Aaron's 499

 

WINNER: Brad Keselowski! Keselowski made his move late to take the win. It's his sixth career Cup win, his second at Talladega.

White flag: Brad Keselowksi and Kyle Busch are out in front, with a gap on the rest of the field. The pair is pulling away from the pack.

Lap 193: Brad Keselowski is making a run on the outside, with a push from Kyle Busch.

RESTART: Lap 192 - First attempt at Green-White-Checker: Matt Kenseth, in the outside lane, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle and David Ragan lead the field.

Radio chatter on Lap 191: Jimmy Fennig says, "I'm afraid some of these guys will run out under the white." Fuel is going to be an issue for several teams as the race is in extra laps.

Radio chatter on Lap 188: Dale Earnhardt Jr. says, "the track is fine, they don't need to do nothing..."

For the restart and the first attempt at a green-white-checker finish, the lineup will be: Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, David Ragan, Marcos Ambrose, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jamie McMurray, Trevor Bayne and Kasey Kahne.

Lap 186: Denny Hamlin's tire is shredding on the track.

Lap 185: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has damage to his left rear. Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Paul Menard and Joey Logano also sustain damage.

CAUTION 5 - Lap 185: Crash on restart. Denny Hamlin is moving to the inside. AJ Allmendinger moves over in an apparent attempt to block him, and the cars begin piling up.

RESTART - Lap 185: Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski lead them to the green.

CAUTION 4 - Lap 181: Kurt Busch spins. He was running second, and was getting a push from Brad Keselowski.

Lap 181: Kurt Busch is up to second.

RESTART - Lap 180: Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Paul Menard, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, David Ragan, AJ Allmendinger, Marcos Ambrose and Kasey Kahne lead the field.

Lap 177: Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart, Aric Almirola, Jeff Burton and Michael Waltrip pit. 

CAUTION 3 - Lap 176: Casey Mears, Trevor Bayne both spinning on the track. Marcos Ambrose was trying to push Mears.

Lap 175: The pack is starting to tighten up once more.

Lap 172: Matt Kenseth leads, followed by Brad Keselowsi, Denny Hamlin, AJ Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Casey Mears.

Lap 170: Jeff Burton pits.

Lap 168:The top four on the track are single file. Matt Kenseth is leading, with Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and AJ Allmendinger following. 

Lap 167: NEW LEADER: Matt Kenseth takes the lead. Again.

Lap 166: Clint Bowyer is now leading the outside line and is charging outside of Denny Hamlin. Bowyer has finished no worse than second in his last three races at Talladega.

Lap 164: Watch out, Matt Kenseth is coming. He's up to fourth and pushing hard in the outside line.

Lap 162: NEW LEADER - Casey Mears takes the lead.

Lap 161: Casey Mears is pulling up beside Denny Hamlin, challenging for the lead.

Lap 160: Matt Kenseth has stepped out and third line formed briefly, moving up along the outside. Kenseth then drops back into the second line, pushing Casey Mears up alongside Denny Hamlin.

Lap 159: Denny Hamlin takes the lead. Now that he's back on the lead lap, he's showing strength. Matt Kenseth is coming back as well, running sixth.

Lap 158: Brad Keselowski continues to lead the race. Denny Hamlin is second, followed by AJ Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer and Paul Menard.

Radio chatter on Lap 154: Spotter T.J. Majors to Dale Earnhardt Jr.: The 11 (of Denny Hamlin) is super aggressive for some reason.

Lap 152: Brad Keselowski, the leader, is a past winner at Talladega. He has an average finish of 15.0 at the track, with four top-10 finishes, two of them top fives, in six starts there.

Lap 151: NEW LEADER: Brad Keselowski takes the lead.

RESTART - Lap 150: Paul Menard, Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle and David Ragan lead the field to the flag. 

Lap 150: Matt Kenseth and Marcos Ambrose among those being penalized for pitting while pit road was closed. Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte pitted too soon. All must line up at the rear.

Lap 150: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is among those pitting to top off on fuel.

