In a finish that matched the closest in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history, Jimmie Johnson drove his Purolator-equipped Lowe's Chevrolet Impala to victory Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway in the Aaron's 499 stock car race. Johnson, the five-time defending Cup Series champion, won his first race of the 2011 season and was literally pushed to the checkered by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in a nose-to-tail drafting strategy. Running on Purolator filters, the Hendrick Motorsports team dominated the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at the 2.66-mile, D-shaped oval track at Talladega. Jeff Gordon, a four-time Cup champion, posted his 70th career pole position start and finished third Sunday in another Hendrick Chevrolet on Purolator. The top-four qualifiers were all Purolator-sparked Hendrick Chevy entries and the finish found Gordon third behind Johnson while Earnhardt took fourth and veteran Mark Martin, in another Hendrick Chevy wound up eighth. The win moved Johnson to second in Cup points, five markers out of the lead.