Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports was awarded the pole position after qualifying was canceled,[2] while Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., who won the previous race, led the most laps and won his second consecutive EA Sports 500.

[2] The race also featured a record $250,000 leader bonus if the winner of the race becomes the Cup points leader, with Johnson, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace being the eligible drivers.

[3] On the warm-up lap, Mark Martin's steering box locked, causing him to crash into pole-sitter Jimmie Johnson.

[4] As a result of the incident, Martin was black-flagged, while Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus requested NASCAR to inspect the car and repair the damaged right front fender.

In the end, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his third consecutive Talladega race after leading the last 39 laps,[5] making him the first driver to win both Talladega races (EA Sports 500 and the Aaron's 499) since his father accomplished the feat in 1999.