Final Turn: Keselowski, Ragan post firsts at 'Dega

Such is the nature of racing at Talladega Superspeedway that of the top 21 finishers in the Sprint Cup Series race Sunday, only four drivers occupy a spot in the top 12 in points (and one -- Greg Biffle -- came into the race 14th in the standings until a seventh-place finish improved his position by four spots).

Futhermore, full-time rookies Scott Speed (fifth) and Joey Logano (ninth) posted their first career top-10s and Marcos Ambrose (fourth) scored his second top-five and third top-10 in his 20th Cup start.

But it was Brad Keselowski who stole the show with a victory in just his fifth career start in the Cup Series. After the second multi-car wreck of the afternoon thinned the field for the few remaining laps, Keselowski was the driving force sending both he and Carl Edwards to the front in a final flurry.

Then Keselowski made his move to get around Edwards coming down the frontstretch. He dipped to the inside, mindful not to go below the double yellow line. Edwards went to block but Keselowski held his ground, resulting in Edwards spinning, flipping and careening into the catch fence.

Keselowski led one lap.

• Video: Final Laps | Victory Lane | Post-race reactions

In the Nationwide Series on Saturday, it was David Ragan celebrating a win for the first time. With drafting help from Joey Logano, Ragan zoomed to the front as Ryan Newman tried to block Dale Earnhardt Jr. After contact with Earnhardt slowed Newman's momentum, Ragan won the race for his first victory in any of NASCAR's top three series. (Only 15 laps earlier, Ragan was the unwilling culprit that sent Matt Kenseth tumbling).

Ragan led one lap.

• Video: Final Laps | Victory Lane | Kenseth flips several times

Products of the racing conducive to Talladega, or two young drivers on the rise? Let's examine:

Ragan is in his third full season driving in the Cup Series with 83 career starts under his belt. He finished 13th in points last year, posting six of his eight top-fives and 14 of his 18 top-10s. In nine races this year, Ragan has one top-10. He finished 12th at 'Dega.

Ragan has made 85 starts in the Nationwide Series, with 14 top-fives and 36 top-10s. He has finished fifth (2007) and fourth ('08) in points in the two full seasons he has run, and is third this year, with three top-fives and six top-10s in eight races.

In his four previous Cup starts, Keselowski failed to finish on the lead lap in Hendrick Motorsports' No. 25 Chevrolet. But he gave James Finch his first win as an owner in 16 years in the series and in a car -- the 09 Chevrolet -- that had failed to qualify in four races this year (including Keselowski's attempt to make the Daytona 500) and failed to finish in the four other races it had made with Mike Bliss and Sterling Marlin.

Keselowski came into his own last year in the Nationwide Series, finishing third in points with two wins, 11 top-fives and 20 top-10s. After trying a handful of drivers, Earnhardt turned to Keselowski to drive the JR Motorsports' flagship No. 88 Chevrolet midway through the '07 season. Keselowski responded with five top-10s in 14 starts. After a rough start this year, he's sixth in points with three top-fives and four consecutive top-10s. He finished ninth at 'Dega.

Final Turn: Ragan and/or Keselowski. Drivers on the uptick, or just lucky at Talladega?
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