The 2009 Aaron's 499 was the ninth race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. With a distance of 500.8 miles (806.0 km), it was held on April 26, 2009 at the 2.66 miles (4.28 km) Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. Fox Sports broadcast the race starting at 1 PM EDT, with MRN and Sirius XM Radio carrying the radio broadcast over the air and on satellite respectively. The race had nine cautions, 25 different leaders, and 57 lead changes, the most lead changes of the season up until that point.

2009 Aaron's 499
Race details
Race 9 of 36 in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2009 Aaron's 499 program cover
2009 Aaron's 499 program cover
Date April 26, 2009 (2009-April-26)
Official name Aaron's 499
Location Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Alabama
Course Permanent racing facility
2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Distance 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km)
Weather Sunny with temperatures reaching up to 82.4 °F (28.0 °C); wind speeds up to 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h)[1]
Pole position
Driver Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
Time 50.890
Most laps led
Driver Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 42
Winner
No. 09 Brad Keselowski Phoenix Racing
Television in the United States
Network Fox Broadcasting Company
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds

Brad Keselowski, driving for Phoenix Racing, won the race in his fifth career start (third start in 2009) and led his first career Sprint Cup lap, Lap 188 (in fact the only lap he led the entire race), while Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second and Ryan Newman finished third. It would prove to be the only Cup Series victory for Phoenix Racing. This was the first time since Casey Mears's win at the 2007 Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte that a driver had won his first career win in a major, and the first win in the Aaron's 499 by a first-time driver since Phil Parsons in 1988. It was also the first time a driver's first ever lap led was to win the race. Keselowski dedicated his win to the late Neil Bonnett.

Talladega Superspeedway, the race track where the race was held.

Background

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Talladega Superspeedway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races; the others are Daytona International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway.[2] The standard track at the speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.66 miles (4.28 km) long.[3] The track's turns are banked at thirty-three degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 16.5 degrees. The back stretch has a two-degree banking.[3] Talladega Superspeedway can seat up to 143,231 people.[4]

Before the race, Jeff Gordon led the Drivers' Championship with 1242 points, and Jimmie Johnson stood in second with 1157. Kurt Busch was third in the Drivers' Championship with 1144 points, six ahead of Tony Stewart and 56 ahead of Denny Hamlin in fourth and fifth. In sixth, Clint Bowyer with 1052 points was 26 points ahead of Kyle Busch in seventh, as Carl Edwards with 1023 points was 31 points ahead of David Reutimann, and 48 points in front of Kasey Kahne.[5]

