Sorry for the delay in writing this NASCAR recap. But, whew, what a race! The tailspins in Talladega were the stuff of legends and the finish was a sight to behold. Since Saturday was rained out, there was no practice session for the Sprint Cup guys. They lined up according to points to start the day at Talladega, with Jimmie Johnson leading the charge. The first caution of the day was a competition caution at Lap 21 so everyone could check out the car after sitting since Friday. The two-car breakaway took precidence all day as we saw a record 88 lead changes by the end of the race. It appeared that Jeff Burton (#31) was the guy to buddy up with to charge to the head of the field. He was on fire and helped several different guys lead.
The first big wreck occurred on lap 84, when Kyle Busch (#18) turned Mike Bliss (#36) and managed to gather up the #2 of Kyle's brother Kurt, Michael Waltrip (#55), Matt Kenseth (#17), Max Papis (#13), Paul Menard (#98) and Elliott Sadler (#19).
With only 13 laps to go, the #71 of Bobby Labonte spun out, sending up a caution. Just after the green flag waved again, Jeff Gordon (#24)appeared to be heading to the front of the field after hanging towards the back. With just 6 laps to go, Jimmie Johnson ducked down in front of Jeff's freight train, sending Jeff to the bottom of the track to avoid wrecking Jimmie. Losing momentum, this caused Jeff to lose several positions as cars headed past him. This also put Jeff in the position to get caught up in a wreck with the other Jeff (Burton), bringing out another caution.
The first green-white-checker brought out another big wreck, when Joey Logano (#20) hit Kevin Conway (#37), collecting up Ryan Newman (#39), Brad Keselowski (#12), Bobby LaBonte (#71), Elliott Sadler (#19), Brian Vickers (#83), Kasey Kahne (#9), Marcos Ambrose (#47) and Sam Hornish Jr (#77).
The second attempt at a green-white-checker brought out another caution, when Jimmie Johnson tries to get in front of Greg Biffle (#16).
The record-setting third attempt at a green-white-checker successfully brought a close to Talladega, with Kevin Harvick (#29) pushing Jamie McMurray (#1) as a breakaway duo. Just past the tri-oval, Kevin slid out from behind Jamie, causing Jamie to wiggle a little and shot ahead at the finish, winning by a front quarter panel and 0.11 of a second. This put an end to a 115 race dry spell for Kevin Harvick, who, at this moment, is without a main sponsor for his car next year.
The next race this Saturday, May 1, 2010 on Fox at 7pm in Richmond. Let's go racing, boys!
Top 5 Finishers of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Aaron's 499 at Talladega Speedway:
1. Kevin Harvick (#29)
2. Jamie McMurray (#1)
3. Juan Pablo Montoya (#42)
4. Denny Hamlin (#11)
5. Mark Martin (#5)
San Diego, CA
I watched the first 37 laps before I had to actually leave to go make some money so that I could pay my cable bill and continue watching races in the future. LOL
May 15, 2010 11:30 PM
Professional Inspection Services - Georgetown, Texas - Georgetown, TX
Your Home Inspection Connection in Central Texas
Hello Heather - I've been able to attend several NASCAR races at several different tracks. Talladega is always a favorite.
May 24, 2010 06:03 PM
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Heather Chavez
Real Estate Virtual, Assistant (928) 692-3235
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