Best race of '08

TALLADEGA, Ala. – It may not have been a race for the ages, but Sunday's Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway should be one folks won't forget for a long time.

"If the fans didn't like that, you just don't like racing," said Denny Hamlin, who finished third. "It was fun racing, so we decided to go out and give the fans a show."

And that's exactly what it was, a heck of a good show – arguably the best race of the season. From Joe Nemechek taking the pole to Kyle Busch leading the final five laps for the win, this one was a keeper.

And even though there were a few slow spots, and the race finished under caution when a 11-car wreck occurred after the white flag was displayed, it did little to temper the excitement.

"For sure, it's the best race we've had," Hamlin said.

Sure, Sunday's event was a restrictor plate race and there were a few big wrecks near the end. But save for a few stretches of single-file racing, the majority of the 188 laps were captivating – as good racing should be.

"At times, this race kind of had the complexion like it had over the last three races, kind of single file, just everyone taking their time, didn't want to do anything crazy until the end," Hamlin said. "But every time you come to a superspeedway race, it seems like it's the mark that with 25 (laps) to go is when it really kind of busts loose and gets crazy. I thought the racing was really good up to that point. There was a lot of exchanging for the lead between myself, the 88 and those guys. I thought it was a great race."

With 52 lead changes among 20 different drivers, everyone seemed to want to be part of the fun. And, for the most part, they were, be it for a few laps or for a lot longer as the event wound down to its thrilling conclusion, a speedy 3 hours, 10 minutes after the green flag fell.

Even FOX TV analyst Darryl Waltrip, who has been critical about the racing at times this year, applauded the event.

"We saw a great race today," the former three-time Cup champion said. "I hate to see what happened at the end, but that's just Talladega."

On the one hand, it was a typical day at Talladega. There were a few multi-car wrecks – including the near-requisite "big one" on the final lap. But it was so much more than that:

• To see veterans like Nemechek and Ken Schrader, who have been down on their luck in recent years, start first and third, respectively, and stay near the front for a good part of the first half of the race was inspiring.

• To see youngsters like David Ragan, Brian Vickers, Travis Kvapil and Casey Mears run strong for much of the day and finish fourth through seventh, respectively, showed that there were more guys capable of a good finish than the usual group of suspects like Gordon, Stewart, Earnhardt, Johnson, etc.

• To see runner-up Juan Pablo Montoya equal his second-best career Cup performance on one of the toughest tracks on the circuit – and in a plate race to boot – showed that he's ready to make a big move upward. And indeed, Montoya jumped five spots in the standings to 12th place.

• There was even uncharacteristic drama between new teammates Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. When Earnhardt blocked Gordon from passing him late in the race, the four-time champ was livid.

"All deals are off," Gordon told crew chief Steve Letarte on his team radio. "(Earnhardt) just showed me what he's all about."

One other element that likely contributed to the overall excitement in the race was the restrictor plate itself. NASCAR chose to use a new plate with smaller holes (15/16th of an inch) that shaved about 25 horsepower off each motor.

"They took away a bit of horsepower, but I think it made the race a lot better, a lot closer," Montoya said. "And, you didn't see what you saw before, that with four laps to go, that a group of cars came from behind to win the race. You had to be in position."

In so doing, we wound up seeing something we never have before at 'Dega. While we're used to multi-car "trains" drafting and pushing each other forward, Sunday marked the first time where two-car mini-trains continually pushed several drivers to the front.

Hamlin made it work several times with Montoya. David Stremme, filling in for the injured Dario Franchitti, made it work with Gordon. Ditto for Elliott Sadler and Gordon. To say the least, it was uncanny – but only served to add to the excitement of the day.

Put it all together and Sunday's race may not have been picture-perfect, but it was one that will leave a lot of memories floating through the minds of the estimated 156,000 who were in the stands and the millions more that watched it on TV.

"It was an exciting race," Busch said. "There were times where it got pretty impatient and guys were making some bold moves and what not, bump drafting and getting a little crazy."

Sure, Sunday's race wasn't even close to being the best of all time or even the best Talladega has ever seen, but it would be hard not to grade it as the best race we've seen in 2008.

Let's see if Richmond, Darlington, Charlotte and every other track coming up can top this one.