Entry list

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Car # Driver Hometown Make Sponsor Owner
00 David Reutimann Zephyrhills, FL Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine Michael Waltrip
1 Martin Truex Jr. Mayetta, NJ Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Teresa Earnhardt
2 Kurt Busch Las Vegas, NV Dodge Miller Lite Walter Czarnecki
4 Eric McClure Abingdon, VA Chevrolet Hefty SteelSak / Wal-Mart Jerry McClure
5 Mark Martin Batesville, AR Chevrolet Carquest / Kellogg's Mary Hendrick
6 David Ragan Unadilla, GA Ford UPS Mike Dee
07 Casey Mears Bakersfield, CA Chevrolet Jack Daniel's Richard Childress
7 Robby Gordon Bellflower, CA Toyota Jim Beam Robby Gordon
09 Brad Keselowski Auburn Hills, MI Chevrolet Miccosukee Resort & Gaming James Finch
9 Kasey Kahne Enumclaw, WA Dodge Budweiser George Gillett Jr.
11 Denny Hamlin Chesterfield, VA Toyota FedEx Freight J.D. Gibbs
12 David Stremme South Bend, IN Dodge Penske Racing Roger Penske
13 Max Papis Como, Italy Toyota GEICO Bob Germain
14 Tony Stewart Rushville, IN Chevrolet Old Spice / Office Depot Margaret Haas
16 Greg Biffle Vancouver, WA Ford 3M Jack Roush
17 Matt Kenseth Cambridge, WI Ford Dewalt John Henry
18 Kyle Busch Las Vegas, NV Toyota Pedigree Joe Gibbs
19 Elliott Sadler Emporia, VA Dodge Best Buy George Gillett Jr.
20 Joey Logano Middleton, CT Toyota The Home Depot Joe Gibbs
24 Jeff Gordon Vallejo, CA Chevrolet Pepsi Throwback Challenger / DuPont Rick Hendrick
26 Jamie McMurray Joplin, MO Ford Crown Royal Geoff Smith
29 Kevin Harvick Bakersfield, CA Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil Richard Childress
31 Jeff Burton South Boston, VA Chevrolet Caterpillar Richard Childress
33 Clint Bowyer Emporia, KS Chevrolet BB&T Bobby Ginn III
34 John Andretti Bethlehem, PA Chevrolet Taco Bell Teresa Earnhardt
36 Scott Riggs Bahama, NC Toyota Tommy Baldwin Racing Tommy Baldwin
39 Ryan Newman South Bend, IN Chevrolet Prelude to the Dream / U.S. Army Tony Stewart
41 Jeremy Mayfield Owensboro, KY Toyota Big Red Jeremy Mayfield
42 Juan Pablo Montoya Bogota, Colombia Chevrolet Tums Dual Action Teresa Earnhardt
43 Reed Sorenson Peachtree City, GA Dodge U.S. Air Force Richard Petty
44 A.J. Allmendinger Los Gatos, CA Dodge Hunt Brothers Pizza George Gillett Jr.
47 Marcos Ambrose Launceston, Tasmania Toyota Little Debbie / Kingsford / Clorox Rob Kauffman
48 Jimmie Johnson El Cajon, CA Chevrolet Lowe's / Kobalt Tools Jeff Gordon
55 Michael Waltrip Owensboro, KY Toyota NAPA Michael Waltrip
66 Michael McDowell Phoenix, AZ Toyota Prism Motorsports Phil Parsons
71 David Gilliland Riverside, CA Chevrolet TRG Motorsports Kevin Buckler
77 Sam Hornish Jr. Defiance, OH Dodge Penske Truck Rental / AAA Bill Davis
78 Regan Smith Cato, NY Chevrolet National Day of Prayer / Furniture Row Barney Visser
82 Scott Speed Manteca, CA Toyota Red Bull Dietrich Mateschitz
83 Brian Vickers Thomasville, NC Toyota Red Bull Dietrich Mateschitz
87 Joe Nemechek Lakeland, FL Toyota NEMCO Motorsports Andrea Nemechek
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kannapolis, NC Chevrolet National Guard / Amp Energy Rick Hendrick
96 Bobby Labonte Corpus Christi, TX Ford Ask.com Jeffrey Moorad
98 Paul Menard Eau Claire, WI Ford Turtle Wax / Menards Max Jones
99 Carl Edwards Columbia, MO Ford Claritin Jack Roush

Qualifying

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Pos.[6][7] Car # Driver Make Avg. Speed Time Behind
1 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet 188.171 50.890 0.000
2 16 Greg Biffle Ford 188.141 50.898 00.008
3 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 187.971 50.944 00.054
4 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 187.953 50.949 00.059
5 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 187.919 50.958 00.068
6 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 187.897 50.964 00.074
7 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 187.861 50.974 00.084
8 82 Scott Speed Toyota 187.824 50.984 00.094
9 09 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet 187.687 51.021 00.131
10 6 David Ragan Ford 187.640 51.034 00.144
11 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 187.610 51.042 00.152
12 96 Bobby Labonte Ford 187.607 51.043 00.153
13 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 187.574 51.052 00.162
14 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 187.423 51.093 00.203
15 07 Casey Mears Chevrolet 187.412 51.096 00.206
16 99 Carl Edwards Ford 187.383 51.104 00.214
17 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 187.379 51.105 00.215
18 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 187.163 51.164 00.274
19 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 187.071 51.189 00.299
20 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 187.061 51.192 00.302
21 36 Scott Riggs Toyota 186.900 51.236 00.346
22 20 Joey Logano Toyota 186.889 51.239 00.349
23 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 186.831 51.255 00.365
24 98 Paul Menard Ford 186.823 51.257 00.367
25 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 186.663 51.301 00.411
26 71 David Gilliland Chevrolet 186.638 51.308 00.418
27 41 Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 186.627 51.311 00.421
28 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 186.518 51.341 00.451
29 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 186.423 51.367 00.477
30 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 186.401 51.373 00.483
31 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota 186.260 51.412 00.522
32 26 Jamie McMurray Ford 186.245 51.416 00.526
33 00 David Reutimann Toyota 186.108 51.454 00.564
34 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota 185.596 51.596 00.706
35 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge 185.459 51.634 00.744
36 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 185.384 51.655 00.765
37 12 David Stremme Dodge 184.765 51.828 00.938
38 44 AJ Allmendinger Dodge 184.608 51.872 00.982
39 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge 184.161 51.998 01.108
40 34 John Andretti Chevrolet 182.738 52.403 01.513
41 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge 185.902 51.511 00.621
42 7 Robby Gordon Toyota 185.323 51.672 00.782
43 13 Max Papis Toyota 186.460 51.357 00.467
Failed to qualify
44 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 185.362 51.661
45 4 Eric McClure Chevrolet 184.048 52.030
WD 64 Geoffrey Bodine Toyota 0.000 0.000 0.000

