But of all the places where it will have an impact, Talladega Superspeedway would rank at the bottom of the list among the final five races of the year.

Almirola won the pole Saturday for the Camping World RV Sales 500 as rain washed out qualifying for Sunday’s race and the field was set by Friday’s first practice speeds.

The Richard Petty Motorsports driver posted the top speed at 202 mph in a car that Parrott had spearheaded the preparation for prior to his being suspended Thursday for violations of NASCAR’s substance-abuse policy.

“It certainly has had some impact for sure but for all weekends for something like that to happen, Talladega is a pretty easy one,” Almirola said after winning the pole.

“You just try to get your car on the ground and try not to let it rub the racetrack too much to kill the speed and you go drive it. … I think it talks a lot about how well our race team is well-rounded. We have a lot of guys at the shop that do a really good job with our cars and these cars were prepared several weeks ago.”

RPM competition director Sammy Johns is serving as interim crew chief this week while Parrott is suspended. Parrott is not expected to return before the end of the season. He must meet with a substance-abuse professional, who will diagnose him and determine what steps he must take to complete NASCAR’s “Road to Recovery” program. That typically takes at least six weeks.

Parrott is the first Cup crew chief suspended since NASCAR started random drug testing in 2009.

“We are working on a plan, and I am sure they will announce the plan next week as to our plans for the rest of the year moving forward,” Almirola said. “We just have to work through that and we will keep that internal until we are ready to announce it.

“We have sat down and talked about it and tried to come up with the best solution for what is best for us. … Todd Parrott is a good person and a good crew chief and a good friend of mine. I think he has a lot of support and a lot of people rallying behind him to get through this difficult time.”

Series points leader Matt Kenseth starts 12th, while Jimmie Johnson, second in the standings, starts 11th in the sixth race of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Kevin Harvick, third in the standings, starts 33rd, while Jeff Gordon (fourth in the standings) starts 19th and Kyle Busch (fifth in the standings) 27th. Five-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start eighth; Danica Patrick will start 23rd.


SAUTER WINS IN WILD FINISH


Johnny Sauter raced to his third NASCAR Truck Series victory of the season Saturday, surviving a huge crash on the final turn at Talladega Superspeedway that took out Kyle Busch and everyone else racing at the front of the pack .

Three sets of trucks paired up in the closing laps — Sauter with series leader Matt Crafton, Busch with Dakoda Armstrong, and Ross Chastain with Parker Kligerman.

Sauter was the only one to be spared from a 12-truck crash that occurred when pole-sitter Jeb Burton got tangled up with Busch, sending the Sprint Cup star slamming into both the inside and outside walls. Miguel Paludo's No. 32 machine flipped and slid across the line upside down, before turning back over in the first turn, finally coming to a stop with flames flickering from the hood.

Sauter took the checkered flag in his No. 98 Toyota, while David Starr weaved through the carnage to claim second place. Chastain sustained heavy damage but slid across the line in third.

Most of the drivers were treated at the infield medical center and released, but Justin Lofton was transported to a hospital and released with a fractured thumb, according to a tweet from an account used by him and his representative.

"It's like any restrictor-plate race: pretty crazy," Sauter said. "I looked in my rearview mirror and saw smoke and trucks were spinning everywhere. I saw Matt was gone and I was like, 'Uh oh, this isn't good.'"


GORDON SELLS NY CONDO


Jeff Gordon is still a fan of New York City and still has a place there. He just might not have as good a view of the city skyline as he used to have.

The four-time Cup champion doesn’t have the condo at 15 Central Park West anymore. The New York Daily News reported Friday that the sales price was $25 million for the 3,454-square-foot condo, which sold a couple of months ago. That was $5 million below the listed price but way more than the $9.7 million Gordon and his wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, paid for the condo in 2007, according to the report.

“Man, that’s amazing,” Gordon said feigning surprise Friday about the sale of the condo.

So what is he going to do with the money?

“We reinvest,” he said.

Gordon said his family still loves New York and still spends time there.

“We actually bought another place in New York, just not on Central Park West,” he said. “I love (the city), my wife does and our kids do too.

“It’s a good place to invest as well as a good place to spend time.”


TWEETS


— “Thank you lord for letting all of us climb out unscathed.” — Darrell Wallace Jr @BubbaWallace after he was involved in the big truck wreck

— “After watching that truck race, all I can say is I'll be really happy when tomorrow's cup race is over. Plate races scare me.” — ESPN NASCAR host and IndyCar driver wife Nicole Briscoe @RB_Mrs 

— “I'm good with qualifying being rained out. I just hope it quits so it doesn't screw up my planned bike ride this afternoon.” — Aric Almirola @aric_almirola just prior to winning the pole after it got rained out


WHAT WE’RE WATCHING


The final lap at Talladega last year ended up with Tony Stewart airborne after he threw a block. Will it happen again? As the drivers showed in the truck race, it can be difficult to get through these races without having “the big one.” The question isn’t as much whether there will be a big one, it’s just how big.

Contributors: Bob Pockrass, The Associated Press