The Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway was a day late but anything short of a dollar as the 43 cars of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series battled it out for 500 miles. It was a day that saw the characteristic "big one" and provided many near-misses for Dale Jarrett and the #88 UPS Racing Team. In the end, Jarrett emerged with a 12th-place finish.
Playing host to PGA golfer Fred Funk, who arrived in town after finishing second on Sunday in the PGA Zurich Classic in New Orleans, Jarrett started the 188-lap event in fourth place. After figuring out how the UPS Ford Fusion was going to handle, Jarrett sat back and watched all the action unfold-a couple of times, a little too close.
The "big one" took place on lap nine, but didn't feature any of the spectacular crashes for which Talladega is known. It caused damage to 14 different teams, retiring a handful of cars from the race. Jarrett was riding behind the crash but managed to avoid all the cars and debris.
The second near-miss for Team UPS happened on lap 87 when drivers Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., suffered sheet metal damage, producing debris through which Jarrett had to drive. A flat left rear tire forced Jarrett to make an immediate pit stop in order to avoid sheet metal damage. Jarrett was penalized for pitting early, but the ensuing result was for him to restart the race from the end of the lead lap.
"The car was pretty good all day," Jarrett said. "I found out what I needed to know as far as how it was going to do in traffic and maybe which lane my car worked best. Then it was just a matter of biding my time. The car got a little looser than I normally like toward the end, but all in all it wasn't a bad day."
Jarrett's teammate, Elliott Sadler, started the event from the top spot and had what was possibly the best Ford Fusion in the field. Sadler led the first couple of laps and was able to charge to the front on many occasions. Unable to find a drafting partner in the late stages of the race, Sadler wound up 16th.
Jimmie Johnson picked up the win in the Aaron's 499. He moved back into point lead, 21 points over Matt Kenseth. Jarrett and Sadler, meanwhile, are now 10th and 13th in the point standings after leaving Talladega.
Richmond International Raceway hosts both the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series next weekend for primetime events on Friday and Saturday nights. The Crown Royal 400 is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. EST start, with FX providing live television coverage.