Race recap

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To begin pre-race events, Jeff Sauls, Chaplain Emergency Crews and Alabama Raceway Ministry, delivered the invocation at 1:00 P.M Central Standard Time (2:00 pm Eastern Standard time).[8] Then Katie Stam, Miss America 2009, performed the national anthem. At 1:08 pm, University of Alabama head football coach, Nick Saban, delivered the starting command.

During the pace laps, Scott Speed made an emergency last-minute pit stop, causing him to start the race 1 lap down, since the Talladega races are impound races. Before the green flag, six drivers (including all four Richard Petty Motorsports cars) had to move to the back of the field due to engine changes: Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, David Stremme, Elliott Sadler, Reed Sorenson, and A. J. Allmendinger. Robby Gordon was also forced to start at the rear as his car height was too low and failed post-qualifying inspection.

At the drop of the green flag at 1:20 pm, polesitter Juan Pablo Montoya claimed the lead and stayed in that position for four laps. On lap 5, Dale Earnhardt Jr. passed him for the lead with drafting help from Denny Hamlin. Earnhardt Jr. led for one lap before being repassed by Montoya.

On lap 7, David Ragan, who had won the Nationwide Series race the day before, took the lead on the back straightaway with the help from Joey Logano, who had assisted Ragan in that win. Moments later, the first caution flag was waved for a large crash in turn 3. Matt Kenseth, while in the middle groove, moved up in front of Jeff Gordon (driving a retro Pepsi Challenge paint scheme used by Darrell Waltrip in 1983) and made contact, causing Gordon to wobble and get loose on the high side. Gordon then made contact with David Gilliland, getting him loose, then came down and collected 14 more cars, including Allmendinger, Kahne, Sadler, Casey Mears, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Max Papis, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Scott Riggs, and Bobby Labonte. Martin, who had won the Phoenix race the previous week, took a very hard hit, as his car went over the hood of Riggs', smashed into the wall driver's side first, and got fishtailed by Kahne as his came to a rest in the infield grass. Bowyer and Gilliland also went head-on into the outside wall.[8]

Under this caution, Speed got the free pass. Most of the drivers pitted under the caution on lap 9. As the caution period continued, John Andretti, Greg Biffle, and Ryan Newman each led a lap before making their pit stops.[8] When the race restarted on lap 13, Logano claimed the lead. One lap later, Martin Truex Jr. took it away from Logano with help from Earnhardt Jr. Truex Jr. continued to lead until lap 18, when Montoya passed him for it. One lap later, Busch, upon returned after the huge wreck on lap 6, took the lead from Montoya and led a lap before being passed by Hamlin. On lap 22, Jeff Burton took the lead and led for a lap before being passed by Hamlin. Burton repassed him for the lead on lap 24. On lap 27, Busch reclaimed the lead when Burton was shuffled out of line. As this took place, Burton reported having no voltage in his car.[8] One lap later, the second caution was thrown for debris on the track. Burton was penalized for pitting early to replace his car battery.[8]

