Race Summary:

The weekend at Talladega began with more questions than expectations. Would The Chase for the Nextel Cup drivers have problems again? Would the Car of Tomorrow make racing at Talladega better than ever? Would Jeff Gordon continue his march up the all-time wins list? The answer to them all was an emphatic “Yes”! In the beginning it looked as though engine problems would rule the day, dooming the strong cars of Jeff Burton, Martin Truex, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. But when the white flag was shown, the stars showed up. A breathtaking final lap shootout between Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, and eventual winner Jeff Gordon came down to the final turn of the final lap.