| Race details[1][2][3][4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 30 of 36 in the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |||
 The 2006 UAW-Ford 500 program cover, featuring Dale Jarrett, winner of the 2005 race. | |||
| Date | October 8, 2006 | ||
| Official name | UAW-Ford 500 | ||
| Location | Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Alabama | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.66 mi (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures up to 75.2 °F (24.0 °C); wind speeds up to 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h)[5] | ||
| Average speed | 157.602 miles per hour (253.636 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Robert Yates Racing | ||
| Time | 49.950 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | |
| Laps | 37 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Bill Weber, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
| ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
| Booth Announcers | Joe Moore, Barney Hall | ||
| Turn Announcers | Mike Bagley, Dan Hubbard, Dave Moody, Jeff Striegle | ||
The 2006 UAW-Ford 500 was a stock car race that took place on October 8, 2006. The 38th annual running of the event, it was held at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, before 160,000 spectators; the 188-lap race was the 30th in the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the fourth in the ten-race, season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup. Brian Vickers of Hendrick Motorsports won the race; Kasey Kahne finished second, and Kurt Busch came in third.
David Gilliland, who had the pole position, was passed immediately by teammate Dale Jarrett. The race lead changed 63 times, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. leading for the most laps (37). Earnhardt was leading on the final lap when he and Jimmie Johnson crashed after Vickers made contact with Johnson's right rear quarter panel, causing the race to end under caution flag conditions. Vickers (Johnson's teammate) was determined the race winner by NASCAR and was later criticized since the crash lowered Johnson in the points standings.
The victory was the first in Vickers' career. After the race, Jeff Burton maintained his Drivers' Championship points lead, although that lead decreased significantly because he had a flat tire during the final laps of the race. Chevrolet maintained its lead in the Manufacturers' Championship, 51 points ahead of Dodge and 52 ahead of Ford with six races remaining in the season.
- ^ "2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Schedule". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ^ Livingstone, Seth (October 7, 2006). "NASCAR changes restrictor plates to slow speeds at Talladega; Gilliland on pole". USA Today. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ^ "Nextel Cup – UAW-Ford 500 (Talladega Superspeedway)". CBS Sports. CBS Sports Interactive. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ "The Race: The UAW-Ford 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on November 8, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ "Weather information for Talladega, Alabama". Old Farmer's Almanac. Yankee Publishing. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ^ "TV Ratings 2006". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2014.