NASCAR: Five Lessons Learned From Talladega

Talladega was the end of the Round of 12 and now only 8 Chase drivers remain in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. Before we get ready for Martinsville next weekend, here are five lessons learned from the Hellman’s 500.

NASCAR entered Talladega with 12 drivers eligible to win the championship this season. When the race was over, they left with eight.

The Round of Eight starts next week, but there were several lessons Talladega taught us. One lessons was how these super speedway races continue to be too long. The race doesn’t get interesting until the last 50 laps.

We saw several top drivers say goodbye to their Chase hopes. Martin Truex Jr. won two races in the Chase, but a blown engine at Talladega ended his chances at a championship. NASCAR still needs to improve on their current Chase system, as the only driver who has won multiple races in the Chase will not be competing for the championship moving forward.

Brad Keselowski also saw his Chase hopes end after his engine overheated. Keselowski dominated Talladega, but debris caught on the front of his car raised his temperatures too high and caused his engine to fail.

The importance of getting debris off the grill of a car is something not often talked about in NASCAR, but Keselowski’s situation was a harsh reminder of how important it is for driver’s to keep their grills clean.

Talladega was the biggest risk factor in the Chase and now with this crazy race over, the rest of the Chase is going to come down to perfect pit stops and fast cars.

Before we get ready to go to Martinsville next week though, here are five lessons learned from the Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega.