Race 29: Camping World RV 400 Presented By Coleman at Kansas

THE STARTING GRID:






THE WINNER:
Racing the car he brought to victory lane at Indianapolis in July and Fontana in early September, #48-Jimmie Johnson truly had a charmed weekend at Kansas, picking up his fifth victory of the season and moving into the points lead by 10 points over #99-Carl Edwards. Johnson averted disaster in Friday’s practice when he ran over a large orange hammer that was carelessly left on another car, suffering only minor damage to his splitter. In qualifying, Johnson was beaten for the pole by #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, then inherited the pole when the #42 had his time revoked due to a technical infraction. On race day, Johnson dominated much of the middle-to-late stages of the race and, thanks to excellent pit work, wound up ahead of #99-Edwards after the final round of stops with 49 to go. As Johnson and #99-Edwards sliced through lapped traffic, #99-Edwards managed to catch Johnson with two to go, at which point Johnson blocked the #99 into the outside wall in turn four. On the final lap, going into the final corner, #99-Edwards made a daring move that sent his car sliding up into the lead, but when he slid too far into the wall, Johnson moved past to take the victory. Led a race-high 124 laps.


RESULTS:
1) #48-Jimmie Johnson** THE WINNER!
2) #99-Carl Edwards** Struggle in qualifying on Friday with the 34th-fastest time, but was determined to make up for it on Sunday, where he raced up to 16th by lap 41. Due in most part to the terrible pit selection resulting from his qualifying run, he then became involved in two pit incidents. The first took place during green-flag stops around lap 50 when he exited his pit stall only to be cut off by the wide entry of #83-Vickers, forcing him to stop near the #83's pit stall as the two made slight contact. The second occurred under the first caution on lap 75 when, as he exited his pit stall in tandem with #22-Blaney, the #22 bounced off #31-J. Burton and into him, causing some damage to his right-front fender. He also narrowly avoided involvement, along with many of the leaders, in the fourth caution of the race when #17-Kenseth spun a few carlengths ahead of him. Following the fifth caution brought out by #20-Stewart on lap 130, he marched up through the pack, climbing to 5th on lap 140 and 2nd on lap 162. For the next 11 laps, he chewed up #48-Johnson’s 3 second lead and was right on the #48's rear bumper with 94 to go before green-flag stops began again. He found himself 1.4 seconds behind #48-Johnson once more after the stops cycled through with 82 to go, but caught up to the leader once more just 2 laps later, after which he took the lead with 77 to go. He then lost the lead to #48-Johnson during his final pit stop under the sixth caution with 49 to go as he lost a split-second getting around the car of #84-Allmendinger in front of him. In the final 39 laps following the seventh and final caution of the race, as the two flew through lapped traffic, he hovered in 2nd behind #48-Johnson by 0.8 second, apparently too evenly-matched to compete. That illusion disappeared with 2 to go when he suddenly closed right onto the rear bumper of #48-Johnson going into turn four, the #48 blocking his run on the outside to the point that he scraped the outside wall. Through the final circuit, he closed in once again, this time diving low going into turn three. He completed the pass with a slide-job through the corner, but dove in too hot, causing his car to slide right into the outside wall. Hoping that video game physics would come into play, he kept his foot in it, but he lost too much speed, #48-Johnson passing him once more before he came off the wall and scrambled to the inside, following the #48 home by a couple carlengths. Personally "congratulated" #48-Johnson on pit road after the finish. Led 31 laps.
3) #16-Greg Biffle** Wanted to win his 3rd straight Sprint Cup race to be the first driver ever to sweep the first three Chase races and looked like he had a good chance when, after qualifying 18th, he was fastest in Happy Hour. Despite his early climb toward the top 15, he was very unhappy with his car during the first green-flag run, saying on lap 66 that he was so loose he thought his right-rear tire was going down. The problem never really got better, but in the spirit of teammate #99-Edwards, he drove the car as hard as he could, recovering from a wobble on the restart with 45 to go that dropped he and #17-Kenseth back in the pack to race #24-J. Gordon for 3rd on the final lap, securing the spot off the final corner.
4) #24-Jeff Gordon** Despite suffering an illness through the weekend that led to Brad Keselowski, acting as a DirecTV commentator for the race, standing by as a relief driver, he completed the entire race, spending much of it in the top 5. He nearly spun #07-Bowyer out of 4th in the tri-oval on lap 135, but had trouble with his splitter bouncing off the track on lap 147. Still, he stubbornly held onto the top 5 and even fought off #16-Biffle for the 3rd spot during the final run all the way until the final turn, when #16-Biffle finally inched past by about one carlength.
