When Jeff Gordon won last week at Phoenix and tied Dale Earnhardt for number of NASCAR Nextel Cup wins, he rode around the track with a #3 flag as a tribute. Some fans didn't take it that way and pelted the track with beer cans. Dale Earnhardt Jr. thanked Gordon for the tribute. He didn't understand why some fans were upset but suggested they should throw a roll of toilet paper because no one ever needed stitches after getting hit in the head with toilet paper. Gordon's not exactly a favourite at Talledega either and Gordon won the pole for Sunday's Aarons 499.
The race was clean at the start but things got a little messy at the end. Jeff Gordon's #24 Dupont Chevy led the first lap but was passed for the lead by Sterling Marlin's #14 Waste Management Chevy. These two trade the lead until Jimmie Johnson's #48 Lowe's Chevy leads on lap 20. After green flag pit stops, Gordon leads on lap 51. Tony Stewart's #20 Home Depot Chevy is too fast on pit road and goes a lap down. He gets the lap back after a lap 74 debris caution.
A caution comes out on lap 81 when Clint Bowyer's #07 Jack Daniels Chevy hits the wall. Kurt Busch's #2 Miller Lite Dodge leads after pit stops. After several brief lead changes, Jeff Gordon leads on lap 105. Green flag pit stops begin on lap 125. Casey Mears' #24 National Guard/GMAC Chevy is tapped from behind by Jimmie Johnson on lap 126 and hits the inside wall. Mears thought he was piiting with his teammate but Johnson didn't know about it. Kenny Wallace's #78 Furniture Row Chevy leads after pit stops.
On lap 131, Tony Raines & Jimmy Johnson drift up the track and Ricky Rudd's #88 Snickers Ford hits the wall. Kyle Busch's #5 Kellogg's/Carquest Chevy & Joe Nemechek's #13 CertainTeed Chevy hir the inside wall hard and Jeff Burton's #31 Cingular Chevy spins into Busch. Elliott Sadler's #19 UAW/Dodge Dealers Dodge leads after pit stops but Denny Hamlin's #11 FedEx Chevy takes the lead on lap 140.
At this point in the race, fuel mileage could be an issue. Denny Hamlin continues to lead and everyone is in single file for now. A lap 179 debris caution takes fuel mileage out of the equation for most guys but some stay out anyway. I don't like that strategy at Talladega because most cars can still get to the front in ten laps. Jamie McMurray's #26 Sharp Aquos Ford takes the lead on lap 183. David Reutimann's #00 Dominos Pizza Toyota blows an engine on lap 185. Jeff Gordon takes the lead just before the caution comes out. This sets up a green/white/checker finish. On the final lap, Greg Biffle, Johnny Sauter, David gilliland & Tony Stewart all crash. The field is frozen and Jeff Gordon wins the race. And as the above picture shows, fans pelted the track with beer cans again.
Congratulations to Jeff Gordon, crew chief Steve Letarte and car owner Rick Hendrick. Big top ten finishes for David Gilliland, David Stremme, Ryan Newman & Martin Truex Jr. Gordon still leads the points. Nextel Cup is in Richmond on Saturday. Here's the top ten of the race and a race recap video.
#/Driver/Sponsor/Make/Owner
1.24/Jeff Gordon/Dupont/Chevy/Rick Hendrick
2.48/Jimmie Johnson/Lowe's/Chevy/Rick Hendrick
3.2/Kurt Busch/Miller Lite/Dodge/Roger Penske
4.38/David Gilliland/M&M's/Ford/Robert Yates
5.26/Jamie McMurray/Sharp Aquos/Ford/Jack Roush
6.29/Kevin Harvick/Shell Pennzoil/Chevy/Richard Childress
7.8/Dale Earnhart Jr./Budweiser/Chevy/Dale Earnhardt Inc.
8.40/David Stremme/Wrigley's Winterfresh/Dodge/Chip Ganassi
9.12/Ryan Newman/Kodak/Dodge/Roger Penske
10.1/Martin Truex Jr./Bass Pro Shops/Chevy/Dale Earnhardt Inc.
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