April 28, 2019 – Chase Elliott scored his first win of the NASCAR Cup Series season in the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Elliott was ahead of the field when caution for a multi-car accident came out on the final lap and the race was official. Elliott led a total of 45 laps on his way to his fourth career series win.
April 28, 2018 – Spencer Gallagher scored his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win in the Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway. Gallagher led the last lap – his first career lap led – in overtime to take his first win in 49 career starts. Elliott Sadler’s fifth-place finish secured him the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus. He had to rally from being penalized a lap for speeding when he came down pit road trying to avoid the spinning car of John Hunter Nemechek.
April 28, 2012 – Kyle Busch won his fourth straight spring race at Richmond Raceway when he outran Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the finish line in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Capital City 400. Busch scored his 24th career victory and his first of the season, ending a 22-race winless streak.
April 28, 2007 – Erik Darnell picked up his first career NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series victory in grand fashion in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway by a margin of 10.44 seconds. Starting from the rear of the field because of an unapproved adjustment during the impound period, Darnell worked his way to the front en route to leading the most laps on the day, 92 of 167 circuits.
April 28, 2007 – Bobby Labonte edged his teammate Tony Stewart at the finish line with a slingshot pass to win the NASCAR Xfinity (Busch) Series Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway. After pushing Stewart to the lead on a green-white-checkered finish, Labonte was able to charge his overheating car to his first series win (10 overall) since 1998. Casey Mears, who led the most laps with 52, finished third.
April 28, 2002 – In his rookie season, Jimmie Johnson stormed to the lead with 14 laps to go in the NAPA Auto Parts 500 at Auto Club (California) Speedway and went on to score his first NASCAR Cup Series victory. Johnson, who is from El Cajon, Calif., beat sophomore driver Kurt Busch – with the help of a gas-only pit stop – by less than a second. Johnson won in only his 13th career Cup start.
April 28, 2001 – Hank Parker Jr. scored his first career NASCAR Xfinity (Busch) Series win in the Auto Club 300 at Auto Club Speedway. Parker’s best finish in the prior nine races of the season was 17th and his team opted to keep him on track without pitting for the final 62 laps. Parker led the final 11 laps when he took the lead from Kevin Harvick when he pitted. The win came in his 73rd start.
April 28, 1996 – Sterling Marlin won his second consecutive race at Talladega Superspeedway when he took the checkered flag in the Winston Select 500. Marlin led 48 laps, including the final 22 and won the race over Dale Jarrett. There were two scary accidents during the race with the first one seeing Bill Elliott’s No. 94 Ford get airborne on the backstretch. The “Big One” came on Lap 131 that involved 13 cars with Ricky Craven’s Chevrolet getting into the catchfence. Elliott suffered a broken hip and he missed seven races.
April 28, 1991 – Dale Earnhardt captured his 50th NASCAR Cup Series win in the Hanes 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Earnhardt led 251 of the 500 laps, including the final 37. He won the race by 3.3 seconds over Kyle Petty. Davey Allison led 110 laps, including 92 late in the race before a right-front tire went down.
April 28, 1990 – Chuck Bown scored his second (of 11) career NASCAR Xfinity (Busch) Series U-Can-Rent 200 at Lanier Speedway. After the race was delayed by rain, Bown led all 200 laps from the pole. Kenny Wallace and Tommy Ellis finished second and third, respectively, the only other cars on the lead lap.
More winners on this date: 1985 – Harry Gant (Martinsville); 1984 – Jack Ingram (Nashville); 1974 – Cale Yarborough (Martinsville); 1968 – Cale Yarborough (Martinsville); 1967 – Bobby Allison (Savannah); 1965 – Tiny Lund (Columbia); 1963 – Richard Petty (North Wilkesboro Speedway); 1957 – Art Watts (Portland Speedway); 1957 – Paul Goldsmith (Greensboro Fairgrounds)
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