|| *Comments on the 2009 Aaron's 499:* View the most recent comment <#160> | Post a comment <#post> 1. Scott posted: 04.26.2009 - 7:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What an unbelievable finish!! Had Edwards and Keslowski not caught up, I guarantee you Jr. Would've won. I will keep my bet from last year, and say again that Jr. will have a great shot of winning at Richmond. 2. Kirkyal posted: 04.26.2009 - 7:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a race! On you go Brad! Perfect example of why i love NASCAR! Nasty crash at the end for Edwards (and Newman) glad no one was seriously injured or killed... one crazy ending! Great results for Ambrose and Speed! Joe Nemechek showed he's no Start and Park! 3. JoeyTheHDK posted: 04.26.2009 - 7:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh...My...GOD!!!! What an upset! 4. Kirkyal posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just heard that around 8 spectators were injured from Edwards massive crash... They are airlifting two of these, one for a facial injury (Possibly a broken jaw). Also they have stated that a couple of the injured have fractures. Hopefully no-one has been seriously injured 5. Dodge posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a wild finish. Hate to see Carl wreck, but at least Brad won then. 6. WallaceFan posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:05 pm Rate this comment: (4) (7) OK, so last year..Regan Smith drives clean, doesnt wreck Tony Stewart, and is penalized and DQed. This year, Brad Keselowski ALMOST KILLS Carl Edwards in one of the worst accidents ive ever seen (injuring 8 fans, 1 possible broken jaw). Edwards and Newman are each lucky to be alive, as Newman almost took a 190MPH tire to the window. Keselowski is celebrated by all and even praised for clean driving by Larry McReynolds. I am sorry but this is just completley rediculous. I guess its better to send a car into the grandstands then to go below the yellow line. Dale Earnhardt Jr wins the race. 7. Anonymous posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The craziest finish I have ever seen. 8. Ambrose_fan posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a finish. Go Brad! I saw him coming and thought to myself, "Hey, he's going to get a good finish!" but it wasn't until they both cleared the #39 and #88 that I thought he was in with a real shot! And 4th for Ambrose! 9. Zed 3_88fan4eva posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First off Im so happy for Keselowski and probably more happy for James Finch because he always runs well at the plate tracks and has come close several times in the 500, BTW who was the last single car team to win a race? I hope that those eight fans are ok as that wreck was very scary...Im glad to see Carl and Ryan walk out of there cars. NASCAR needs to do somthing about that yellow line rule in the tri-oval because this was bound to happen. But I guess you cant blame the flip and crash on that. I bet by the time they head back to Talladega in October that there will be more rear weight on those cars and a smaller hole on the plate This was a great race and reminds me of an old school race with the two car draft. I dont know what Kenseth was thinking that early in the race because that was too early to be runnin 4 wide, then agian its Talldega. But just a crazy finish and I hope everyone is ok....I hope Richmond is just as exciting 10. Willy on Wheels posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (4) That was ONE EPIC RACE!!!!! Two big ones. That alone would make it an awesome race. Then there was the finish. This one will go into the history books. Edwards's flip into the fence was just plain awesome, and Brad Keselowski, the ultimate underdog winning. That's the first time since McMurray in 2002 that a part-time driver won a Sprint Cup race. Only his 5th start, in the 09 car, which start-and-parked every previous race. This is definitely the best race of the season and one of the best finishes of all time. 11. T-Mac posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) WHAT. THE. HELL. Keselowski drove a great race, his pit strategy worked, and most importantly, he didn't go under any yellow lines. But I have a feeling we'll see a repeat of what happened with Regan Smith last year, and NA$CAR will disqualify Keselowski for the hell of it, just so they can give the win to one of the "big names." 12. The Great Dave posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Carl Edwards misstimes a block and a huge flip insues for Carl,thankfully niether him nor anyfans who were hit by debris were okay Also the #87 had Maui Showers as a sponsor. 13. Matt_1986 posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:21 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Wow what a wild finish, Congrats to Brad Keselowski on his 1st career win 14. dUDE gUY posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:23 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Congrats to Keselowski for his first Cup series win! Wow, what a finish! 15. WillG46 posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Never thought that I'd ever see James Finch's car win a race, but I did. And what an awesome finish, thank god Edwards didn't go into the crowd. 16. Anonymous posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I am happy that the none of the fans suffered any life threatening injuries today. That crash on the final lap reminded me of the Bobby Allison 1987 crash that I saw on youtube. What happened today was the result of the Regan Smith debacle. Carl Edwards tried blocking by going down on Brad Keselowski. I think there will be races with cars flying on the final lap at plate races due to Nascar's rules on plate tracks. The only way Cars will not be flying into the fence on the final lap with fans getting hurt or worse is doing one the following things: 1.) Get a rid of the yellow line rule for the final two laps. 2.) Reconfigure the track. 3.) Get a rid of some of the banking and take the plates off. If Nascar doesn't do one of the things I mention, Some will get seriously hurt. It might be a fan or a driver. 17. Josh N. posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 1 word WOW! I have been a fan of Brad for 3years but I haven't been more proud of him for winning a Sprint Cup race, its hard enough to win a Nationwide race. I was watching the race & that last lap, when carl hit thewall with his roof, I did get a little worried, but At the same time I screamed BRAD! I was upset that Jeff Gordon was in the big one because that car had a great looking paint scheme:the Pepsi challenger for when D. Waltrip drove it in '83. Great win for owner James Finch he's such a nice guy & a great owner. Brad was supposed to share the 09 with Bliss, Marlin,& Schrader this year but I bet that will change a little of bit in # of races. Felt bad For Mark Martin, he was just outside the top 12 in pts. Joe Nemechek had a great run in #87, as did Max Papis, Scott Speed, & Joey Logano. Denny Hamlin helped a lot of guys go to the front but he didnt get a good finish compared to how he ran. Great control by Michael Waltrip, and Kurt Busch for not smashing the wall at the start/finish line. Im becoming a big fan of Marcos Ambrose, hes getting a lot of good runs. Dale Jr. should've passed Ryan Newman when he had the chance but Carl and Brad came flying by on the last lap. Never lead with 2laps to go @ Daytona or Talladega. Sam Hornish jr. is getting better at racing these stock cars. One more thing: Big thumbs up for the safety of the cars and safer barriers. Bobby Allison's wreck in Talladega '87 was kind of like Carls wreck. Robby Gordon was 10ft away from probably getting a serious injury from hitting the inside wall. Great race:] 18. Anonymous posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First career Cup win for Keselowski, and the biggest upset in quite a while. HUGE crash for Carl Edwards on the last lap. Glad to see that he and all the fans are OK. That could have been bad. Also nice to hear 2 drivers not blame each other after something like that. Both took some of the blame and said it's something NASCAR needs to look at. Couldn't agree more. Someone is going to get killed. 19. Anonymous posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:34 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Also great runs for Scott Speed(first career top 5 and 10), Marcos Ambrose(best finish on an oval), Joey Logano(first Cup top 10), Joe Nemechek, Regan Smith, and Max Papis. 20. Clayton posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Unbelievable finish ending with Brad Keselowski as the winner. Him and Carl Edwards came together and went around Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Brad went inside on Carl and Carl came down on him, Carl went spinning and was hit by Newman and sent airborne into the catch fence, injuring some fans. This might be the biggest upset in NASCAR history!! 21. Josh N. posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) i more thing, big heartbreak for the #4 not getting into the race. Talladega was a race that the #4 (Ernie Irvan,Sterling Marlin) always did well at and won races at. Im a big fan of Morgan-McClure Motorsports and I hope they get into some Cup races in the future. The history of the #4 is long, and successful especially on restrictor plate tracks. 22. E posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) OH MY GOD!!! Go Brad! Unfortunately, 8 people got hurt when the #99 hit the catchfence. Noone is seriously hurt, thank god. SUPERB RACE!!!! 23. Anonymous posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brad Keselowski won his first race in just 5 starts. That is the quickest since Jamie Mcmurray won at Charlotte in 2002. The cup series gets its first single car team owner win since Ricky Craven won at Darlington in 2003. James finch gets his first win as a cup owner. Scott Speed gets his first top 10 of his career. Joey gets his first top 10 of his career. Joe Nemechek gets best finish of the year. Max Papis gets his best cup finish of his career. Good runs by Newman and Ambrose. 24. Ben posted: 04.26.2009 - 8:40 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Unbelievable! Way to go Brad! 25. b4il3y posted: 04.26.2009 - 9:05 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) No one saw this one coming! Great Job Brad..you did everything right and Carl was a class act about the finish. That wreck was very reminiscent of Bobby Allison is 1987...pretty much in the same spot. 26. hyperacti posted: 04.26.2009 - 9:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That finish was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. 27. Bigmike8890 posted: 04.26.2009 - 9:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Congrats to Brad keselowski who wins 1n only his 5th start in a very crazy finish that saw carl edwards get spun and fly over ryan newman's car and into the catchfence after he tried to block keselowski who was under edwards but brad did the right thing by not moveing below the yellow line. 28. WallaceFan posted: 04.26.2009 - 9:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Edwards seemed like he was in shock during his interview. The way he described it and just his tone, and the look in his eyes..I dont think he realized how serious the accident was. 29. hyperacti posted: 04.26.2009 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) JAMES FINCH now has a win as an owner! Phoenix Racing got in victory lane IN A CUP RACE! Wow! PHOENIX! 30. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.26.2009 - 9:28 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Big time congrats to Brad Keselowski. What an outstanding driving performance. His car was so slow that twice during the race cars had to dip under the yellow line to keep from running him over, yet he played those last laps perfectly. He hooked himself right up Carl's ass, shoved him to the front, then faked high, and when Carl went to block, Brad went low and it was game over. Unfortunately Carl tried to block and ended up in a nasty crash that injured some fans. Neither driver was at fault though. It is 100% NASCAR's fault. They screwed Regan Smith out of the win at the last Talladega race, and left Brad with no choice. He did the right thing. Both drivers were very classy about it. Brad apologized and said he hoped everyone is OK just moments after a huge upset win and Carl took the blame. This is just the first of many Cup wins for Brad. I don't know when his next one will be or when he will get the full time ride in elite equipment, but it will happen eventually, then look out. 31. The Real Thomas posted: 04.26.2009 - 9:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (9) Mark my words. Brad Keselowski will never win another Sprint Cup race. This was an utter joke and a pure fluke. The moment it happened, I knew that there would be gooey-eyed, let's-hold-hands-and-dance-around-the-maypole types praising his "underdog" win. First of all, he bought a Hendrick car and engine, which means you are not an underdog, despite being in James Finch's previously futile #09 car. Second of all, most everyone was already knocked out before he purposely caused one of the scariest wrecks in NASCAR history and then was a total dick about it in Victory Lane. Don't get me wrong, NASCAR's idiotic, counter-intuitive yellow line rule is as much to blame as anything, and hopefully, a disaster like this will get it through their thick, retarded skulls that it needs to be done away with and real racing brought back. It's sad really, considering that it was an awesome race otherwise. 32. Mr. Big posted: 04.26.2009 - 9:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The best race in the past ten years and definitely the best finish. 33. Smokefan05 posted: 04.26.2009 - 9:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It doesn't get any better than that. 34. Jeremy Siple posted: 04.26.2009 - 9:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Joe Nemechek's sponsor for this race was Maui Shower Company. 35. New14&88 Fan posted: 04.26.2009 - 9:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Atta boy Brad Keselowski!!!! Coming basically out of no where to push Carl to the front than to get by him,congrats to James Finch and the Phoenix racing team on their first win.Great runs for Ambrose,Scott Speed,Logano,Reed Sorenson and Joe Nemechek. Carl Edwards tried to block Brad in the tri-oval,but he mistimed it and ended up going roof first into the fence.Thank goodness he's ok and hopefully none of fans were hurt seriously...but this is the box NA$CAR places the drivers in with the yellow line rule.If Brad had let off the gas he would of went back to at least 5th,his only other option(what happened today)of course was to stay in the gas and possibly wreck the leader.It's a "Damned if you do,damned if you don't" situation that NA$CAR needs to look at. 36. Jrister24 posted: 04.26.2009 - 10:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Clint Bowyer's streak of running at the end of the race ends at 81 to tie him with Harvick and leave him 3 shy of the all-time record. 37. Dodge posted: 04.26.2009 - 10:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Carl will PROBABLY get fined for what NASCAR will call badmouthing NASCAR even though its the truth. The Real Thomas, don't hold back. Blast away. 38. samfan09 posted: 04.26.2009 - 10:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "First of all, he bought a Hendrick car and engine, which means you are not an underdog, despite being in James Finch's previously futile #09 car." When you're making your 5th career start and aren't racing full time, it's an upset. Don't give me this Hendrick car and engine stuff. It's the 09 car, and he beat some great cars and drivers. "Second of all, most everyone was already knocked out before he purposely caused one of the scariest wrecks in NASCAR history and then was a total dick about it in Victory Lane." How did he purposely cause the wreck when Edwards came down to block him? Brad made a great move and held his line. It's what you're supposed to do. And how was he a dick about it? He just won his first career race and STILL took the time to apologize. I'm not exactly a Keselowski fan and I also don't think he's as good as everyone thinks he is. But this is what it is, an upset and a great win for Brad. 39. Zeppelin posted: 04.26.2009 - 10:24 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Does anybody else think Carl Edwards' flip looked almost exactly like Neil Bonnett's big flip back in '93? 40. billchill posted: 04.26.2009 - 10:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) i wonder what happened to reutimann he came out 3rd on the last pit stop and he wound up a lap down.does anyone know? 41. Rusty posted: 04.26.2009 - 10:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is probably the biggest upset win in the Cup Series in a long, long, LONG time. Brad Keselowski winning a Cup race driving for James Finch? Well, Regan Smith did really win the last Dega race before NASCAR screwed him over, so the little guys have a chance here with the COT. Shadowed in the finish of this race is that Kurt Busch is the new points leader! :) 42. b4il3y posted: 04.26.2009 - 10:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Real Thomas: Go here and post: http://www.pessimistic.com/ The only real point you made was the yellow line rule. It is going to kill someone eventually. Other than that...chill out dude. 43. 18fan posted: 04.26.2009 - 11:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Three events in this race changed it for Keselowski to win it. First was the big one on lap 7. That took out good cars in Gordon, Harvick, and McMurray. Then, Jeff Burton had to spin out Kyle, who has led 20 or more laps in five of his six plate races with Gibbs and led the most laps for the second straight plate race and got nothing to show for either of them. Third was the wreck caused by Montoya and Hamlin. Nasty wreck for Carl Edwards. 44. CarlEdwards99 posted: 04.26.2009 - 11:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) So close to the win! Credit to Brad he just outmaneuvered Carl for the win. Though I'm a Carl fan and wanted him to win it was still cool to see a single car team win. Hope all the fans in the stands are ok. 45. New14&88 Fan posted: 04.26.2009 - 11:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah Zeppelin,what happened to Carl was almost excately what happened to Neil in '93.It was due to that crash and Rusty Wallace's two flips that NASCAR came up with the roof flaps. And Real Thomas,please tell me you're joking. Sure the 09 team has Hendrick engines,but they're still a single car team and Brad a part-timer in Cup...that and last year's screwing of Regan Smith makes it all the more outstanding. And Keselowski was hardly a dick in victory lane, he even apologized to Carl (who refused to blame Brad and instead rightly blamed NA$CAR). 46. Anonymous posted: 04.26.2009 - 11:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not to take anything away, but it is a Hendrick car and motor. The car was prepared by Hendrick....everything about it is Hendrick except for the # and sponsor. 47. Bronco posted: 04.26.2009 - 11:48 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Hmm, so let me see if I've got this right. It's not ok to dip below the yellow line to avoid certain disaster (as we all saw today) but it's ok to just stay in the gas and throw a car into the catchfence at 190mph Bobby Allison 1987 and Neil Bonnett 1993 style? I just read that some fans were hurt, hopefully they recover soon. NASCAR has pretty much shot themselves in the butt with this asinine rule and hopefully they change things in time for the fall race, although I'm not going to hold my breath. Carl said it best, someone needs to die before NASCAR gets their heads out of their asses and addresses the "out of bounds rule". I am not taking anything away from Brad's win but it just makes me all the more mad that Regan didn't credit for his win because he avoided flipping Tony Stewart. But congratulations to Brad. To win his first race with Dale Jr right behind him must be special. Thomas you're right Brad was pretty much driving a Hendrick car but this will still go down as a huge upset in NASCAR history. Ryan's third place finish was his first top 5 since last year's spring Texas race. Also Jimmie Johnson's running at the finish streak came to an end. And Marcos Ambrose would probably be in cha$e contention right now if it weren't for those two blown engines. 48. BxTxNijas posted: 04.26.2009 - 11:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) Edwards blocking? In the video, it shows quite clearly that Brad turned up to the right and clipped Carl, almost seriously injuring him, Ryan Newman, and many fans. "im sorry if anyone is hurt, but thats racing" Very classy Brad, comments like that will get you far. Maybe some of you should take your biased goggles off and realize this guy is driving in THE BEST equipment....(Hendrick car and motor), and won a race because of his wreckless regard to others safety. But yes, Praise Him. He is the next great jerk. 49. NewJack posted: 04.26.2009 - 11:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like Bowyer keeps his streak, got back on the track and completed two laps at the end to show as running. 50. Baker posted: 04.26.2009 - 11:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Only Tony Stewart can miss both big ones and still have issues at Talladega. If he didn't have bad luck he wouldn't have luck at all. Miss on a huge chance to capitalize in the points with the sour engine. Awesome underdog win. Honestly...the only good thing about Dega and Daytona...anyone can win it no matter how good the driver or car. Bad car, Bad Driver, No problem just be in the right draft and the right time and miss the big one. Ridiculous. It's just not real racing anymore. 51. RaceFanX posted: 04.27.2009 - 12:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Edwards actually got out of his car after the flip and, ala Ricky Bobby, ran accross the finish line on foot. While its unlikely NASCAR will recognize Edwards "finishing the race" like that, the crowd still gave Carl a standing ovation. Scott Speed started this race way behind after having to pit on the parade laps and being penalized a lap for it. It worked out though when he was far behind when the Big One hit on lap 7, he missed the wreck easily and got the Lucky Dog setting him up for a great day. Jeff Burton lost a lap with electrical problems then made it up on the Lucky Dog and went on to lead the race and contend for the win. There were two "Big One" wrecks in this race, one on lap 7 and one on lap 180. Mark Martin caught a small amount of air when his #5 Chevy slammed the outside wall in the big one on lap 7. He may have won the previous week, but this week it was the opposite as he finished last. Pepsi brought back DW's old 1983 #11 Chevy "Pepsi Challenger" paint job for Jeff Gordon to run in this race. The yellow, white and red look was brought back to promote Pepsi Throwback, a limited edition Pepsi variety made with real sugar. It was well-hyped but the retro Chevy got totalled early in the lap 7 big one. The car eventually got back on track sporting a new all-black CoT nose. FOX briefly acknowledged and spoofed their trend of only showing the action up front by briefly showing the rebuilt cars of Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick battling for 37th place with both about 50 laps down. The position actually had a bearing on the points lead at that point in the race. Great win for Brad. Keslowski only led the last lap but it was enough for the victory, his first ever NASCAR top-10. If your a Cup driver and you go win in Busch, you're a Buschwacker. But then what are when your a Busch driver comes up and win the Cup? 52. Unser1 posted: 04.27.2009 - 12:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was Brad's first race in Finch's #09 Chevy! They had previously attempted the Daytona 500 together but DNQed. 53. Jeremy Siple posted: 04.27.2009 - 12:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Clint Bowyer's streak of running at the end of the race ends at 81 to tie him with Harvick and leave him 3 shy of the all-time record." Actually, he got back out there on the last lap and finished the race, so the streak continues. 54. Sean posted: 04.27.2009 - 12:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bowyer apparently ran a couple laps at the end to finish the race just so his no-DNF streak would continue. Might as well if RCR cares so much about finishing races... 55. Neal posted: 04.27.2009 - 1:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Real Thomas - He's got more Sprint Cup wins than you or I do. He won the race and didn't go below the yellow line to do it. If he didn't have a run on Edwards there wouldn't have been a wreck. Edwards came down onto him. 56. Ryan posted: 04.27.2009 - 1:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) I've said for years that Nascar needs to run lower horsepower engines for the Daytona and Talladega tracks, perhaps a V-6? They can get it done. Nascar is tight and doesn't want to put out any money, though. WallaceFan, Brad did the right thing. Edwards blocked and he shouldn't have. All brad did was hold his line. Just like Vickers shouldn't have blocked at Daytona, but he did. For the people blaming Nascar, you are absolutely correct. Dale Earnhardt died and they put safer barriers in, but they didn't get rid of the plates, only the strips on top of the roof. Plates are just as much to blame his death than anything, not just no safer barriers or the seat belt. Nascar are crooks people. They will get by with as much as they can without spending money to do the right thing. Wake up! Edwards is right. Someone will get killed and then they will do something. I don't want to hear how the safer barriers and catch fence did a great job today. The catch fence broke! People got hurt! Nascar was LUCKY today that a driver or fan didn't get killed! Yes, the wreck looked a lot like BAllison's and Bonnett's. A little more turbalance or speed, Carl would have been in the stands. How would any of you feel if a 3,500 pound car was coming at you in the stands? I wonder how the France family would feel? Damn crooks! About the finish... I was wondering if Brad had it in him to make a move on Carl. He better had made a move if he was pushing Carl by two Chevrolets. Earnhardt Jr. would have did the same thing to Newman that Brad did to Carl had Carl and Brad not passed Newman and Jr. It was a great plan for Newman and Earnhardt to work together to til the end and then fight for the win, but unfortunately for them Carl and Brad were thinking the same thing. Blocking can get you in trouble, just like Vickers found out at Daytona. Congrats Brad and Finch! Even sweeter I started Brad on the C List in Yahoo Fantasy. 57. The Real Thomas posted: 04.27.2009 - 2:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yep, almost identical to Neil Bonnett's flip. 58. Ivan Balakhonov posted: 04.27.2009 - 3:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It seems that #33 came out of garage on final laps just to post another finish and to continue its streak... Am I right? 59. Aaron Camp posted: 04.27.2009 - 4:30 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Zepplin, yes...Carl Edwards's flip would be better compared to Neil's 1993 flip than Bobby Allison's 1987 flip. 60. DaleJrFan17 posted: 04.27.2009 - 7:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) BEST FINISH EVER and maybe BEST RACE EVER! I was in awe this whole race. It was perfect from start to finish and who honestly isn't happy to see someone new in victory lane? I sure as hell am happy :D If Junior couldn't win this, his driver in the Busch series was my next pick. 61. John Royal posted: 04.27.2009 - 7:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) As talented racer Edwards is, he'd should known better when he made the bonehead move. If just would he let Keselowski go outside, he would have been able to lean in to Brad's car and they would crossed the finish line side by side 1-2 for Carl. I'm very glad NASCAR got new cinderella winner, but it is so sad how the Carl's journey almost into grandstands wreck overshadowed this. Something to think of: Which spectator is so stupid to think that bunch of chains and steel poles keeps these cars or carburetors going 200mph inside the track when something like this happens? At the same time backstretch grandstands were half empty. I would never get myself into that part of the grandstands on trioval. Brad Keselowski, a upset winner with upset team (although basically a Hendrick car), I am little bit superstitious and theres something interesting at MICCOSUKEE sponsored car won this race at the track which supposedly is built on some indian burial ground. The odds? Small :D 62. Jrister24 posted: 04.27.2009 - 7:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Check that, Clint did finish the race. I'd imagine any one could have a DNF streak if they'd put the car out there and run the last lap. It cheapens the whole streak for me. 63. Kevin posted: 04.27.2009 - 8:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey WallaceFan, Did you not watch the replay? Edwards came down on Kaselowski, he admitted it himself. Edwards did not know that he was that far on his side. This ending was the result of two drivers racing hard for a win. Brad did what any other driver would have done. Congrats Brad 64. Anonymous posted: 04.27.2009 - 8:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Whoever said that the car was prepared by Hendrick is not accurate at all. The car was one of Martin's second-string backup cars. Finch purchased the chassis months ago. It was prepared by PHOENIX RACING. It had a Hendrick engine, just like Mike Bliss runs in the Nationwide series. Brad held his line. His car did not move upward until the contact was made, which made Brad's car react the way it did. Carl himself took the blame. He knew what happened. Hoping everyone's safe... 65. Kirkyal posted: 04.27.2009 - 8:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) As the saying goes "to finish first, first you have to finish!" 