Race 2 Win: Aaron's 499

Nextel Cup Series

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Aaron's 499 - Race Notes

Talladega Superspeedway

Track data:
Race: #9 of 36 (5-1-05) Track Size: 2.66 Mile
Event: Aaron's 499 Number of Laps: 188
Location: Talladega, AL Length of Event: 500.08 Miles
Length of Front Stretch: 4,300 Feet Degree of Banking in Corners: 33?
Length of Back Stretch: 4,000 Feet Degree of Banking on Straights: Tri-Oval 18?/Back 2?

Qualifying/Race data:
Last year's event pole winner: Ricky Rudd 191.180 mph 4-23-04 50.089 seconds
Last year's event winner: Jeff Gordon 129.396 mph 4-25-04 3 hrs, 51 min, 53 sec
Restrictor Plate qualifying record: Bill Elliott 199.388 mph 5-4-90 48.128 seconds
Restrictor Plate race record: Mark Martin 188.354 mph** 5-10-97 2hrs, 39min, 18sec
Track qualifying record: Bill Elliott 212.809 mph* 4-30-87 44.998 seconds
Track race record: Mark Martin 188.354 mph** 5-10-97 2hrs, 39min, 18sec
* Before Restrictor Plates ** All-time NASCAR average speed record

Historical data:
Previous winners at Talladega:
Dale Earnhardt (10) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5) Darrell Waltrip (4) Buddy Baker (4) Bobby Allison (4) Davey Allison (3) David Pearson (3) Cale Yarborough (3) Jeff Gordon (3) Donnie Allison (2) Pete Hamilton (2) Richard Petty (2) Bill Elliott (2) Ernie Irvan (2) Sterling Marlin (2) Mark Martin (2) Terry Labonte (2) Dave Marcis (1) Dick Brooks (1) James Hylton (1) Richard Brickhouse (1) Lenny Pond (1) Neil Bonnett (1) Ron Bouchard (1) Bobby Hillin Jr. (1) Phil Parsons (1) Ken Schrader (1) Harry Gant (1) Jimmy Spencer (1) Bobby Labonte (1) Dale Jarrett (1) Bobby Hamilton (1) Michael Waltrip (1)
Races won from the pole: 12 of 71 events (17%)
Races won from in top 10: 52 of 71 events (73%)
Races won from outside top 10: 19 of 71 events (27%)

Track Milestones

Bobby Isaac won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup pole at Talladega in 1969.

Richard Brickhouse, driving a Dodge, won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup (Grand National) race at Talladega Superspeedway in 1969.

Track Update
Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished 42nd and 14th in his first two races at Talladega (2000). In the eight races since, he finished eighth or better, with five victories and two second-place finishes. His four consecutive victories (October 2001 through April 2003) is the most ever by a driver at Talladega. Buddy Baker (three - May 1975 through May 1976) is the only other driver to win more than two consecutive races there.

Manufacturer Update
A Chevrolet has won the last 12 races at Talladega. Ford has not posted a Talladega victory since Dale Jarrett won the Winston 500 (October 1998). Dodge last won there with Dave Marcis in the Talladega 500 (August 1976).

Qualifying Update
Jeremy Mayfield has scored three Bud Poles at Talladega. All three came with different team owners: Cale Yarborough (July 1996), Penske-Kranefuss (April 2000) and Ray Evernham (April 2003). His Bud Pole with Yarborough was the first of two straight Bud Poles for the former NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion as a carowner. John Andretti won the Bud Pole for Yarborough the following April.

The Money
Purse $5,814,065
NASCAR NEXTEL Leader Bonus 60,000
MBNA Mid-Race Leader Bonus $5,000

Fuel/Tire Data
Goodyear Tire Codes: Left-side — D-6844; Right-side — 6846
Other Nextel Cup Tracks With This Same Tire Combination: None
Estimated Pit Window: Every 32-36 laps, based on fuel mileage.
Speed Limits: Pit Road – 55 mph; Caution Car – 70 mph

Would You Believe?
Dale Earnhardt still leads all drivers with 10 victories, 23 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes in 44 career races at Talladega. His victory total is twice that of Dale Earnhardt Jr., his nearest competitor. Earnhardt Sr., is the only drivers with 40 or more starts at Talladega that posted top five finishes in at least half of his races there.

Notebook

The field at Talladega will consist of 43 cars. The 43rd position is reserved for a past NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion, if needed. If unused, it will go to the next eligible owner.

Two qualifying laps will be used to determine the starting positions with the adjustments made afterwards as required.

There have been 71 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Talladega; two a year except for 1969, the inaugural year, which had only one race.

Three hundred and ninety different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Talladega since 1969. One hundred and thirty one (one-third) have completed in just one race there.

Twenty-nine different drivers have won Bud Poles at Talladega. Eighteen drivers have won more than one Bud Pole there.

Thirty-three different drivers have won races at Talladega. Seventeen drivers have won more than once there.

Six drivers scored their only NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victory at Talladega: Ron Bouchard, Richard Brickhouse, Dick Brooks, Bobby Hillin Jr., Phil Parsons and Lennie Pond.

Ricky Rudd is the defending Bud Pole winner for the Aaron's 499.

Bill Elliott leads all drivers with eight Bud Poles at Talladega.

Sterling Marlin, Jeremy Mayfield and Joe Nemechek (three each) lead all other active drivers in Bud Poles at Talladega.

Jeff Gordon is the defending champion of the Aaron's 499.

The late Dale Earnhardt leads all drivers with 10 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victories at Talladega, including victories in both races there in 1990 and 1999. His Talladega victory in the fall of 2000 was his final NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (five) leads all active drivers in Talladega victories. Jeff Gordon has three while Sterling Marlin, Terry Labonte and Mark Martin all have two.

In the 10 races between 1983 and 1987 there were only two Bud Pole winners at Talladega. Cale Yarborough swept 1983 and 1984, while Bill Elliott posted six straight Bud Poles between 1985 and 1987.

Stacy Compton won both Bud Poles at Talladega in 2001 – the most recent driver to sweep both poles there.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., has finished first or second in seven consecutive races at Talladega. He led 428 of the 1,316 laps in those seven races (33 percent).

Bobby Labonte is the last driver to win from the Bud Pole at Talladega (May 1998).

Nine of the last 12 races at Talladega have been won from a starting position of 11th or worse.

Eight of the last 12 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Talladega have been won by an Earnhardt: Dale Earnhardt Jr., (five) and Dale Earnhardt (three).

Bobby Hamilton won the caution-free 2001 Talladega 500 with an average speed of 184.008 mph. His average speed for 188 laps was just 0.853 mph slower than the Bud Pole speed for that race set by Stacy Compton.

Mark Martin's pace in the 1997 Winston 500 set an all-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup record for the fastest race ever run. He won the caution-free race with an average speed of 188.354 mph and covered the 500-mile distance in two hours, 39 minutes and 18 seconds.

In the 35 years of twice-a-year NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing at Talladega, a sweep has occurred six times: Pete Hamilton (1970), Buddy Baker (1975), Darrell Waltrip (1982), Dale Earnhardt (1990 and 1999) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2002).

Forty of the 71 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Talladega have been won from the first four starting positions (56 percent).

The furthest back a winner has started at Talladega was when Jeff Gordon won the DieHard 500 (April 2000) from the 36th-place starting position.

Career Milestones

Ricky Rudd is expected to make his 761st consecutive career start this week at Talladega Superspeedway, extending the all-time record for consecutive starts by a NASCAR driver.

Ryan Newman is expected to make his 125th NASCAR NEXTEL CUP career start this week at Talladega Superspeedway.

Another Mark for Rudd
Ricky Rudd is expected to make his 57th start at Talladega Superpeedway. He is second for the most starts all-time at Talladega, four races behind Dave Marcis (61). Rudd’s best finish at Talladega (third) has occurred four times, most recently in October 2002.

Strong Starter at Talladega Superspeedway... and It’s NOT Newman...
Jimmie Johnson has posted five top-10 starts in six races at Talladega. Johnson posted his worst start at Talladega last fall when he started 16th.

Recent Starting Success at Talladega Superspeedway
Dale Jarrett has posted three straight top-10 starts at Talladega Superspeedway, the longest current streak among active drivers.

Talladega Sweeps
There have been six seasons with sweeps at Talladega since the track first began twice-a-year races in 1970. Three of those sweeps were posted by an Earnhardt. Dale Jr., posted the most recent in 2002; his father won both races in 1999 and 1990. Darrell Waltrip (1982), Buddy Baker (1975) and Pete Hamilton (1970) are the other drivers to sweep Talladega.

Top 10 Lap Leaders at Talladega
Driver Starts Laps Led
1. Earnhardt, Dale 44 1,377
2. Baker, Buddy 43 1,137
3. Allison, Bobby 37 703
4. Waltrip, Darrell 55 666
5. Yarborough, Cale 34 593
6. Elliott, Bill 54 526
7. Gordon, Jeff 24 501
8. Earnhardt Jr., Dale 10 489
9. Allison, Davey 15 469
10. Marlin, Sterling 43 437

Winning From Up Front at Talladega... A Changing Trend
28 of the 71 races at Talladega have been won from a front-row starting position (39-percent). However, nine of the last 12 races at Talladega have been won from starting positions of 11th or lower. The last front-row victory at Talladega came in April 1998 when Bobby Labonte won the spring race there from the Bud pole, 14 races ago.

Talladega Done
Dale Earnhardt Jr., posted four straight Talladega victories (fall 2001 through spring 2003) and finished second in the next two races followed by another victory there last October. Earnhardt Jr., has led in all nine of his 10 races at the Alabama superspeedway. His 7.3 average finish is the best of all active drivers at Talladega.

Different Winners at Talladega
After Dale Earnhardt Jr., won four straight between the fall of 2001 and spring of 2003, there have been three different winners in the last three races at Talladega Superspeedway.

Richard Childress - Winning Car Owner at Talladega
Richard Childress-owned cars have scored nine victories at Talladega, the most of any car owner. All nine were scored by Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt’s first Talladega victory was in a Bud Moore-owned Ford in July 1983.

Talladega Streaks

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has finished first or second in his last seven races at Talladega superspeedway.

Kevin Harvick has scored four consecutive top-10 finishes at Talladega.

Robby Gordon has scored two consecutive top-10 finishes at Talladega.

Manufacturer Dominance
A Chevrolet has won the last 12 races at Talladega superspeedway, a streak that began in 1999.

And Beat Goes On
Kevin Harvick (eight), Jamie McMurray (five), Greg Biffle (four), Scott Wimmer (three), Mike Bliss (two), Scott Riggs (two), Jason Leffler (two) and Kasey Kahne (two) are the active drivers that have been running at the finish in all of their races at Talladega.

Selected Talladega Records

Bill Elliott leads all drivers with eight Bud Poles in 54 races at Talladega. Elliott won six straight Bud Poles at Talladega (1985-1987).

Dale Earnhardt scored 10 victories in his 44 races at Talladega, five more than Dale Earnhardt Jr., his nearest competitor.

Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 14 top-five finishes in 52 races at Talladega superspeedway.

Terry Labonte has scored 23 top-10 finishes at Talladega, more than any other active driver at Talladega.

Jeff Gordon has led 501 laps at Talladega superspeedway, more than any other active driver. Gordon has led in 19 of his 24 races there.

Jimmie Johnson has a 6.0 starting average in six races at Talladega superspeedway, the best among all active drivers.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a 7.3 average finish in 10 races at Talladega superspeedway, the best among active drivers.

Skunked at Talladega
Ricky Rudd has competed in 56 races at Talladega superspeedway without scoring a victory.

One-Timers at Talladega
There have been eight first-time race winners at Talladega. However there has not been a first-time winner at Talladega since 1988 when Ken Schrader won his first career race. Six of those eight drivers never won another NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race.

Not Much Margin of Victory at Talladega
The last margin of victory at Talladega that exceeded one second was in May 1991 when Harry Gant won by 11.0 seconds over Darrell Waltrip.

