Race Report.(Motorsports)(National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. came to Talladega with four wins in the past five Cup races there, but he didn't win this time. His DEI-prepared Chevrolet was clearly the fastest car for much of the day, seemingly leading at will, thrilling the partisan Alabama crowd. But after 188 laps of rubbing, bashing and fiendish bump-drafting unprecedented on the big 2.66-mile oval, a late caution flag handed Jeff Gordon the win... whereupon a good portion of the 160,000 fans cheerfully expressed their disagreement with the outcome by showering the track with beer cans and debris. Woo hoo! A good old time was had by all.

Except perhaps for Matt Kenseth, who had spun out on lap 22. But somehow he narrowly avoided triggering "the big one,'' the multi-car pileup bound to occur at some point in a NASCAR restrictor-plate race, where the field is packed impossibly tight. Only Kasey Kahne was caught up this time, though Kenseth would fall out later with engine troubles, finishing 42nd. The real big one came when the field was working lap 84. While trying to cut under Kurt Busch in Turn Three, Tony Stewart made contact, setting off an 11-car chain reaction. This year's car-aero-tire package seemed to encourage Martinsville-style track etiquette on the high banks, despite the 190-mph speeds.

"There was a lot more bumping and banging out there than we've seen in the past,'' said last week's winner Rusty Wallace, emerging from his ...