66. Nick posted: 04.27.2009 - 8:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Exciting yet dangerous finish. Tough to say what should happen for the sake of safety, it is a race, it is dangerous for the drivers and the fans. No doubt NA$CAR dodged a HUGE bullet by only hurting 8 people. This could've been really bad. The yellow line rule is good in theory, but it made more sense that you could go below if you were forced, at least it gave the driver's an out if they were blocked. The precedent was set in the EXACT same scenario in the last race, but nascar continually amends their own rules to what they want at the time. Until they get consistent with their rules this will happen again. Maybe for Talledega if they move the start/finish line to the front of the tri-oval then it'll eliminate the pass on the inside. Who knows, but I enjoyed the racing here before restrictor plates, and I don't need a big wreck to enjoy a race. I'd much rather see some back and forth hard racing than a big wreck any day! Play some videogames if ya want some big wrecks. I dunno 67. Rad83 posted: 04.27.2009 - 8:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 1st win by a single-car team sunce Craven and PPI in that awesome photo finish at darlington in '03. 68. Neal posted: 04.27.2009 - 9:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The yellow line rule is in place because drivers were attempting to pass others by putting at least 2 wheels on the apron. That's the recipe for a wreck 99.9999999% of the time. Moving the Start/Finish line wouldn't have helped, either. The wreck started before the center of the tri-oval. NASCAR's also not going to put V-6s in the cars at Daytona and Talladega. The subject has been brought up before and NASCAR has vehemently said "no" to it every time because it would increase costs for all the teams. The catalyst for this wreck wasn't Keselowski spinning Carl, it was Newman clipping Edwards' car as it lifted off the ground. Had that not happened the car might have settled back onto the track because the roof flaps had deployed. Newman's hit lifted the rear-end higher into the air and negated the roof flaps' effectiveness. 69. Kevin posted: 04.27.2009 - 9:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Three divers get their first top 10 finishes. Joey Logano 9th, Scott Speed 5th, Brad Keselowski 1st. 70. Billiam posted: 04.27.2009 - 11:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (2) Keselowski was an arrogant jerk before this race. Winning it will make him even worse. 71. Anonymous posted: 04.27.2009 - 11:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Call Keselowski what ever you want, just dont call him humble. 72. smiff_99 posted: 04.27.2009 - 12:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, so much to discuss. First off, it's great to see an upset win every now and then, especially with Keselowski, since he came from such a grassroots family operation. He got his big break from Jr. in the 'Busch' series and now the rest is history. Secondly, a lot of people are up in arms over Edwards' crash. Everybody's screaming for change. Change (other than the yellow line rule on the last lap)is not necessary. It was a freak accident that could've just as easily happened at other high speed tracks such as Michigan or Atlanta. Edwards' car was starting to settle back onto the track when he got launched by Newman's car. If Newman hadn't hit him at just the wrong time, the whole racing community wouldn't be nearly as out of sorts as it now. Lastly, just a little opinion/observation from a humble fanatic: Although I can clearly see how Edwards' crash harkens back to Allison's in '87, I think that his crash more closely resembles Neil Bonnett's crash from '93. 73. smiff_99 posted: 04.27.2009 - 12:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Aahh, now that I've actually read all of the posts, I see Zeppelin and a couple others know what I'm talking about. 74. smiff_99 posted: 04.27.2009 - 12:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) WHY CAN'T NASCAR JUST SAY: Coming out of turn 4 on the final lap.....no yellow line rule. Although it would somewhat defeat the purpose of outlawing insane moves down near the grass, it's the best quick fix. Driver's should have NO HOLDS BARRED, if not for the whole race, at LEAST for the final stretch to the finish. Think about: Without the yellow line, would we actually see a worse wreck then what we saw yesterday? Highly unlikely. 75. Willy on Wheels posted: 04.27.2009 - 12:23 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Brad (like all the other Nationwide regulars) was tired of being beat by the Buschwhackers so he came up, and beat them at their own game. Congratulations, and this is the first of many. 76. New14&88 Fan posted: 04.27.2009 - 12:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What's with all the hate for Keselowski? Any other driver in his position would of done the same thing, and he was anything but arrogant in victory lane. "Hmm, so let me see if I've got this right. It's not ok to dip below the yellow line to avoid certain disaster (as we all saw today) but it's ok to just stay in the gas and throw a car into the catchfence at 190mph Bobby Allison 1987 and Neil Bonnett 1993 style? I just read that some fans were hurt, hopefully they recover soon. NASCAR has pretty much shot themselves in the butt with this asinine rule and hopefully they change things in time for the fall race, although I'm not going to hold my breath. Carl said it best, someone needs to die before NASCAR gets their heads out of their asses and addresses the "out of bounds rule"." Excatly Bronco, NA$CAR believes in "tombstone technology" some one always has to get seriously hurt or worse die before the point is driven home that something needs to change. Greg Biffle said it best last year, they're basically telling the driver being pinched down to keep his foot on the gas and wreck the leader. Something definitely needs to change,but since this is NA$CAR...people will be living on Mars before the "sanctioning body" gets its act togather. 77. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.27.2009 - 12:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) "First of all, he bought a Hendrick car and engine, which means you are not an underdog, despite being in James Finch's previously futile #09 car." It was a Hendrick back up car, he hardly had the same equipment as the real Hendrick drivers. Besides, were you not watching the race? A number of wrecks were almost caused by much faster cars running up on the #09 and stacking up because he was so much slower. I'm telling you, that car was SLOW!!! The commentators even mentioned it a few times. That is what is getting lost. Not only did Brad Keselowski do an outstanding job faking Carl out on the last lap to win the race, the fact that he was even in contention on the last lap speaks to Brad's driving ability. This wasn't Dale Jr and Michael Waltrip winning plate races for DEI from 2001-2004 while having cars that nobody could pass, this was a driver in his 5th Cup start driving a DISCARDED HMS car (if the car was worth a shit, they wouldn't have sold it) that nearly got run over at least twice, yet he won with it anyways. Think of it this way: Brad did what Dale Jr couldn't do in a Top flight Hendrick car, win a restrictor plate race. 78. mk17ce99 posted: 04.27.2009 - 1:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) The Real Thomas: Completely agree with everything you said. In keselowski's interview, he had no regard for anyone's safety. yeah, he said, oh I hope everyone's ok I didnt mean to but that's the rules. You didnt mean to? Of course you did, you knew exactly what was going to happen when yous pun Edwards and you could clearly see he flipped into the catch fence. Yeah Keselowski was going for the win, but give me a break. He didnt even act like he cared, he just said it was the rules. 79. Rad83 posted: 04.27.2009 - 2:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You know, I honestly believe that Hendrick and other teams selling cars and engines to other teams is an overlooked thing in NASCAR. You know Hendrick supplies other teams with equipment, but you know that for the most part they don't get the same stuff, just look at Yates. Their downfall was caused by low-quality drivers, and getting into that equipment-supply thing with Roush. The equipment-supply issue is something that I wanted to bring up. I want to know, everyone, do you believe that is is an ethical way of competition? Or do you think it is a dirty tactic to stay up top? 80. Bronco posted: 04.27.2009 - 2:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) "the fact that he was even in contention on the last lap speaks to Brad's driving ability." Lol, no. The fact that Brad, or Scott Speed or Stale Bread were even in contention on the last lap was due to the high amount of attrition in the race. All the strong cars and good drafters like Hamlin, Gordon, Shrub, Truex, Harvick, Stewart and Johnson were all wiped out in wrecks or damaged in some way. That pretty much left the door open for anyone to win this race. Think of it this way. Paul Menard, Scott Riggs, Robby Gordon all had top 10 results in last year's fall race. That's not really a testament to their drafting abilities but more a testament to how much attrition there was. I'm not denying Brad's talent or the fact that he'll win lots of Cup races in the future, but I'd have to say this was one of those Ron Bouchard/Bobby Hillin/Phil Parsons type wins. After seeing this race, I also have a lot more respect for what Regan did last year. He did the honorable thing and avoided what would have been a crazy accident. I can't help but imagine, what if it weren't just Newman, Dale Jr, Edwards and Keselowski going for the win at the end? What if it were a whole pack of cars racing for the win like in the fall, and several cars ran into Edwards and flipped him in the air? I guarantee you someone, whether a fan or a driver would have been badly hurt. But hey, at least the sacred yellow line rule wouldn't have been broken. 