On the lap 34 restart, Kyle Busch claimed the lead. He led for the next seven laps. On lap 38, Truex Jr. briefly took the lead on the back straightaway before Busch repassed him with a shove from Michael Waltrip. In the middle of the next lap, Truex Jr. passed Ky. Busch, but lost the lead coming into the tri-oval. On lap 40, Ky. Busch, assisted by David Ragan, was travelling alongside Jimmie Johnson, who was being pushed by David Stremme. On lap 41, Ky. Busch, pushed by Speed, raced side-by-side with Johnson, who was being pushed by Earnhardt Jr. On lap 42, the third caution flag waved when Michael Waltrip cut down in front of Marcos Ambrose in the tri-oval and spun out. Waltrip saved his car and barely avoided hitting the inside retaining wall. The free pass went to Allmendinger, 22 laps down after being involved in the first crash.[8]

During the pit stops, Scott Speed stayed out for a lap to claim the lead from Kyle Busch, but returned it to him when he pitted on lap 45. The race restarted on lap 46 with Busch leading. Busch led for two laps before being passed by Earnhardt Jr. on lap 48. Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. had such a run that they were able to get a few seconds ahead of the main pack. Eanrhardt Jr. led until he was passed by Matt Kenseth on the inside on lap 50. Kenseth led for three laps before Earnhardt Jr. repassed him. Earnhardt Jr. continued to lead for the next seven laps. On lap 60, the fourth caution waved when Kurt Busch spun out in the tri-oval after being touched in the left-rear by David Stremme.[8] Busch's spin happened in exactly the same spot that Waltrip's spin happened in to bring out the previous caution. He also saved his car. During this caution, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, and Kasey Kahne all returned to the track multiple laps down after repairs from the lap 7 crash. Under the caution, Jeff Burton received the free pass. Waltrip led for a lap during the caution before pitting and giving the lead to Martin Truex Jr. At the restart on lap 64, Truex Jr. led the field to the green flag.[8]

The Top 4 drivers — Truex Jr.; Sadler; Earnhardt Jr.; and Kyle Busch —were able to get a strong start and pull away from the lead pack. Truex Jr. led until he was passed on the inside by Hamlin on lap 75. Two laps later, Montoya took the lead. He led for one lap before being passed by Earnhardt Jr., who had a shove from David Stremme.[8] Two laps later, Jimmie Johnson claimed the lead with a shove from Earnhardt Jr. Johnson led for one lap before being passed by Hamlin. On lap 82, Earnhardt Jr. and his JR Motorsports driver Brad Keselowski got together on the back straightaway and went below the yellow line. Though Earnhardt Jr. was able to blend back into the field, Keselowski ended up losing the draft and fell all the way to the back of the lead pack.[8] On lap 83, Sam Hornish Jr. took the lead.

Two laps later, debris on the backstretch brought out the fifth caution.[8] Most of the drivers pitted under the caution, while Jeff Burton received the free pass. Joe Nemechek led one lap before pitting, while Paul Menard stayed out and led the field to the restart on lap 88. Menard was passed one lap later by Denny Hamlin, who had help from Joey Logano. Hamlin led for two laps before Jimmie Johnson passed him on lap 92. Johnson led for a lap before Hamlin repassed him. On lap 100, the field began to run side by side, led by Hamlin on the outside as Casey Mears led a line on the inside.[8] On Lap 111, Earnhardt Jr. and a lap-down Jeff Burton hooked up and got such a run they were able to get a five-second lead over the main pack for a few laps. Burton was attempting to get back on the lead lap the hard way. On lap 112, Menard pitted, followed a lap later by Reed Sorenson.[8]

On lap 114, Earnhardt Jr.'s runaway lead vanished as Martin Truex Jr. claimed the lead, and Earnhardt Jr. fell back to 11th place. Truex Jr. led until lap 116, when he was passed by Joey Logano, who was repassed by Truex Jr. a lap later. On lap 119, Burton got back on the tail end of the lead lap. On lap 121, Brian Vickers passed Truex Jr. for the lead. Vickers led two laps before Truex Jr. repassed him with a push from Kyle Busch. One lap later, the sixth caution came out for debris. On lap 125, under caution, Carl Edwards claimed the lead as the leaders pitted. Jeremy Mayfield also stayed out.[8] Both Edwards and Mayfield pitted one lap later and gave the lead to Kyle Busch, who had won the race off pit road.

