NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top Story News Schedule Race Update/Results Statistics Point Standings Starting Grid Race Preview Driver Info Team Info Track Info Season Chart All-Time Wins Odds Weather NASCAR - Sprint Cup - Aaron's 499 Preview From The Sports Network   DATE: Sunday, May 6th SITE: Talladega Superspeedway (1969) -- Talladega, Alabama TRACK: 2.66-mile oval - 4,300 feet (Frontstretch); 4,000 feet (Backstretch) CAPACITY: 143,231 (Grandstand Seating) ANNUAL: 43rd TELEVISION: FOX ANNOUNCERS: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds RADIO: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio START TIME: 1 p.m. (ET)/Green Flag: 1:19 p.m. (ET) DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jimmie Johnson RUNNER-UP: Clint Bowyer POLE WINNER: Jeff Gordon (Finished 3rd) LAPS: 188 MILES: 500 QUALIFYING RECORD: Bill Elliott, 1987 (212.809 m.p.h.) RACE RECORD: Mark Martin, 1997 (188.354 m.p.h.) TOTAL PURSE: $5,944,315 (2011 figures) PAYOUTS: 1st Place - $329,386; 2nd Place - $269,058; 3rd Place - $210,686 2011 Finish Finish Driver Start Finish Driver Start 1 Jimmie Johnson 2 6 Carl Edwards 20 2 Clint Bowyer 10 7 Greg Biffle 17 3 Jeff Gordon 1 8 Mark Martin 3 4 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 4 9 David Gilliland 39 5 Kevin Harvick 38 10 Joey Logano 36 2011 Aaron's 499 Facts and Figures AVERAGE SPEED: 156.261 m.p.h. TIME OF RACE: 3 hours, 12 minutes, 1 second MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.002 second CAUTION FLAGS: 6 for 24 laps LEAD CHANGES: 88 among 26 drivers POLE WINNER: Jeff Gordon (178.248 m.p.h.) Past Aaron's 499 Winners (Starting Position) Car -- Speed 2011 -- Jimmie Johnson (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 156.261 m.p.h. 2010 -- Kevin Harvick (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 150.590 m.p.h. 2009 -- Brad Keselowski (9th) -- Chevrolet -- 147.565 m.p.h. 2008 -- Kyle Busch (5th) -- Toyota -- 157.409 m.p.h. 2007 -- Jeff Gordon (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 154.167 m.p.h. 2006 -- Jimmie Johnson (16th) -- Chevrolet -- 142.880 m.p.h. 2005 -- Jeff Gordon (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 146.904 m.p.h. 2004 -- Jeff Gordon (11th) -- Chevrolet -- 129.396 m.p.h. 2003 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr (13th) -- Chevrolet -- 144.625 m.p.h. 2002 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr (4th -- Chevrolet -- 159.022 m.p.h. 2001 -- Bobby Hamilton (14th) -- Chevrolet -- 184.003 m.p.h. 2000 -- Jeff Gordon (36th) -- Chevrolet -- 161.157 m.p.h. 1999 -- Dale Earnhardt (17th) -- Chevrolet -- 163.395 m.p.h. 1998 -- Bobby Labonte (1st) -- Pontiac -- 142.428 m.p.h. 1997 -- Mark Martin (18th) -- Ford -- 188.354 m.p.h. (race record) 1996 -- Sterling Marlin (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 149.999 m.p.h. 1995 -- Mark Martin (3rd) -- Ford -- 178.902 m.p.h. 1994 -- Dale Earnhardt (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 157.478 m.p.h. 1993 -- Ernie Irvan (16th) -- Chevrolet -- 155.412 m.p.h. 1992 -- Davey Allison (2nd) -- Ford -- 167.609 m.p.h. 1991 -- Harry Gant (2nd) -- Oldsmobile -- 165.620 m.p.h. 1990 -- Dale Earnhardt (5th) -- Chevrolet -- 159.571 m.p.h. 1989 -- Davey Allison (2nd) -- Ford -- 155.869 m.p.h. 1988 -- Phil Parsons (3rd) -- Oldsmobile -- 156.547 m.p.h. 1987 -- Davey Allison (3rd) -- Ford -- 154.228 m.p.h. 1986 -- Bobby Allison (2nd) -- Buick -- 157.698 m.p.h. 1985 -- Bill Elliott (1st) -- Ford -- 186.228 m.p.h. 1984 -- Cale Yarborough (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 172.998 m.p.h. 1983 -- Richard Petty (15th) -- Pontiac -- 153.936 m.p.h. 1982 -- Darrell Waltrip (2nd) -- Buick -- 156.697 m.p.h. 1981 -- Bobby Allison (1st) -- Buick -- 149.376 m.p.h. 1980 -- Buddy Baker (2nd) -- Oldsmobile -- 170.481 m.p.h. 1979 -- Bobby Allison (12th) -- Ford -- 154.770 m.p.h. 1978 -- Cale Yarborough (1st) -- Oldsmobile -- 159.699 m.p.h. 1977 -- Darrell Waltrip (11th) -- Chevrolet -- 164.877 m.p.h. 1976 -- Buddy Baker (12th) -- Ford -- 169.887 m.p.h. 1975 -- Buddy Baker (1st) -- Ford -- 144.948 m.p.h. 1974 -- David Pearson (1st) -- Mercury -- 130.220 m.p.h. 1973 -- David Pearson (2nd) -- Mercury -- 131.956 m.p.h. 1972 -- David Pearson (2nd) -- Mercury -- 134.400 m.p.h. 1971 -- Donnie Allison (1st) -- Mercury -- 147.419 m.p.h. 1970 -- Pete Hamilton (6th) -- Plymouth -- 152.321 m.p.h. NOTE: Formerly called Alabama 500 (1970), Winston 500 (1971-93), Winston Select 500 (1994-96), Winston 500 (1997), Diehard 500 (1998-00), Talladega 500 (2001). Past Aaron's 499 Pole Winners (Finish) 2011 -- Jeff Gordon (3rd) 2010 -- None -- Weather 2009 -- Juan Pablo Montoya -- 20th 2008 -- Joe Nemechek -- 25th 2007 -- Jeff Gordon -- 1st 2006 -- Elliott Sadler -- 16th 2005 -- Kevin Harvick -- 12th 2004 -- Ricky Rudd -- 17th 2003 -- Jeremy Mayfield -- 18th 2002 -- Jimmie Johnson -- 7th 2001 -- Stacy Compton -- 43rd 2000 -- Jeremy Mayfield -- 14th 1999 -- Ken Schrader -- 6th 1998 -- Bobby Labonte -- 1st 1997 -- John Andretti -- 4th 1996 -- Ernie Irvan -- 31st 1995 -- Terry Labonte -- 26th 1994 -- Ernie Irvan -- 2nd 1993 -- Dale Earnhardt -- 4th 1992 -- Ernie Irvan -- 5th 1991 -- Ernie Irvan -- 32nd 1990 -- Bill Elliott -- 22nd 1989 -- Mark Martin -- 3rd 1988 -- Davey Allison -- 34th 1987 -- Bill Elliott -- 22nd 1986 -- Bill Elliott -- 24th 1985 -- Bill Elliott -- 1st 1984 -- Cale Yarborough -- 1st 1983 -- Cale Yarborough -- 29th 1982 -- Benny Parsons -- 3rd 1981 -- Bobby Allison -- 1st 1980 -- David Pearson -- 3rd 1979 -- Darrell Waltrip -- 2nd 1978 -- Cale Yarborough -- 1st 1977 -- A.J. Foyt -- 38th 1976 -- Dave Marcis -- 9th 1975 -- Buddy Baker -- 1st 1974 -- David Pearson -- 1st 1973 -- Buddy Baker -- 40th 1972 -- Bobby Isaac -- 2nd 1971 -- Donnie Allison -- 1st 1970 -- Bobby Isaac -- 2nd Last Race Results RACE: Capital City 400 (April 28th) SITE: Richmond International Raceway -- Richmond, Virginia MILES: 300 LAPS: 400 WINNER: Kyle Busch RUNNER-UP: Dale Earnhardt Jr. THIRD: Tony Stewart FOURTH: Denny Hamlin FIFTH: Kasey Kahne POLE WINNER: Mark Martin (Finished 8th) TIME OF RACE: 2 hours, 51 minutes, 6 seconds AVERAGE SPEED: 105.202 m.p.h. MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1.095 seconds CAUTION FLAGS: 5 for 31 laps LEAD CHANGES: 14 among 7 drivers LAP LEADERS: M. Martin 1-29; C. Edwards 30-53; T. Kvapil 54; C. Edwards 55-200; T. Stewart 201-205; C. Edwards 206; K. Harvick 207-219; C. Edwards 220-250; T. Stewart 251-285; Kyle Busch 286-304; T. Stewart 305-309; J. Johnson 310; C. Edwards 311-314; T. Stewart 315-387; Kyle Busch 388-400. Aaron's 499 Entry List Car Driver, Hometown Car/Name 1 Jamie McMurray (Joplin, MO) Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops 2 Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills, MI) Dodge/Miller Lite 5 Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA) Chevrolet/Farmers