5) #17-Matt Kenseth** Took the lead from polesitter #48-Johnson on lap 17 and looked set to avenge his near-loss at Dover the previous week. After losing the lead to #1-Truex, Jr. on lap 42, he regained it during green-flag stops on lap 54 after the slow #18-Ky. Busch stayed out an extra lap to get his own 5 bonus points. He kept the lead off pit road under the first caution on lap 75, but immediately lost it when it was discovered he was missing a lugnut. He pitted a third time under that yellow to top off his fuel. By lap 104, he was up to 13th and on lap 123 was near the leaders when he brought out the fourth caution of the race. It was then that he crossed the nose of #5-Mears in turn one, causing his car to drift diagonally through the turn before spinning down to the apron, miraculously avoiding contact with any other car or object. He restarted the race back in the pack on lap 126, was in 20th 11 laps later, and was 15th around lap 154. By the end, he was racing #31-J. Burton for the 5th spot with 30 to go, then held the spot to the finish. Led 49 laps.
6) #29-Kevin Harvick** Raced up from the 36th starting spot to 23rd by lap 41 in the same car which he credited to his string of post-Indianapolis top 10 runs. From there, he kept his nose clean and, indeed, picked up another solid top 10 finish.
7) #31-Jeff Burton** Had trouble before the race even began when, as the cars were rolling off the grid, he remained stopped on pit road to have a faulty tachometer replaced. The repair took until the completion of the first parade lap, at which point he returned to the track, surrendering his 37th place starting spot to start at the back of the pack. He also sustained some minor damage under the first caution on lap 75 when #22-Blaney exited his pit stall in tandem with #99-Edwards, forcing the #22 to bump into his driver’s side door just shy of his left-rear tire. Despite his concerns about damage to his left-rear tire, he remained on the track. Fortunately, the damage wasn’t bad enough to inhibit him and he took 2 tires under the second caution on lap 94 along with #8-Martin and #19-E. Sadler to restart in the top 5. On lap 168, he was racing #88-Earnhardt, Jr. for 6th when he bumped the left-rear of the #88, nearly spinning the #88 in the process. In the final run to the checkers, he had a good race with #17-Kenseth for 5th before falling back to 7th.
8) #6-David Ragan Slid into the top 10 by lap 147 and remained there for much of the rest of the race, picking up another solid finish. In the process, he narrowly avoided a wreck on the restart with 45 to go following the sixth caution of the race when #1-Truex, Jr. in front of him didn’t get up to speed, squeezing him between the #1 and #19-E. Sadler, who was behind him. Luckily, he darted out of the line in time. He was also allegedly involved in the seventh and final caution of the race with 42 to go when he bumped #55-Waltrip’s left-rear in turn four, sending the #55 spinning along with #77-Hornish, Jr.
9) #84-A.J. Allmendinger In a week where, on Tuesday, it was announced he would not be returning to Team Red Bull in 2009, giving him the impression he would be out of the ride after this race, he drove a solid race and bested his career-best finish of 10th at Indianapolis. The run also moved his team up from 34th to 33rd in owner’s points, 89 ahead of 35th place #7-R. Gordon.
10) #19-Elliott Sadler Qualified an impressive 4th and made himself another non-Chase driver to watch during the race when he remained in the top 10 for much of the first green-flag run. A two-tire stop under the second caution on lap 94 along with #8-Martin and #31-J. Burton moved him back into the top 5. He remained in 5th through at least lap 110, fell back to 13th around lap 150, then inched his way back into the top 10 in the final stages, narrowly avoiding disaster when #1-Truex, Jr.’s slow restart with 45 to go forced him to rear-end #6-Ragan.
11) #11-Denny Hamlin** Took the checkered flag in the Nationwide race to clinch the series manufacturer’s championship for Toyota, but a 30th place starting spot for Sunday put him in a tough spot. His car handled, as he said, “terrible” on lap 45 as he remained in the 30th spot during the first green-flag run, but careful adjustments and a late pit stop with #26-McMurray and #88-Earnhardt, Jr. under the seventh and final caution with 42 to go brought him back up to just outside the top 10. He avoided involvement in that seventh and final caution by driving down pit road when #55-Waltrip’s damaged car slid into his path off turn four. Led 1 lap.
12) #07-Clint Bowyer** Eager to win at his home track, he jumped the start when #45-Petty didn’t get up to speed in front of him, leading to NASCAR giving him a pass-through penalty which he served on lap 2. He narrowly held on to the lead lap upon returning to the track, but lost a lap before the first caution fell on lap 75, at which point he received the Lucky Dog. By lap 104, he was back up in 14th, then moved up to 4th where, on lap 135, he nearly spun himself off the nose of #24-J. Gordon in the tri-oval. He then suffered another costly penalty on pit road during the sixth caution with 49 to go when he was caught too fast entering and exiting pit road, dropping him to 17th behind a long line of lapped cars (as no one was out of the race at the point). He only got a few of those spots back before the finish.
13) #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.** For the second straight week, he struggled mightily with handling problems, breaking loose several times off turn four from as early as lap 5. Strangely, however, his car was still running reasonably well near the top 10. In one near-miss on lap 168, he was running 6th in turn four when he crossed the nose of #31-J. Burton, sliding up the track, then twitching off the corner. He was running 10th with 62 to go as the field strung out to the point that he was 21 seconds behind the leader, then lost a couple spots in the final laps despite getting new tires with #26-McMurray and #11-Hamlin under the seventh and final caution with 42 to go.
14) #5-Casey Mears Qualified 10th and crept silently toward the front until he found himself coming off pit road 2nd to #17-Kenseth under the first caution on lap 75, then leading when #17-Kenseth was forced to pit again due to a missing lugnut. He held the lead through the next two cautions in impressive fashion, holding off teammate #48-Johnson until the #48 took the lead on lap 107. His leading was yet more impressive as he was the only car to stay out during the second caution on lap 94 when the rest of the leaders pitted. He held onto the 4th position with his old tires when the third caution came on lap 117, at which point he got back in sequence with the leaders. He was then involved in the fourth caution of the day when he made contact with the left-rear of #17-Kenseth in turn one, causing the #17 to drift through the corner before spinning down to the apron. Held on to a top 15 in the final stages. Led 29 laps.
15) #83-Brian Vickers Became the subject of both #99-Edwards and #20-Stewart’s ire during the race as he consistently seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was first involved in an incident during green flag stops on lap 50 when he swung wide into his pit stall, trapping an exiting #99-Edwards on his inside with whom he made contact. His crew also had a tire roll away during pit stops under the first caution on lap 75. The next pit incident was during the third caution on lap 117 when his pit crew failed to get out of the way when #20-Stewart, pitted behind them, was leaving. His gasman was almost run over by #20-Stewart in the process, and one of his other crewmen kicked the #20 as it passed. He and #20-Stewart crossed paths again during the fifth caution on lap 130 when the #20 merged up into his left-rear tire entering the tri-oval, sending #20-Stewart spinning through the infield grass. He pitted under the yellow to change tires and inspect the cosmetic damage. He lost a lap sometime after that, but got it back as the Lucky Dog under the sixth caution when #28-Kvapil scraped the outside wall with 49 to go. An excellent finish considering what it took to get there.
16) #12-Ryan Newman Brought out the first caution of the day when, while running the high line, he ground his car against the outside wall in turn one, dropping debris in the process. He lost a lap around that time, but got the Lucky Dog when #55-Waltrip and #77-Hornish, Jr.’s spin brought out the seventh and final caution with 42 to go.
17) #26-Jamie McMurray Had a top-15 run going in the middle stages, running 12th on lap 147, but slipped back after that despite taking on new tires along with #11-Hamlin and #88-Earnhardt, Jr. under the seventh and final caution with 42 to go.
18) #8-Mark Martin Picked up the outside-pole yet again as he had at Richmond, Daytona, Indianapolis, and Dover, narrowly missing #48-Johnson’s pole run as he said he “left enough on the table” for someone to best his time. After running up with the leaders, he fell to 10th under the first round of green-flag stops as one of his crewmen snagged his airhose on his splitter. Under the second caution on lap 94, he gained some spots back by leading the field off pit road with a 2-tire stop and restarted 2nd behind #5-Mears. He was back in 20th on lap156 after a pit penalty under the fifth caution on lap 130 forced him to restart at the tail end of the longest line. First car one lap down.
19) #44-David Reutimann After qualifying 40th, he was forced a few spots further back to the back of the pack due to an engine change during practice. The confluence of these two things ultimately led to him losing a lap in the first 100 laps, but he got his lap back the hard way by running in front of leader #5-Mears after the lap 99 restart, remaining there even as #48-Johnson took the lead on lap 107, then holding on until the third caution on lap 117, at which point he got his lap back without the Lucky Dog. Led 1 lap.
20) #42-Juan Pablo Montoya Looked to be having a career day in qualifying on Friday when he beat #48-Johnson’s time to take the pole in his 66th start. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be as the nitrogen pressures in his rear shocks was ruled to be too high, causing NASCAR to disallow his time. The penalty sent him back to the 42nd starting spot and gave eventual race winner #48-Johnson the pole.
21) #9-Kasey Kahne NO NOTES
22) #38-David Gilliland NO NOTES
23) #70-Tony Raines NO NOTES
24) #43-Bobby Labonte Nearly collided with the slowing #28-Kvapil after the #28 had ground the outside wall in turn one, bringing out the sixth caution with 49 to go.
25) #21-Bill Elliott Qualified an impressive 7th, nearly besting his season-best qualifying run of 5th in the August Bristol race. He ran a quiet race until he sustained some minor damage in the seventh and final caution when, while trying to avoid the #55-Waltrip machine sliding down the banking, he bumped the left-front fender of the #55 with the right side of his car, causing some minor cosmetic damage to his car.
26) #41-Reed Sorenson NO NOTES
27) #15-Paul Menard Qualified an outstanding 6th, but was very loose early on and slipped back gradually through the field. During a late pit stop with 80 to go, his car was shown with the right side very scuffed-up from a scrape with the outside wall.
