Big Finish

Martin Truex Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr. ’s teammate, had a careerbest fifth-place finish and became only the sixth Cup rookie to finish among the top five at Talladega. He joins Ricky Rudd (4 th in 1977 ), Ron Bouchard (1 st in 1981 ), Davey Allison (second in 1987 ), Tony Stewart (5 th in 1999 ) and Brendan Gaughan (4 th in 2004 ).

from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette