Smith wants to create new Talladega Cup memories

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- They returned to the scene this weekend, one still trying to deal with the past while the other continued to celebrate and defend it.

Welcome back to Talladega Superspeedway, guys.

Relive the drama

It will go down as one of the more memorable finishes in NASCAR history. The rookie (Regan Smith) and the champion (Tony Stewart) battle to the checkers in a controversial finish.

• The final lap: Smoke vs. Smith
• Smith thought the win was his

The last time the Cup Series visited, a 500-mile race came down to the final inches on the last of 188 laps. And even then, confusion reigned after Tony Stewart and Regan Smith darted past the start-finish line nearly side-by-side at speeds approaching 200 miles per hour.

Smith, then a rookie driving the No. 01 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc., was certain he had just won his first Cup race. He had clearly surged past Stewart at the line.

"The first two things that crossed my mind were: man, this is really cool for DEI; and two, Davey [Allison] won his first race here as a rookie, too," said Smith, a huge Davey Allison fan growing up.

But wait a minute. Stewart, driving a No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, was pretty sure he had won, too. He and crew chief Greg Zipadelli were convinced that Smith had gone below the yellow "out of bounds" line to make the pass, therefore making it illegal and leaving Stewart the victor.

"The rule is the rule," Stewart said. "He committed himself to going to the bottom and I saw that -- and I knew that if I got to the yellow line before he did, there was no way that he could go by."

Not legally, anyway. Smith figured he had been forced below the yellow line by Stewart blocking him and that he had no choice but to go low or risk wrecking himself, Stewart and maybe half of the field behind them. Therefore, he reasoned in his mind that the pass was legit. (Continued)