At most race tracks, NASCAR Sprint Cup teams work from the drop of the green flag until the end of the race to get up front. If a driver and team could lead every lap, they would. If not, they’re doing everything they can to do so.

It’s simply the nature of competition. Being first is best, no matter what the lap. And if a driver is second, he wants to be first.

But at Talladega Superspeedway, site of this weekend’s Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup race, the approach is sometimes different. Sometimes at the drop of the green flag, some drivers head to the back of the pack.

“I see both sides of this strategy,” Hendrick Motorsports driver Casey Mears said. “We were smart by using it in the fall race at Talladega last year. It worked for us. We missed some of the big accidents because we were far enough back where we had reaction time to avoid them.

“But honestly, it's not fun. Basically, all you're doing as the driver is riding for three-quarters of race.”

And it makes for a boring race to watch.

“Hanging back takes the fun out of restrictor-plate racing,” Mears said. “I'm sure the fans aren't real thrilled with it either because it makes the race a little less exciting if their driver is just hanging at the tail of the field.

“At the end of day, if everyone did this strategy, we could race a quarter of the laps and make it just as good of a race, just shorter. In the grand scheme of things, it's not fun for the fans or the drivers, but it's kept us out of trouble and left us with some pretty good finishes. So I shouldn't complain."

The idea, just as Mears said, is simple. Drive around at the back of the pack, and if trouble strikes the leaders, theoretically, there is enough time to react and miss a big wreck.

And when the time is right in the closing laps, the idea is to drive through the field, using the draft, and battle for the lead.

Mears' Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon applied that strategy last October at Talladega, and it worked perfectly. He rode around at the back of the pack for most of the race, only to charge through the field and make a pass for the lead on the final lap to win.

“Our qualifying position played the biggest part in determining our strategy,” Gordon said. “Starting so far back, we thought it would be best to play it safe and work our way into contention near the end of the race.

“As uneventful as it was in back, I was concerned every single moment of every single lap. I was concerned that we would wreck amongst ourselves. I was wondering if we were going to lose the draft.”

It was agonizing for a four-time Cup champion to intentionally not race for the lead.

“I’ve never had to do that before, and it was difficult to get into that mindset,” Gordon said. “We talked about it before the race, and I said, ‘I can’t do it.’ It was tough because I don’t like riding around in back. I want to be up front, battling for the lead and leading laps from the drop of the green flag.”

That’s what Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin did, and he led 40 laps during the race. But Hamlin, of course, didn’t win.

“There is some movement from front to back and vice versa, but it’s mostly to see if you have the car to make those moves when the race is on the line,” Hamlin said. “No one wants to be in the middle of the pack in case things go sideways, and I think there is a tendency to want to be out front or in the back where you are able to avoid any incidents.

“There is a point, and I experienced it firsthand here last fall last year when I was leading, that everyone decides to go. It was a strange feeling being out front because I knew it was coming; it was just a matter of time. Then someone flipped a switch, and it was standard Talladega racing to the finish."

Hendrick's Jimmie Johnson employed a similar strategy as Gordon, as they kept an eye on the points standings. Being conservative and gaining points was more important than charging to the front of the field for the entire race.

But Johnson doesn’t expect that strategy to be as effective this race.

“I remember some criticism for it,” Johnson said. “I would expect this race to be completely out of control and wild. The points are always important, but with the Chase format, I think you will see a much more competitive race. A lot more guys taking risks and getting in the middle of things and racing four-wide. I am predicting a great race in Talladega."