EA Sports 500 - Talladega Superspeedway

Hat Trick for Earnhardt Jr. at Talladega
Same song, different verse. For the third consecutive time at Talladega, Dale Earnhardt Jr. visited victory lane, and for the second straight year, won a million dollar bonus to boot. Earnhardt Jr. won his seventh career race on Sunday, taking the win in the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. In a race that saw 35 lead changes, Earnhardt led for 56 of the event's 188 laps, including the final 39. Earnhardt's win now gives Chevrolet eighth straight wins at the Alabama track. Tony Stewart finished second for the third time in his career at Talladega, followed by Ricky Rudd, Kurt Busch, and Jeff Green in the top five. Perhaps even bigger than Junior's million-dollar win was the shakeup in the Winston Cup point standings. With the second-place effort, Tony Stewart now takes a 72-point lead over Mark Martin in the championship chase.

Johnson Will Start First at Talladega
Qualifying for the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway has been cancelled, the starting grid was set by the NASCAR rule book. A rain shower drenched the track shortly before qualifying was to start and, after attempting to dry the track, and considering the amount of time that it takes to qualify on a restrictor plate track, NASCAR cancelled the qualifying session. Point-leader Jimmie Johnson will get to start from the pole position, his fifth top-starting spot of the season. Mark Martin will line up on the outside pole, followed by Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and Jamie McMurray in the top five.