81. Smiff_99 posted: 04.27.2009 - 2:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Amen to that. It's unfortunate that things unfolded the way they did. Because the media and a portion of the fan base consider wrecks to be the highlight of a race, this fantastic come-from-behind story is kind of left in the shadows. And to all the nay-sayers saying it's a fluke and all this shit: It doesn't matter that it was a plate track, it doesn't matter that it was a Hendrick car. Keselowski avoided the wrecks, put himself and Edwards in position to win, faked Edwards out, stayed above the yellow line, and got to the finish line first. He won, fair and square. It don't make one f***ing difference whether it was Talladega, Texas, Phoenix or any other friggin' track: Brad Keselowski is a winner, and anybody who actually thinks this will be his only Cup win has got rocks in his head. Guess who's in line (and has been for 9 months now) to take over the 5 car after Martin EVENTUALLY re-retires? Keselowski. And it ain't for no good reason. 82. Neal posted: 04.27.2009 - 3:02 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I can't believe the sheer gall and idiocy of some of the posters here. Keselowski played by the rules. He didn't start the wreck, Carl Edwards did. Keselowski held his line and Carl came down to block him. The wreck is 100% Carl's fault. If Keselowski had backed off and let Carl win then NASCAR would be no better than the WWE or Formula 1. Keselowski went for the win and rightfully so. 83. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.27.2009 - 3:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Lol, NO Bronco. Those people you mentioned were up front at times during the day. Brad WAS ALMOST RUN OVER TWICE during the event because his car was so much slower. Plus he came from 10th to the lead in like 5 laps. Everyone else who dodged the wrecks had the chance to win in much faster cars, but they didn't. Yes Talladega often provides for a fluky finish, but not this time. This time the right driver won. 84. Biffrey posted: 04.27.2009 - 3:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That wreck was Carl all the way. I like Carl Edwards, but anybody who thinks it was Brad's fault needs to goe to see Dr. Tavel. Also, how frikkin CLUELESS are the commentaters on these races?! You can plainly see on the Edwards crash, pieces of debris flying on the other side of the catch fence (the fan side), yet the announcers: "It's so nice to see that fence do its job and you can see... not one piece of debris went into the crowd." Are they stupid, or do they think WE are? 85. Nick posted: 04.27.2009 - 3:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Maybe if drivers stop blocking all friggin race that would help. It's racing, if the guys are going to block, they're going to wreck, pretty simple. As for Brad not caring, he wanted to win, he knew the rules and he took the chance. Anyone who has watched this sport before Sr died knows that this stuff has ALWAYS happened. There aren't many driver's who weren't hated for their on track stupidity trying to win a race. I don't want to see wrecks in these races, I remember the good races in which it was hard racing for laps upon laps without a huge wreck, but nascar has for years played this off for ratings. In a sense, as long as you wreck the guy in front, they'll let ya win the race, that's unfortunately the policy time and time again. If it's the last lap, just wreck em, you won't get fined or punished, no matter which driver it is. HA, maybe probation, oooooooooo 86. Smiff_99 posted: 04.27.2009 - 3:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I see what you're saying Bronco, but at the same time I don't. By calling Keselowski's win a 'Parsons/Bouchard/Hillin' type win, you're comparing apples to oranges. It ain't quite a 'Parsons/Bouchard/Hillin' type win unless it's his only career win. It obviously remains to be seen whether he'll win again, but I'd say it's a safe bet he WILL win again. Of course, it probably won't happen again until he's a full time Cup driver. Oh, there's another couple differences between the others and Keselowski: He's a part-timer. Those other 3 guys were all full-time racers.... AND Parsons and Hillin weren't rookies. 87. nascarman posted: 04.27.2009 - 7:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great run for Sam Hornish with the flu before getting caught up in the big one,on lap 181. 88. nascarman posted: 04.27.2009 - 7:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also to comment on the Edwards Newman wreck, Fox showed the telemetry and Ryan Newman was going 204 mph when he hit Carl! 89. Anonymous posted: 04.27.2009 - 8:10 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Bronco- Yeah there was attrition in the fall race, but Paul Menard ran up front like all day in that 15 car. Robby Gordon last year had a superb SS record. That 8th in the fall race may have been helped by attrition but he finished 6th & 8th in the two Daytona races. He also finished 11th at Talladega in the spring. Your examples are pretty sad. 90. Ryan posted: 04.27.2009 - 9:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) To Neal: If Nascar said they don't want to run a V-6 at these tracks, maybe they should. They can buy the engines for these teams and have the teams tweak them. Nascar has the money to do it. To DaleSRFan: It was great that Brad won, but he found himself in a really good position to work with Carl. He kept pushing him to the front. For two-three laps two cars doing this and working together can get way out ahead, especailly when it's in the middle to the outside. Even Earnhardt said that after the race. Newman wasn't smart enough to move up the track like Dale wanted him to so that they could get more speed like Carl and Brad did. It's why they caught up with them. I guess what I'm trying to say is... for anyone at Talladega to win, you have to be in the right position to win, it takes a lot of luck. Great win for Brad, but he was lucky. Not much skill... Anyone can win at Talladega no matter what kind of car or car make you got. Restrictor plates put everyone on a more level playing field than anywhere else on the circuit. Nascarman: You're right, Newman was at 204, because Jr. was pushing the hell out of him trying to catch back up to Carl and Brad, they would have been back by them by turn one had there been another lap. When those 2 cars work together like that just for a little while, they can hit max speed unlike all the other cars bunched up. Only problem is, the two cars max out then drop and come back to the field... 91. jp posted: 04.27.2009 - 9:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I thought Edwards was was going to pull a Regan on Keselowski. I could have sworn that Keselowski was going flip. The 78 had a sponsor, and it was The National Day of Prayer, but it was The National Week of Prayer for me. My uncle and cousin was there, and thought that Keselowski had crashed. 10 more M.P.H and Edwards would have went through the fence. THE WORST WRECK I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!! I rooted for Keselowski at the end. FIRST TIME WINNER NUMBER 10. James Finch's team's best finish prior to the 499 was 3rd in the '02 Daytona 500. THE BEST DAMN RACE I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The first big one should have happend on lap 50. I prayed for the big one and the Good Lord answered my prayers 3 TIMES!! I thought Edwards was dead. God bless his soul. The commentators were going bazurk. GREAT STUFF!! I WILL NEVER LOOK AT TALLADEGA THE SAME AGAIN!! Next time they go to 'Dega, National Week of Prayer will happen again:D 92. Baker posted: 04.27.2009 - 10:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 1. How are people calling Keselowski arrogant and anything but humble? He played by the rules and won the race. He emphasized clearly more than once he hoped everyone was okay. What do you expect him to do? run to the stands and start first aide on the victims? He just won the race and had the right to celebrate it. He was sincerely hoping the best for all parties involved. 