Kyle Busch led the field to the green flag on lap 127.[8] The field shuffled around during the next seven laps, with Busch and Hamlin swapping the lead several times in the middle of the track on lap 132. On lap 134, Elliott Sadler claimed the lead with help from Brad Keselowski. Sadler led for three laps before Kurt Busch passed him with help from Earnhardt Jr. On lap 140, Hamlin pushed David Reutimann to the lead, but went around Reutimann at the finish line to lead the lap. One lap later, Casey Mears claimed the lead. He led until lap 143 when Jeff Burton passed him with assistance from Earnhardt Jr., who took the lead from Burton on the next lap on the middle groove.[8] Kurt Busch passed Earnhardt Jr. on lap 145, and led one lap before Earnhardt Jr. repassed him.

On lap 146, the seventh caution came out for debris. Under the yellow flag, Jeremy Mayfield stayed out to collect five bonus points for leading a lap as most of the drivers took their final pit stops of the day.[8] Kurt Busch led the field to the green flag on lap 150. He led for four laps before his brother passed him with help from Earnhardt Jr. Busch led for fifteen laps before Matt Kenseth passed him on lap 169. Kenseth led for a lap before Busch repassed him. On lap 171, the eighth caution came out when Busch and Truex crashed in turn 3. It began when Jeff Burton made contact with Busch's rear bumper, causing him to wobble, and eventually spin out after contact from Montoya, while behind them, Truex got turned loose by Ragan.

Matt Kenseth claimed the lead and led the field to the green flag on lap 175. One lap later, Hamlin got loose but saved his car, and teamed up with Ryan Newman to make a run past the leaders, allowing Newman to take the lead from Kenseth two laps later.[8] On lap 180, the ninth caution flag was waved for a large crash on the backstretch. It started when Montoya, running in the middle of the lead pack, was touched by Hamlin, causing Montoya to spin into Bobby Labonte and collected seven more cars, including Martin Truex Jr., Robby Gordon, David Stremme, Jeremy Mayfield, Jimmie Johnson, Michael Waltrip, and Sam Hornish Jr. Gordon took the worst of it, as his car was sent head on into inside wall, caving in the entire front portion of his car.[8] Newman continued to lead at the restart on lap 184, drafting with Earnhardt Jr.

Carl Edwards passed Newman for the lead to take the white flag on lap 187, pushed by Brad Keselowski. Edwards and Keselowski were ahead of Newman, who was being pushed by Earnhardt Jr. heading down the back straightaway. Coming into the tri-oval, Edwards attempted to block Keselowski, and Keselowski made contact with Edwards' left rear quarter panel. Edwards spun backwards and went airborne. Earnhardt Jr. slipped past Edwards on the inside, and Edwards' airborne car was struck head-on by Newman. This second hit propelled Edwards higher and sent him flying straight into the catch fence. Eight fans were injured by flying debris; the most serious one being a woman whose jaw was broken, and was airlifted to a nearby hospital.

As Keselowski crossed the finish line and won the race with Earnhardt Jr. right behind him, Edwards landed hard on his wheels and screeched to a halt in the middle of the track 100 feet (1,200 in) away from the finish line. No other cars except Newman had been in the vicinity of Edwards' car, and all of the cars behind him made it past without incident, although Greg Biffle came very close to hitting Edwards. After a few moments, Edwards climbed out of his car and jogged to the finish line to a standing ovation from the crowd, which Mike Joy described as having "shades of Ricky Bobby". Although Edwards did cross the start-finish line but on foot, it still did not count as a successful finish since his car did not cross the finish line and he was handed a DNF in 24th position.[9] When Edwards was interviewed on Larry King Live, he responded, "I'm kind of a Will Ferrell fan. He did that at the end of Talladega Nights."[10]

