 |
| Clint Bowyer |
The Chevys Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer pulled away from the pack after the final restart with 3 laps to go and then coming to the trioval on the final lap Bowyer jerked the wheel left and got under Burton and won the drag race to the finish line to win Sunday's Talladega 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
Bowyer surged past Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton through the tri-oval on the final lap at Talladega Superspeedway to win Sunday's Good Sam Club 500.
Bowyer, who will leave RCR for Michael Waltrip Racing next season, beat Burton to the finish line by 0.018 seconds to record his first victory of the season and the fifth of his career.
Dave Blaney, pushed by Brad Keselowski, ran third, with Keselowski taking the flag in fourth in a race that saw only five drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup finish in the top 24.
Red Bull Racing teammates Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne finished fifth and six, followed by Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Michael Waltrip and Martin Truex Jr. Carl Edwards came home 11th and extended his lead in the Chase to 14 points over Matt Kenseth, who finished 18th.
A six-car wreck on Lap 104 did major damage to the Chase chances of Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch. As the lead pack of cars sped through the tri-oval, a push from Marcos Ambrose turned Richard Petty Motorsports teammate AJ Allmendinger, triggering a crash that crumpled the hood of Harvick’s Chevrolet and knocked in the driver’s side of Busch’s Toyota.
Harvick lost two laps during multiple pit stops to repair his car, and Busch spent 11 laps in the garage before bringing his hobbled car back on track on Lap 118.
Two early incidents broke up potent drafting combinations. On Lap 67, Joey Logano spun off Turn 4 in close quarters with Trevor Bayne, who was trying to get to pit road. Before Logano could complete another lap, his left front tire exploded, destroying the left front fender of his Toyota.
That left Busch, who had been drafting with Logano, to pair up with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Hamlin, a prospect considered so unlikely before the race that the organization hadn’t established radio channels that would allow Busch, Hamlin and their spotters and crew chiefs to communicate freely.
Stewart lost his partner, teammate Ryan Newman, when Newman spun off Stewart’s bumper in the tri-oval. With heavy front-end damage, Newman lost a lap on pit road as his team repaired the car and two more laps on the racetrack before taking his car to the garage after 97 laps.
Coincidentally, Stewart then teamed with Logano, who was driving the No. 20 Home Depot car that carried Stewart to Cup championships in 2002 and 2005. Logano pushed Stewart to the lead on Lap 101, before the pileup in Turn 1 on Lap 104 ended the brief partnership between Hamlin and Busch and changed the complexion of the race and the Chase.
Roush Fenway Racing leaves Talladega Superspeedway holding the first and second positions in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup point standings. Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle hung in the back of the field for the majority of Sunday’s 500-mile Sprint Cup race, before making their move in the race’s waning moments. The result was an 11th- place finish for Edwards that saw him expand his Chase point lead to 14; the highest margin this season in the Chase. Biffle finished 14th.
Matt Kenseth and David Ragan employed a completely different strategy in the race, running up front much of the day with Kenseth leading a total of 21 laps. The pair however got separated on the final restart, finishing 18th and 28th. Still, Kenseth was able to advance to second in the Chase points; 14 behind teammate Edwards.
“First of all, I have to say that Greg Biffle is amazing,” said Edwards after the race. “He’s an unbelievable driver and the best teammate a guy can hope for.
“This race is insane,” added Edwards of the race that saw 27 lead changes. “Greg and I had laid back. We wanted to get a Ford to victory lane, but we just thought our best shot was to be out of the wrecks. He (Greg) just does an unbelievable job. The communication was unreal and I hope we can work together at these races from now on.”
Results
|
Fin |
Str |
No. |
Driver |
Team |
Laps |
Status |
| 1 |
3 |
33 |
Clint Bowyer |
Chevrolet 100 Years Chevrolet |
188 |
Running |
| 2 |
25 |
31 |
Jeff Burton |
Caterpillar Chevrolet |
188 |
Running |
| 3 |
41 |
36 |
Dave Blaney |
Golden Corral Chevrolet |
188 |
Running |
| 4 |
16 |
2 |
Brad Keselowski |
Miller Lite Dodge |
188 |
Running |
| 5 |
30 |
83 |
Brian Vickers |
Red Bull Toyota |
188 |
Running |
| 6 |
26 |
4 |
Kasey Kahne |
Red Bull Toyota |
188 |
Running |
| 7 |
12 |
14 |
Tony Stewart |
El Monterey/Office Depot Chevrolet |
188 |
Running |
| 8 |
31 |
11 |
Denny Hamlin |
FedEx Office Toyota |
188 |
Running |
| 9 |
23 |
15 |
Michael Waltrip |
Aaron's/DarrellWaltripNASCARHallofFame Toyota |
188 |
Running |
| 10 |
37 |
56 |
Martin Truex Jr. |
NAPA Auto Parts Toyota |
188 |
Running |
| 11 |
9 |
99 |
Carl Edwards |
Subway Ford |
188 |
Running |
| 12 |
7 |
27 |
Paul Menard |
Serta/Menards Chevrolet |
188 |
Running |
| 13 |
36 |
00 |
David Reutimann |
Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota |
188 |
Running |
| 14 |
18 |
16 |
Greg Biffle |
3M Ford |
188 |
Running |
| 15 |
4 |
21 |
Trevor Bayne(i) |
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford |
188 |
Running |
| 16 |
38 |
51 |
Landon Cassill(i) |
Phoenix Construction/Thank A Teacher Chevrolet |
188 |
Running |
| 17 |
42 |
13 |
Casey Mears |
GEICO Toyota |
188 |
Running |
| 18 |
11 |
17 |
Matt Kenseth |
Jeremiah Weed Ford |
188 |
Running |
| 19 |
19 |
9 |
Marcos Ambrose |
Stanley Ford |
188 |
Running |
| 20 |
1 |
5 |
Mark Martin |
GoDaddy.com Chevrolet |
188 |
Running |
| 21 |
17 |
38 |
Travis Kvapil(i) |
Long John Silver's Ford |
188 |
Running |
| 22 |
40 |
34 |
David Gilliland |
World Hunger Relief/www.fromhungertohope.com Ford |
188 |
Running |
| 23 |
15 |
42 |
Juan Pablo Montoya |
Energizer Chevrolet |
188 |
Running |
| 24 |
35 |
20 |
Joey Logano |
The Home Depot Toyota |
188 |
Running |
| 25 |
6 |
88 |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
DietMountainDewPaintthe88/NationalGuard Chevrolet |
188 |
Running |
| 26 |
2 |
48 |
Jimmie Johnson |
mylowes Chevrolet |
188 |
Running |
| 27 |
5 |
24 |
Jeff Gordon |
Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet |
188 |
Running |
| 28 |
8 |
6 |
David Ragan |
UPS My Choice Ford |
188 |
Running |
| 29 |
39 |
1 |
Jamie McMurray |
Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet |
184 |
Running |
| 30 |
22 |
78 |
Regan Smith |
Furniture Row Chevrolet |
180 |
Accident |
| 31 |
24 |
43 |
AJ Allmendinger |
Best Buy Ford |
179 |
Running |
| 32 |
13 |
29 |
Kevin Harvick |
Jimmy John's Chevrolet |
179 |
Running |
| 33 |
34 |
18 |
Kyle Busch |
M&M's Halloween Toyota |
175 |
Running |
| 34 |
32 |
32 |
Terry Labonte |
C&J Energy Ford |
175 |
Running |
| 35 |
21 |
47 |
Bobby Labonte |
Scott Products Toyota |
173 |
Accident |
| 36 |
14 |
22 |
Kurt Busch |
Shell Pennzoil Dodge |
173 |
Accident |
| 37 |
43 |
7 |
Robby Gordon |
SPEED Energy/MAPEI Dodge |
173 |
Rear Gear |
| 38 |
10 |
39 |
Ryan Newman |
U.S. ARMY Chevrolet |
172 |
Running |
| 39 |
33 |
71 |
Andy Lally # |
TRG Motorsports Ford |
162 |
Accident |
| 40 |
29 |
66 |
Michael McDowell |
HP Racing, LLC Toyota |
6 |
DNF |
| 41 |
27 |
87 |
Joe Nemechek(i) |
AM/FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stoves Toyota |
4 |
DNF |
| 42 |
28 |
55 |
JJ Yeley |
Front Row Motorsports Ford |
3 |
DNF |
| 43 |
20 |
97 |
Kevin Conway(i) |
Extenze Toyota |
2 |
DNF |
