JUST THE USUAL CHAOS; Once the dust settled, Jeff Burton's points lead shrank.(Dale Earnhardt Jr.)(Denny Hamlin )(Jeff Burton)

Byline: AL PEARCE

The recently repaved Talladega Superspeedway was considered a "wildcard'' track in the 10-driver, 10-race shootout to determine NASCAR's Nextel Cup champion. The 2.66-miler (with accompanying restrictor plates) is notorious for massive wrecks that devour even the most innocent bystanders. NASCAR even went so far as to further reduce restrictor plate size Saturday morning, after speeds were uncomfortably high during Friday's running. Indeed, 500 miles around 'Dega is sometimes considered more a dance with disaster than a true test of skill.

Just ask Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson. For that matter, ask Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin and Jeff Gordon. Championship contenders all, they finished well back in the UAW-Ford 500, done in by multi-car crashes or, in Burton's case, an ill-timed flat tire that cost him perhaps 20 finish positions.

Earnhardt Jr. and Johnson were running 1-2 entering Turn Three on the last lap. They finished 23rd and 24th, respectively, after third-running Brian Vickers knocked Johnson into Earnhardt Jr. Vickers scooted by for his first career win in 107 starts for Hendrick Motorsports, the team he will leave in November in favor of Team Red Bull's Toyotas. Chase-for-the-Championship-driver Kasey Kahne was second, followed by Kurt Busch, championship-chaser Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr. Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin, the other contenders in the field, finished sixth and eighth to enhance their championship hopes.

Hamlin was 21st, just ahead of Junior and Johnson. Burton finished a lap-down 27th and Gordon was 36th, sidelined by a Turn One accident that Johnson triggered by knocking Carl Edwards into Casey Mears. The melee swept up 13 cars and probably ended Gordon's bid for a fifth Cup title.

Burton's lead is six points over Kenseth with six races remaining. He leads Martin by 10 points, Harvick by 33, Hamlin by 51 and Earnhardt Jr. by 106. Lacking an unfathomable set of circumstances, Gordon (minus 147) and Johnson (minus 156) are done; Kahne and Busch have been done since round two at Dover in September.

Earnhardt Jr., a five-time Talladega winner, led 37 of 188 laps and seemed virtually unbeatable most of the day. He was defending the point when he found himself abruptly wrecking after unintentional contact from Johnson.