Radio chatter on Lap 148: Carl Edwards says he has no clue what happened ... he thought he was smart (running in the back) but then people started running out of fuel.

Lap 148: There are 31 cars on the lead lap. Matt Kenseth is the leader, with Marcos Ambrose, Paul Menard, Brad Keselowski, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Michael Waltrip, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne and David Ragan are in the top 10.

Radio chatter Lap 146: Jeff Gordon: "This is just one of the most bizarre years that this team has had, it’s almost comical." He acknowledges that Truex got into him.

Lap 144: Cars that were involved in the crash are: Aric Almirola, Dave Blaney, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, Jeff Gordon, David Gilliland, Martin Truex Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya and Terry Labonte.

Lap 144: Jeff Gordon to the garage.

CAUTION 2 - Lap 143 - The big crash. Several cars involved. Dave Blaney and Aric Almirola make contact, collecting Carl Edwards, and Jeff Gordon is hit by Martin Truex Jr. Several others involved as cars try to slide up to the wall.

Lap 143: Kurt Busch is out of fuel, pitting.

Lap 142: AJ Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski and Paul Menard pit.

Lap 141: Kevin Harvick is well off the pace, limping around the track.

Lap 141: Brad Keselowski is up to third. Keselowski earned his first Cup career win at Talladega.

Lap 140: Tony Stewart is pitting. Stewart, like Jeff Burton earlier, is out of gas.

Lap 139: Jeff Burton, out of gas, pits and returns to the track.

Lap 138: Jeff Burton is off the pace.

Radio chatter on Lap 137: Spotter Steve Barkdoll to Kurt Busch: Greg Biffle is tight on you, I don't know what the hell he was thinking.

Lap 136: NEW LEADER: Matt Kenseth storms back to the lead once more. The Daytona 500 winner is looking strong today.

Lap 134: NEW LEADER: Kurt Busch moves back into the lead once more.

Lap 133: Matt Kenseth faces a challenge now from the outside line. Kurt Busch is leading them to the front and making a run at Kenseth.

Radio chatter on Lap 131: Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn't happy with this aero package: "The car doesn't have good air on it, it's wrecking around people." He is running 15th.

Radio chatter on Lap 128: Jeff Gordon temperatures: 240 water, 260 oil ... oil pressure 28.

Lap 127: Matt Kenseth continues to lead the field. Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, Marcos Ambrose and Aric Almirola follow.

Radio chatter on Lap 123: Leader Matt Kenseth asks crew chief Jimmy Fennig if he made an air-pressure adjustment during the last stop. Fennig says no, just lowered the track bar half a round.

Lap 123: Matt Kenseth hasn't always enjoyed a lot of success at Talladega. He has an average finish of 19.3 at the track. Although he has 13 top-10 finishes, six of them top fives, Kenseth hasn't enjoyed a top-10 at the track since October 2006, when he was fourth. His latest races? Starting with the most recent, he has finishes of 18th, 36th, 16th, 28th, 24th, 17th, 26th, 41st, 26th and 4th.

Lap 122: NEW LEADER: Matt Kenseth moves back to the front.

Lap 121: Kurt Busch has certainly enjoyed his share of successes at Talladega. He has an average finish of 14.9 at the track, with six top-five finishes, 13 of them top 10s.

Radio chatter on Lap 121: Spotter Steve Barkdoll: Leader, Ricky Bobby.

Lap 121: Kurt Busch is driving with Phoenix Racing this season - the team for which Brad Keselowski was driving when he won his first Sprint Cup race, at Talladega Superspeedway in 2009. At the time, Keselowski was driving a limited schedule in the Cup ranks.

Lap 120: NEW LEADER: Kurt Busch has taken the lead in his "Talladega Nights" car.

Radio chatter on Lap 118: Crew chief Steve Letarte tells Dale Earnhardt Jr. that if he feels like he's losing his power steering, it could be the fuel pump seizing up.

Radio chatter on Lap 117: Bobby Labonte off the pace. He thinks it's an engine.

