Talladega more than just a Big One and hurt feelings

Controversy heading into Talladega, oh, brother! I can only imagine what it will be like leaving Talladega. Well, hang on to your fuel cans everyone -- you never know when someone is going to strike a match.

I can't begin to add up the stories I have done leading into the Nextel Cup race at Talladega. I try to find a new way to preview the race for fans, whether it has been a piece for TV or a written column. Strange, though, it usually comes down to the same thing, love it or not, you have to race it.

• NASCAR on TNT

I don't believe there are any wild cards in the Chase, and the race at Kansas should prove that point. Each week the challenge is there, it looks a little different, but your chances for the championship can end when someone runs you over at Kansas as easily as they can by getting tapped at Talladega.

Do you want to skip Talladega or Martinsville? How about 500 miles at Charlotte or the terror at Texas? Doesn't matter, you can't, if you want to win the title.

Talladega is Daytona without the view. Sure, the tracks are different, but the big packs-big trouble theory applies at both places. Last year Mark Martin had one of my all-time favorite lines: "I know I'm going to wreck at Talladega." So much for the power of positive thinking.

This is the ultimate reality show, and now there is a new star, the Car of Tomorrow. The reviews from testing have been, well, ah, mixed. It doesn't really matter how the test went, because the real test is this Sunday. Either way, it's still racing at Talladega.

Some drivers look forward to the race at Talladega, others dread it. Most fans find it fascinating and it is no secret that the Talladega and Daytona races get a larger "sampling" from viewers that don't normally tune in for a Nextel Cup race. Now why do you think that is?

Talladega has a history of racing moments, some of them terrific, some of them terrifying. Where would you like to start?

Well, how about this race one year ago. Jimmie Johnson didn't win. Neither did Dale Earnhardt Jr. Brian Vickers won, by a "bumper." Rumor is that Vickers missed the Hendrick plane ride home that night.

You can ask some of the other winners about surviving the Talladega tightrope and rolling into Victory Lane: Earnhardt, Earnhardt Jr., Gordon, Jarrett, Marlin, Johnson ... the list goes on and on, and every win has a special story behind it, like, "I held my breath for 500 miles."

One of my favorite Talladega stories involves Dale Jarrett. It was when the race was still in July and on this Sunday it was sizzling. Jarrett had challenged for the win throughout the race but finished second. In those days the second- through fifth-place finishers went to the gasoline pumps after the race. Jarrett got there first and the media crunch had yet to arrive. He climbed out the window of his car and sat on the edge with his legs and feet still in the car, his arms folded on the roof and his eyes looking toward Victory Lane. He was covered in sweat.

I was walking back toward the garage area from pit road and went past the pumps; Jarrett looked over and made eye contact, then shook his head. He didn't have to say a word but the message was clear, "I could not possibly try any harder." You could tell that was the truth. And there were 40 other guys feeling the same way.

Dale Earnhardt got his last win at Talladega. What a scene that was. The old Winston Million was involved. Million dollar "bills" were being shot into the air, Dale was hugging and congratulating everyone. It was a fabulous experience.

Leading up to the green flag we will hear a lot about the Big One, the multi-car wreck that occurs when one driver tries to change the CD in the middle of a huge pack of cars. It will probably happen. But there is much more to Talladega than just the crash you can't avoid, whether it's about the winner or the guy that finishes second.

The fate of the Chase contenders will keep the focus on the pack and the possible problems that could unfold over 500 miles. As we discussed last week, with the races counting down and the number of Chasers up to 12, this could be the week when we say goodbye to some of the championship challengers. But what will be the biggest story when the checkered flag waves? Will it be the winner? The guy who finished second? Or maybe how the numbers add up for 12 dedicated drivers?

That's the good thing about racing -- it could be all of those. And more.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.