All three cars were found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the rule book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event); and 20-3.2.1A (unapproved modification to an approved windshield) of the 2011 NASCAR rule book.

Crew chiefs Rodney Childers (No. 00), Frank Kerr (No. 47) and Chad Johnston (No. 56) were each fined $50,000 and suspended for the next four Sprint Cup events. They were also suspended from NASCAR until Nov. 23rd.

Car chiefs Steve Channing (No. 00), Raymond Fox (No. 47) and Anthony Lunders (No. 56) also received the same suspensions. And, MWR director of competition, Bobby Kennedy, has been placed on probation until the end of the calendar year.

The car owners, Rob Kauffman (No. 00), Tad Geschickter (No. 47), and Michael Waltrip (No. 56), have each been penalized with the loss of 25 championship owner points. Drivers David Reutimann (No. 00), Bobby Labonte (No. 47), and Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56) have each been penalized with the loss of 25 championship driver points.

JTG Daugherty owner Brad Daugherty said:

We are very disappointed in this entire situation and we will not appeal NASCAR’s ruling. We look forward to racing at Martinsville Speedway this weekend and getting ready for next season.

Team chief race engineer Brian Burns will assume the role as crew chief for the No. 47 Toyota Camry replacing Kerr and Bob Bechstein has been named car chief replacing Fox following the penalties.

MWR also commented on the penalties:

Michael Waltrip Racing is ultra-sensitive and very serious about working within the guidelines of NASCAR policy. We do not condone this type of activity and as such we will take appropriate internal corrective action immediately. We thank NASCAR for providing a fair and equitable platform for all of its competitors and respect its decisions; therefore, we will not appeal.

Pat Tryson will take over for Johnston as crew chief for the no. 56 team. Tryson was recently replaced on that team earlier this year.

Allen Mincey, race mechanic of the No. 56, will serve as interim car chief for that team in place of Lunders.  Bobby Kennedy will serve as interim crew chief in place of Childers on the No. 00. Chris Hall, race mechanic with the No. 00 , will serve as interim car chief for that team in place of Channing.

Frank Kerr, the team’s current crew chief, will move to the role of shop forman, while Todd Berrier will become the team’s crew chief and general manager in 2012.

Berrier said:

I’m looking forward to this new opportunity with JTG Daugherty Racing and working with Bobby.

Larte Zatta, of TRD, will join the team as director of engineering.

JTG also announced that Kingsford Charcoal, Busch’s Baked Beans, the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Hidden Valley, KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauces & Marinades, and Glad will return as sponsors for the team.

It was initially reported that Michael Waltrip Racing would end its technical alliance with JTG, to make room for the addition of Clint Bowyer. It was later reported, however, that JTG and MWR are likely to maintain their alliance.  

While the two teams are still reportedly still allies, JTG will move from MWR’s shop to its own shop. As part of the original alliance, MWR provided cars and crew to JTG, and housed the cars in its shop. It appears that JTG will now support their own cars in their own shop.

Dega Wreaks Havoc on Chasers

On Lap 174, Michaeal Waltrip was pushing Bobby Labonte when Labonte lost control of his race car and spun in the middle of the turn.  Kurt Busch had no where to go and drove straight into the side panel of Labonte.  This destroyed the hood of Busch’s race car and ended his day.  The elder Busch brother finished the race in 36th position, 15 laps down.  This did not help his chances for the championship, knocking him down one spot in standings to eighth place, 52 points behind the leader.

Luckily for Kurt Busch, he isn’t the only Chase driver that struggled at Talladega.  Hendrick Motorsports’ Chasers did not finish as expected on Sunday, coming home with 25th (Dale Earnhardt Jr), 26th (Jimmie Johnson), and 27th (Jeff Gordon) place finishes.  All three drivers rode out the race in the back of the pack and just didn’t seem to have the momentum to race towards the front at the end.

