Gordon passes Earnhardt on career wins at 'DegaJohnson finishes second; Stewart wrecks on final lap
var clickExpire = "05/29/2007"; TALLADEGA, Ala. -- As beer cans bounced around his car, Jeff Gordon crossed the finish line Sunday for win No. 77 -- breaking a tie with the late Dale Earnhardt on NASCAR's career victory list (watch highlights). It was only fitting that it happened at Talladega Superspeedway, where Earnhardt -- who would have been 56 on Sunday -- won 10 times in his Cup career. [/align][/align] Lap-by-Lap Jeff Gordon passed Dale Earnhardt on the all-time wins list but it wasn't easy in a race that saw 42 lead changes.
[ul][*]Complete story, click here [/ul][/align] [/align][/align][/align][/align] But it was anticlimactic and confusing, ending under caution to leave Gordon unsure if he'd actually won and taken over sixth place on the wins list. "Is it over?' he radioed his crew. "Is it over? Is it official?' Nobody knew after two separate accidents on the first lap of a two-lap shootout to the finish froze the field and had NASCAR scrambling to make sense of the finish. It was a stark difference to last week, when Gordon won in Phoenix to tie Earnhardt's mark and flew a No. 3 flag on his victory lap as a tribute to the seven-time champion. The gesture was poorly received, though, as fans threw debris at him even though Dale Earnhardt Jr. immediately -- and publicly -- praised the tribute. Junior condemned fans for throwing beer cans during the week, imploring his "Red Army' of supporters to instead toss toilet paper out of safety concerns. Track officials did their part, warning during the pre-race ceremony that any fan caught throwing debris onto the track would be arrested. They made good on it, too, hauling fans away in handcuffs as officers stationed in the stands fruitlessly tried to stop it. Gordon's crew, meanwhile, frantically called for security help to get the team spotter out of the stands. "It don't look like it's something you can control,' Earnhardt Jr. sighed. As the beer cans rained down on his car, Gordon cut short his on-track celebration and drove to Victory Lane. "I never caused a riot before for winning -- well, maybe once or twice,' Gordon said. "I thought Junior had more power. I thought they'd throw toilet paper, which is what he asked them to throw. I saw maybe one roll.' But Gordon was understanding of the fan reaction. "There are a lot of fans out there who are Earnhardt fans who don't want to see [the record] broken,' he said. "I appreciate the enthusiasm ... the opinions of all the fans out there. What are you going to do?'

Earnhardt Jr., who made a brief run at the victory, finished seventh. But unlike last week, when he visited Gordon in Victory Lane, he stayed away from the celebration. "I told him this week, I said, 'You win this one and I ain't coming into Victory Lane this time. That caused too much trouble,' Junior said. "He's a great racecar driver. I knew years ago he would eventually pass my old man. I think he has the opportunity to pass a couple more.' "I never caused a riot before for winning -- well, maybe once or twice." Jeff Gordon[/align] [/align] [/align][/align] Gordon, who started on the pole, ran up front at times during the race but was 14th on a restart with 10 laps to go. But he stormed to the front and with three laps to go passed Jamie McMurray for the lead a split-second before a

 

WAHHHOOOO!! ANOTHER WIN FOR JEFF ANOTHER GREAT FINISH FOR HENDRICK MOTOR SPORTS !!

 

Whether you hate him or not, throwing beer cans is pretty weak.[sm=badidea.gif]

 

[sm=smiley21.gif]to those that threw beer cans. Like there was anyone that doubted Gordon was going to do it eventually. I'd put money down that ifEarnhardt Sr. would have retired, instead of passing away, he would have been shaking his hand and congratulating him. It was all about racing and winning. I don't think he really cared about the historical stats as much as he liked the win.

Bunch of kudos for Jeff for winning and bonus kudos for not condemning them.

 

i think the beer can thing is stupid...this goes to show you how stupid some fans can be...i'm glad to hear that they were arrested coming out of the track

 

[align=center] [/align][align=center]I think they should be forbidden to attend any future Races.[/align][hr]


[align=center]Amid beer cans, Gordon has Earnhardt-like charge[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]TALLADEGA, Ala. -- It seemed, at least for a few minutes, that the Intimidator had shrunk several inches and slipped inside a No. 24 car. Jeff Gordon jumped from one lane of traffic to another, clawing from the middle of the pack to the front as the final laps at Talladega Superspeedway wound down. It was the perfect way to honor Dale Earnhardt, by passing him on NASCAR's career victory list with a winning charge like he would have made.[/align][align=center][/align]Not that everyone appreciated it. Seconds after it was announced over the public address system that a crash had ended the Aaron's 499 with Gordon in front, the projectiles started flying. Just as they did after Gordon won here under caution in 2004, just as they did after Gordon tied Earnhardt with his 76th career victory last weekend at Phoenix, a few spectators resorted to hooliganism. And one of the more poignant days in the sport's history was marred by beer cans raining down on the field as it approached the checkered flag (watch video).

[/align][align=center]"That's terrible," said Jimmie Johnson, who followed his Hendrick Motorsports teammate to a runner-up finish. "They're going to hurt somebody. I just can't believe that people who love this sport would take the chance to hurt a kid or hurt another person. I'm sure there are cans that didn't make it to the track that fell into the stands. A full beer can hitting somebody in the back of the head, on one level that's disrespectful. The other side of it, throwing them at racecars and damaging our racecars, that's not a way to show that you support our sport and our racing. I was just disappointed to see that."[/align][align=center]It's gone on long enough. Despite protests from Dale Earnhardt Jr., who asked fans to throw toilet paper if they felt the desire to throw anything at all, these boozed-up copy-cat can-chuckers continue to embarrass everyone from the series to the track to the fans who behave.[/align][align=center]It's time to take a cue from teams in the NFL, which hunt down and prosecute yahoos who toss anything onto the field. Just ask Jeffrey Lange, caught by a newspaper photographer throwing a snowball during a New York Giants game in 1995, and eventually arrested and forced to pay $650 in fines.[/align][align=center]"I don't know what you do," said Rick Hendrick[b], Gordon's car owner. "You have people in there to watch it, but there are so many [fans], I don't know how you stop it. Maybe bar the guys throwing if you spot them, and don't let them come back in. It is dangerous. I don't know what we should do. The drivers have talked about it, NASCAR has talked about i

 

[align=center][/align][align=center][:-]Click below for update/pic's/vid [:-][/align][align=center]You can vote who is better Dale or Jeff ?[/align][align=center][:-][/align][align=center]http://sports.aol.com/nascar/story/_...90001?cid=1690[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]



Which driver's career is more impressive?

Jeff Gordon
51%

Dale Earnhardt Sr.
49%

Total Votes: 19,002

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i voted

chalk one more up for jeff gordon

accomplished more wins in less time, in a more competitive erra
i honestly think its harder to win now then it was back when earnhardt was racing...its a lot more evenly matched now

i'm not saying earnhardt wasn't a good driver..i just think gordon is better...

 

wow wizz you are seriously about to open a can of worms here

 

yah i know, i always like to cause trouble hehe lol