Restrictor-Plate Races - Active Driver Records - (Daytona and Talladega since 1988)
Starts Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, Ken Schrader, Rusty Wallace and Michael Waltrip - 69
Poles Sterling Marlin – 7 in 68 races (10 percent)
Wins Jeff Gordon – 9 in 49 races (17 percent)
Top-Fives Jeff Gordon and Sterling Marlin – 20 each
Top-10s Mark Martin – 34 in 69 races (49 percent)
Laps Led Sterling Marlin – 1,004 in 68 races
Starting Average Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 9.86 in 21 races
Finishing Average Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 9.95 in 21 races

DEI Restrictor Plate Dominance
DEI is the acknowledged master of the restrictor-plate tracks having won 11 times in the last 17 races on the two 'big' tracks since 2001. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won in over one-third of his career restrictor-plate starts, scoring seven victories in 21 races. All of these wins have been achieved in his last 16 plate races. Last season he was the only driver to score a top-five finish in all four restrictor-plate races; two of those were victories.

Restrictor-Plate Shut out
Of the six drivers who have competed in all 69 restrictor plate races (since 1988), Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd are the only drivers without a restrictor-plate race victory.

Season Nuggets
Talladega May Spell Trouble for Some of the Top 10

First-place Jimmie Johnson has scored only one top-10 finish in his last five races at Talladega Superspeedway. His other four finishes were all 15th or worse.

Third-place Greg Biffle has finished 15th or worse in all four of his races at Talladega.

Fifth-place Elliott Sadler has posted three straight finishes of 22nd or worse at Talladega

Sixth-place Mark Martin has scored only one top-10 finish in his last six races at Talladega Superspeedway. His other five finishes were all 15th or worse.

Ninth-place Sterling Marlin has not scored a top-10 finish in his last nine races at Phoenix.

Tenth-place Rusty Wallace has scored only one top-10 finish in his last five races at Talladega Superspeedway. His other four finishes were all 13th or worse. .

Defending NEXTEL Cup Champion at Talladega
Kurt Busch has competed in eight races at Talladega scoring five top-10 finishes, all sixth or better.

Point Leader at Talladega
Jimmie Johnson has finished 34th or worse in three of his six races at Talladega. His other three finishes were all top 15s.

Starting Up Front Never Hurt
Only Ryan Newman has started every race in 2005 from a top-10 starting position.

Streaks

With his 15th-place finish at Phoenix, Jimmie Johnson ended a 13-race streak of consecutive top-10 finishes that began at Charlotte last October.

Mark Martin has been running at the finish in 30 consecutive races, the longest current streak.

Get Those Bonus Points
Greg Biffle is the only driver to lead at least one lap in six of the eight races in 2005.

Maintaining a Top-10 Standard

Kurt Busch has ranked in the top-10 of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings for 43 consecutive races since Rockingham in February 2004, the longest current streak.

Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace have each ranked in the top 10 in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings after every race in 2005.

2005 Struggles

Matt Kenseth ranks 28th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings after eight races in 2005. One year ago he was third.

Bobby Labonte (34th) and Robby Gordon (39th) have each posted four DNFs in eight races in 2005, more than all other drivers. Labonte ranked 12th and Gordon was 25th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings one year ago.

2005 Superspeedway Standouts
In the first six superspeedway races in 2005:

Most Points Earned - Jimmie Johnson - 963 (45 more than Kurt Busch)

Most Bud Poles –Ryan Newman (three)

Most Victories – Greg Biffle (two)

Most Top-fives –Jimmie Johnson (five)

Most Top-10s – Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch (five)

Most Races Led –Greg Biffle (five)

Winning Manufacturers – Ford (four); Chevrolet (two)

WHO'S HOT Heading to Talladega

Roush Racing drivers have won four of the eight races in 2005. Hendrick Mororsports drivers have scored three victories and Richard Childress Racing has scored one.

Jimmie Johnson has 13 top-10 finishes in the 14 races since Charlotte last October. Johnson is the only driver to score top-10 finishes in seven of the eight races in 2005.

Kurt Busch has scored four top-five finishes in 2005, second only to Jimmie Johnson who has five.

Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch have each scored five top-10 finishes in eight races this season.

Jeff Gordon has climbed from 12th to fourth in the point standings in the last three races.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has climbed from 27th to 12th in the points in the last five races.

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