Newman Settles for 16th -- Up to 7th in Points

The Talladega race on Sunday was a little boring. It was obvious right off the start that the DEI cars of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Michael Waltrip were going to dominate. In the end, Earnhardt, Jr. beat out Kevin Harvick for a run to the line. This is Earnhardt, Jr.'s 5th Talladega win.

Newman, on the other hand, played it safe. He wasn't aggressive at all during most of the race, keeping in the back with Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte, making sure he could stay out of "The Big One" if that should happen. As it turned out, "The Big One" never happened, although there were a few minor accidents on the grid that day. Ryan did get up into the Top 10 at one point, but during races at Talladega, cars are so "aero" important and drafting is the key to make your way up to the front. If you're not in the lead draft, you can go to Top 5 to back of the pack in just a couple of laps.

Ryan finally settled in 16th as he crossed the line, almost missing out of Elliott Sadler's roll across the finish line. Although Ryan loses points to the leaders, he moves up one spot in the Championship point standings to 7th, thanks to Jimmie Johnson's engine troubles.

UPDATE! Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is docked 25 points and fined $10,000 for swearing during a post-race interview in Victory Lane. This means that Kurt Busch now takes the points lead, 12 points ahead of Dale Jr. Implications down the road? You bet! Watch for some serious shit to go down in Miami (last race of the season).