Insurance 9 Marcos Ambrose (Launceston, Australia) Ford/Stanley 10 David Reutimann (Zephyrhills, FL) Chevrolet/Tommy Baldwin Racing 11 Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA) Toyota/FedEx Express 13 Casey Mears (Bakersfield, CA) Ford/GEICO 14 Tony Stewart (Columbus, IN) Chevrolet/Office Depot/Mobil 1 15 Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS) Toyota/Aaron's/AL National Champ 16 Greg Biffle (Vancouver, WA) Ford/O'Reilly's 17 Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI) Ford/Best Buy 18 Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV) Toyota/M&M's 20 Joey Logano (Middletown, CT) Toyota/Dollar General 21 Trevor Bayne (Knoxville, TN) Ford/Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire 22 A.J. Allmendinger (Los Gatos, CA) Dodge/Shell/Pennzoil/AAA 23 Robert Richardson Jr. (McKinney, TX) Toyota/North Texas Pipe 24 Jeff Gordon (Vallejo, CA) Chevrolet/DuPont 26 Josh Wise (Riverside, CA) Ford/Morristown Driver's Service 27 Paul Menard (Eau Claire, WI) Chevrolet/Menards/Turtle Wax 29 Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA) Chevrolet/Rheem 30 David Stremme (South Bend, IN) Toyota/Inception Motorsports 31 Jeff Burton (South Boston, VA) Chevrolet/Caterpillar 32 Terry Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) Ford/C&J Energy 33 Tony Raines (LaPorte, IN) Chevrolet/TBA 34 David Ragan (Unadilla, GA) Ford/TBA 36 Dave Blaney (Hartford, OH) Chevrolet/Tommy Baldwin Racing 38 David Gilliland (Riverside, CA) Ford/Taco Bell 39 Ryan Newman (South Bend, IN) Chevrolet/Bass Pro 42 Juan Pablo Montoya (Bogota, Colombia) Chevrolet/Target/Kraft 43 Aric Almirola (Tampa, FL) Ford/Verifone Sail 47 Bobby Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) Toyota/Bush's Beans 48 * Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon, CA) Chevrolet/Lowe's 49 J.J. Yeley (Phoenix, AZ) Toyota/JPO Absorbents 51 Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV) Chevrolet/Phoenix Construction 55 Michael Waltrip (Owensboro, KY) Toyota/Aaron's Color Your Way 56 Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta, NJ) Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 78 Regan Smith (Cato, NY) Chevrolet/Furniture Row 83 Landon Cassill (Cedar Rapids, IA) Toyota/Burger King 87 Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, FL) Toyota/AM FM Energy Wood Pellet 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Kannapolis, NC) Chevrolet/Diet Mt. Dew/Nat Guard 93 Travis Kvapil (Janesville, WI) Toyota/Burger King 97 Bill Elliott (Dawsonville, GA) Toyota/TBA 98 Michael McDowell (Glendale, AZ) Ford/Curb Records 99 Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO) Ford/Fastenal * - Defending champion Leading Contenders (Finish the last nine years) Driver 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Jimmie Johnson 15th 4th 20th Won 2nd 13th 30th 31st Won Clint Bowyer --- --- --- 40th 35th 9th 39th 7th 2nd Jeff Gordon 8th Won Won 15th Won 19th 37th 22nd 3rd Dale Earnhardt Jr Won 2nd 15th 31st 7th 10th 2nd 13th 4th Kevin Harvick 2nd 3rd 12th 23rd 6th 24th 38th Won 5th Carl Edwards --- --- 32nd 8th 42nd 40th 24th 11th 6th Greg Biffle 22nd 15th 13th 38th 29th 18th 7th 17th 7th David Gilliland --- --- --- --- 4th 15th 40th --- 9th Joey Logano --- --- --- --- --- --- 9th 36th 10th A.J. Allmendinger --- --- --- --- --- 30th 35th 19th 11th Paul Menard --- --- --- --- 43rd 14th 13th 25th 12th Martin