Gordon wins at Talladega again

Autoracing Betting Lines

10/07/2007 - Talladega, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Gordon was sitting behind his teammate with two laps to go, but took a chance by going to the top of the track and with help from Tony Stewart captured Sunday's UAW-Ford 500 Nextel Cup race, the fourth event of the 10-race "Chase for the Nextel Cup." Gordon edged Johnson by 0.066 seconds.

The victory was Gordon's fifth of the season, sixth at Talladega and 80th of his "Cup" career.

"We laid in the back because this car had a lot of unknowns," said Gordon. "We just wanted to play it safe until it counted."

Michael Waltrip brought the 43-car field to the green flag for 188 laps of side-by-side-by-side restrictor-plate racing. Interestingly, most of the "Chase" drivers began the race in the middle or near the back of the pack.

Waltrip didn't lead the first lap, that went to Dave Blaney, who made the first of 42 lead changes on the afternoon. He didn't stay there long, there were six lead changes in the first six laps.

The shuffling continued as no one could take control.

Lap 16 say "Chase" driver Matt Kenseth make an unscheduled pit stop because of a right-front tire going flat. He was going to lose a lap to the leaders, but John Andretti had a tire explode and it brought out the caution flag saving Kenseth. Kenseth got the "Lucky Dog" pass to stay on the lead lap and in contention.

After the first round of pit stops, Denny Hamlin restarted with the lead and Kasey Kahne just behind him. Hamlin led 14 laps before the inside line started to gather speed and pushed Martin Truex Jr. into the lead. Then Dale Earnhardt Jr., a five-time Talladega winner, took a turn at the front.

When "Junior" took the lead, everyone got in his lane and suddenly everyone was running single file - at the top of the track. Earnhardt Jr. was still leading the race at the 50-lap mark with Bobby Labonte and Kyle Busch in second and third, respectively.

Another round of pit stops, under a green flag, began at lap 55 and ended when the lead group pitted on lap 60. Just after they were completed, Greg Biffle and David Gilliland got into a bit of a scuffle bringing out caution flag No.2.

When things had sorted out Hamlin was the leader with Stewart, Kyle Busch and Earnhardt Jr. They maintained their position through 85 laps as most drivers weren't pressing the issue, just logging laps and waiting until the end of the race to make their move.

Lap 92 saw Jeff Burton, a "Chase" driver, pull his car down into the garage with a blown engine. His day was done and possibly any chance at a championship. Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer, both teammates at RCR, had to be concerned that their engines might have problems too.

They dropped the green flag on lap 96 and this time pole winner Waltrip was in control after he and Earnhardt Jr. had hooked up just before the last caution flag. Stewart took the lead on lap 98 to gain five important bonus points and was still the leader at lap 100 (88 laps to go).

Another "Chase" driver, Martin Truex Jr. blew an engine on lap 113 - possibly a deathblow to his title hopes as he coasted to a stop in the frontstretch. Truex Jr., like Burton, used an engine from the RCR/DEI engine program.

"The bottom end came apart...it's just frustrating," said Truex Jr.

A round of pit stops left Elliott Sadler in the lead as they returned to the track followed by Earnhardt Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya. They were still that way with 65 laps to go as the top-10 cars were all single file and once again content to stay there...for now.

Chad Knaus was overheard telling Jimmie Johnson that he and Gordon should start towards the front in about 15 laps. For most of the afternoon the Hendrick Motorsports cars, with the exception of Kyle Busch, have been waiting at the back of the pack.

Another RCR/DEI engine, this one in "Junior's" car, obliterated on lap 136.

On the pit stops that followed, Jeff Gordon's pit crew made an error that cost the No.24 Chevy a pass through penalty and left him in a bit of trouble. With 44 laps to go, Labonte sudden swerved for an unknown reason and he collected nine cars including Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. Also stopping at this time was Harvick, who complained that he was down a cylinder.

Would the No.29 RCR Chevrolet suffer the same engine problems as Burton and Truex Jr.?

There were more cautions which slowed the field and set up a 23-lap shootout for the win. Stewart led Penske teammates Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch on the restart. But at the bottom of the track Johnson and teammate Casey Mears had hooked up and they were coming.

Stewart tried to block and when he did Newman and Kurt Busch flew past him for the lead with just 14 laps remaining. Just as the Penske guys took the lead, Waltrip began a multi-car crash to bring out caution flag No.9 and slow the field once again.

Six laps to go and Johnson with help from Gordon dropped to the bottom of the track and right into the lead. But Gordon only stayed there for a couple of laps. When he saw Stewart leading a group on the outside at lap 188 he slid in front of the No.20 Chevrolet and Stewart pushed him to the lead. From there he outraced Johnson to the checkered flag and the win.

"When I got high and Jimmie tried to block me, the No.20 was there and he had no where to go," said Gordon. "He drilled me and he's the one that pushed me to the front."

"Evidently the No.20 had a big run and Jeff moved up in front of it and it was a strong enough run to push him by me," said Johnson. "I couldn't even 'side- draft' him to slow him down."

Gordon led just one lap, the final one and the win gives him a nine-point lead over Johnson (5,690 - 5,681) heading to the next race. Clint Bowyer finished a distant 11th and is 63 points behind Gordon.

The "Chase" returns to the track on Saturday night, October 13th at the Lowe's Motor Speedway.