NASCAR got it right -- and it's time to move on, folks (cont'd)

In case you missed it ...

• Yep, it was a restrictor-plate race:
2nd -- Paul Menard
3rd -- David Ragan
6th -- Bobby Labonte
7th -- Scott Riggs
8th -- Robby Gordon
10th -- Elliott Sadler

• Labonte's sixth-place run was the best for the No. 43 car since a third-place finish Oct. 22, 2006, at Martinsville. It also was Labonte's best finish at Talladega since a fifth-place run on April 22, 2001.

• Gordon continues to hold serve for the No. 35 spot in owner points. He's now 39 points ahead of Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 00.

• Riggs' season-best finish highlights this: He has not finished outside the top-20 at Talladega in his past five starts, which include two top-10s.

• Joe Nemechek finished 11th at 'Dega, his best run of the year. (He has two other top-20 finishes: Daytona (20th) and Chicago (18th) in July.)

• Kenny Wallace (12th) just missed his first top-10 in the Cup Series since March 23, 2003, at Bristol, a span of 76 races.

• Terry Labonte has two plate-race starts this year and finished 16th and 17th, which speaks to keeping your nose clean and making the most of your opportunities. And never once did you hear or see anything about him bump-drafting through a corner. (Take notes, Carl.)

Moving on to Charlotte

• I said it after Kansas, and nothing changed my mind at Talladega: start etching the trophy. Lowe's Motor Speedway is Jimmie Johnson's playground, and with a 72-point lead entering Saturday night there's no reason to believe he won't pad that cushion:

• Saturday night marks the 100th race at the Charlotte speedway, dating to June 19, 1960. Fireball Roberts started from the pole that day and finished 35th behind Joe Lee Johnson -- his second, and final, Cup victory.

• Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip have the most wins at Charlotte (6), one more than Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and that Johnson fella.

• Looking for a fantasy sleeper this weekend? Bobby Labonte has not finished worse than 13th in the past four races at Charlotte, and was fifth in this race in 2006. Since taking for the No. 43 for Petty Enterprises, his average finish at the track: 11.6.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. (I had to get him in here; it's a NASCAR rule. And no, the chart above doesn't count ...)

Lasting Image

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Three-wide at Talladega.