Talladega Superspeedway News

Brian Vickers paused, pursed his lips and swallowed hard before deciding what to say about his good friend, Ricky Hendrick. ``It's ... I mean .... he was a good friend,'' Vickers finally offered. Overshadowed by the fallout of the mistake Vickers made on the last lap at Talladega, Ala., when he accidentally wrecked teammate Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr., is that the victory he stole would have thrilled his ...

I guess Talladega lived up to the hype. Thankfully, we weren't a part of the drama. We had a great car and were able to lead some laps, but we just didn't have much help at the end. Still, it was a great points day for us and I moved up to second and am only six points behind Jeff Burton. We were sitting in sixth for the final 10 ...

NASCAR tested its ``Car of Tomorrow'' at Talladega Superspeedway on Monday in anticipation of its restrictor-plate debut next season. The COT will be phased into competition with 16 races next season, including the October race at Talladega, and NASCAR used the test to help develop proper specifications for that event. ``NASCAR wants to make sure they get the right restrictor plate and gear ratio for the teams,'' Jimmie Johnson said. ...

Jeff and Jimmie, Brian and Ricky. They were the Hendrick Motorsports entourage _ NASCAR's very own version of the Rat Pack. But people change, things happen and friendships often fade. And after Brian Vickers stole his first career Nextel Cup victory Sunday by spinning Jimmie Johnson into leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the last lap at Talladega Superspeedway, things might never be the same. There were already cracks in the ...

The first complete repaving of the 2.66-mile Talladega oval since 1979 drew raves from most of the drivers after the race. Kurt Busch, who finished third, said, ``I think the paving job they created here is the best job I've seen at any racetrack we go to recently. They did a good job smoothing the surface. It was seamless between the high lane, low lane, middle lane, wherever you go. ``It made it comfortable and, when you ...

Jeff Gordon's championship hopes took a hit Sunday when the four-time NASCAR champion got caught up in an 11-car crash midway through the UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Gordon's Hendrick Motorsports crew managed to get his battered No. 24 Chevrolet back on track to make up a few places and scavenge a few extra points later in the race, but Gordon still wound up 36th, his second straight finish near the bottom of the field. ``You know what, ...

Brian Vickers stole his first Nextel Cup victory Sunday by turning teammate Jimmie Johnson into race leader Dale Earnhardt Jr., then skirting by the two spinning cars on the last lap at Talladega Superspeedway. The finish robbed Earnhardt of what seemed to be a sure victory as he headed out of the final turn and toward the checkered flag. But Johnson dipped low to attempt a pass, Vickers went with him and slight contact between the two ...

Mark Martin won the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, coming back from a lap down and holding on after series leader Todd Bodine was penalized for passing illegally nine laps from the end. The 94-lap race on the 2.66-mile oval was just as competitive as expected, with plenty of three- and four-wide racing and the outcome in doubt until half a lap from the end when Mike Skinner, just in front ...

David Gilliland had to fight to get NASCAR approval to race at Talladega Superspeedway. That battle two months ago was worth it. Gilliland won the pole Saturday, posting a lap of 191.712 m.p.h. in his Robert Yates Racing Ford. His speed was far off the 198.689 that Jeff Gordon posted during practice, but NASCAR mandated smaller restrictor plates to slow the speeds before Sunday's race. ``They threw a curveball at us this morning with the restrictor plate, but ...

NASCAR will use smaller restrictor plates Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway to cut back speeds that approached 200 m.p.h. during practice sessions on the freshly paved track. Teams and drivers were told of the change as they arrived for work Saturday morning. The new plates will have four holes of seven-eighths of an inch in diameter, or one-64th smaller than the ones used Friday. Jeff Gordon set a top speed of 198.689 in one of Friday's two practice sessions. Although ...

There's seven races left in Dale Jarrett's storied career with Robert Yates Racing, and with each passing week he loses another opportunity to go out a winner. In fact, it's been an entire year since Jarrett found his way to Victory Lane, passing Tony Stewart on the backstretch at Talladega Superspeedway to end a 98-race winless streak. The drought is back up to 36, and Jarrett wants nothing more than one final glorious run in the No. ...

If Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to make a run at his first Nextel Cup title, he'll have to jump-start his campaign this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway _ the wild-card race in the Chase for the championship. Mark Martin is resigned to wrecking, and Jeff Burton knows his long string of avoiding disaster at Talladega is bound to end some time. Just about every driver in the 10-man Chase field ...

Have you ever finished doing something that was so difficult, you felt it was about twice the work it should have been? That was me on Sunday. I know the race was only 400 miles, but afterward it felt like I had driven 800. I don't know what was wrong with the car. Robbie Reiser (crew chief) and the guys will be dissecting the car this week to figure it ...