28) #18-Kyle Busch** Despite bringing the very car with which he dominated at Chicagoland in July, the Kansas race proved to be yet another disappointment. After qualifying 23rd, he was still mired back in 25th on lap 26 when he reported that the pitch of his engine was changing. As he began to slowly lose spots, at one point wobbling his car from a possible fuel pickup problem, his crew prepared for the worst in the garage area on lap 36. During the green-flag stops which soon followed, he stayed out an extra lap to get his 5 bonus points before pitting for tires. His crew did not raise the hood under that caution as they planned to fix his carburetor under the next caution. Strangely, after losing a lap, his car seemed to get some of its speed back just before the first caution, as he was able to fight for the Lucky Dog. Though he lost the Lucky Dog to #07-Bowyer under the first caution on lap 75, he got it himself when the second yellow fell on lap 94. The car still wasn’t up to speed, however, and under the third caution on lap 117, his crew looked under the hood and suspected that a piece of paper was stuck in his carburetor. The repair may not have been successful, however, as he was still 32nd, 3 mph off the leader’s pace, on lap 165. Led 1 lap.
29) #10-Patrick Carpentier (R) The top-finishing rookie for the seventh time this season, breaking a tie with #00-McDowell for third and moving to just one race shy of leaders #77-Hornish, Jr. and #01-Smith with eight. Lost a lap early, then got it back as the Lucky Dog when #96-Logano brought out the third caution on lap 117. Led 3 laps.
30) #2-Kurt Busch Like #88-Earnhardt, Jr., he fought a very loose race car through much of the race, which was an even greater problem for him as he qualified back in 31st and went down a lap early in the race.
31) #22-Dave Blaney Suffered some damage during pit stops under the first caution on lap 75 when he was “pinballed” between the exiting car of #99-Edwards and the car of #31-J. Burton who was running on his outside.
32) #01-Regan Smith (R) NO NOTES
33) #77-Sam Hornish, Jr. (R) Was involved in the seventh and final caution of the race when #55-Waltrip, knocked loose off turn four by #6-Ragan, wobbled up into his left-rear, sending his car sliding through the turn. Fortunately, he avoided spinning and kept his car straight down the frontstretch, avoiding any other contact in the process.
34) #28-Travis Kvapil Brought out the sixth caution of the race when, while running the outside groove as #12-Newman and #96-Logano had before him, he scraped the outside wall in turn one, nearly colliding with #43-B. Labonte as he came off the wall.
35) #55-Michael Waltrip Was involved in the seventh and final caution of the race when #6-Ragan made slight contact with the left-rear of his car coming off turn four with 42 to go, causing him to wobble up into #77-Hornish, Jr., sending his own car sliding down the track where it made slight contact with the passing #21-Elliott machine. #11-Hamlin was also forced to evade contact by driving down pit road. The contact creased his left-front fender onto his tire and, though the crew seemed to repair it, his left-front tire exploded under green coming off turn two with 12 to go. The incident did not bring out a caution as he dropped debris on the apron on the backstretch. Led 1 lap.
36) #47-Marcos Ambrose (R) May have been short on tires as, in the middle stages of the race, he started running silver Michael Waltrip Racing wheels on the front of his car. Soon after the final restart with 39 to go, he was seen slowing down the backstretch after making contact with the wall in turns one and two.
37) #7-Robby Gordon Still hangs on to the 35th spot in owner’s points, though now by slightly more ground (29 points) over #00-McDowell, who DNQ’d.
38) #78-Joe Nemechek NO NOTES
39) #96-Joey Logano (R) Lost a lap in the first green flag run and, surprisingly, never contended. Brought out the third caution of the race on lap 117 when, while running the high groove, he ground his car against the wall in turn three.
40) #20-Tony Stewart** A terrible 41st place starting spot motivated him in the early going when, by lap 8, he was already up to the 27th position. However, during that first green-flag run, his car seemed to stall out in that spot as he was still running 26th on lap 41. Pit strategy seemed to help as he was back up to 15th by lap 104 not long after the restart following the second caution of the race. He lost some spots in the pits as well, however, when under the third caution on lap 117, #83-Vickers’ crew failed to get out of his way fast enough from the stall in front of him, making him almost run over the #83's gasman before he stopped. Angry, he sped off pit road, sending him to the tail end of the longest line. There, he found himself with #83-Vickers yet again when the two were involved in the fifth caution on lap 130. Entering the tri-oval, he broke loose and made contact with the left-rear tire of the #83, sending him spinning through the infield grass. The agricultural ride broke at least two brackets on his splitter and loaded the weakened splitter with grass. His crew cleared away the grass, but knew they would have to make repairs to the splitter under a subsequent caution. By lap 162, he was running a lap down with his splitter was dragging on the track (like #99-Edwards at Chicagoland), and his crew was putting together a patch on pit road. He then pitted under green with 77 to go and lost 6 more laps from the repairs.
41) #45-Kyle Petty After getting off to a slow start at the green flag which forced #07-Bowyer to illegally pass before the start of the race, then blocking #1-Truex, Jr. in his pit stall during the first round of green flag stops, he brought out the second caution of the day when, while running on the edge of the apron in turn two on lap 94, he lost control and spun through the grass.
