Gordon wins Aaron”s 499 after shootout

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Jeff Gordon proved again he is NASCAR’s new king of restrictor-plate racing.

Gordon fought off challenger after challenger Sunday and had to go to overtime to win the Aaron’s 499 Nextel Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway.

It was Gordon’s fourth win in the last five races at Talladega and Daytona, the only tracks at which NASCAR requires the horsepower-sapping plates to slow the cars.

The four-time Cup champion led a dominating 139 of the 194 laps on the 2.66-mile oval. He finally held off Tony Stewart and Michael Waltrip at the end of a two-lap shootout, which was set up by a six-car crash with one lap remaining in regulation that ended the chances of fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr.

By staying up front most of the day, Gordon was able to avoid a wild 25-car crash that took out several top contenders, as well as the crash on lap 187 that involved Earnhardt, series points leader Jimmie Johnson and pole-winner Kevin Harvick.

“I definitely did not want to see that last caution,” Gordon said. “They were shuffling and dicing back there before that last caution and I was in a better position before that (last) restart.”

But Gordon got a good start when the green flag waved for the start of lap 193 and he stayed out front as the contenders fought it out behind him. Stewart, with Waltrip giving him a hard push, managed to grab the second spot, but finished 0.192-seconds – about two car-lengths – behind the winner’s No. 24 Chevrolet. It is the 13th consecutive victory for Chevy at the Alabama track.

“Michael pushed me all the way down the backstretch on the white flag lap and I still couldn’t catch the 24,” said Stewart, who finished second at Talladega for the fourth time. “Finishing in the top two isn’t bad at this place.”