Post Race Report - Talladega
Event: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Amp Energy 500 (Race No. 30 of 36)
Location: Talladega Superspeedway; Talladega, Ala.
Top-five finishers: Tony Stewart, Paul Menard, David Ragan, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer
Race recap:
Driver Regan Smith crossed the finish line first, but he did not win the race. Smith passed Tony Stewart off the last turn of the last lap at Talladega Superspeedway, but NASCAR deemed that he did so while his car was out of bounds and disallowed the pass, ruling Stewart the winner.
On restrictor plate tracks like Talladega and Daytona, passing below the bottom line on the track is considered illegal. While Smith felt like he was forced below the line by Stewart and was within his legal passing area, NASCAR disagreed. Smith was penalized and was placed as the last car on the lead lap.
Stewart took the lead for the final time on lap 174, just before Carl Edwards contacted fellow championship contender Greg Biffle, causing a 12-car accident. Stewart won his first race of the season by surviving two restarts and Smith's last-lap thrust.
In all there were 64 lead changes among 28 drivers on the day, with Stewart leading the most laps with 24. Overall there were 10 caution flags, including two red-flag stoppages for accident cleanup.
Jimmie Johnson, who overcame early mechanical difficulties at Talladega, extended his championship lead to 72 points over Edwards. Biffle fell to 77 points back, while Jeff Burton is 99 points out of the lead.
The Sprint Cup Series resumes with the fifth race of its 10-race playoffs at Charlotte next Saturday night.
Companion event:
Todd Bodine made a last-lap pass to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Talladega on Saturday. After Colin Braun took the lead on the lap before, Bodine stole the top spot on lap 94 of 94. Ron Hornaday Jr., who finished the Talladega in second, extended his championship lead to 39 points over Johnny Benson.