42) #66-Scott Riggs Had a separate issue from #45-Petty during the second caution of the race on lap 94 when, while running 12th, he broke his drive shaft, dropping a large piece of it at the entrance of pit road. The repairs took 30 laps, after which he managed to return to the track. Since there was not much attrition at all, however, he finished as the last car running and slipped to 34th in owner’s points, 50 ahead of 35th place #7-R. Gordon, as #84-Allmendinger scored a strong 9th place finish.
43) #1-Martin Truex, Jr. Was fastest in the first practice session on Friday and qualified a solid 5th, positioning himself as the Chase spoiler of the week. On Sunday, he worked the outside groove to perfection, racing up to 3rd by lap 22 and past #17-Kenseth for the lead as the two fought through traffic on lap 42. Held up by #45-Petty in the pits under green around lap 50, he lost the lead to #17-Kenseth. Having refused adjustments earlier on, he slipped back to 4th by lap 86 and found himself in defensive mode. His pit crew pulled through, however, getting him off pit road first with a two-tire change during the third caution on lap 117. He held the lead through the next two brief cautions before #48-Johnson passed him on lap 137. With 66 to go, he was back in 6th and very angry about his handling, yelling “Fix the damn thing!” on the radio. Disaster began to strike on the restart with 45 to go following the sixth caution of the race when he missed a shift, squeezing #6-Ragan between his car and the closing car of #19-E. Sadler. Though he avoided a wreck, his transmission problem worsened on the restart with 39 to go following the seventh caution of the race when he faded high in turn one and made an unscheduled stop with his car not under power. The shifter on his car had completely come apart, sending him to the garage as the only car out of the race. Led 27 laps.

DID NOT QUALIFY:
#00-Michael McDowell (R)
#08-Johnny Sauter

Race 28: Camping World RV 400 Presented By AAA at Dover

THE STARTING GRID:






THE WINNER:
It was Roush-Fenway Day at Dover as the cars of #17-Matt Kenseth, #99-Carl Edwards, #26-Jamie McMurray, and #16-Greg Biffle led a combined 285 of the race’s 400 laps, but it was Biffle who came out on top. Biffle himself had a fast car, having qualified in fifth, but dropped back to 27th after he and 16 other cars decided to pit early under the second caution on lap 12. Biffle was back up to 16th on lap 37, 11th on lap 63, 7th on lap 102, and 2nd with 142 laps remaining.

In the second half of the race, Biffle struggled not only with his car’s handling, but oil leaking from the rear gear of #11-Denny Hamlin which covered his windshield. When his crew was only able to get half of the tear-off removed with 130 to go, he held on until the rest was removed when the ninth caution fell 21 laps later. After retaking the lead momentarily from #48-Jimmie Johnson and teammate #99-Edwards with a thrilling three-wide pass with 99 to go, he fell back to 2nd with fears of a tire going down. Fortunately, the tire problem was an illusion and, under the tenth caution with 50 to go, he was in 3rd and ready to go for the win.

What next transpired was a tremendous battle with teammates #99-Edwards and #17-Kenseth after the pair’s side-by-side racing brought him into the equation with 27 to go. For the next 18 laps, he, #17-Kenseth, and #99-Edwards exchanged the lead until Biffle made the winning pass on the outside of a blocking #17-Kenseth with 9 to go and ran away with the win. The win was Biffle’s second in a row, the first time a driver had ever won the first two Chase races, and the first time Roush-Fenway swept the podium since four of them finished first through fourth at Homestead in 2005, another Biffle win. Led 29 laps.


RESULTS:
1) #16-Greg Biffle** THE WINNER!
2) #17-Matt Kenseth** Took the lead for the first time under the third caution on lap 64 when he led the field off pit road. He held the lead for most of the day, all the way until #48-Johnson stayed out under the eighth caution on lap 186. In the final laps, with teammates #16-Biffle and #99-Edwards racing for the win, he all but conceded the victory from the 4th spot, saying with 55 to go that his car was too loose to contend. Then, when #42-Montoya’s crash brought out the tenth and final caution with 50 to go, his crew was able to make the necessary adjustments to put him back in contention. Two laps after the final restart with 44 to go, he shot past #8-Martin for 2nd and bumped #99-Edwards into turn three for the lead with 29 to go, setting up the scramble to the finish. #16-Biffle caught him for 2nd with 27 to go, forcing his hand to pass #99-Edwards on the outside with 23 to go. #16-Biffle then hugged his bumper for the lead with 20 to go and sparked a side-by-side battle with 14 to go as he fought to hold the outside line. As he blocked #16-Biffle’s run on the bottom with 14 to go, the two caught lapped traffic, which brought #99-Edwards back into the equation. With 9 to go and #99-Edwards applying pressure to them both, #16-Biffle then tried to pass him on the outside down the backstretch. He blocked up high, but lost momentum and #16-Biffle made the winning pass off turn four. Led a race-high 136 laps.
3) #99-Carl Edwards** After marching his way through the field from the 22nd starting spot, he narrowly avoided disaster on lap 12 when he crossed paths with the spinning car of #10-Carpentier on the backstretch. He made slight contact with the right side of the #10, causing a minor dent on his front bumper and a tire mark on his right-rear quarter-panel. Crew Chief Bob Osborne ruled the damage was slight and kept him out on the track. The gambled paid off as the tire didn’t cut down before the next yellow and he was up to 4th on lap 86. He led off pit road under the eighth caution on lap 186 by taking two tires, but found himself behind several cars who had stayed out with new leader #48-Johnson. From there, he picked his way through the field, moving up to 6th with 180 to go. With 77 to go, he retook the lead from #16-Biffle, who had taken the top spot from him with 99 to go, and looked to be sure to take the victory when the tenth and final caution fell with 50 to go. There, his crew made the fateful decision to change only 2 tires while, unbeknownst to them until it was too late, everyone else took 4. He led off pit road by open ground, but immediately found himself in a tight spot that put teammates #17-Kenseth and #16-Biffle all over his rear bumper with 29 to go. #17-Kenseth, pressured by #16-Biffle, passed him on the outside with 24 to go, #16-Biffle inching by soon after as the two looked to settle the race amongst themselves. Saying “it’s not over” after his crew chief apologized, however, he closed back in when his teammates started racing side-by-side. Hugging the bottom lane and getting through the middle of the corner very quickly, he looked like he was going to pass both cars through turns one and two with 10 to go, but when #16-Biffle took the lead the next lap, he couldn’t quite catch the twosome. Still holds the points lead by 10 points over both #48-Johnson and #16-Biffle. Led 85 laps.
4) #8-Mark Martin He came just 0.001 second shy of taking the pole away from #24-J. Gordon on Friday, but still had an excellent afternoon on Sunday. Even as #48-Johnson worked his strategy near the halfway point, he was never far from the top 10 and positioned himself as the biggest Chase spoiler for the race after #26-McMurray wrecked. He narrowly avoided disaster on the lap 192 restart when he bumped the loose #88-Earnhardt, Jr. off turn four. In the final 100 laps after the pivotal caution with 109 to go, he was very much on the march toward the lead, sprinting up to 2nd past #16-Biffle with 72 to go. He was still 2nd to #99-Edwards on the final restart with 44 to go, but may have broken loose as #17-Kenseth got by him 2 laps later. He caught his car once again and inched towards the lead trio in the final scramble with 10 to go, but couldn’t quite make up the deficit.
5) #48-Jimmie Johnson** Picking his way through the field from a surprisingly-bad 20th place qualifying run, he narrowly avoided involvement in the second caution of the race on lap 12 when #10-Carpentier spun right in front of him off turn two. Mired back in the pack as the Roush cars proceeded to dominate the race, he took a gamble by staying out under the eighth caution on lap 186 along with several other drivers, all of them hoping for a caution that would put them on the same sequence as the leaders. With no caution falling with 160 to go, however, he was forced to pit, but the crew performed an excellent 13.3 second stop that kept him in the hunt, though a lap down. He regained the lap and the lead when stops cycled through with 129 to go as the rest of the previous leaders pitted under green, but faced the dual problems of having older tires and the possibility that he would have to make an extra pit stop in the final stages. Though #99-Edwards, then 2nd, was chasing him down he finally got the caution he needed when debris was spotted with 109 to go. He kept the lead off pit road under that yellow, lost the lead in a 3-wide pass with #99-Edwards and #16-Biffle with 99 to go, and slipped back to 5th, where he hovered for much of the rest of the race. Led 81 laps.
6) #29-Kevin Harvick** Moved into the top 10 with 113 to go, maintaining his underdog presence from New Hampshire the week before. He continued to improve in the laps after that, moving up to 6th with 72 to go and being clocked as the fastest car on the track with 55 to go. Led 1 lap.
7) #24-Jeff Gordon** After being fastest in Friday’s morning practice, he snagged the pole. On Sunday, he led the opening laps and looked to end his year-long winless drought, but his car was very loose and was passed by the surging #26-McMurray on lap 31. He held the 2nd spot off pit road under the third caution on lap 64, but fell back on the restart as his car continued to handle poorly. He made a long pit stop under the seventh caution on lap 171 for chassis adjustments, which seemed to help in the final part of the race. He stayed out with teammate #48-Johnson under the eighth caution on lap 186 to restart in 5th. After the last two cautions, he was back in 8th, and gained a spot in the final laps. Led 30 laps.
8) #07-Clint Bowyer** Led 2 laps.
9) #31-Jeff Burton** NO NOTES
10) #55-Michael Waltrip After a solid day around 15th spot in the latter stages, he avoided disaster with 37 to go when #22-Blaney tried to cross his nose and puckered his left-front fender. Picked up his best finish since the rain-shortened runner-up finish at New Hampshire in June, getting past #20-Stewart for 10th in the final few laps. Led 1 lap.
11) #20-Tony Stewart** Nearly collided with the spinning #15-Menard during the first caution of the race on lap 2, but avoided contact by driving through the grass on the apron of turns one and two.