Earnhardt remains in ninth position in standings, 74 points behind the leader.  Thanks to others’ misfortune, Johnson moved up one position to seventh place, but is now 50 points behind the leader.  Jeff Gordon also moved up one position; however, he is now 82 points behind the leader.   I would say this is the end of Hendrick Motorsports’ chances to win the title.  Johnson would be the only driver with a chance, but he would need the drivers ahead of him in the Chase to have substantial bad luck to overtake them.

Kevin Harvick came to Talladega only five points behind leader Carl Edwards.  Leaving Talladega, he is in fifth position, now 26 points behind the leader.  Early on in the race, Harvick had a fast car; he even led the race on six different occasions.  But, he fell victim to a large pile-up on Lap 104 when AJ Allmendinger spun on the front-stretch. Harvick finished the race in 32nd position, nine laps down.

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Joey Logano worked well together early in the race.  On Lap 67, as the duo was attempting to make green flag pit stops, Trevor Bayne cut in front of them, abruptly separating the pair.  This caused Logano to spin his race car and forced Busch to drive down pit road to avoid an accident.  Logano then blew a left-front tire on the backstretch, bringing out the caution. Busch was then sent to the rear of the field for failure to reduce speed while driving down pit road.

Busch was able to recover, leading the race on Lap 90 with help of his teammate, Denny Hamlin.  After the pile-up on Lap 104, however, Busch was unable to race his way to the front and finished the race in 33rd position.  Logano on the other hand, was able to push Tony Stewart to the lead of the race on Lap 136, despite the damage to his race car. Logano finished the race in 24th position.  Busch is now sixth in standings, 40 points behind the leader.

Chase for the Sprint Cup

Carl Edwards remains the points leader after finishing in 11th position at Talladega.  Fellow Roush driver Matt Kenseth sits second, 14 points behind Edwards.  Brad Keselowski gained three spots in the standings, moving to third, just 18 points back.  Tony Stewart moved up to fourth position after finishing the race in seventh place and is now 19 points behind Edwards.

Both Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch dropped positions because of their misfortune and are now in fifth and sixth position.  Rivals Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson are now right beside each other in standings, sitting in eighth and ninth position.  Dale Jr and Jeff Gordon round out the top-10 in ninth and tenth positions, respectively.  Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman reside in 11th and 12th place, respectively.

Best Efforts of the Race

The Red Bull Racing team of Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne have to be recognized for their effort on Sunday.  Kahne started 26th, Vickers 30th, and the two pushed their way into the top-five within 10 laps.  They had troubles with the two-car tandem on Lap 159, causing Kahne to spin across the nose of Vickers to bring out a caution.  But with 50 laps to go, the pair had already hooked back up and were headed to the front.  Unfortunately they just couldn’t catch the RCR tandem, but still came home with fifth (Vickers) and sixth (Kahne) place finishes.

Dave Blaney’s third place finish at Talladega represented Tommy Baldwin’s Racing’s best finish yet at the Cup level.  Blaney was in the battle at the front in both the Daytona 500 and the spring race at Talladega this year, but couldn’t get the finishes he deserved.  This is a big step for a small organization with a short history in the sport.  Team owner Tommy Baldwin hopes the Talladega finish is a step in the right direction for a more competitive season in 2012.

Landon Cassill and Casey Mears deserve a shout-out for their strong effort at Talladega.  Before the race had even one lap in the books, Mear’s No. 13 GEICO Camry had moved from its 42nd starting position into 26th.  On Lap 3, Mears paired up with Cassill to head to the front.  They spent most of the race in the Top 5 and Top 10 until lap 174 when Mears lost his drafting partner.  Cassill was collected in a turn two crash involving Bobby Labonte and Kurt Busch, forcing Mears to find another dancing partner.  Although their finishes of 16th and 17th do not represent their hard effort, the fact that they survived Talladega tells the story by itself!

