, I had a nose inside of him and I could have piled up the whole field. I disagree with what NASCAR has decided.”

Eric Johnson

Pos  Driver                Points
1   Jimmie Johnson     5718
2   Carl Edwards         5646
3   Greg Biffle             5641
4   Jeff Burton            5519
5   Clint Bowyer          5566
6   Kevin Harvick         5547
7   Tony Stewart         5515
8   Jeff Gordon           5486
9   Matt Kenseth          5473
10  Dale Earnhardt Jr  5469
11  Kyle Busch            5387
12  Denny Hamlin       5383