12) #22-Dave Blaney Was another driver who benefitted from following #48-Johnson’s gamble on lap 186, improving his already-strong run to sit 3rd on the lap 192 restart. He pitted from 5th with 156 to go, then again moved his way up the pack as green-flag stops continued. Nearly wrecked with #55-Waltrip with 37 to go when he merged up into #55, creasing #55's left-front fender with his right-rear.
13) #12-Ryan Newman Restarted 2nd on the lap 192 restart after he stayed out with #48-Johnson and took the green right behind him. As with #48-Johnson, he didn’t get the caution when he needed it and pitted with 163 to go.
14) #43-Bobby Labonte Lost a lap, then received the Lucky Dog under the fifth caution when #84-Allmendinger and #9-Kahne made contact on lap 157.
15) #5-Casey Mears Lost a lap, then received the Lucky Dog under the tenth and final caution when #42-Montoya crashed with 50 laps to go.
16) #84-A.J. Allmendinger Was part of the fifth caution on lap 157 when what was originally believed to be engine smoke turned out to be the result of #9-Kahne bumping into his left-rear tire, causing sheetmetal to rub on his tire and produce the smoke. He recovered nicely by putting himself on the same strategy as #48-Johnson, #12-Newman, and others under the eighth caution of the race on lap 186, moving him up to 4th for the lap 192 restart. Moved back into the top 35 in owners points by bumping out #00-McDowell and now sits 34th in owners points, 3 points ahead of 35th place #7-R. Gordon.
17) #44-David Reutimann Qualified 14th, but promptly moved up to the top 10, where he hovered between 5th and 8th for almost the entire race. Still in that position when the tenth and final caution came out with 50 to go, bad luck struck when he pitted outside his box, NASCAR holding him a lap as a result. He wound up finishing as the first car off the lead lap.
18) #6-David Ragan NO NOTES
19) #38-David Gilliland After qualifying in the top 10 again with a strong 7th place run, he brought out the first caution of the afternoon on lap 2 when he overdrove turn 1 and wobbled up into #2-Ku. Busch, who spun into the outside wall. The incident caused some cosmetic damage to his right-front fender, but he kept going on the lead lap.
20) #1-Martin Truex, Jr. NO NOTES
21) #15-Paul Menard Was involved in the first caution of the day on lap 2 when, while checking up for the wrecking #2-Ku. Busch, he spun to the apron and nearly collected #20-Stewart in the process.
22) #7-Robby Gordon Working to hang on to the 35th spot in owner’s points, he was once again the most difficult lapped car to pass during the race. During one battle to get into the Lucky Dog position off turn four on lap 163, his car wobbled up the track and into the strong car of #26-McMurray, sending #26 hard into the outside wall. Still hangs onto 35th in owner’s points, but now by only 8 points over #00-McDowell.
23) #28-Travis Kvapil NO NOTES
24) #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.** After running decent in practice and expecting around a quiet 15th place run, he struggled mightily on Sunday with a very ill-handling car. After qualifying 10th, he slid back to 20th by lap 81, at which point he nearly spun coming off turn four. After losing a lap to #17-Kenseth on lap 143, he brought out the fourth caution of the race when he cut a right-rear tire and spun off turn four, ripping at his right-rear quarter-panel and requiring a large patch over the right-rear window of his car (similar to #42-Montoya at Indianapolis). The patch didn’t seem to help as he was very loose on the lap 192 restart, at which point he was nearly run over by the closing #8-Martin.
25) #66-Scott Riggs NO NOTES
26) #9-Kasey Kahne Was part of the fifth caution of the race on lap 157 when he merged up into the left-rear of #84-Allmendinger, causing damage to the left-rear corner of #84 that made his car pour smoke.
27) #19-Elliott Sadler Went down a lap early on, got it back as the Lucky Dog under the third caution of the race on lap 64, then immediately suffered a pit road speeding penalty under the yellow that kept him at the back of the pack.
28) #70-Tony Raines Qualified very well in the 13th spot, but became a rolling road block while still defending the position on lap 23 before the field started to get by.
29) #00-Michael McDowell (R) The highest-finishing rookie for the sixth time this season and the second time in three races, putting him two races behind leaders #01-Smith and #77-Hornish, Jr. with eight apiece. Sometime before the third caution of the race on lap 64, he suffered some damage to the right-rear corner of his car, upon which his crew applied tape. Fell out of the top 35 due to finishing behind #7-R. Gordon and #84-Allmendinger and is now 36th in owner’s points, 8 points behind #7-R. Gordon.
30) #41-Reed Sorenson NO NOTES
31) #83-Brian Vickers Was involved in the seventh caution on lap 171 when he crossed the nose of #77-Hornish, Jr. off turn four and nearly spun.
32) #21-Marcos Ambrose (R) Despite scuffing the outside wall in turns one and two on the lap 70 restart following the third caution of the race and losing a lap, he ironically had a good race for much of the day after he got the Lucky Dog under the sixth caution on lap 163. He was running up in 18th with 196 to go.
