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Aaron’s 499 - Talladega Superspeedway
Gordon Snaps DEI's Streak at Talladega
Rudd Roars to Talladega Pole
Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag at Talladega under the caution flag and amidst controversy to snap Dale Earnhardt Incorporated’s Talladega winning streak. Gordon made the pass for the lead with just six laps remaining and was racing Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the lead when rookie Brian Vickers spun with four laps to go. Under NASCAR’s new rules, the field is frozen at the time of the caution flag and the officials determined that Gordon was ahead of Earnhardt when the caution flag flew. Earnhardt and many of the Talladega fans thought that the No. 8 car should have been at the front of the field and fans showered the track with cans and debris as the event ended under the yellow flag. For Gordon, the win is his first of the 2004 season and his third career win at Talladega. Gordon’s 65th career victory ended DEI’s streak of five consecutive wins at Talladega Superspeedway. Not surprisingly, Earnhardt led the most laps on the day, pacing the field for 57 of the event’s 188 laps, while Gordon held the lead for 15 circuits. Earnhardt had to settle for the runner-up finishing position for the second day in a row. Kevin Harvick crossed the finish line in third, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Robby Gordon in the top five.
Ricky Rudd won the pole position for the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. Rudd turned in a fast qualifying lap in 50.089 seconds, at an average speed of 191.180 seconds, to earn his first pole position of the 2004 season and his first career pole at Talladega. The top starting position is the 29th pole in Rudd’s career and the first for the Wood Brothers in 20 years. Michael Waltrip, who won the fall event at Talladega last season, will start from the outside pole position after qualifying second. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Waltrip’s DEI teammate and winner of this event in 2003, will roll off from the third spot on the starting grid. Another set of teammates, Joe Nemechek and Scott Riggs, round out the top-five starting positions.
