EA Sports 500 - Talladega Superspeedway

Earnhardt Jr. Tames Talladega Again
It was typical Talladega… without the “Big One.” In a race where two things are common: a big wreck and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in victory lane, only one came to fruition in the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. While there were four incidents on the day, none of them involved more than four cars, allowing the drivers to leave Alabama without the dreaded “Big One.” Earnhardt drove to a very familiar place at Talladega, victory lane. For the fifth time in the last seven races at Talladega, Earnhardt showed everyone that he still is the man to beat on NASCAR’s biggest oval. Earnhardt led the most laps in the event, leading nine times for a total of 78 laps, on the way to his 14th Nextel Cup victory. Earnhardt outran Kevin Harvick to the checkered flag by .117 seconds to capture his fifth win of the 2004 season, tying Jeff Gordon for the series lead. Earnhardt has now scored seven victories in 20 career restrictor-plate races, while his father scored 11 victories in 53 restrictor-plate events. Kevin Harvick scored his best finish in 2004, coming home in the runner-up position, it was his fourth top-10 finish in eight races at Talladega. Dale Jarrett finished in the third spot, while rookie Brendan Gaughan and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five. With the win, Earnhardt climbed from third to first in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, holding a 13-point lead over Busch.

EA Sports 500 Notes

· Race Results · Chevrolet Post-Race Quotes · Ford Post-Race Quotes · Dodge Post-Race Quotes · Rookie Post-Race Quotes · Point Standings · Happy Hour · Practice 2 · Starting Lineup · Chevrolet Qualifying Quotes · Ford Qualifying Quotes · Dodge Qualifying Quotes · Rookie Qualifying Quotes · Practice 1 · Qualifying Order · Race Notes · Chase Notes · Raybestos Rookie Notes · Kerry Earnhardt Notes · Carl Edwards Notes · Kyle Petty Notes · Jeff Green Notes · Scott Riggs Notes · Ward Burton Notes · Ricky Rudd Notes

· Jeff Gordon Notes · Kurt Busch Notes · Dale Earnhardt Jr. Notes · Jimmie Johnson Notes · Mark Martin Notes · Elliott Sadler Notes · Matt Kenseth Notes · Ryan Newman Notes · Tony Stewart Notes · Jeremy Mayfield Notes · Jamie McMurray Notes · Kevin Harvick Notes · Bobby Labonte Notes · Kasey Kahne Notes · Dale Jarrett Notes · Michael Waltrip Notes · Rusty Wallace Notes · Sterling Marlin Notes · Greg Biffle Notes · Casey Mears Notes · Jeff Burton Notes · Robby Gordon Notes · Terry Labonte Notes · Joe Nemechek Notes · Brian Vickers Notes

Front Row Joe Wins Talladega Pole
It might have taken four years but “Front Row Joe” is home once again. Joe Nemechek won the pole position for the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Friday afternoon, his first pole since winning the top starting spot for this event in the 2000 season. Nemechek turned a qualifying lap in 50.202 seconds, at an average speed of 190.749 mph, around the 2.66-mile superspeedway to earn his seventh career pole position. Ricky Rudd, who started from the pole in the Talladega event earlier this season, will start on the front row, alongside Nemechek, on the outside pole. Dale Jarrett will roll off from the third spot, while Nemechek's teammate Scott Riggs will start fourth. Points leader Jeff Gordon qualified fifth, the top qualifier among the drivers in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.