Race results

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Fin[11][7] St # Driver Sponsor Make Team Laps Led Status Pts Winnings (USD)
1 9 09 Brad Keselowski Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts Chevrolet Phoenix Racing 188 1 running 190 312075
2 11 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard, AMP Energy Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 188 20 running 175 224200
3 25 39 Ryan Newman Prelude to the Dream, U.S. Army Chevrolet Stewart-Haas Racing 188 10 running 170 201104
4 34 47 Marcos Ambrose Little Debbie, Kingsford, Clorox Toyota JTG Daugherty Racing 188 0 running 160 161598
5 8 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota Red Bull Racing Team 188 1 running 160 144798
6 28 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge Penske Racing 188 13 running 155 130750
7 2 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford Roush Fenway Racing 188 1 running 151 140225
8 30 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota Red Bull Racing Team 188 2 running 147 136648
9 22 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing 188 4 running 143 153276
10 20 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 188 6 running 139 146456
11 41 43 Reed Sorenson U.S. Air Force Dodge Richard Petty Motorsports 188 0 running 130 137401
12 10 6 David Ragan UPS Ford Roush Fenway Racing 188 2 running 132 107500
13 24 98 Paul Menard Turtle Wax, Menards Ford Yates Racing 188 2 running 129 129431
14 17 87 Joe Nemechek Maui Shower Company Toyota NEMCO Motorsports 188 1 running 126 92900
15 6 78 Regan Smith National Day of Prayer, Furniture Row Chevrolet Furniture Row Racing 188 0 running 118 91775
16 15 07 Casey Mears Jack Daniel's Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 188 2 running 120 110175
17 13 17 Matt Kenseth DeWalt Ford Roush Fenway Racing 188 9 running 117 136315
18 43 13 Max Papis GEICO Toyota Germain Racing 188 0 running 109 88975
19 39 19 Elliott Sadler Best Buy Dodge Richard Petty Motorsports 188 3 running 111 100275
20 1 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Tums Dual Action Chevrolet Earnhardt Ganassi Racing 188 7 running 108 133298
21 31 55 Michael Waltrip NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing 188 1 running 105 98600
22 18 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing 188 28 running 102 104275
23 29 14 Tony Stewart Old Spice, Office Depot Chevrolet Stewart-Haas Racing 188 0 running 94 101198
24 16 99 Carl Edwards Claritin Ford Roush Fenway Racing 187 2 crash 96 139506
25 23 18 Kyle Busch Pedigree Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing 187 42 running 98 138273
26 33 00 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing 187 0 running 85 107548
27 40 34 John Andretti Taco Bell Chevrolet Front Row Motorsports 187 1 running 87 94825
28 12 96 Bobby Labonte Ask.com Ford Yates/ Hall of Fame Racing 179 0 crash 79 113804
29 42 7 Robby Gordon Jim Beam Toyota Robby Gordon Motorsports 179 0 crash 76 104635
30 36 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's, Kobalt Tools Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 179 2 crash 78 137026
31 37 12 David Stremme Penske Racing Dodge Penske Racing 179 0 crash 70 118915
32 27 41 Jeremy Mayfield Big Red Toyota Mayfield Motorsports 179 1 crash 72 82075
33 3 1 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats Chevrolet Earnhardt Ganassi Racing 179 24 crash 69 121190
34 4 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Truck Rental, AAA Dodge Penske Racing 179 3 crash 66 103685
35 38 44 A.J. Allmendinger Hunt Brothers Pizza Dodge Richard Petty Motorsports 164 0 running 58 84675
36 35 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Dodge Richard Petty Motorsports 133 0 running 55 123973
37 14 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont, Pepsi Throwback Challenger Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 128 0 running 52 121201
38 19 29 Kevin Harvick Shell, Pennzoil Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 127 0 running 49 118353
39 5 33 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 8 0 running 46 88875
40 26 71 David Gilliland TRG Motorsports Chevrolet TRG Motorsports 6 0 crash 43 80550
41 21 36 Scott Riggs Tommy Baldwin Racing Toyota Tommy Baldwin Racing 6 0 crash 40 80325
42 32 26 Jamie McMurray Crown Royal Ford Roush Fenway Racing 6 0 crash 37 88155
43 7 5 Mark Martin Carquest, Kellogg's Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 6 0 crash 34 88464
Failed to qualify
44 66 Michael McDowell Prism Motorsports Toyota Prism Motorsports
45 4 Eric McClure Hefty SteelSak / Wal-Mart Chevrolet Morgan–McClure Motorsports
WD 64 Geoffrey Bodine Toyota

