Talladega, Ala. – After all four Hendrick Motorsports cars qualified in the top five, the race at Talladega Superspeedway was nothing less than thrilling.
Sunday afternoon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took home his first victory of the season, tying teammate Jeff Gordon for the most wins at Talladega by active drivers.
And after pulling into Victory Lane, an emotional Earnhardt got out of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS.
“It’s just real emotional, I haven’t won here in a long time,” Earnhardt said. “It was my daddy’s birthday a couple of days ago. Everything is just so good for me right now. My personal life, my racing, the team I am with, I don’t feel like I deserve it.”
Jimmie Johnson finished just behind Earnhardt, coming in second. Jeff Gordon raced hard, but was caught in an incident on the last lap that left him 31st. Kasey Kahne crossed the finish line 34th after being caught in an early-race incident.
“I feel like our Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS was fast, all the Hendrick cars are,” Kahne said.
Below is a detailed look at how all four teams fared Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 34th
STANDINGS: 9
RECAP: Kahne started the race second, on the outside of teammate Gordon. By Lap 4, he took the lead for the first time of the race. Kahne continued to run in the top 10 with three-wide racing, until Lap 18 when he settled down to 12th position. On Lap 19 the first caution of the day came out and the No. 5 Farmers Insurance team took only two tires and restarted 12th. Kahne re-entered the top 10 on Lap 25 and stayed there until he was involved in an incident on Lap 46. From there he brought his No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS to the garage to repair damages. On Lap 83, Kahne returned to the track running 36th. He ran a solid rest of the race and finished 34th.
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 31st
STANDINGS: 12
RECAP: Gordon started the race first and stayed in the top five before taking the lead again on Lap 15. When the first caution came out on Lap 19, Gordon made a two-tire pit stop and led the race off pit road to restart first. He continued to lead the pack all the way to the second caution of the race, which came out on Lap 46 and eventually brought out a red flag. After a four-tire pit stop, Gordon restarted sixth. By Lap 84, Gordon was still running in the top 10 in seventh. The fourth caution of the day came out on Lap 90, and after winning the race off of pit road he restarted first. Lap 113, Gordon took back the lead from teammate Earnhardt. On Lap 129, he was shuffled back to the 13th position. Gordon brought his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS down pit road as the sixth caution flag flew. After a penalty on pit road, Gordon restarted 31st. After exciting three-wide racing and hard fighting, he was involved in a last-lap incident that left him 31st.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: Second
STANDINGS: 3
RECAP: When the green flag dropped, Johnson started fifth. He continued to run in the top 10 until the first caution came out on Lap 19. The No. 48 Lowe’s team made a two-tire pit stop and Johnson restarted fourth. By Lap 25 he was up to second, right behind teammate Gordon. Johnson maintained a top-five run until the red-flag caution on Lap 46. After a two-tire pit stop Johnson won the race off of pit road and restarted first. By Lap 84 Johnson had led 34 laps of the race, which was a race-high to that point. After the fourth caution came out on Lap 90, Johnson restarted second, right behind teammate Gordon, but quickly shot back out to lead the pack. Lap 108 the No. 48 Chevrolet SS was running eighth. By Lap 129, Johnson was holding on to his top-10 position. After coming down pit road for a green-flag pit stop right before the sixth caution of the day on Lap 157, he restarted third. Johnson finished the race right behind teammate Earnhardt in second.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: First
STANDINGS: 5
RECAP: Earnhardt started the race fourth, right in front of teammate Johnson. He stayed in the top five and took the lead on Lap 12. On Lap 15 Earnhardt fell to second behind teammate Gordon. After the first caution, and a two-tire pit stop, he restarted second and was quickly shuffled to eighth. Earnhardt maintained his top-10 position until the red flag came out on Lap 46. After a four-tire pit stop, he restarted on Lap 52 seventh, right behind teammate Gordon. Earnhardt quickly moved his way up to second position. The fourth caution of the race came out on Lap 90, and after a quick pit stop, he restarted third. With 80 laps to go, the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS regained the lead. On Lap 129, after a hard fight losing the lead, Earnhardt regained the first position. Earnhardt brought his car down pit road for a green-flag stop right before a caution on Lap 157. When they restarted he was second. After a hard fought race, and leading 67 laps, Earnhardt took the checkered flag.