As the Aaron's 499 rolled to a start on the high banks of Talladega Superspeedway, it was with one eye to the sky as the weather forecast predicted approaching afternoon storms. Perhaps NASCAR's most competitive track, the 2.66-mile tri-oval boasts some of the greatest finishes and most spectacular crashes in Winston Cup history. The skies clouded up and the forecast promised late afternoon storms as the green flag waved earlier than scheduled, drivers and fans alike hoping the rain would hold off until after the race.
Jeremy Mayfield led the field from the pole as the race began. Dale Earnhardt Jr., looking to become the first driver ever to win four consecutive races at the track, made a last minute engine change and started from the last position despite qualifying thirteenth.
Only four laps into the 188 lap event, the crash that has come to be an integral part of restrictor plate racing began when 2002 rookie of the year Ryan Newman cut a tire and hit the outside wall, collecting a record setting 27 cars in the aftermath. Dale Earnhardt Jr. dove to the infield to avoid the mess of cars still sliding across the track and got through with only minor damage to the front of his car. As the wreckers cleared the more severely damaged cars of Ryan Newman, Johnny Benson, Ricky Rudd and others, many of the other cars involved headed in and out of the pits, hanging on to the lead lap and making hurried repairs.
When the race resumed nine laps later, only 26 cars remained on the track with Kevin Harvick in the lead. Pole sitter and early leader Jeremy Mayfield lost the lead in the pits and slipped back though the field on the restart, falling back to 21st. Michael Waltrip, the only undamaged car on the DEI team that has dominated the last few years of restrictor plate racing, took the lead from Harvick just a few laps later as his teammate Earnhardt fought his way through traffic, from 22nd to 3rd. Flapping tape and aluminum on the front of Earnhardt's car soon sent him slipping back through the field as the leaders battled for position. Point leader Matt Kenseth and his Roush racing teammate Kurt Busch also climbed to the front of the pack, looking to challenge Waltrip for the lead. Steve Park steered his repaired Chevy around his teammate Waltrip to take the top spot, only to lose it to Sterling Marlin two laps later.
The second caution of the day came out on lap 36 for debris on the back straightaway, just a handful of laps before the leaders would have needed to pit. All of the leaders headed to pit road, some for repairs and others for routine service. Both Jimmie Johnson and his teammate Jeff Gordon opted for a two-tire stop, and Johnson led the field off of pit road. Earnhardt and Kenseth both made long stops for repairs and returned to the track at the end of the lead pack. Steve Park fell two laps back after a long pit stop to secure a loose spoiler to the back of his car.
On the restart, Jeremy Mayfield worked his way up through the pack to get to the front again, and took the lead from Jimmie Johnson on lap 55. Jeff Gordon, running a close second, passed Mayfield on the outside to take the lead, Mayfield battled back to reclaim the top spot on the next lap. Behind them, Matt Kenseth made his way into the top five after his restarting at the back of the pack, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. lost nearly a half lap to the leaders.
A caution for debris interrupted the ongoing battles at the front of the pack, allowing Earnhardt to catch back up with the lead pack and coming once again just in time for the leaders, who had been planning green flag stops for the next few laps. A quick, two-tire stop gave Johnson the edge, and he won the race off pit road to retake the lead.
Matt Kenseth steered his car to the high side of the track to take the lead, becoming the only active driver to lead in every one of his seven Talladega starts. Michael Waltrip made light contact with Ricky Craven on lap 84 and spun up the track, hitting Mike Wallace and Jeremy Mayfield before recovering. All three cars made repairs in the pits and returned to the race as once again the leaders came in for fuel, though both Waltrip and Wallace lost one lap.
On the restart, rookie Greg Biffle slid up the track into Kurt Busch and defending Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart, forcing them against the outside wall. As the race went green once again, Johnson slid up the track, allowing Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick, running side by side, to pass him for the lead. They battled back and forth for a couple laps before Harvick dropped down in front of Kenseth to hold the lead. Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a move to the inside and took the lead for the first time, coming from last to first to lead six consecutive races at Talladega.
Jeff Gordon took second position and closed the small gap Earnhardt had begun to open up and took the lead for the second time. Earnhardt tried to retake the lead on the outside, but couldn't get around Gordon and settled behind him in second as the first round of green flag pit stops began. The top five cars headed down pit road at the same time, and Earnhardt led the race out of the pits after a quick two-tire stop. Gordon and Johnson passed him and Earnhardt got shuffled back to 6th as the cars settled into a single file line.
With 45 laps to go, as the clouds gathered and rain appeared imminent, Earnhardt worked his way back to the lead. Gas and go stops began on lap 158 when the Hendrick Motorsports cars of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Terry Labonte and Joe Nemechek came in along with Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon. Earnhardt and the rest of the leaders came in just two laps later.
Jimmie Johnson, Ward Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. battled back and forth for the lead as the laps wound down. A controversial pass around Matt Kenseth that took Earnhardt below the yellow out of bounds line took him back into the lead, and as he fought to hang onto a slim lead, NASCAR officials reviewed the tape to see if they would call Earnhardt in for a stop and go penalty. Jimmie Johnson, trying to get back to the lead, spun down off of the track, but recovered without a yellow flag, and just seconds after NASCAR ruled that his pass was legal, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the checkered flag to become the first driver to win four consecutive races at Talladega.
Unofficial Results
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Kevin Harvick
- Elliot Sadler
- Ricky Craven
- Terry Labonte
- Sterling Marlin
- Ward Burton
- Jeff Gordon
- Matt Kenseth
- Robby Gordon
Unofficial Standings
- Matt Kenseth
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -129
- Kurt Busch -187
- Jimmie Johnson -220
- Jeff Gordon -222
- Ricky Craven -233
- Michael Waltrip -239
- Kevin Harvick -256
- Tony Stewart -296
- Elliot Sadler -338