Aftermath of the last lap crash

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In the wake of the crash, the catch fence was raised by 10 feet and was strengthened for the fall race in order to prevent such an incident from occurring again. In addition, NASCAR implemented a rule for the fall race at Talladega in which drivers were not allowed to bump draft in the corners as an attempt to reduce multicar crashes that often took place at that part of the track. Finally, in 2010, the wing on the Car of Tomorrow was replaced by a spoiler due to its role in Edwards' crash, as well as other wrecks in which the wing provided enough aerodynamic lift to render the roof flaps useless. NASCAR on Fox analyst Darrell Waltrip compared Edwards' crash to a one in 1987, when Bobby Allison blew a tire and went into the catchfence near the start/finish line, ripping out several feet of it and injuring several fans. That crash made NASCAR mandate restrictor plates at Daytona and Talladega to slow down the cars from such extremely high speeds. Although Edwards quickly congratulated Keselowski for the win, the two drivers began a rivalry that heated up almost every year. After a few incidents in the NNS with Keselowski in 2009 they were given a warning by NASCAR on their bitter feelings.

Almost a year later, in the closing laps of the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta, Edwards (a few laps down after an accident with him early in the race) intentionally rushed for Keselowski's bumper and turned him. This was a wreck that resembled what Keselowski did to Edwards at Talladega the previous year. Keselowski climbed out mostly unscathed, and with an injured leg, he limped down the track to the ambulance. Not long after the crash when reviewing radio quotes, NASCAR black-flagged Edwards for the finish after finding out that Edwards did intentionally turn Keselowski. Later that year, Edwards was leading a Nationwide Series race at Gateway Raceway when Keselowski, who said during a red-flag period that he had the fastest car, bumped him in turn 1 of the final lap to take the lead. In return, Edwards spun Keselowski into the pack in turn 4 of the final lap, causing in a multiple car collision and won the race. Keselowski was rammed hard by charging cars and spun in circles. Keselowski climbed out with minor injuries and a grimace on his face and in victory lane, Edwards confessed publicly that the crash was not an accident. When interviewed, Keselowski furiously said, "I found a way to beat him but he just wrecked me ... it is not cool when I wreck on the straightaway going over 180 miles per hour. I am sure Edwards will think about how great he is or how cool he is in his own little mind but that is not reality." That week, Edwards and Keselowski met with NASCAR, who penalized both drivers' points for the Nationwide Series championship standings, fined them both $25,000, and requested them to calm down the rivalry or face indefinite suspension from the sport.[12] Their rivalry did not end until the 2012 Nationwide race at Watkins Glen, where the two rivals finished 1-2 and confirmed it in both their interviews.

References

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  1. ^ Weather information for the 2009 Aaron's 499 Archived 2014-10-17 at the Wayback Machine at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. ^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Archived from the original on September 12, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "NASCAR Tracks — The Talladega Superspeedway". Talladega Superspeedway. Archived from the original on August 27, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  4. ^ "Talladega". NASCAR. Archived from the original on November 15, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2012-08-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "2009 Aaron's 499 Qualifying Results and Race Lineup - Talladega Superspeedway". frcs.pro. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  7. ^ a b "Race Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Race Summary". NASCAR. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  9. ^ Aaron's 499 Last Lap + Edwards Massive Crash + Interview Talledega Nascar 2009 Sprint Cup Series, YouTube
  10. ^ "CNN LARRY KING LIVE - Swine Flu: NYC Epicenter?/Specter Switches Political Parties, Aired April 28, 2009 - 21:00 ET, CNN Transcripts". CNN.
  11. ^ "2009 Aaron's 499 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  12. ^ "Edwards docked, fined for wrecking Keselowski". 21 July 2010.


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