Radio chatter on Lap 112: Dale Earnhardt Jr.: I was wondering what happened to Jimmie Johnson? Crew chief Steve Letarte: Fuel pump. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Oh (crap).

Lap 111: How fast do fortunes change at Talladega? Several of the drivers who have led today show that. Jeff Burton, who led two laps, is third. Matt Kenseth, who led 30 laps, is fifth. Michael Waltrip, who led 21 laps, is 13th. Kasey Kahne, who led 11 laps, is 16th. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who led 10 laps, is 20th. Tony Stewart, who led 16 laps, is 22nd. And Jimmie Johnson, who led five laps, is in the garage.

Radio chatter on Lap 108: Jeff Gordon: "I'm flashing red right now, I can't do anything right now." He's running 19th.

Lap 108: Points leader Greg Biffle, coming off a tough week at Richmond, is back in top form now. He's pacing the field now.

Lap 105: Greg Biffle is the new leader. Brad Keselowski, Jeff Burton, Jamie McMurray, Marcos Ambrose, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jeff Gordon follow.

Lap 104: Paul Menard gives up his lead to pit. He's the final lead-lap car to pit.

Lap 103: Greg Biffle, Dave Blaney, Casey Mears, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., Terry Labonte, Kevin Harvick and Michael Waltrip among those pitting.

Lap 102: Leader Juan Pablo Montoya pits. Tony Stewart is on the apron heading to pit road. Denny Hamlin, David Reutimann, Jamie McMurray, Marcos Ambrose, Bobby Labonte, Trevor Bayne, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon among those pitting.

Lap 101: Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, David Gilliland and David Ragan pit.

Lap 100: AJ Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski pit. Denny Hamlin is in danger of getting lapped. 

Radio chatter on Lap 98: Crew chief Chad Knaus tells the crew "we're done" and that they can start packing up. Last DNF for Jimmie Johnson was the Daytona 500.

Lap 96: NEW LEADER: Kasey Kahne retakes the lead with the outside line. Juan Pablo Montoya, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, AJ Allmendinger, Tony Stewart and Marcos Ambrose follow.

Lap 95: NEW LEADER: Juan Pablo Montoya takes the lead.

Lap 95: Juan Pablo Montoya, in the inside line, is alongside Kasey Kahne for the lead. Matt Kenseth is pushing Montoya as he challenges for the lead.

Radio chatter on Lap 93: Jeff Gordon: I'm all the way back here (in 28th) and I'm flashing red.

Lap 93: Juan Pablo Montoya has moved to second. Montoya had a rather dramatic ending to the season's first restrictor-plate race, at Daytona, when his car had a parts failure and hit a jet dryer during a caution period.

Lap 90: While Hendrick Motorsports' Kasey Kahne leads, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is second, Jeff Gordon has dropped to 29th.

Radio chatter on Lap 88: Jeff  Gordon says his temperatures are kind of cooling down ... but not really. Crew chief Alan Gustafson says he's got wiggle room with the psi.

Lap 88: NEW LEADER: Kasey Kahne takes the lead. The two lines are running side by side.

Lap 87: The outside line is charging to the front, challenging Matt Kenseth's lead. Kasey Kahne is leading the group and is alongside Kenseth.

Radio chatter on Lap 85: Jeff Gordon, running eighth: I've got water pressure flashing, I've got to get out of here.

Lap 84: Tony Stewart has moved into second. Stewart already has two wins this season.

Lap 83: Michael Waltrip, who led 21 laps earlier, just moved into fifth.

Lap 77: Aric Almirola, who was fastest in both Friday practices and is working with veteran crew chief Mike Ford for the first time this weekend, is up to 10th.

Lap 74: Matt Kenseth is the leader. Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Travis Kvapil, Michael Waltrip, Trevor Bayne and AJ Allmendinger are in the top 10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has slipped to 16th after working with drafting Jimmie Johnson, who is in the garage.

Radio chatter on Lap 72: Jeff Gordon is going to push Dale Earnhardt Jr. back to the front. Jeff Gordon says, "Tell the 88 now we're even, let's be (expletive) teammates." Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s response: Boy, he's got a memory, don't he?

Lap 72: NEW LEADER: Matt Kenseth slips into the lead.

Lap 71: 34 cars remain on the lead lap.

Radio chatter on Lap 71: Jimmie Johnson tells the crew he had hit debris.

Lap 70: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne round out the top five.

Lap 66: Matt Kenseth, winner of this year's Daytona 500, moves back to second.

Lap 63: Jimmie Johnson's car is being pushed to the garage.

Radio chatter on Lap 63: Temps for Jeff Gordon's car: 240 water, 260 oil

Lap 63: NEW LEADER: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead.

Radio chatter on Lap 62: Jimmie Johnson: I'm blowing up guys. It's not running. I'm wide open.

63: Trouble for Jimmie Johnson as he appears to be having engine problems.

Lap 61: NEW LEADER: Jimmie Johnson is the leader after the round of pit stops. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon round out top five.

Lap 61: Jeff Burton, after leading the previous lap, is the final lead-lap car to pit.

Radio chatter on Lap 60: Dale Earnhardt Jr. crew chief Steve Letarte: Two tires, leave on jack, not on me.

Lap 60: Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Trevor Bayne, Kurt Busch among those pitting.

Lap 59: Jeff Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer, Casey Mears among those pitting.

Lap 58: Kyle Busch, AJ Allmendinger, Joey Logano among those pitting.

Lap 57: Denny Hamlin pits.

Lap 56: The pack is tightening up at Talladega.

Lap 53: Matt Kenseth continues to hold the lead, with Jeff Gordon and Marcos Ambrose now second and third.

Lap 52: Marcos Ambrose is working with Jeff Gordon now as the pair have moved back into contention.

Lap 51: Matt Kenseth has the lead with Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Marcos Ambrose in the top five.

Lap 51: NEW LEADER - Matt Kenseth takes the lead with the outside line.

Radio chatter on Lap 49: Spotter T.J. Majors tells Dale Earnhardt Jr. that Kurt Busch has a run.

Radio chatter on Lap 49: Spotter Earl Barban to Jimmie Johnson: Nice job bossman.

Lap 47: As expected, the fans at Talladega come to their feet as Dale Earnhardt Jr. moves into that second spot. Meanwhile, his teammate Jeff Gordon is trying to organize the outside line again to make his own charge toward the front.

Lap 47: The top 10 are trading spots rapidly. Jimmie Johnson has the lead, with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Michael Waltrip, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Trevor Bayne, Greg Biffle and Jeff Gordon round out the top 10.

Lap 46: NEW LEADER - Jimmie Johnson takes the lead with a push from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 46: Jimmie Johnson's outside line is challenging the inside line for the top spot. He's alongside Michael Waltrip.

Lap 45: Ryan Newman takes his car to the garage as teammate Tony Stewart recaptures third on the track. Newman was 10th in the standings entering the race.

Radio chatter on Lap 44: Ryan Newman: I think we're blowing up here guys ... we're done.

Radio chatter on Lap 44: Crew chief Rodney Childers tells Michael Waltrip it will be 20 laps until pit stops.

Lap 37: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson are working the outside line now.

Lap 36: Polesitter Jeff Gordon is 14th now. Gordon has six wins at Talladega, most among drivers in this race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (five wins) while Clint Bowyer, Bill Elliott, Jimmie Johnson and Terry Labonte each have two Talladega victories.

Lap 34: The pack is shuffling, but the drivers at the front are single file for the moment. Michael Waltrip continues to lead, followed by Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch and Jeff Burton.

Lap 31: David Stremme goes to the garage.

Radio chatter on Lap 30: Kevin Harvick: We were hauling ass those last couple of laps, 240 (water temperature), 270 (oil temperature), we can't even race.

Lap 30: Matt Kenseth moves back to second, while Michael Waltrip continues to hold the lead.

Radio chatter on Lap 27: Crew chief Shane Wilson tells Kevin Harvick that the problem with Regan Smith's engine was not a temperature issue. Harvick is concerned that if he and Paul Menard stay at the back they will lose the drafting pack.

Lap 27: Leader Michael Waltrip has experience at the front at Talladega. He's one of the past winners in the field at Talladega today.

Lap 24: NEW LEADER- Michael Waltrip takes the lead at Talladega.

RESTART: Lap 21: Matt Kenseth leads the field, with Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and Marcos Ambrose round out the top five.

Lap 19: AJ Allmendinger and David Gilliland tagged for speeding on pit road.

Lap 19: Landon Cassill, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Casey Mears, David Stremme, AJ Allmendinger, David Gilliland, Terry Labonte and David Ragan pit.

Radio chatter on Lap 18: Jeff Gordon: "Car's really good and fast here." He's just afraid of overheating from running in a tight pack

Lap 18: Clint Bowyer has an extended stop as his team changes the water temperature gauge.

Radio chatter on Lap 18: Dale Earnhardt Jr.: It's not really loose, something is just different with the front end. I've never drove a car like that here.

Lap 18: Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray and David Gilliland pit.

Radio chatter on Lap 18: Regan Smith: Zero heads up, oil went to 280 ... water never went above 240 ... unbelievable.

Lap 17 - Nine drivers stay on the track as the other leaders pit. Paul Menard, Travis Kvapil, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Terry Labonte, Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray, David Gilliland and David Stremme stay out.

CAUTION 1 - Lap 16: Regan Smith blows an engine. Prior to the race, there was talk about the impact of the higher temperatures at Talladega and the wear that would put on engines.

Radio chatter on Lap 16: Clint Bowyer's spotter offers help from the No. 13 of Casey Mears. Bowyer replies: "He'll run me over."

Lap 15: Tony Stewart continues to lead Matt Kenseth as they work together. Marcos Ambrose, points leader Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards follow.

Radio chatter on Lap 13: Crew chief Alan Gustafson tells Jeff Gordon that the No. 88 car is loose. Gordon replies: He's loose?!

Radio chatter on Lap 12: Clint Bowyer's water temp gauge is malfunctioning. The team says they'll fix it during the first caution.

Radio chatter on Lap 11: Spotter T.J. Majors tells Dale Earnhardt Jr. that help is coming. Earnhardt Jr. is currently 19th.

Radio chatter on Lap 9: Jeff Gordon's water temperature is 240 after eight laps.

Lap 7: David Gilliland and Landon Cassill are in the garage.

Radio chatter on Lap 4: Jeff Gordon: I'm going to try to keep the nose clean ... just staying in line I can see the temperatures going up.

Lap 4: Tony Stewart continues to pace the field at Talladega. Stewart has one win at Talladega in his Cup racing career.

Lap 1: Tony Stewart leads the first lap at Talladega.

Radio chatter on Lap 1: Clint Bowyer's having issue with water pressure.

GREEN FLAG - 1:52 p.m. ET - Jeff Gordon leads the field to the green flag at Talladega.

Prerace radio chatter: Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "You all be safe out there on pit road ... this should be pretty fun." Crew chief Steve Letarte: "Yes sir ... give 'em hell."

Jimmie Johnson talked before the race with NASCAR on FOX. What did he have to say? Check it out here.

Landon Cassill and David Gilliland will move to the back of the field at the start.

1:40 p.m. ET - Cars are rolling.

1:30 p.m. ET - Engines are fired. It's time to go racing at Talladega!

1 p.m. ET - Track drying is progressing and drivers are preparing for introductions.

11:30 a.m. ET - Track drying is under way at Talladega Superspeedway after morning rain. Drying the superspeedway generally takes two to two-and-a-half hours.

Racing has already been under way at Talladega. Catch up on the weekend action here.

Can Dale Earnhardt or Jeff Gordon put Hendrick Motorsports in Victory Lane this weekend? Full story.

Jeff Gordon, who has won six times at Talladega, will lead the field to the green flag today. The full starting lineup is here.

Welcome to the FOXSports.com coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Race coverage will begin at noon ET on FOX, with the green flag shortly after 1 p.m. ET.