Start Test
HTML...

<table id="tbl">
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>row 1</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>row 2</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

CSS...

tr:nth-child(odd) td {
  background-color: lightgrey;
}

tr td {
  background-color: white;
}

tr td.animate {
  -webkit-transition-property: background;
  -webkit-transition-duration: 15s;
  -moz-transition-property: background;
  -moz-transition-duration: 15s;
  transition-property: background;
  transition-duration: 15s;
}

tr td.over {  
  background-color: red;
}

JavaScript

var ColourNextCell = function(fpsDiv, time, frames, tbl, x, y) {
  var tbody = tbl.childNodes[0];
  if  (x >= tbody.childNodes[y].childNodes.length) {
    x = 0;
    y++;
  }
  if  (y > tbody.childNodes.length) {
    y = 0;
  }
  
  var currentTime = new Date().getTime();
  if  (currentTime - time > 1000) {
    fpsDiv.html(String(frames));
    time = Math.floor(currentTime/1000)*1000;
    frames = 0;
  }
  
    var jqEl = $(tbody.childNodes[y].childNodes[x]);
  var timeoutId = jqEl.data("timeoutId");
  if  (timeoutId) {
    clearTimeout(timeoutId);
  }
    jqEl.addClass("over");
  setTimeout(function() {
    jqEl.addClass("animate")
    jqEl.data("timeoutId", setTimeout(function() {
        jqEl.removeClass("over");
        jqEl.data("timeoutId", setTimeout(function() {
          jqEl.removeClass("animate");
        }, 15000));
    }, 0));
  }, 100); // in firefox this needs to be 100 to ensure red applies itself before animate. In chrome it is not needed
  setTimeout(function() { ColourNextCell(fpsDiv, time, frames + 1, tbl, x+1, y); }, 0);
};