Truex Jr --- --- 21st 36th 10th 37th 33rd 12th 13th Regan Smith --- --- --- --- 24th 21st 15th 38th 15th Jeff Burton 35th 7th 10th 4th 34th 12th 10th 32nd 16th Tony Stewart 25th 22nd 2nd 2nd 28th 38th 23rd 16th 17th Kurt Busch 19th 36th 7th 7th 3rd 39th 6th 8th 18th Jamie McMurray 27th 9th 5th 5th 5th 17th 42nd 2nd 21st Denny Hamlin --- --- --- 22nd 21st 3rd 22nd 4th 23rd Ryan Newman 39th 11th 39th 33rd 9th 8th 3rd 35th 25th Michael Waltrip 24th 12th 3rd 25th --- 27th 40th 39th 28th Juan Pablo Montoya --- --- --- --- 31st 2nd 20th 3rd 30th Marcos Ambrose --- --- --- --- --- --- 4th 37th 32nd Brad Keselowski --- --- --- --- --- --- Won 34th 33rd Kyle Busch --- --- 41st 32nd 37th Won 25th 9th 35th Matt Kenseth 9th 42nd 11th 6th 14th 41st 17th 28th 36th Kasey Kahne --- 30th 24th 39th 12th 23rd 36th 21st 37th David Ragan --- --- --- --- 17th 4th 12th 6th 39th Trevor Bayne --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 40th Mover of the Week Jimmie Johnson - Started 27th in the field and finished 6th Sports Network Selections Pick to Win - Dale Earnhardt Jr Darkhorse - Brad Keselowski Last Week's Pick to Win (Kyle Busch) - Finished 1st Last Week's Darkhorse (Jeff Burton) - Finished 31st NOTES: It was Kyle Busch who came away the winner last week at Richmond International Raceway, but it was Greg Biffle who maintained the top spot in the Sprint Cup Series point standings. Biffle's lead has shrunk down to just five points ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr and nine clear of Denny Hamlin after a disappointing 18th-place finish at Richmond. Earnhardt, who won the spring race at Talladega Superspeedway in consecutive years from 2004-05, has steadily climbed up in the point rankings after his fifth straight top-10 finish. One year ago, with pushing help from Earnhardt Jr. on the final lap, Jimmie Johnson edged Clint Bowyer by the slimmest of margins to win the Aaron's 499 at Talladega. Earnhardt Jr. pushed Johnson on the inside lane, while Richard Childress Racing teammates Kevin Harvick and Bowyer and the Hendrick duo of Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon ran on the outer lanes through turns three and four on the last lap around the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Johnson pulled ahead of Bowyer for the lead just yards away from the finish line, and then beat Bowyer to the line by only 0.002 seconds for his second Talladega win. His first victory here came in May 2006. Johnson's margin of victory tied the closest race finish in NASCAR's top-tier series since the sanctioning body began using electronic timing and scoring in 1993. Ricky Craven beat Kurt Busch by the same margin in the 2003 spring race at Darlington Raceway. With 55 career Sprint Cup wins so far, Johnson is seeking his first trip to victory lane this season. Sixth last week at Richmond, Johnson does own seven top-10 finishes in nine starts this year. In a race that saw 88 lead changes among 29 drivers, Kevin Harvick was the first to cross the finish line, as he captured the 2010 running of the Aaron's 499. Harvick held the lead briefly on the fifth lap, but it wasn't until the final lap that he assumed control again and then held off Jamie McMurray by 0.011 of a second for his 12th career Sprint Cup title. The victory ended a 115-race winless streak. Starting from the ninth position, Brad Keselowski took the lead for the first and only time on the final lap to clip Dale Earnhardt Jr by less than a second for his first of five Sprint Cup titles in 2009. With 57 lead changes among 25 drivers, Keselowski had the last laugh, as he outraced Earnhardt Jr by 0.175 of a second for the win in just his fifth Sprint start. Kyle Busch won the 2008 running of the Aaron's 499 at Talladega as the checkered flag came out because of two multi-car accidents on the last lap. The No.18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota crossed the finish line just ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya. With the win, Busch won for the sixth time in his career. Since then, Busch has added 18 more victories, including last week to his total and now ranks 26th on the all-time list with 24 titles. Jeff Gordon became the first four-time winner of this race in 2007, when he raced to victory. Gordon, who became the first pole sitter to capture this race since Bobby Labonte in 1998, reclaimed the lead on lap 185 and held on to edge Jimmie Johnson under caution. Gordon led 10 times for a total of 71 laps, as he claimed the 77th of his 85 career Sprint Cup titles. In his 38 career starts at Talladega (Sprint and Nationwide), Gordon has six wins, 14 top-five's and 18 top-10's. Recently, Gordon has struggled at Talladega with just two top-10 in his last eight starts. When Gordon captured the 2007 race, he became the all-time leader in restrictor plate wins with 12, passing the great Dale Earnhardt. Jimmie Johnson led for only three laps, but it was good enough to claim his 21st career Sprint Cup Series title in 2006. Johnson, who has now improved to 55 victories, overtook Brian Vickers and Tony Stewart on the final lap to take the checkered flag by the slimmest of margins (0.120 of a second). Pole Sitter Elliott Sadler led for 23 laps, but finished 16th. Ironically, Vickers returned the favor in the second Talladega race in 2006, as he passed Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr on the closing lap for the win. David Pearson is the only driver in history to win three consecutive Aaron's 499's (1972-74). The race history at Talladega features many multiple champions. Gordon is a four-time winner, while Pearson, Bobby Allison, Davey Allison, Buddy Baker and Dale Earnhardt are three-time champions. Mark Martin, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough and Johnson have won this race twice. Chevrolet has dominated this race in recent years winning 12 of the last 13 Aaron's 499. Toyota snapped the Chevrolet streak in 2008. Dale Earnhardt Jr and his father had great success at Talladega. Dale Sr won 10 times at the track, while Dale Jr's victory total stands at five. Opened in 1969, Talladega Superspeedway was last paved in the summer of 2006. The original name for the raceway was Alabama International Motor Speedway and was changed to its current name in 1989. The tri-oval superspeedway is 2.66 miles in length. There have been 85 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Alabama. 33 of 85 races have been won from a top-two starting position, including 13 from the pole; 23 have been won from a starting position outside the top 10. The furthest back in the field a race winner started was 36th, by Jeff Gordon in 2000. The next Sprint Cup Series race is the May 12 Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Regan Smith is the defending race winner. 05/01 16:09:10 ET As of May 1, 2012, at 04:09 PM ET