Geschickter said:

We are looking at a number of different options that will enable us to continue to share notes and technical support with Michael Waltrip. [This partnership] has definitely helped us be a better team. As it looks today, we are going to assert some independence. But we continue to work every week with Michael to figure out what (the relationship) is going to look like.

Geschickter did confirm that the No. 47 would move from the MWR shop to its own shop in Harrisburg, NC. The team is currently working on a deal to remain with Toyota in 2012.

The team plans to make an announcement regarding its driver lineup and manufacturer soon. Geschickter expects Bobby Labonte to be back. He said:

Bobby and I shook hands, which is all we’ve ever needed to do. Short of signing a contract, we’re feeling pretty good about getting that done.

Geschickter also indicated that in 2013, the team would like to expand to a multi-car operation.

JTG owner Brad Daugherty wants to keep his team on track next season, and is currently considering an alliance with Richard Petty Motorsports. RPM had talks with Clint Bowyer about joining the team in a third car. Later, RPM withdrew, stating that they were happy with the performance of the two-car operation.

Team owner Andrew Murstein said:

We are no longer in discussions with [Bowyer]. We just feel that RPM is in a great place today, especially how far we have come since last year. Both Marcos (Ambrose) and AJ (Allmendinger) are not only having career years, but they are both moving in the right directions and improving. … Clint is a great driver and we wish him the best wherever he ends up. For now, we will continue to focus on our two teams and continuing to make great strides as we return the King and his unmatched tradition and legion of loyal fans back into Victory Lane.

They were close to adding a third team, which could mean that a technical alliance with JTG is not out of the question. But, considering they recently indicated they were happy with the performance of their two cars, they may not want to expand.

An alliance with RPM would also mean a switch a manufacturer for JTG. RPM fields Fords, so the team would need to field Fords as well.

Almirola was slated to drive Red Bull Racing’s No. 83 Toyota at Martinsville, but it appears Kahne will move over to that ride for the final five races of the season, giving him an early start to work with his 2011 team.

The move is believed to be the result of Kahne’s recent frustration with the team’s inability to finish races — particularly suffering brake failures in two of the last three events — and the comments he made afterwards.

In last weekend’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kahne wrecked because, he said, his brakes failed. After the car was repaired Kahne, who was feeling ill, said he wasn’t well enough to get back in the car. JJ Yeley finished the race.

He called the break issues ”a mess” and a “joke.” An RPM team member told him he needed to do his part. Kahne said:

I was told that I need to start doing my part. I can’t control the issues I’ve had this year. I don’t know how many parts I’ve broke, how many shifter handles, control arms, blowers, brakes. If I really thought about it, I could come up with all kinds of stuff. You can’t control that as a driver. I’m doing my part. I just need the car. I work as hard as anybody out there.

Kahne’s decision not to get in the car and his comments led some to speculate that he was quitting on his team, and wasn’t willing to fight through adversity. Apparently, RPM officials agreed.

RPM Vice President Robbie Loomis said:

When you know that [you’re leaving] is in the back of your mind, it gets harder and harder when you’re having adversity to fight through it. When he gets over there [at Hendrick] with being around Jeff [Gordon] and Jimmie [Johnson], he’ll get to learn a lot through them and how they deal and fight with adversity, too. It was disheartening for all of us. We felt so good going into the race.

As a result, Kahne was released early.

Kahne is slated to drive RBR’s No. 83 Sprint Cup Toyota next season, while he waits for Mark Martin to finish his final season in Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevy,  Kahne’s 2012 ride. The move will put him in that car five races early.

The driver lineup for RPM’s No. 9 beyond Martinsville is not set. Marcos Ambrose is signed to drive that car next season. He could ask to be released from JTG Daughtery Racing to get a head start, which would open the No. 47 Toyota up for Bobby Labonte, who is slated to replace Ambrose in that car next season. That would leave James Finch, owner of Phoenix Racing’s No. 09 Chevy that Labonte drives, looking for a driver.