2. Another ridiculously ignorant comment I keep hearing about this race is, "we don't need change it was simply a freak accident". Well...you're wrong because we have a "freak" accident every single time we go to Dega or Daytona. It needs to be changed which leads me to... 3. Nascar doesn't care about the saftey of its fans or the majority of its drivers. It is going to take the death of a popular driver to force change again. Nascar didn't flinch a muscle when Kenny Irwin and Adam Petty were killed, but when they lost Earnhardt Senior everything changed before we had time to blink. Guarantee if Junior, Gordon, or Kahne had lost their life in a wreck changes would have already been in the process of being finalize for Daytona in July. Bank on that one. 93. Kit posted: 04.27.2009 - 11:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm happy that Keselowski won, but I really wish Sterling Marlin was in the car. That would have been badass, a part-time, old school racer who was the restrictor plate king of the 90s winning once again. Of course, when Sterling gets into the #09, he gets worn out Dodge engines under the hood. Anyway, it was great to see a good driver like Keselowski win. Nice to have a someone else win for once besides the usuals. Keselowski will win again if he gets a full-time ride. Hell, he could win again in the #09 with the right equipment. Did they have to trailer Newman's car back to the garage area? 94. Anonymous posted: 04.28.2009 - 12:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Random comments: - The first race this season in which Joe Nemechek didn't do a start and park, and he scored a pretty damn good finish (14th). - Greg Biffle FINALLY gets a top ten at Talladega, giving him a top 10 at all tracks on the Cup series schedule. - Dale Jr's top 5 is his first top since his winning the 2004 fall Talladega race. - Second time this season that the previous week's winner finishes last the next week. Kenseth finished 43rd at Vegas after winning California and Martin finished last after winning Phoenix. That's three finishes of 40th or worse for poor Mark this year. - With the exception of Keselowski and Nemechek, it was a bad day for underfunded teams as Riggs, Mayfield and Gilliland all crashed out. - This was also JPM's first Cup pole. Technically you could call it his second because he won the Kansas pole last year but he was DQ'd. - Also this was the first superspeedway start of any kind for Max Papis and he did a good job finishing 18th. - Dale Jr is now withing striking distance of the cha$e. And guess what, next week is Richmond, his best track. - Moldy Bread and Scott Slow score their best career finishes, and this will probably be the only time that both finish in the top 10. If they keep up these sort of performances they may lose their nicknames. 95. Neal posted: 04.28.2009 - 12:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm afraid NASCAR's gonna knee-jerk this one and make the hole in the plate so small they'll be plodding along at 175mph - just a tick below Darlington speed. 96. Biffrey posted: 04.28.2009 - 2:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Also to comment on the Edwards Newman wreck, Fox showed the telemetry and Ryan Newman was going 204 mph when he hit Carl!" Thats true, but Carl's telemetry only slowed to about 175 before he got hit, which means: (204-175=29) The actual impact was akin to Ryan hitting a brick wall at 29mph, and Carl sittin still and taking that same impact in the side. PLUS, it was kind of a glancing blow (Carls back end was already a good foot off the ground), and all he really did was peel the hood off of the 39. They made a huge effort to sensationalize it, but it was a relatively soft impact if you think about it. There were WAY harder hits this weekend than that one. Still, I bet Carl needs a clean pair of scooby-doo undies... and who wants to bet they turn that crash into an Aflac commercial. :D 97. Smiff_99 posted: 04.28.2009 - 9:19 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Baker, if you wanna call my comments into question, then be sure you're understanding what exactly I'm talking about. I'm not referring to the big wrecks, I was referring to somebody trying to tear down the catchfence. That hadn't happened since Craven did it in '96. Edwards' attempt on Sunday was a result of a freak accident. As many, many people have pointed out, Edwards' car was settling back down before Newman jacked it back up into the air. Had Newman NOT hit Edwards, we'd all be talking about JUST the finish, not the violent wreck that happened. 98. Bronco posted: 04.28.2009 - 10:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) "and who wants to bet they turn that crash into an Aflac commercial. :D" I hope that won't happen, and I don't think it will either. For God's sake, a woman was injured and Carl himself was pretty badly shaken. What's going to be interesting is what this does for Keselowski's career. Is he going to get more races, and are the going to be in the 09 car or the 25 car? And when will he move up to Cup? My guess is that Mark is gonna say "Let me have one more shot at the championship" next year, and so Brad will drive the 25 for Tony Stewart's team and will take his Nationwide sponsors up with him. And maybe now that Phoenix racing has a win, they won't need Sterling Marlin and Mike Bliss to start and park anymore. And I still can't help but feel bad for Regan Smith. He did the "responsible thing" and avoided a disaster and wasn't given the win, and now he gets to watch Keselowski celebrate after doing the "irresponsible thing". Guess nice guys do finish last after all. 99. Sean posted: 04.28.2009 - 11:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Guarantee if Junior, Gordon, or Kahne had lost their life in a wreck changes would have already been in the process of being finalize for Daytona in July. Bank on that one. - Baker There were no significant adjustments to replace restrictor plate racing with something safer after Earnhardt died (in fact if you want to credit the yellow-line rule to Earnhardt's death, which was not technically the cause, it perhaps made it LESS safe), so why would there be if one of those guys died (God forbid)? 100. Smiff_99 posted: 04.28.2009 - 11:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) A 'freak' accident occurs when a series of factors all come together at just the right (or wrong) time and result in an unlikely or uncommon outcome. THAT is what the Edwards crash was. All of the 'big ones' are quite obviously commonplace at the plate tracks. Nothing new there. They can skrink the plates holes, but all that will result in is one 180mph 30-car wreck, as opposed to multiple 200mph 10 car wrecks. That's why they got rid of the wicker bills on the roof and spoiler. The 'big ones' were starting to involve close to 30 cars at a time until they did away with them. Every 'big one' comes down to nothing more than human error, take it or leave it. 101. Smiff_99 posted: 04.28.2009 - 11:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Something people need to remember about Earnhardt's wreck is that the only thing to blame in that crash was Earnhardt himself. First, I don't want anybody to take this the wrong way because I in now way have any intention of slandering the name of arguably the greatest racer (not driver) that nascar's ever seen. But anyways, my point: Earnhardt's wreck happened because he was trying to hold back a handfull of fast cars and got himself wrecked. Not a plate related deal. Then, he only died because his belt failed BECAUSE he preferred to have his belt run in a different spot than other drivers. This resulted in unexpected wear on earnhardt's lap belt, which led to the belt failure, which led to him going face-first into the steering column at 165 mph. That too was a FREAK accident. 102. Racepool posted: 04.28.2009 - 1:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That was an awesome race. One of the best I've seen in a long time. Carl's flip was spectacular. I'm glad he's ok. Getting out of his destroyed car and running across the finish line was just plain cool. Carl is nothing if not a racer. I hate that fans were injured. What a day for Kurt Busch. He was involved in the big one, spun out by himself in a separate incident, but still ran up front and finished 6th with a battered car. I was hoping he would pull out the win, restarting third. But he never got a good push. His rear bumper cover was gone, but I guess they could've pushed the bar? Anyway, he is the new POINTS LEADER! Go Kurt! 103. hyperacti posted: 04.28.2009 - 5:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The duck flew into the fence and died 104. Kit posted: 04.28.2009 - 7:19 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) "And I still can't help but feel bad for Regan Smith. He did the "responsible thing" and avoided a disaster and wasn't given the win, and now he gets to watch Keselowski celebrate after doing the "irresponsible thing". Guess nice guys do finish last after all." This is retarded. Keselowski did NOTHING. Edwards DROVE into him! Open your eyes. All Keselowski did was drive in a straight line. But yes, Smith won that race. 105. Anonymous posted: 04.28.2009 - 7:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nascar has announced that they will be having a blocking rule at plate tracks now. This is according to what I heard on Nascar Now. 106. DaleJrFan17 posted: 04.28.2009 - 10:11 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Yeah, honestly. Some of you Edwards fans need to get your panties out of a knot and stop PMS'ing. Its obvious that Brad was holding his line and Carl came down. He frickin admitted it in the interview. And I dont give two shits what NA$CAR says, Regan Smith won last year. 107. New14&88 Fan posted: 04.28.2009 - 11:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Nascar has announced that they will be having a blocking rule at plate tracks now. This is according to what I heard on Nascar Now." And just how does NA$CAR plan to enforce the blocking rule.If it's in the same manner that they've enforced the "yellow-line rule" then we'll be right back to square one for the fall race here. 108. Brad posted: 04.29.2009 - 12:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) First of all congrats to Brad Keselowski and the #09 team on pulling off an incredible upset. Thankfully Carl was not injured. Thankfully also that the injuries to the fans were not serious. With this car I believe old-style racing is back at Talladega. You see guys that are not really that known win the races. For example, you look at Ron Bouchard's win in 1981. He came out of nowhere in the final few hundred yards to win the race. Look at Regan Smith. Who would have won if wasn't for the yellow line rule. But despite winning Rookie of the Year, he was pretty well under the radar for 2008. Then there is Keselowski. Again a part-time Cup racer who doesn't get that much attention, comes out of nowhere in final few hundred yards and wins. If I were NASCAR, I would get rid of the yellow-line rule. I don't see how it would affect them in the tri-oval and backstrech. And I hope that the drivers have enough sense to not pass someone below the line in the turns. Brad did nothing wrong. He stood his ground. He used Regan Smith as an example of what would've happened if he would've dipped below the line and pass Edwards. I hate that Carl had to be in such a nasty wreck and that some fans got banged up a bit, but I hope this is a wake-up call to NASCAR. They do not need to change a thing about Talladega. They don't need to reduce banking, make the cars slower. The only thing that needs to go is the yellow line. Oh, and just to throw it in there, restrictor plates need to go too. But I doubt if that'll happen. Carl's wreck made me think of Talladega Nights where Ricky Bobby was flipping. "Yep I'm flying through the air this is not good." And running across the finish line, that's great. 