TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) -- Michael Waltrip broke Dale Earnhardt Jr's stranglehold on Talladega Superspeedway, sweeping high off the final turn and denying his teammate a fifth straight victory at the high-banked oval Sunday.
Waltrip took the checkered flag in the EA Sports 500, a typically thrilling Talladega race that resembled a night at the short track. There was all sorts of banging and bumping before it came down to a four-lap sprint to the finish.
After pole-sitter Elliott Sadler was taken out in a spectacular crash on lap 182, his car flipping several times on the backstretch, NASCAR officials red-flagged the cars to give the rescue crew time to clean up.
A couple of laps under yellow followed, then Waltrip led the pack as the green flag dropped. He never relinquished the lead, though Earnhardt was on his bumper the whole way.
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