Talladega 500 - Talladega Superspeedway

Hamilton Wins Caution-Free Talladega 500
Bobby Hamilton held off Tony Stewart by .163 seconds to take the checkered flag in only the second caution-free race in the history of the Talladgea Superspeedway. When Hamilton passed Stewart with three laps to go, he became the record-tying 26th leader in the event. The final three laps were all the laps that Hamilton would lead on the day, including the most important one, the final lap. The win is the fourth career trip to Victory Lane for Hamilton and the first for Andy Petree as a car owner. Stewart would come home in second, followed closely by rookie Kurt Busch in third, Mark Martin in fourth, and Bobby Labonte in fifth.

Compton Grabs Top Spot at Talladega
Stacy Compton led a trio of Dodges atop the qualifying charts for the Talladega 500 to grab his first career pole position. Compton's lap around the Talladega Superspeedway was clocked at 51.801 seconds, at an average speed of 184.861 mph, which is the slowest pole-wining speed ever at Talladega. Sterling Marlin will join Compton on the front row, starting second, while Bill Elliott and Ricky Craven make out row two.