The 2004 Aaron's 499 was a Nextel Cup event held at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, 2004. Jeff Gordon got past Dale Earnhardt, Jr just before a caution ended the race, giving Gordon the victory. Fans, angry that Gordon was in front of the popular Earnhardt and the race would not finish under green flag conditions showed their angry by littering the track with beer cans. NASCAR was livid, but this event did play a role in the formation of the green-white-checkered system later that summer. Stats