109. Shane posted: 04.29.2009 - 4:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hate to see it come down to a wreck. While its exciting, Carl Edwards deserved 2nd, not 24th. Keselowski did nothing wrong, honestly he shouldn't be put in a situation like that by NASCAR. He can't avoid a wreck due to the yellow line rule, and everyone knows you're not going to back out 500 feet from your first Sprint Cup victory. I think he didn't want to wreck Carl, but he didn't really have a choice, and Carl wasn't at fault either. Just the old explanation of a "racing incident". Great win for Brad, he's a good up and coming driver with a good head on his shoulders. 110. Smiff_99 posted: 04.29.2009 - 10:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, in the end it all boils down to one thing: Both drivers were doing all that they could (within the rules) to win that race. THAT is what NASCAR is about (or at least SHOULD be). 111. Anonymous posted: 04.29.2009 - 5:08 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) REGAN SMITH- finished every race he has competed in the Sprint Cup Series. No rookie has ever done that until he pulled it off last year. Stays alive in 'Dega. 112. The Real Thomas posted: 05.01.2009 - 2:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Bronco about got it right on this one. The reason why I'm so upset over this was that Brad Keselowski (even though Edwards may have blocked a little bit) continued to ram Edwards in the rear and not let up one bit. It was like he was playing a video game and had no concern for what could've happened. I know the age old argument (which is also akin to the Communist party) "win at all costs." However, some drivers would not have done what he did and would have at least shown some restraint at a place like Talladega, where danger is much more imminent than other places. Anyway, let's go to Richmond. 113. Bronco posted: 05.01.2009 - 9:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Another point I'd like to add - did anybody notice the fact that there weren't any blown tires during this race? Thank you Goodyear for finally bringing a quality product and allowing us to watch guys race, not worry about when their tires were gonna explode. I also hope NASCAR does nothing as far as changing Talladega or the aero package on the cars. A lot of people complain about how the danger of a 43 car pack travelling at 200mph - heck that's the reason why everyone enjoys watching it! As it is the only NASCAR races I circle on my calendar are the four restrictor plate races, if they were to screw around with those I don't know what I'd do. If they want to make Talladega safer, I'd suggest removing the first couple of rows of seats and making the catchfence taller with a bigger overhang to protect against flying tires and cars. But don't change the quality of racing. 114. DieselDan posted: 05.01.2009 - 11:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First off, watch the replay from the front of the cars. Carl Edwards tried to block too late, the 09 was already along side the 99's rear quarter panel. The wreck was caused by Carl Edwards and NASCAR's competition rules. End of story, bye, bye. Bobby Allison's 1987 crash was caused by an engine failure on Darrell Waltrip's car. A piece of debris, usually cited as the harmonic balancer, cut Allson's left rear tire putting his car into a spin at 220mph. The car lifted and crashed into the fence. I agree with Speed's Dave Despain: plow those obscene high banks down at both Talladega and Daytona. 115. Neal posted: 05.03.2009 - 12:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DiselDan - Bobby ran over a piece of his own blown engine. Waltrip finished 11th, one lap down. I respectfully disgaree with Dave Despain. I have high regard for his vast knowledge of various disciplines of motorsports but he's dead wrong on this one. Plowing down the banks will make Daytona and Talladega another cookie-cutter, albeit a larger version of one. 116. John Royal posted: 05.04.2009 - 10:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Neal, Lowering the banking would make Talladega and Daytona even worse version of Pocono :D 117. Brad posted: 05.14.2009 - 11:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Note that Keselowski was the first first-time winner since Clint Bowyer in 2007 at New Hampshire. 2008 did not see a first-time winner. 118. jp posted: 05.29.2009 - 8:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) WRONG, Jrister24! Bowyer ran the final lap. 119. Anonymous posted: 06.01.2009 - 11:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "2008 did not see a first-time winner." Actually 2008 did see a first time winner in Regan Smith at Talladega, it's just that that some idiots chose not to recognize it. This was also Dale Jr's first top 5 at Talladega since he won the fall 2004 race. Worth noting is that all of Dale Jr's top 5s at Talladega have been either wins or 2nd place finishes. 120. jp posted: 06.12.2009 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Neal, LISTEN UP!!:I heard that they might be putting an additional flap on the bumper. I'm afraid their gonna knee-jerk and we won't see another airborne car. BUT... you could put a million roofflaps on the car and it would still get air in the dogleg.:) Everyone knows that. 121. hyperacti posted: 07.13.2009 - 12:34 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) lol I enjoyed it when they showed Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick's "Battle for 37th". hahahahaha 122. Kit posted: 08.10.2009 - 3:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) One of many top 5 performances by Dale Jr. this year. He really is on fire in his second season in the #88. Maybe having two 8s in his number makes him twice as fast! 123. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 10.24.2009 - 7:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, I got the feeling this may be JR's year. After all, the only reason he's so far behind his teammates is because of bad luck and pit mistakes. Otherwise, he'd be right up there with them. It has nothing to do with JR's fits on the radio which takes away his focus. 124. NASCAR 24/7 posted: 02.16.2010 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was away for the race. When I came home and saw the #09 had won, I couldn't believe it. What was it, like, his 4th start? WAY TO GO BRAD!!!!! 125. NASCAR 24/7 posted: 02.16.2010 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh yeah, also James Finch! His first win as a car owner. Great for him. 126. Doc posted: 04.01.2010 - 3:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great to see a Finch car get a win! He provides a ride for so many drivers who can't get on elsewhere and he and Brad both deserved this one! 127. KevinHarvickFan29 posted: 04.02.2010 - 11:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) Carl Edwards is such an a$$hole. he got what he deserves. Brad Keselowski is awesome 128. KevinHarvickFan29 posted: 04.02.2010 - 11:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) By the way, nice run by Marcos Ambrose and by Scott Slow 129. Cooper posted: 04.17.2010 - 8:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Awesome race, one of my favourite races of all-time. Brad was able to go through the pack all day, but when he got up front, he'd stall out, and fade back. And on 3 occasions in the race, Darrell Waltrip mentioned that the #09 was slow. Brad showed he could race with the big boys. I'll never forget this race, instant classic. 130. Cooper posted: 04.17.2010 - 9:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Also, I have read that some said Brad had a Hendrick package. Also Mike Joy on air said it was a whole "Hendrick" package. This is incorrect. James Finch leased an engine from Rick, the chassis on the other hand was an old Childress Chassis, and body. In addition, Brad ran this car for the 09' Daytona 500, in which he didn't qualify, and ran this same car in the Summer Daytona and Fall Talladega races. Makes this win so more surprising. Nonetheless a top 5 upset in NASCAR history. 