NASCAR: Earnhardt Jr. sends Talladega crowd home happy

Dale Earnhardt Jr. held the pack at bay to take his first win of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season at Talladega.

Earnhardt's sixth Talladega win – but first since 2004 – was achieved in unusual fashion for a superspeedway race, as he led most of the final stint while the field stubbornly remained in a long train behind him with no one willing to risk fanning out and making a move in case they lost the draft.

The race finally erupted with a lap and a half to go, when Denny Hamlin pulled out from fourth place and made a charge for the front. Although it didn't pay off for Hamlin, it broke the train up and allowed others to make a run at Earnhardt and Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson.

Richard Childress Racing's Paul Menard came closest but had to settle for third as Earnhardt led Johnson across the line – hanging on despite his engine temperatures rocketing due to litter blocking his Chevrolet's front end.

"Everything's just so good for me right now. In my personal life, my win. I don't feel like I deserve it,"  Earnhardt Jr. said. "It's been a long time since I've won here. It's a great day for a lot of people who have been part of this and helped us get here. I'm blessed. Everything's going so great."

Rookie Ryan Blaney, who had run third behind the Hendrick pair for a long spell, came fourth for Wood Brothers ahead of Martin Truex Jr. and Sam Hornish Jr.

Hendrick had controlled the pace for most of the afternoon, but while it took first and second with Earnhardt and Johnson, its other two cars were out of luck.

Pole winner and longtime leader Jeff Gordon couldn't get back out of the midfield after a pit-speeding penalty and was then caught up in a multi-car crash on the last lap. He limped home 31st.

Kasey Kahne was among those who came off worst in the race's biggest shunt, triggered when Trevor Bayne spun on lap 47 of 188 as Menard went around his outside. Most of those outside the top 10 were caught up in the ensuing chaos, with 15 cars sustaining notable damage.

Champion Kevin Harvick was among them, but Stewart-Haas managed to patch his Chevrolet up without him losing a lap, and he recovered to eighth behind Ryan Newman, who had escaped a pit fire at an early stop.

Hamlin tumbled to ninth in his unsuccessful bid for the lead, while Phil Parsons Racing's Josh Wise joined Blaney as a small-team underdog in the top 10.

Penske barely featured: Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano was first to collect Bayne in the "big one" and Brad Keselowski was only 22nd.

PROVISIONALLY IN THE CHASE: Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Originally on Autosport.com

+ quotes from NASCAR Wire Service