Take 5: GEICO 500 at Talladega

DAYTONA DO-OVER?: If Talladega's tension was any indicator, more suspense is due for at the Cup Series' next superspeedway event: the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 29. Monday's overtime finish showed what moves the field was willing to make to catch a taste of Victory Lane. Come late summer, the stakes will be even higher for Daytona's first cut-off race, with hungry hopefuls aiming to lock themselves into the postseason field. -- Zack Albert

OH, RICKY: It's Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s first year at JTG Daugherty Racing, but he's still the same ol' Stenhouse at the superspeedways. To be clear, this is a compliment. The former Roush Fenway Racing driver has a well-earned reputation of being fast, and super aggressive, at the big tracks. That hasn't changed, as evidenced Monday by his through-the-field runner-up performance that was classic Stenhouse -- big moves, big bumps and a big finish. -- Brad Norman

RULES REDUX: Monday's 500 was the first for new superspeedway rules that reduced horsepower to a target figure of around 500-510, with other aerodynamic and safety measures put in place. The result was a more bunched-up field, vigorous bump-drafting and 56 lead changes -- the most for a Talladega race in nine years. But with all the rooting and gouging, the event was surprisingly clean until the very end -- a contrast from the scrambled series of incidents that closed the season-opening Daytona 500. "Yeah, the runs did seem a little slower," said Aric Almirola, whose No. 10 Ford slid sideways across the finish line in third place. "The other thing I noticed was with the cars going a little bit slower, we didn't get the typical single file out right around the fence. We kind of stayed more packed up and together, which to me, I thought there was going to be more wrecks because of it." -- Zack Albert

PENSKE POISE: In terms of superspeedway game plans, few organizations executed better than Team Penske in Monday's Talladega event. The three Penske Mustangs and Matt DiBenedetto's affiliated Wood Brothers Racing entry stacked up first through fourth in the running order for sizable chunks of the day, staying in line and controlling the front of the pack. Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano combined to lead more than half of the race, and though fuel consumption and a late caution shook up their late-race intentions, Blaney's final-lap maneuvers handed Ford its ninth win in the last 10 Talladega races. -- Zack Albert

FLYIN' RYAN: It's time to add Ryan Blaney's name to the list when we debate the best superspeedway drivers in the sport. His performance in the last three races at superspeedways have resulted in two wins at Talladega and one runner-up finish in the Daytona 500. Blaney is savvy at these tracks, fast and keenly aware of his surroundings. He's one of the best in the sport today. -- Brad Norman

Monday's GEICO 500 was worth the rain-delayed wait. Not only did the Cup Series field rally behind Bubba Wallace, the on-track competition that spilled into a sizzling overtime finish provided plenty of story lines. With the dust still settling, here are five topics to unpack from an eventful day at Talladega Superspeedway.