Hamilton wins caution-free race at Talladega

The 43 drivers delivered an extremely safe race and it was only the second caution-free event in the history of the Talladega Superspeedway. Much tension and anxiety surrounded this weekend due to the tight restrictor-plate racing, and the fact that this was Winston Cup's first round on a restrictor-plate track since Dale Earnhardt was killed at Daytona in February.

While many of the drivers drove with caution throughout, there was plenty of passing, with 37 lead changes among 27 different drivers - another record for the most leaders in a Talladega race.

Hamilton used his teammate, Joe Nemechek, to draft past Stewart on the outside at the start/finish line to begin the final lap. As he drove around the 2.66-mile race track, he was able to block Stewart and win the fourth race of his Winston Cup career.

"I knew what I was going to do, I just didn't want to do it too early," said Hamilton. "I knew with 15 laps to go, it was time to put my plan in place. We wouldn't have won this race without Joe Nemechek's help. He hasn't had that good a season, but we utilised each other today. This race was real safe and I'm real proud of them."

Hamilton averaged 184.003 mph and defeated Stewart by just 0.163 seconds. It was also Andy Petree's first win as a car owner.

"What a great day for our company," Petree said. "We've worked so hard. This is our fifth year now. I'm in a dream world. This is unbelievable."

Although Stewart took the lead on lap 162 of the 188-lap race, he was unable to keep it out front for the very last lap.

"I really didn't think we had that good a car to lead at the end," Stewart said. "Kurt Busch helped me at the end but that 55 car [Hamilton] kept getting bigger and bigger in the mirror. I was surprised we stayed up front, to be honest. They kept gaining on me and gained one or two chunks too many."

Kurt Busch finished third followed by Roush Racing teammate Mark Martin and defending NASCAR Winston Cup champion Bobby Labonte.

"It was a wonderful run, a great job by the whole team," Busch said. "I had a plan for the 20 [Stewart] but those guys on the outside ruined everything. This is a great finish, though."

Click here for the race results.