Vickers collected his first Cup win after clipping Jimmie Johnson on the final lap, with the field frozen under a yellow flag.
A last-lap collision with teammate Jimmie Johnson handed Vickers his first Cup win at Talladega. The 188-lap race finished under caution with the order frozen, and it was the fourth round of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, held that October.
Brian Vickers won the 2006 UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on 8 October 2006, his first career Cup Series victory. The 188-lap race, the 30th of the season and the fourth of the Chase, ended under caution after Vickers, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were caught up in a final-lap wreck.
What sets Talladega apart from the other tracks?
Talladega Superspeedway is a four-turn superspeedway of 4.28 km (2.66 mi), with turns banked at 33 degrees and the front stretch banked at 16.5 degrees. Early practice speeds approached 320 km/h (200 mph).
The back straight carries only a two-degree bank. Cracks in turns three and four had begun to cause handling problems after the spring race, so the track was resurfaced, including the skid pad and pit road, just before this event.
Workers built a temporary storage area outside the track to keep the asphalt needed for the resurfacing. The track's condition had been deteriorating for some time before the repairs began.
Burton held the Drivers' Championship lead on 5,511 points before the race, while Hamlin was second and Martin third. Kenseth and Harvick sat fourth and fifth, and Gordon, Earnhardt, Johnson, Kyle Busch and Kahne completed the top ten of the Chase.
Chevrolet led the Manufacturers' table with 222 points, Ford had 175 and Dodge 174. Dale Jarrett was the defending race winner.
The caution flew and the field stopped in its tracks, so the finishing order was fixed by where each driver had been when the yellow appeared.
How did practice and the restrictor plate change play out?
Two 60-minute practice sessions took place on the Friday. In the opening session Jeff Gordon was fastest, Dale Jarrett second and Robby Gordon third, with David Gilliland and Dave Blaney completing the top five.
Robby Gordon led the second session, with Labonte, Hamlin and Stewart next. Blaney, J. J. Yeley, Harvick, Riggs, Newman and Raines followed.
Shortly before qualifying NASCAR ordered the restrictor-plate holes reduced by 1/64 inch (0.4 mm), and it later accepted that the change might have affected some teams more than others. David Gilliland said Doug Yates had tuned the engine and it ran well, while Dale Earnhardt argued that a small drop in speed was unnecessary. He said the track was safe, and that the change was not a fair situation for everybody.
NASCAR did not add another practice session after the change.
Who won the pole and who made the top five?
David Gilliland took his first career pole at 49.950 seconds, with Dale Jarrett, his Robert Yates Racing team-mate, alongside him on the front row. Johnson, Gordon and Biffle completed the top five.
Forty-nine cars entered qualifying, and forty-three were allowed to race under NASCAR's procedure. Six drivers missed the field, among them Kvapil, Chaffin, Todd Bodine, Hermie Sadler, Shelmerdine and Lepage.
How did the early laps unfold?
Jarrett went around Gilliland almost at once, and Gordon was back in front a lap later. Jamie McMurray took the lead from Gordon on lap four, and Gilliland had dropped to 30th after losing the draft.
Gordon regained the lead three laps later with help from Vickers, and McMurray reclaimed it on lap 18 before the two traded places again. Kenny Wallace pitted with his car smoking during that phase.
Biffle led from lap 28 after McMurray, and green-flag pit stops from laps 30 to 33 kept the order changing. Dale Earnhardt Jr. led from the 38th lap, and Kyle Busch passed him on the 41st lap, sending him back to seventh.
Matt Kenseth took the lead on lap 46 and again on lap 61. A caution on lap 72 came when Dave Blaney's left-rear tyre shredded, and Biffle, Edwards and Sterling Marlin stayed on the track while the rest pitted.
Kyle Busch took the lead on lap 90, but Gordon passed him the next lap, and McMurray then passed Gordon on lap 93 and led for nine laps. Vickers took over on lap 102, and Earnhardt's left-front tyre deflated the following lap, which cost him a lap.
Pit stops under green began on lap 107, with Vickers pitting on lap 108 and handing the lead to McMurray, and Vickers regained it after the stops. Kyle Busch took the lead on the 121st lap, but Gordon got it back two laps later, then lost the draft and dropped back to 27th.
Kenseth regained the lead after that, and Clint Bowyer passed him on lap 127 to lead for two laps before a second yellow flag came out for debris. Hamlin and Waltrip staggered their pit stops under that caution, so each led a lap, and the race restarted with Kenseth back in front.
What happened in the multi-car crash on lap 137?
A pile-up at the first turn on lap 137 involved Carl Edwards and Casey Mears, and Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin were caught up too, along with Harvick, Marlin, McMurray, Kyle Petty and Truex. Gordon went straight to the garage, and Jeff Burton inherited the lead.
After the restart on lap 145, many drivers topped up with fuel. Vickers passed Kenseth on lap 147, and Johnson took the lead a lap later, while Reed Sorenson's engine failed on the same lap.
A five-car accident in turn two on lap 173 involved Yeley, Menard, Stewart, Stremme and Hamlin and brought out the fifth caution. The field restarted on lap 178 with Earnhardt leading, Johnson second and Vickers third.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Race length | 188 laps on a 4.28 km (2.66 mi) superspeedway |
| Pole | David Gilliland, 49.950 seconds, his first career pole |
| Lead changes | 63 during the race |
| Most laps led | Dale Earnhardt Jr., 37 laps |
| Attendance | 160,000 |
| Winner's earnings | $228,850 |
| Race time | 3 hours, ten minutes and twenty-three seconds |
How did Vickers end up in victory lane?
On the final lap Johnson moved out of line to pass Earnhardt, and Vickers, trying to help his teammate, clipped the right-rear quarter panel of Johnson's car. Johnson then clipped Earnhardt, and both drivers slid off the track into the infield.
The caution flew and the field stopped in its tracks, so the finishing order was fixed by where each driver had been when the yellow appeared. Vickers was declared the winner even though the crowd booed him during his victory celebration.
How did the drivers react?
Earnhardt forgave Vickers, saying he had been trying to push Johnson and had not planned to take out two cars. Johnson was less forgiving, saying he had been patient until the white flag, had a good run and was helped too much from behind.
Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, said he did not think Vickers had the talent to understand the equipment he had. Vickers replied that he expected the others to be upset, and he argued that without bump-drafting Johnson would not have had a chance to pass Earnhardt.
Kurt Busch described Vickers's position as a Catch-22, saying he had been trying to help his teammate but the move did not work out. Vickers was due to leave Hendrick Motorsports for Red Bull Racing Team in 2007, and he received extra security before the next race.
Vickers said Johnson was his friend and teammate, and that Johnson was running for a championship. He insisted he had not driven more aggressively because he was leaving the team, and he argued that Johnson would never have had a shot at passing Earnhardt without his bump-drafting.
What did the result do to the championship?
Jeff Burton kept the Drivers' Championship lead, although a flat tyre during the final laps cut his advantage sharply. Johnson lost ground in the standings after the crash, and Jeff Gordon said the race had effectively ended his title hopes.
Chevrolet increased its manufacturer lead to 231 points, with Dodge second on 180 and Ford third on 179. The finish took 3 hours, ten minutes and twenty-three seconds, and the caution-ended race had no margin to record.
For Vickers the result was a first Cup win. For Johnson it was a points setback in the middle of the Chase.