Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Race Report (Stewart Wins?)

Travis Kvapil, on his first NASCAR Cup Series pole, leads the pack to the green flag for the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega.

-There have already been 3 leaders by lap 10, Jimmie Johnson being in the back, looks like he's lost the draft, 17 seconds behind the leader. They're thinking that a team mate needs to drop back to help him out. Kenny Schrader has lost the draft and is 11 seconds back while the pack runs 2-wide, 14 rows deep, more or less.
-Lap 23: Schrader and Johnson are drafting now, but the pack is coming up on them fast and lap 26 sees them a lap down now.
-Lap 25: David Ragan is leading the pack in front of Kvapil, Almirola, Menard and Gilliland.
-Dale Earnhardt Jr takes the lead by Lap 26, Ragan behind him now.
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-Lap 34 Caution for Debris.
Having just been lapped, Robby Gordon is in front of Jimmie Johnson and Robby will be the Lucky Dog.
Ragan gets spun on pit road, no damage. Kenny Schrader, Kenny Wallace: speeding on pit road.
Robby Gordon, lost the lucky Dog bonus for fueling twice.
-Lap 39 Restart: 24, 1, 31, 33, 88.
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-Lap 46 Caution for Debris in the tri-oval:
Jimmie Johnson gets the Lucky Dog. Yes: THey showed the debris. Oddly, the Lowe's pit crew seemed to tbe the ones who let NASCAR know about it.
Everyone is pitting. Dang, it looks like a bunch of figure-8 races as cars pull in and pull out of their pits. Harvick stays out and leads a lap.
-Lap 49 Restart:19, 5, 18, 24, 11.
Ryan Newman has dropped a cylinder. Dave Blaney: Electrical problems, is in the back of the pack.
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-Lap 54 Caution:
Jeff Gordon, David Reutimann spinning. Gordon has body damage. His day may be done.
Reutimann's RR tire blows, and Jeff dodges to the right and hits the wall and the 21 car.
That's the 2nd RR tire to just ... blow, that we know of.
Is something wrong with the 48 car? They're working on a splitter brace on the RF in the pits.
Kurt Busch's hood is up. Engine is missing.
Edwards to the end of the longest line. Pitted while the pits were closed.
He's been on pit road a few times.
-Lap 58 Restart: 83, 28, 84, 18, 15.
Kurt Busch to the garage after the restart.
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-Lap 68 Caution:
No 83 RF tires blows up while running up there in the top 5. Nine cars in all were collected.

THE BIG ONE happens while off to commercial...
Martin Truex looks a bit daffy, holding his head walking back to the medical center.
Red Flag Out.
Those involved
Vickers, Gilliland, Truex Jr., Kahne, Skinner, McMurray, Labonte, Raines & Almirola.
18 minutes later:
-Lap 73 restart: 88 15 31 29 42
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Despite the wreck, the pack gets back together and is back to being racey.
Stewart finally gets the front spot in the race, making him leader # 23 after 35 lead changes.
-Lap 81 Caution: Mike Wallace loses a right side tire... again.
-Lap 87 Restart: 18, 88, 42, 20, 17.
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-Lap 99 Caution: Denny Hamlin RF tire puts him in the wall. 2 debris, 4 tire cautions.
They're carting Denny away on a stretcher, but I believe as precautionary.
-Lap 105 Restart: 66, 15, 8, 18, 20.
Denny is awake and alert and headed to the hospital for further evaluation.
-Lap 133: So far, pretty uneventful in as much as any additional cautions.
29, 6, 20, 8, 18.
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Caution with 50 to go: Jeff Gordon blowing and slowing. Engine fried.
Edwards spins exiting pit road.
When the No. 00 car led the race, ESPN noted McDowell was leading, but truth in fact: Kenny Wallace is driving that car.
Everyone trying to top off on fuel
Restart with 44 to go: 18, 6, 28, 20, 48.
Now it's going to start getting racy!
25 to go: We're getting three wide now. 88, 31, 42
The 55 car is up in the top 5.
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Caution with 24 to go: Harvick gets sideways into the grass off of Ragan's bumper... but it doesn't look like he took damage.
Restart with 19 to go: 42, 5, 15, 07, 88
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-Lap 174: the other BIG ONE hits the field!
Carl spun Biffle and this collected the rest of the field.
Wow, a lot of Cup Chasers involved.
The 2nd red flag today.
Restart with 10 Laps to Go: 20, 78, 5, 19, 6
Stewart and Nemechek bolt out in front of the pack. Go Joe, Go.
The draft bailed on Nemechek.
Sadler locked on the back bumper of Stewart.
Subway leads McDonalds around the track!
5 to go: 20, 01, 15, 8, 31
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Caution with 4 to go: RR tire on the No. 26.
I suspect Tony may pull this off but DEI is lurking on Stewart's bumper in the next three positions.
Restart with 3 to go:
20, 01, 15, 8, 19.

On the last lap, in the tri-oval, with Regan Smith passing Tony Stewart below the yellow line, he passed and crossed the line first, but NASCAR gives the win to Tony Stewart.

Smith may argue with the issue that Stewart forced Smith below the line.
We'll see how it pans out before the afternoon (evening?) is over.


The Winner is Tony Stewart, the cars crossed the line in the following order:
01, 20, 15, 6, 31, 07, 43, 66, 7 & 48.
This is the unofficial order.

To be continued in a later post!
Thanks for coming by and be sure to check for updates on the drama of the end-race scenario.
Does NASCAR stay with who won, or do they use the same rule of application when a driver can see the checkered flag, anything goes rule?