Keselowski Wins Aaron’s 499

On the final lap of the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, Brad Keselowski pushed Carl Edwards to the lead, then dipped below him to make the pass. Edwards went for the block, but the two made contact, spinning Edwards.

Edwards’ car’s rear wheels came off the ground. Then, while his cars were in the air, Newman hit him and send him into the catch fence.

The crash collected Ryan Newman.

Keselowski held on to win, with Dale Earnhardt Jr finishing second.

Top 5: Keselowski, Earnhardt Jr, Newman, Marcos Ambrose, and Scott Speed.

Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, Brian Vickers, Joey Logano, and Jeff Burton finished sixth through tenth.

Notables: Matt Kenseth (17th), Denny Hamlin (22nd), Tony Stewart (24th), Edwards (25th), Kyle Busch (26th), David Reutimann (27th), Jimmie Johnson (30th), Kasey Kahne (36th), Jeff Gordon (37th), Kevin Harvick (38th), Clint Bowyer (39th), and Mark Martin (43rd).

Give a call to Reed Sorenson, Paul Menard, Joe Nemechek, and Regan Smith who all finished in the top 15.

Martin Wins Second Consecutive Pole

Mark Martin edged out Ryan Newman by .004 seconds for the pole for Sunday’s Food City 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway; his second pole of the season, and his second consecutive pole.

Top 5: Martin, Newman, Jimme Johnson, Greg Biffle, and Kasey Kahne.

David Reutimann, Reed Sorenson, Dave Blaney, Jamie McMurray, and Jeff Gordon will roll off sixth through 10th, respectively.

Notables: Tony Stewart (15th), Kyle Busch (19th), Denny Hamlin (24th), Kevin Harvick (30th), Clint Bowyer (31st), Kurt Busch (32nd), Matt Kenseth (33rd), Dale Earnhardt Jr (34th), Carl Edwards (38th), and Jeff Burton (40th).

Did Not Qualify: Scott Riggs and Jeremy Mayfield.

Auto Value/Bumper To Bumper To Sponsor RPM

Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper will sponsor Richard Petty Motorsports drivers Reed Sorenson, Elliott Sadler, and Kasey Kahne for four races Sprint Cup and Nationwide races in 2009. The deal calls for the team to run the Auto Value logos and the Bumper to Bumper logos each for two races.

Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper will be an associate sponsor of the Richard Petty Motorsports Dodges for all other Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races in 2009.

Kenseth Wins Daytona 500

Matt Kenseth used a push from Kevin Harvick to pass Elliott Sadler for the lead, and the eventual win, once the 2009 Daytona 500 was called 48 laps from the scheduled finish.

Top 5: Kenseth, Harvick, AJ Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, and Sadler.

David Ragan, Michael Waltrip, Tony Stewart, Reed Sorenson, and Kurt Busch rounded out the top 10.

Notables: Martin Truex Jr (11th), Jeff Gordon (13th), Mark Martin (16th), Carl Edwards (18th), Kasey Kahne (24th), Denny Hamlin (27th), Dale Earnhardt Jr (28th), Jeff Burton (29th), Jimmie Johnson (31st), Kyle Busch (41st), and Joey Logano (43rd).

On lap 124, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Brian Vickers were both a lap down, and were starting on the inside row, as the field restarted. Jr got a big run on Vickers and pulled to the inside. Vickers drove down to block, forcing Jr below the yellow line. Jr turned back up on the track and clipped the back of Vickers, sending him up into Kyle Busch and other cars, triggering a 10-car pile up.

Menard Draws Bud Shootout Pole

Picking 22nd to determine his starting spot in the Bud Shootout, Yates Racing’s Paul Menard picked the pole and will lead the field to the green on Saturday night.

Richard Petty Motorsports’ Elliott Sadler will start outside row one. Sadler’s teammate Reed Sorenson will start third, with Scott Speed of Red Bull Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin will round out the top 5.

The field consists of the top six drivers, based on owners’ points from the previous season, from each of the four manufacturers, and one addition driver per manufacturer, either a past champion or another driver based on points. 

The complete lineup:

1. Paul Menard – Ford
2. Elliott Sadler – Dodge
3. Reed Sorenson – Dodge
4. Scott Speed – Toyota
5. Denny Hamlin – Toyota
6. Tony Stewart – Chevy
7. Brian Vickers – Toyota
8. Bobby Labonte – Ford
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Chevy
10. Kyle Busch – Toyota
11. Carl Edwards – Ford
12. Kurt Busch – Dodge
13. Robby Gordon – Toyota
14. Kasey Kahne – Dodge
15. Jamie McMurray – Ford
16. David Ragan – Ford
17. Michael Waltrip – Toyota
18. AJ Allmendinger – Dodge
19. Joey Logano – Toyota
20. David Stremme – Dodge
21. Jimmie Johnson – Chevy
22. David Reutimann – Toyota
23. Jeff Burton – Chevy
24. Casey Mears – Chevy
25. Matt Kenseth – Ford
26. Greg Biffle – Ford
27. Kevin Harvick – Chevy
28. Jeff Gordon – Chevy