If you wanted speed, you got it. If you wanted parity, you got it. If you wanted a late-race caution to heighten the drama, you got it. If you wanted an insane last lap, you got it. If you wanted your driver to bring his car back in one piece, sorry.

Sunday’s Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 from Talladega had everything we expect from superspeedway racing. There was no way to know who would win going into the last lap. The only thing predictable was that most of the field wasn’t going to make it to the finish unscathed.

When Kevin Harvick and Jamie McMurray made contact late in the race, the stage was set for all the excitement NASCAR fans could want.

When Tony Stewart and Michael Waltrip made contact in the last corner, everyone was reminded how dangerous and expensive this sport can be.

Ahead of the insanity in turn 4, Matt Kenseth would cross the line first. Trailing him were Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch, both unlikely recipients of the good luck it took to get through the carnage. The rest of the top five included David Ragan and Regan Smith, two drivers who have performed poorly all year. Even they were heavily damaged. Behind them, Greg Biffle, Brad Keselowski, Travis Kvapil, Ryan Newman, and Jeff Burton scored top 10s.

Despite the last-turn crash, the points standings were largely unaffected, mostly due to everyone getting a piece of the wreck. Keselowski maintains his lead over Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin, by 14 and 23 points respectively. Behind them, however, there is a logjam of drivers sitting very close together in points.

Kasey Kahne advanced to fourth in the standings, leaping Clint Bowyer and Stewart. Behind him, Gordon gained four positions, but failed to gain many points on the leader, Keselowski. Bowyer sits 5th, Gordon 6th, and Stewart 7th.

Martin Truex, Jr. remains 8th, while Biffle moves up two spots to 9th. The biggest loser, in terms of positions, was Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who falls four positions to 11th in points, directly behind Kevin Harvick. Kenseth, despite his victory, still sits last in the Chase standings.

The official standings after Talladega are:

As the Sprint Cup Series moves to Charlotte, the top three drivers have clearly separated themselves. It will take a monumental effort by any of the other drivers and some poor races by the frontrunners to challenge for the championship.

As I mentioned, the teams’ focus shifts to the 1.5 mile Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Bank of America 500. Charlotte is the home track for many of the teams making Charlotte races a marquee event.

Talladega winner Matt Kenseth is the defending champion of the fall race at CMS. He will need to recapture the magic of both last week and last season to get him back into the championship hunt.

Kasey Kahne won at Charlotte in May, with has four victories there overall. He, along with his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will all be huge threats this week. Johnson (6) and Gordon (5) have a combined 11 wins at Charlotte, and all four finished in the top-11 in May.

Others to watch out for this weekend are Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, both of whom have a streak of four consecutive top-10 finishes at CMS. Hamlin, specifically, will be looking to close the gap between him and Keselowski.

Of note: Chevrolet drivers have won 4 of the last 5 October races at Charlotte. If this season is any indication, however, expect the unexpected.

Coverage of the Bank of America 500 will begin Saturday night at 6pm on ABC.