 | | Jeff Gordon celebrates his second consecutive restrictor-plate victory. Credit: Autostock |
May 1, 2005
07:16 PM EDT (23:16 GMT)
Here's a lap-by-lap report of Sunday's Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway: Checkered flag: Jeff Gordon has won his second consecutive Aaron's 499. • Gordon now has 72 Cup wins, four fewer than Dale Earnhardt.
• He led 139 of 194 laps.
• Gordon now sits third in points, 151 behind leader and teammate Jimmie Johnson.  |  | | Credit: Autostock |
| |
| Unofficial Results |
| Aaron's 499 |
| Pos. |
Driver |
Make |
| 1. |
Jeff Gordon |
Chevrolet |
| 2. |
Tony Stewart |
Chevrolet |
| 3. |
Michael Waltrip |
Chevrolet |
| 4. |
Jeremy Mayfield |
Dodge |
| 5. |
Jamie McMurray |
Dodge |
|
|
|
Lap 193: White Flag. Tony Stewart making a run. Lap 192: Green-white-checker under way with Jeff Gordon leading a slow restart. Point standings after wreck:
• 1. Jimmie Johnson
• 2. Jeff Gordon (-186)
• 3. Kurt Busch (-187)
• 4. Greg Biffle (-212)
• 5. Elliott Sadler (-234) Lap 186: A smaller Big One happens. Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick and Travis Kvapil suffer damage. Johnson brushed the outside wall, hitting Harvick forcing Truex into Earnhardt Jr. Get set for a green-white-checkered finish. Lap 184: Jeff Gordon takes the lead back from Michael Waltrip as Jamie McMurray looks for a line. Tony Stewart to third. Lap 183: Jeff Gordon looks like he's shot from a cannon. Back up to second. Lap 182: Michael Waltrip takes the lead from Jeff Gordon on the inside. Kevin Harvick to second. Lap 181: Michael Waltrip goes to second. Jamie McMurray hung out to dry. Lap 180: Jumping to the bottom didn't work for Elliott Sadler. He's been shuffled back to 10th. Lap 176: Dale Earnhardt Jr. brushes the wall. Second-place Jamie McMurray is trying to make a run for the lead. Lap 174: Green flag flies with Jeff Gordon in front. Lap 171: Caution is out for Hermie Sadler's engine failure.No free pass given. Sadler was the first car a lap down, but he caused the caution. Lap 170: Green flag with Jeff Gordon leading. Hermie Sadler suffers an engine failure. Jeff Hammond estimates the damage of the Big Wreck at $8 million. Hope they all have insurance. Lap 167: Pit stops begin: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes two tires. Kevin Harvick takes four tires. Jeff Gordon takes two. Gordon first off pit road, followed by Jimmie Johnson (2 tires) and Earnhardt Jr. Harvick came out 11th. Dale Jarrett is penalized for speeding off of pit road for the second time today. Bobby Labonte has stayed out to lead a lap to help him stay in the top 35 in points. Lap 165: Caution comes out for debris, taking away the possiblity for green-flag pit stops. Hermie Sadler gets the free pass. Lap 161: Eighteen cars are on the lead lap. Kevin Harvick's roller-coaster day continues -- he's battling Jeff Gordon for the lead. Lap 151: Jeff Gordon has led 99 laps today -- a career best at Talladega. Lap 141: Jeff Gordon gets by teammate Jimmie Johnson for the lead. Lap 138: Green flag flies with Jimmie Johnson leading. Lap 134: Race returns to yellow. Leaders to pit road. Kurt Busch stays out to lead a lap. Lap 134: The red flag is out to clean up from the big wreck. Fifty-eight percent of the field is affected by the wreck. Point standings after wreck:
• 1. Jimmie Johnson
• 2. Jeff Gordon (-203)
• 3. Elliott Sadler (-236)
• 4. Kurt Busch (-252)
• 5. Greg Biffle (-257) All drivers 6-10 in the standings before the race were involved in the wreck. |  | | Mike Skinner's car was damaged in the wreck. Credit: Autostock |
| |  |
• Ten drivers were evaluated and released from the infield care center: Kasey Kahne, Joe Nemechek, Mike Wallace, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Rusty Wallace, Kyle Busch, Scott Wimmer, Carl Edwards, Mike Skinner and Brian Vickers. Lap 132: The Big One strikes. Ryan Newman, Dave Blaney, Scott Riggs, Ricky Rudd, Kasey Kahne, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Mike Bliss, Sterling Marlin, Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Jeff Green, Boris Said, Scott Wimmer, Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, Jason Leffler, Joe Nemechek, Mike Skinner, Casey Mears, Carl Edwards, Johnny Sauter and Kerry Earnhardt all suffer damage when Mike Wallace gets loose and makes contact with Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. coming into 1 and 2. Lap 126: Jeff Gordon regains the lead -- the 16th lead change of the day. Among the lead lap cars, only two of 37 spots didn't change. Lap 122: Elliott Sadler and Jeff Gordon battle for the lead. Sadler leads at the stripe. Mark Martin shuffled back to fifth. Lap 120: Green flag flies with Mark Martin out in front. Lap 118: Greg Biffle pits, giving the lead to Mark Martin. Jeff Gordon hangs in second. Lap 117: Leaders to pit road. All who stopped went for fuel only. Greg Biffle did not pit, and he leads. Jeff Burton's jackman, Josh Yost, is injured in an accident on pit road. Lap 116: Caution is out for Kyle Petty, who's No. 45 Dodge has stalled on the track. Lap 115: The Roushkateers may be getting ready to gang up on leader Elliott Sadler. Mark Martin is second with Kurt Busch third. Lap 113: Kyle Petty, who returned to the track in a taped-up No. 45 Dodge just before the most recent pit stops, is off the pace. Lap 111: Elliott Sadler edges past Kurt Busch for the lead at the stripe and the five bonus points. The intensity is picking up quickly. Lap 109: Jeff Gordon is back out front, but he doesn't stay there long, as Kurt Busch leads a gang to the front. Lap 108: Leader Scott Riggs gets loose. Kevin Harvick takes advantage and takes the lead. Lap 108: Green flag flies with Scott Riggs leading. Bobby Hamilton Jr. stays on the lead lap despite earlier troubles. Lap 107: Rusty Wallace is 32nd after being forced to pit road to fix a hole near where would be the right headlight. Lap 106: Ken Schrader pits, giving the lead to Scott Riggs. Lap 104: Joe Nemechek pits, giving the lead to Ken Schrader. Scott Riggs is second with Kevin Harvick third. Lap 103: All leaders to pit road. Most, if not all teams elect for four-tire stops. Jeff Gordon has trouble on the right front and sits 10th. Joe Nemechek and Ken Schrader stay out and run 1-2. Lap 102: Caution is out. Bobby Hamilton Jr. blew out the left-front tire, blowing the fender out. The caution is a break for Mike Bliss, who ran out of fuel at the entrance to pit road. Lap 97: Greg Biffle goes a lap down, joining Dale Jarrett, Jeff Green, Kerry Earnhardt and Hermie Sadler as drivers one circuit behind. Point standings after 96 laps:
• 1. Jimmie Johnson
• 2. Kurt Busch (-153)
• 3. Jeff Gordon (-161)
• 4. Elliott Sadler (-204)
• 5. Mark Martin (-226) Lap 94: At the halfway point, Jeff Gordon leads with Kevin Harvick second. Lap 92: Jeff Gordon passes Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the lead as Junior's No. 8 car goes back to fourth. Lap 90: Dale Earnhardt Jr. passes Kevin Harvick for the lead. Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch are on his tail with Jeff Gordon lurking in the weeds. Lap 85: Kevin Harvick passes Ryan Newman for the lead. Lap 84: Jeff Gordon leads at the start-finish, but Ryan Newman regains the lead quickly. Lap 83: Dale Jarrett sits 39th after being penalized for speeding on pit road during his last pit stop. Lap 82: Jeff Gordon has battled back to fourth place after coming out 26th after his four-tire pit stop. Lap 79: Ryan Newman takes the lead with Dale Earnhardt Jr. back up to second. Lap 76: Green-flag stops seem to have cycled through with Kevin Harvick leading. Despite his troubles, Jeff Gordon is in the rear of the lead pack. Lap 74: Leader Jeff Gordon loses a right-front tire getting onto pit road. They now need a four-tire change. He comes out with teammate Jimmie Johnson. Lap 73: Matt Kenseth makes a two-tire stop. Kasey Kahne has a tough stop as fuel was slow getting into the car. Lap 72: Leader Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Sterling Marlin, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman and others head to pit road. Jeff Gordon leads again. Lap 69: Kevin Harvick takes the lead thanks to a big shove from Rusty Wallace. Jeff Gordon is second. Lap 63: Kevin Harvick is making another run. He's battled all the way back to fourth. Meanwhile, Rusty Wallace has battled past Matt Kenseth for second. Point standings after 61 laps:
• 1. Jimmie Johnson
• 2. Jeff Gordon (-203)
• 3. Kurt Busch (-230)
• 4. Greg Biffle (-257)
• 5. Elliott Sadler (-265) Lap 60: Matt Kenseth is giving Jeff Gordon fits for the lead. Lap 58: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has fallen all the way back to 35th. Lap 55: Jeff Gordon has led all but five laps so far. His closest challengers now are Matt Kenseth in second, Scott Riggs in third, Jimmie Johnson fourth and Jamie McMurray. Lap 51: The outside line appears to lose its luster, as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne fall back. Lap 48: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead after a big push from Tony Stewart, but Gordon regains the lead before they get to the stripe. Lap 47: Dale Earnhardt Jr. battles for second with Jimmie Johnson side-by-side. Lap 44: Teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson battle for the lead as Tony Stewart breathes down their neck. Lap 42: Green flag flies as Jeff Gordon regains the lead. Michael Waltrip is forced to restart in the back after his team rolled a tire on pit road. Lap 39: Tony Stewart takes left-side tires only and wins the race off of pit road among cars that pitted. Greg Biffle, Kerry Earnhardt, Ken Schrader, Carl Edwards and Jeff Burton elect to stay out and lead the race in that order. Lap 37: Tony Stewart takes the lead as Jeff Green loses a tire and goes spinning through traffic and into the infield. Amazingly, no other cars are involved. Lap 29: With less tape on the grill of his No. 29 Chevrolet, Kevin Harvick is charging through the field. He tells his crew he could get to the leaders, but he's concerned about cooking his engine too soon. Lap 27: Tony Stewart battles for the lead on the outside. Gordon leads the lap by .003 seconds. Lap 24: Green flag flies with Jeff Gordon in front. Lap 23: Ricky Rudd is sent to the tail end of the longest line for pitting too soon. Lap 23: Dale Jarrett changes helmets on pit road because he could not hear his spotter. He falls back to 42nd. Lap 22: Leaders to pit road as race leader Jeff Gordon takes just two tires and wins the race off pit road. Mike Wallace stays out and takes the lead. Lap 21: The day's first caution flag comes out for Kyle Petty's cut tire and ensuing contact with the wall. Drivers are about halfway through their fuel run. Lap 20: As the points stand right now, only 11 drivers are within 400 points of series leader Jimmie Johnson. Lap 19: Scott Riggs continues to hold strong in second place. Meanwhile, Ricky Rudd is pulling to the back of the pack. Lap 13: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has moved from 36th at the green flag up to 18th. Lap 11: Pole-sitter Kevin Harvick drops to 43rd and tells his crew he needs to be by himself to get some air. He said when he gets in a pack, it gets too hot. Teammate Dave Blaney says the same. Lap 9: Brian Vickers has moved up from 37th at the green flag to ninth. Lap 6: Matt Kenseth has gone from 23rd to 10th. Meanwhile, Carl Edwards has gone from 21st to 43rd. Lap 1: Jeff Gordon takes the first-lap lead in his 25th Talladega race. He has led 20. 1:29 p.m.: Pole-sitter Kevin Harvick leads the field to the green flag on a Chamber-of-Commerce day at Talladega Superspeedway. 1:13 p.m.: Adam Sandler gives the command to start engines. 1:09 p.m.: FOX announces that Jamie McMurray has defeated Kurt Busch in NASCAR's Sexist Driver competition. 1:07 p.m.: Deirdre Downs, Miss America 2005, sings the national anthem. 12:52 p.m.: The Hollywood Hotel is back up and running. 12:50 p.m.: Darrell Waltrip uses the word "coopatition" for the second time in 20 minutes. 12:45 p.m. ET: Mike Joy tells viewers that the Hollywood Hotel is "closed for renovations." Drivers' meeting: Nextel Cup race director David Hoots asks drivers to limit use of the bump draft to the back straightaway. Drivers were also reminded that if they go under the yellow line to advance their position, NASCAR will black-flag them. • TrackPass | Live Point Standings | Chat Room | 
