End Is Near: Karma Colliding As Dale Hits ’Dega
Talladega Superspeedway
NASCAR Wire Service
Five-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. could bag two birds with the same slingshot on Sunday – giving Hendrick Motorsports its 200th victory and in the process snap a 138-race winless streak dating to June 2008.
HMS has won 11 times at Talladega, one fewer victory than Richard Childress Racing. RCR has won three of the last four Talladega races.
Earnhardt, second in the standings five points behind Greg Biffle, last led the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings after his fifth and last win at Talladega in October 2004. He has four top-10 finishes in the last five spring races at ’Dega and a 13th-place finish in the fifth, two years ago. His Driver Rating of 90.2 ranks second-best at the track.
After a runner-up finish at Richmond last weekend, he’s getting closer – to both the points lead and his 19th career victory.
Jeff Gordon has the most wins – six – by an active competitor at Talladega. His last victory came in 2007, when he swept both spring and fall races. The four-time series champion is the all-time restrictor-plate king, with 12 combined victories at Daytona and Talladega. Defending Aaron’s 499 winner Jimmie Johnson also won in 2006.