131. awesomegordonfan posted: 11.10.2010 - 6:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, what a race! Speed's best career finish to date One of Martin's only last-place finishes Bowyer continues his streak of RAFs by rerunning with 3 to go And Edwards flip looked exactly like Bonnett's '93 wreck except for the fact that Edwards bounced off another car (Newman); Bonnett didn't. Oh, and one of Stremme's best finishes of the year. I don't think anyone has pointed this out, but Mayfield's second-to-last race before his drug test faliure 132. Daniel posted: 05.22.2012 - 10:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #4 Eric McClure & #66 Michael McDowell Out using fastest 43: #7 Robby Gordon & #43 Reed Sorenson 133. CBASS posted: 02.03.2013 - 8:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates #19 Best Buy/ Insignia #47 Little Debbie #99 Claritin Allergy Products #12 Penske #24 Pepsi Challenger/ Dupont #39 Prelude to the Dream #78 National Day of Prayer http://archives.ciastockphoto.com/cgi/images.php?group=w0910 134. LASTCAR posted: 04.23.2013 - 12:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mark Martin picked up the 8th last-place finish of his career in Sunday's Aaron's 499 at the Talladega Superspeedway when his Kellogg's / Carquest Chevrolet was involved in a massive crash on lap 7 of the 188-lap race. Martin was riding high after scoring a tremendously-popular win the week before at Phoenix, snapping a 97-race winless drought in the process. At Talladega, he qualified 7th with a speed of 187.860 and was running around that position as the field moved into turn three on lap 7. It was there that Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon made contact in the higher groove, setting off a massive ten-car pileup. Gordon's car wobbled down from the outside wall and into Jamie McMurray, who was on the outside of Kevin Harvick and Scott Riggs. The four cars fused together just as Mark Martin tried to squeeze by on the inside. The nose of Riggs' Toyota clipped the right-rear of Martin's Chevy, sending Martin straight into the outside wall with more than enough force to lift his rear tires off the ground. Fortunately, Martin and the other drivers involved walked away. A.J. Allmendinger and Kasey Kahne traded the 43rd spot after the race resumed, but both returned to the track. Martin did not, however, and his Chevrolet finished last. The race was Martin's first last-place finish at Talladega and his first in a points race since another early crash in the 2007 Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta. Martin is now the highest-qualified driver to finish last in a NASCAR Sprint Cup points race this season and the third to start in the top 10. Rick Hendrick's #5 team had not finished last since then-rookie Kyle Busch finished last in the 2005 GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan with overheating problems. Busch led 28 laps that day. The race also featured one of the most incredible upsets in NASCAR Sprint Cup history when Nationwide Series regular Brad Keselowski took Phoenix Racing to victory lane for the first time. The team, owned by James Finch, had finished no better than 40th in its previous four starts this season, including a last-place at Atlanta in March, and had failed to qualify for the other four events. However, the team has never been far from the fight at the restrictor-plate tracks and has two top-fives in the Daytona 500 with Geoffrey Bodine (2002) and Mike Wallace (2007). Keselowski has 5 Sprint Cup starts and, to date, no last-place finishes. 2009 RANKINGS 1st) Dave Blaney (2) 2nd) Mike Bliss, Todd Bodine, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Mark Martin, Joe Nemechek, Tony Raines (1) Visit http://brockbeard.blogspot.com/ for more. 135. b4il3y posted: 05.05.2013 - 5:18 am Rate this comment: (4) (1) Real Thomas..your crow is baked and ready sir. 136. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 04.24.2014 - 11:43 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdrew 64 Geoff Bodine Toyota TBA Larry Gunselman 137. Ugly Bob posted: 08.07.2014 - 4:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Comment #31 made me laugh. 138. Fireball1020 posted: 05.26.2015 - 11:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It'll always look to me like Keselowski dumped Edwards to win. Regardless, I'm still a fan of his. Also, Edwards' incident looked nothing like Bonnett's or Allison's crashes. The only thing even remotely similar about their crashes was that all three hit the catchfence. One of the best races in the last 10 years at 'Dega. A close second would be the 2013 Aaron's 312. 139. bduddy posted: 05.27.2015 - 12:49 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Nah, Edwards dumped himself. Double yellow line rule, and all... Brad has made some really dumb moves on the track, but this wasn't one of them. 140. NascarFan4Ever posted: 06.26.2015 - 1:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It was my first NASCAR race I ever saw and now today I'm a huge fan now 141. JHN#8 posted: 10.25.2015 - 12:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Reading the comments on this race was hilarious.. Brad's an idiot, but this was 0% his fault, the dumb people that blame him is pathetic.. And the ones that actually think this was a James Finch car haha..Yea no.. 142. Tylor Thaber posted: 10.25.2015 - 12:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 12 likes and 19 dislikes on this page. Makes you wonder, don't it? 143. Maverick19 posted: 07.22.2017 - 12:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff Gordon did a throwback scheme before it was cool. 144. {}{}{}{}{} posted: 08.22.2017 - 5:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is Clint Bowyer's 8 laps run while running at end the least ever? 145. RaceFanX posted: 10.30.2017 - 8:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Max Papis' 18th here was his best Cup finish ever on an oval, this was the only time he was in the top-20 of a race that wasn't on a road course. 146. Anonymous posted: 01.25.2019 - 7:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Edwards status should be listed as "running." Literally. 147. GoPM21 posted: 01.25.2019 - 11:07 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @146 Wrong. That's not how it works. 148. Dan posted: 03.09.2019 - 9:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "BRAD KES-A-LOW-SKI WON THIS RACE!" - Larry McReynolds 149. Wil posted: 03.09.2019 - 11:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @149 Someone had to say it...the race ended, DW and Joy were marveling at the wreck and the front end and Newman's car, and 10 seconds later Larry Mac finally had to declare the winner lol 150. Fireball1020 posted: 03.17.2019 - 7:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Comment number 31 could not have been any more wrong 151. Ben posted: 05.16.2019 - 1:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Mark my words. Brad Keselowski will never win another Sprint Cup race. This was an utter joke and a pure fluke. The moment it happened, I knew that there would be gooey-eyed, let's-hold-hands-and-dance-around-the-maypole types praising his "underdog" win. First of all, he bought a Hendrick car and engine, which means you are not an underdog, despite being in James Finch's previously futile #09 car. Second of all, most everyone was already knocked out before he purposely caused one of the scariest wrecks in NASCAR history and then was a total dick about it in Victory Lane. Don't get me wrong, NASCAR's idiotic, counter-intuitive yellow line rule is as much to blame as anything, and hopefully, a disaster like this will get it through their thick, retarded skulls that it needs to be done away with and real racing brought back. It's sad really, considering that it was an awesome race otherwise." Ten years later and Brad's won 29 more races. 152. Timothy_Eklund posted: 03.04.2020 - 1:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm currently rewatching the race and the amount of foreshadowing is crazy. Around lap 92, Mike Joy and Darrel Waltrip were talking about the yellow line rule, and how even if you're forced, you still get penalized. Later, around lap 111, the lapped car of Jeff Burton hooked up with Dale Jr and they pulled out to a 2 second lead. That caused Darrel to wonder aloud what would happen if 2 cars got hooked up on the last lap, little did they know thats exactly what would happen. 153. Timothy_Eklund posted: 03.04.2020 - 1:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The 148-150 caution was for part of the caution light cover falling onto the track. 154. Anonymous posted: 04.13.2020 - 6:24 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) This race will be the next race to fox's NASCAR Classics special great choice, Too bad a lot of us won't see it on most Fox affilates like mine, in Houston, But I know this when I watched this race and then went to school a few days later a lot of my closest friends they saw the highlight clip of Carl Edwards nasty crash close to the catchfence and they were like oh my god, shocked, as I was. Even if they did not watch they saw the clip on Sportscenter. A Footnote this race had the most lead changes for a race that NASCAR On Fox had until 1 year later! But anyhow I am glad for the choice I was hopeful and I thought about this race and said when they started this I said hey fox can you give me a Talladega race maybe 2009, 2010, 11, maybe? I was on the right track didn't I. 155. TeamDCRfan posted: 04.26.2020 - 1:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 11 years later this is still one of my favorite Talladega races in the last 15 years (mainly because Joe Nemechek was running well and got TV time). Had the right amount of everything. 156. RaceFanX posted: 04.26.2020 - 4:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) FOX announcer Mike Joy quipped "they'll be replaying this one for years" at the end of the broadcast and ain't that the true given how FS1 reaired it in 2020. 157. Rich posted: 12.17.2020 - 11:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip were the commentators. Dr. Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum and Krista Voda were the pit road reporters. Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond were in the Hollywood hotel. 158. Danny posted: 01.06.2021 - 7:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bobby Labonte also was in the first big one he was in both of them was missing in the 1st one both he and max Papis were listed in the big one cars in crash list in the fox broadcast. 159. Danny posted: 01.06.2021 - 7:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Max Papis was in the big wreck also but he did get his only oval lead lap finish. 160. Mile501 posted: 01.14.2021 - 1:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was the only time in its entire existence that Red Bull Racing earned a top 5 finish with a driver other than Brian Vickers or Kasey Kahne. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: