Posted on 05/01/2005 5:53:49 PM PDT by Nascardude
TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) -- There was a time when Jeff Gordon didn't like restrictor-plate racing. No more.
Gordon proved again Sunday he is NASCAR's new king of racing at plate tracks, fighting off challenger after challenger on the way to winning the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway in overtime.
``This is the type of racing where experience is really key,'' Gordon said. ``The more that I get used to watching my mirror, using the air and having the kind of car I had today, I feel like I get better at restrictor-plate racing.''
That's bad news for the rest of the NASCAR Nextel Cup competitors.
It was Gordon's 10th victory overall and fourth in the last five races at Talladega and Daytona, the only tracks at which NASCAR requires the horsepower-sapping plates to slow the cars.
Gordon, who has complained in the past that the constant two- and three-wide racing in huge packs at Talladega gives him a headache, said, ``Oh, I've got a headache, but with a car like I had today it isn't a very big headache.
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``This is the most dominating performance we've ever had on a plate track. Talladega is not a handling tracks. It's pure speed and man, this car had it.''
The four-time Cup champion led 139 of the 194 laps on the way to his fourth victory on the 2.66-mile oval. He finally held off Tony Stewart and Michael Waltrip at the end of a two-lap shootout, set up by a six-car crash with one lap remaining in regulation that ended the chances of fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr.
By staying up front most of the day, Gordon was able to avoid a wild 25-car crash that took out several top contenders, as well as the crash on lap 187 that involved Earnhardt, series points leader Jimmie Johnson and pole-winner Kevin Harvick.
``I definitely did not want to see that last caution,'' Gordon said. ``They were shuffling and dicing back there before that last caution and I was in a better position before that (last) restart.''
But Gordon got a good start when the green flag waved for lap 193 and he stayed out front as the contenders fought it out behind him. Stewart, with Waltrip giving him a hard push, managed to grab the second spot, but finished 0.192-seconds -- about two car-lengths -- behind the winner's No. 24 Chevrolet. It is the 13th consecutive victory for Chevy at the Alabama track.
``Michael pushed me all the way down the backstretch on the white flag lap and I still couldn't catch the 24,'' said Stewart, who finished second at Talladega for the fourth time. ``Finishing in the top two isn't bad at this place.''
Gordon defended his victory last year in this race and added this win to triumphs in February in the Daytona 500 and last July at Daytona in the Pepsi 400. He has grabbed the mantle of near invincibility on plate tracks once held by the late Dale Earnhardt and inherited by Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip, who drives for Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Junior and Waltrip have won nine of the last 17 plate races, and they came from near the back of the 43-car field to get into contention on Sunday. But this one was all Gordon as he raced to his third victory in nine races this season and the 72nd of his career.
AP - May 1, 7:05 pm EDT More Photos
It looked as if his strong performance might not be rewarded when Waltrip raced into the lead on lap 183, shuffling Gordon back to fourth. But Gordon was not to be denied, charging back to second place on the next lap and retaking the lead on lap 185.
``It's all about getting a push out there,'' Gordon said. ``They could pass me if I gave them too much room but, if I got the slightest push from behind, watch out. My car was awesome.''
Jeremy Mayfield finished fourth, followed by Jamie McMurray, Elliott Sadler and defending series champion Kurt Busch. Earnhardt, who has five Talladega victories, including one last fall, was able to continue after the last crash and finished 15th.
Although he qualified 36th and led only three laps in the race, Earnhardt said there was nothing really wrong with his No. 8 Chevrolet.
``It's good, but it ain't the best,'' Junior said. ``We used to have the best.''
With Johnson winding up 20th, his lead over Busch in the season standings dwindled from 173 points to 130. Gordon moved from fourth, 233 points behind his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, to third, 151 back.
The way the cars race most of the day at Talladega -- in huge packs two- and three-wide -- at least one huge multicar crash -- ``The Big One'' -- is nearly inevitable. Sunday's race saw one of the biggest.
Earnhardt, battling toward the rear of the top 10, nudged the rear of Mike Wallace's car on lap 133 as the cars headed toward turn one. Wallace then came together with Johnson and slid sideways, setting off a melee that eventually involved more than half the 43-car field.
So many cars ended up packed together in the muddy infield grass between turns one and two that it looked like an auto junkyard. NASCAR stopped the race for 43 minutes, 21 seconds to remove the cars, clean up the debris and make repairs to the energy-absorbing SAFER Barrier.
Among the cars damaged, the worst were those of Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Joe Nemechek, Mike Bliss, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Scott Wimmer, Carl Edwards, Mike Skinner, Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch.
``This kind of racing just isn't any fun at all,'' Rusty Wallace said. ``It seemed like everybody was minding their own business. It was just regular restrictor plate racing, pretty boring out there.
``I still don't know what happened. Obviously, somebody bumped someone else too hard. Sooner or later you're going to have this on this type of track.''
Not according to the experts. Earnhardt fans call it "thats plate racing".
I like the bullseye in the middle!
"Not according to the experts. Earnhardt fans call it "thats plate racing"."
In any case I have a feeling that Jr. is going to be having some rough races for the next couple of weeks.
Shut up and retire, Rusty. The fans love it and they hate whiners.
I noticed a lot of people with very little racing knowledge are saying Dale Jr. caused "the big one." Everytime the pinheads doing the race blasted Junior, they'd show the video that told a different story. Had the 42 and 48 not gotten squirrely and bumped into the 4, Junior's little nudge would not have meant a thing. You can pick on Earnhardt all you want but it was Johnson who played a major role in causing "the big one" as well as the wreck that ruined Junior's day.
I'd like to know what Gordon's team did to that car... Wonder how they got it so much faster than the rest of the cars.
I agree Johnson moved over and nudged the nose sending the car flying. Johnson drives like a punk I was happy he got wiped out. :D
No, the fans do NOT like plate racing. My friends went to Daytona 500 for over 20 years in a row & quit going three years ago because they were simply BORING. Most NASCAR fans I know feel the same way.
You can't blame this particular massive wreck on restrictor plates. For this one, you can place the blame squarely on Jimmie Johnson. This is the third straight race he has caused a wreck and benefitted from it.
I can tell you for a fact that I hate plate racing. It's the worst racing of all. Going into a race expecting a big one to happen is just WRONG
"In any case I have a feeling that Jr. is going to be having some rough races for the next couple of weeks."
Good.
boring
Thanks for the update!
Was at my daughters softball tourney. all day and missed everything.
Sure miss Dick Trickle......
Last year GM went to DEI and said they WILL share ALL motor secrets with the other major GM engine builders. This way all the GM teams have a fair share at winning plate races.
I swear I do not know why NASCRAP does not just reduce engine displacement to 305 cuin and let em run with no restrictor plates. One of these days the teams and sponsors are just gonna say the hell with em, we are tired of wrecking 8 million bucks worth of cars every plate race.
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