Update: Jenna Fryer, who wrote the AP story breaking the news of Kahne’s release, tweeted that Kahne will run the No. 83 RBR Toyota for the remaining five races this year. He will move over to the No. 82 next season, which will become the No. 4.

RBR will be a two-car team, meaning Kahne will team up with Brian Vickers, who is returning to the series, next season, leaving Scott Speed without a ride.

Update 2: Nate Ryan of USA Today tweeted that Tad Geschickter, of JTG Daugherty Racing, said that the plan is to keep Marcos Ambrose in the No. 47 for the remainder of this season. The Sporting News added that Geschickter confirmed that Ambrose asked for an early release. But, current sponsor and promotional obligations prevented that request from being granted.

Update 3: Two sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed that Kasey Kahne will replace Scott Speed in the No. 82 Toyota next season. With Kenny Francis coming with him, it looks like Jimmy Elledge is likely the odd crew chief out at RBR. Robin Pemberton, current crew chief for Speed, will likely move back to Brian Vickers and the No. 83 Toyota.

Ambrose will be sponsored by Stanley Black & Decker, which was rumored to be leaving to team to follow Elliott Sadler to another team. Sadler announced last month that he was leaving the team at season’s end. There have been reports that RPM is interested in bringing him back, though.

Kahne announced in April that he signed a deal with Hendrick Motorsports in 2012. But, because HMS has four drivers under contract for 2011, Kahne was left without a ride.

Speculation began that Mark Martin would be asked to step aside so that Kahne could drive the No. 5 in 2011. Martin maintained that he would be in the No. 5 next season, leading to speculation and rumors about where Kahne would end up. He signed a one-year deal with RBR last week.

Last month, Ambrose also announced that he was leaving  JTG Daugherty Racing at season’s end. At that time, he was instantly linked to RPM and the seat Kahne was vacating. Bobby Labonte was announced as Ambrose’s replacement at JTG.

With this news, RPM has two drivers under contract for 2011. Sadler is still looking to leave the team, and Paul Menard left the team to join Richard Childress Racing.

AJ Allmendinger signed a contract extension with RPM earlier this summer.

Team owner Richard Petty said:

Ambrose said:

Stanley Tools said:

AJ Allmendinger recently re-signed with the team. But, other than that, RPM has no drivers under contract for next season. Elliott Sadler announced he’d be leaving the team at season’s end. Kasey Kahne is leaving the team at season’s end, as he is slated to drive for Hendrick Motorsports in 2012. And, Paul Menard is said to be headed to Richard Childress Racing next season.

Marcos Ambrose has been rumored to be a candidate to fill Kahne’s vacant seat at RPM, but he could also end up in the seat vacated by Kahne. Ambrose announced he’d be leaving JTG Daugherty Racing at the end of the season. Bobby Labonte may replace Ambrose in JTG’s No. 47.

Labonte said:

JTG Daugherty Racing is a solid race team that has come close to winning races with Marcos Ambrose and I’m looking forward to developing our new partnership in 2011. The team is thriving and their technical alliance with MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) is intact. It’s great to have next year already set in stone so when this season ends we can begin focusing on next year right away. Everything is in place and we have all the right ingredients to win races together.

Brad Daugherty, one of the team’s owners, said:

We are really happy Bobby has decided to join our team because I have known him for a long time and I have always admired him as a professional driver and as an individual. He will do an outstanding job representing our products and team. He has gotten to a point in his career that he still has some things to accomplish. He is highly experienced with a championship on his resume’ and we know he is capable of winning.

Owner Jodi Geschickter added:

We know he is an amazing fit for our sponsors and racing organization. The Labonte name has a history of excellence. Bobby is a proven winner, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and his character is solid.

Labonte began the season driving for TRG Motorsports in their No. 71 Sprint Cup Chevy. He left the team in June, seeking a more competitive ride. Following his departure from TRG, he drove for Robby Gordon Motorsports and Phoenix Racing before agreeing to drive the No. 71 for four more races this season.