David Reutimann, driving the specially-painted #44 UPS/The Kentucky Derby Toyota, was in position to leave Talladega Superspeedway with a top-15 finish in the Aaron's 499 when he had to take evasive action to avoid a last lap accident. Once the dust had settled and NASCAR had sorted out the finish order, Reutimann was scored with a 20th-place finish.
Reutimann started the race from the 30th position and set a quick pace trying to position the #44 UPS/The Kentucky Derby Toyota toward the front of the field. Reutimann had raced into the top 20 by lap 20 and was all the way up to fifth place by lap 59.
The driver of the UPS Toyota made progress despite battling a tight-handling condition throughout the majority of the race. Further complicating the handling issue was a power issue on the car. As long as the UPS Toyota was in the midst of a pack, Reutimann could maneuver and progress toward the front. Riding alone, Reutimann could not draft up to a pack and would lose position.
Reutimann found himself in the position of losing the pack after a green-flag pit stop for four tires placed him in the middle of the running order and out of touch with the lead draft. A caution for debris on lap 116 proved to be a big benefit for the UPS Team as it allowed the team to pit under yellow-flag conditions and, more importantly, reconnect with the lead draft.
The driver of the UPS Toyota found himself once again out of touch with the lead draft after a single-file restart on lap 160, dropping from 17th to 30th by lap 164. Green flag racing resumed with 20 laps to go and Reutimann maintained his position among the leaders climbing back into the top 15. Reutimann was forced to slow down dramatically during the last lap as a result of a big accident in turns three and four that sent cars spinning up and down the track. Trying to avoid the melee, Reutimann slowed down, making only slight contact with another car before continuing to the finish line. When all was said and done, he left Talladega with a 20th-place finish.
"It could have been much worse," Reutimann said. "We actually had a great chance of getting into the top 10 but anytime I lost the draft I was in trouble. The car just would not go on its own. Considering what happened at the end a 20th-place finish is probably pretty good."
Teammate Michael McDowell spun on the next to last lap but managed to get the car straightened out and continued in the event to collect a 26th-place finish. Michael Waltrip was leading the race in the closing stages of the event but was shuffled through the running order and by the time the checkered flag waved was in 27th place.
Kyle Busch made the trip to victory lane in the Aaron's 499 for his second win of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Jeff Burton continues to lead the driver point standings but Busch closed to within 22 points of the lead as a result of the win and is in second place.
It's off to Richmond International Raceway for the Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 next Saturday night. FOX will provide live television coverage beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m. EDT. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 7:30 p.m. EDT.
