Kenny Wallace and Joe Nemechek follow winner Dale Earnhardt under the checkered flag at Talladega Superspeedway.

Four hours later, it was readily apparent to everyone that Andy Petree Racing had it all figured out.

APR pilots Kenny Wallace and Joe Nemechek finished second and third, respectively, in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series affair at the 2.66-mile venue. Wallace had finished as well only once before. Nemechek had never done so well on a restrictor plate track.

"I finished second at Loudon last year, so I tied my best-ever finish," said an elated Wallace, who will leave the No. 55 Square D Chevrolet at season's end to pilot Eel River Racing's Pontiacs. "I just can't say enough about ending the year on a high note with these guys."

The APR duo caught a much-needed break on the final lap just to be in a position to contend. Wallace and Nemechek were cruising behind a slew of cars when the white flag flew, signaling that one lap remained in the 188-lap affair. As the pack crossed the start-finish line, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shot to the bottom, tying up leader Mike Skinner and allowing Wallace, Nemechek and eventual winner Dale Earnhardt to surge out front.

According to Nemechek, it was academic after that.

"There at the end we got in the second line and something happened," said Nemechek, who started the race on the Bud Pole. "Mike Skinner and (Earnhardt Jr.) got together going into one and kind of boggled that line down and Kenny and I just shot down. I started to help Kenny get by (Earnhardt), but we didn't have enough to do it. They kept telling me to work with Kenny, but I was going to work with myself.