With 27 laps to go, Tony Stewart took the lead from Sterling Marlin and actually acted as though he wanted to keep it. He did until Hamilton got around him as they took the white flag. That late pass answered the question of whether a safe race and an exciting finish at Talladega had to be mutually exclusive. The race itself may have answered the question of who will inherit Earnhardt's mantle as the man to beat in restrictor-plate racing. Nor is it the presumed heir, Dale Jarrett, who had finished second in five of the last 12 Talladega races but came in 18th on Sunday.
Nobody has a real advantage anymore.
Nobody knew everything that Earnhardt knew, and nobody ever will. For more Inside Motor Sports see this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands Wednesday, April 25. Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel.