Rough Day at Dega

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Oct. 7, 2002) -- After placing four teams in the top-12 last Sunday at Kansas Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports came to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway with high expectations for the EA Sports 500. Unfortunately, all four NASCAR Winston Cup Series entries endured engine troubles, with none finishing higher than 37th. Jimmie Johnson, who started on the pole, led the way for Hendrick. The race got off to an odd start for the rookie, as Mark Martin got into him before the green flag waved, sending the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet to pit road for repairs. The 37th-place finish dropped Johnson from first to third in the overall driver standings, 82 points behind new leader Tony Stewart. Two-time Winston Cup champion Terry Labonte, who started 23rd, followed Johnson in 38th-place. The driver of the No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevy is 23rd in the standings. Joe Nemechek was 39th in the No. 25 UAW-Delphi Monte Carlo after starting 34th. He slid one position in the standings to 35th overall. Defending Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon started the event fourth, but suffered similar engine problems to his three teammates, finishing a disappointing 42nd in the No. 24 DuPont Chevy. Gordon slipped three positions to seventh in points after 30 events. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the EA Sports 500 for his second victory at Talladega in 2002. The NASCAR Winston Cup Series will next visit Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., for the UAW-GM Quality 500. NBC (12 p.m. ET) and PRN (12:15 p.m. ET) will carry live coverage of the event.