Race: Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
Track Specs: 2.66-mile tri-oval / 188 laps
Weather: Clear
Race Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored his first victory of the season at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, leading a race-high 67 laps – including the final 27 – to all but lock up a spot in the 2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff for himself and the No. 88 Nationwide team.
It was Earnhardt Jr.’s sixth win at Talladega but first in 11 years. He had won four in a row from 2001-03 and another in 2004 but had gone winless at the Alabama track since then. That spell included a pair of heart-breaking runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2013.
But Sunday capped a near-perfect weekend for the No. 88 Nationwide team. Earnhardt qualified fourth and raced in the top-five for most of the race, slipping back only briefly in the early stages of the event. The team benefitted from quick pit stops, the final service call coming on lap 156 of 188 when Earnhardt gave up the lead for a green-flag pit stop. Crew chief Greg Ives elected to take only two tires and eight seconds worth of fuel. It not only kept Earnhardt in front of the pressing Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson but enabled the No. 88 to cycle back to second when an immediate caution flag flew for Austin Dillon’s engine trouble.
Earnhardt made quick work of first-place Cole Whitt, who restarted on old tires after choosing not to pit, and the No. 88 Chevrolet never relinquished the lead despite pressure from teammate Johnson and rookie Ryan Blaney. Anxiety escalated when two big pieces of trash sucked to the grille of the No. 88, blocking airflow into the engine and causing the water and oil temperatures to skyrocket. But as it had done all day, the Hendrick motor showed its might, and Earnhardt raced to a popular victory despite a crash behind him on the final lap.
“I made about three power moves, and those were the only power-move opportunities that I had,” Earnhardt said. “Years ago there were about 20 of those in a race. Not these days. These cars get stuck side-by-side. The side draft is so powerful, and you just slingshot all day and go nowhere.
“This is an emotional win. It was my dad’s birthday last week. As we took the checkered flag and saw all the fans, I thought about him and how cool it is to continue the legacy he started here at this track. This is just a really special day.”
Listen to full audio of the winner's press conference here.
Johnson finished second behind Earnhardt, giving Hendrick Motorsports a 1-2 finish. Paul Menard, Ryan Blaney, and Martin Truex Jr., rounded out the top-five finishers. Sunday’s win was Earnhardt Jr.’s 24th career Sprint Cup victory. It was his ninth “restrictor-plate” win. It continued a long history of family success at Talladega, as it was the Earnhardt family’s 16th Cup win there and 21st overall victory, which factors in Xfinity Series and International Race of Champions (IROC) wins.