In one of the great races in recent memory, Kevin Harvick won a record-setting Talladega race on Sunday afternoon, nipping Jamie McMurray at the finish line to win the Aaron’s 499 by one-hundreth of a second.
One For The Ages: Kevin Harvick Wins Record-Breaking Talladega Race
It was a remarkable race, notable for many reasons including:
• Drivers demolished the all-time record for lead changes at any track, with 88 total lead changes. The previous record was 75, set at Talladega in May 1984.
• There were the most different leaders in NASCAR history, with 29. The previous record was 28, set at Talladega in October 2008.
• It was the eighth-closest finish since the inception of electronic timing in 1993.
• Harvick won his first Sprint Cup points race since the 2007 Daytona 500, snapping one of the longest active winless streaks.
• The race ended with points leader Jimmie Johnson and teammate Jeff Gordon upset with one another again after Gordon wrecked late in the race following a jam-up with Johnson.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. continued to show strength but faded to 13th over the final laps.
• Earnhardt Ganassi Racing teammates Jamie McMurray (who had won the last two restrictor-plate races) and Juan Pablo Montoya finished second and third.
• Mike Bliss recorded a 10th-place finish for Phoenix Racing, which won the race with Brad Keselowski last year.
POINT STANDINGS (Clint Bowyer back in the top 12; Joey Logano out):
- Jimmie Johnson
- Kevin Harvick -26
- Greg Biffle -86
- Matt Kenseth -99
- Kyle Busch -160
- Mark Martin -169
- Kurt Busch -177
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -181
- Denny Hamlin -185
- Jeff Gordon -193
- Clint Bowyer -237
- Jeff Burton -241
- Carl Edwards -256
- Tony Stewart -262
- Martin Truex Jr. -278
- Joey Logano -322
- Jamie McMurray -325
- Ryan Newman -328
- Paul Menard -325
- Juan Pablo Montoya -364
Biggest Gainers: Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya (+4 spots each). Biggest Losers: Brian Vickers (-6 spots), Jeff Gordon (-5 spots).
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