33) #96-Ken Schrader Hit the wall in practice on Friday, but started in the back anyway after qualifying 43rd that afternoon.
34) #2-Kurt Busch Sustained damage to the rear of his car during the first caution of the race on lap 2 when #38-Gilliland wobbled underneath him in turn one and sent him backing into the outside wall, crunching the rear of his car. Despite the damage, he only lost one lap and returned to the track, where he got the Lucky Dog when #10-Carpentier’s spin brought out the second caution on lap 12. After that, despite his damage, he actually remained on the lead lap, running 26th on lap 40. However, more debris started to fall off his car in the final stages and both he and #77-Hornish, Jr. were black-flagged for dropping debris with 87 to go.
35) #78-Joe Nemechek Brought out the third caution of the day on lap 64 when he blew a right-front tire entering turn three and slammed into the outside wall. He returned the race several laps down.
36) #26-Jamie McMurray Looked to be the big Chase spoiler for the race when, after starting 9th, he rocketed toward the lead, climbing to 3rd by lap 25, 2nd on lap 26, and by leader #24-J. Gordon on lap 31, after which he opened up more than a full-second lead on the rest of the field. His car was so good, in fact, that on lap 46, he called in that he was only “cruising” and would have enough car left for the end of the race. One Achilles’ heel was his pit crew, at least one of his tire changers switched with #17-Kenseth’s to aid his teammate in the Chase. A slower, but not terrible stop dropped him back a few spots under the third caution on lap 64, but he was back to catching 2nd place #24-J. Gordon on lap 83 and leader #17-Kenseth in traffic on lap 112. The cinderella story ended, however, when he became involved in the sixth caution of the race on lap 163. There, while racing on the outside of #7-R. Gordon’s lapped car through turn four, #7-R. Gordon wobbled up and into him, causing his car to slap the outside wall hard enough to flatten the right side of his car and compromise the car’s handling. Angry, he stopped in front of #7-R. Gordon for a moment before continuing down pit road. He returned to the track laps down to the leader on lap 186. Led 35 laps.
37) #01-Regan Smith (R) Went to the garage area after an undisclosed mechanical problem with 150 to go and returned to the track around the same time as #11-Hamlin.
38) #11-Denny Hamlin** A decent run turned sour by the seventh caution on lap 171 when he was forced to make several pit stops after his rear gear started to leak fluid onto the track. With180 to go, several cars, particularly #16-Biffle, complained that the oil leak was still a problem. With 156 to go, he limped back to pit road under green with a flat right-rear tire. The problem turned out to be much worse, however, as the car was not under power. The crew took the car behind the wall and proceeded to replace both axles, the rear gear, and the driveshaft. He was back on track several laps down before there were 113 laps to go.
39) #42-Juan Pablo Montoya Looked to be having another strong run in the very car he raced at Indianapolis in July when he, too, stayed out with #48-Johnson under the eighth caution on lap 186 to restart in 6th. However, the run went south with 50 to go when, while still on the lead lap, he blew a right-front tire and slammed the outside wall, severely damaging the right side of his machine.
40) #45-Kyle Petty NO NOTES
41) #10-Patrick Carpentier (R) Brought out the second caution of the race on lap 12 when he broke loose off turn two and spun 180 degrees, #99-Edwards making slight contact with him as the #99 tried to squeeze by up high. His car then slid down the banking and came to rest against the inside wall, requiring lengthy repairs to the rear of his car. He returned to the track on lap 71 several laps down.
42) #77-Sam Hornish, Jr. (R) Was involved in the seventh caution of the race on lap 171 when #83-Vickers came across his nose off turn four, forcing him to slap the outside wall enough for the rear bumper cover to fly off his car. His handling worsened by the contact, he then wobbled up the track in turn one and slapped the outside wall. He then brought out the eighth caution on his own just a few laps later on lap 186 when he backed into the wall in turns one and two. The dual incidents caused more debris to fall from his car, likely bringing out the ninth caution for debris with 109 to go, and he was black-flagged along with teammate #2-Ku. Busch for loose debris on his car.
43) #18-Kyle Busch** The weekend started off promising with an 11th place starting spot and a dominant win in the Nationwide Series race, but he never contended for the win on Sunday. After hovering around 10th for much of the race’s first half, he lost a few spots under the third caution when #38-Gilliland stopped short in the pit stall in front of him, forcing him to back up before leaving pit road. Fighting to make up lost ground, he made a daring pass between #41-Sorenson and #48-Johnson for position on lap 140, but reported just two laps later that his engine was blowing up. The smoke pouring from his car grew thicker when #88-Earnhardt, Jr.’s spin brought out the fourth caution on lap 141, but he still pitted with the leaders and returned to the track, committed to running the car until it expired altogether. The car spouted less smoke on the lap 148 restart, but he radioed in that there was oil in the cockpit. Still, he remained on the track and on the lead lap through the seventh caution on lap 171, at which point the engine finally let go, forcing him behind the wall.


DID NOT QUALIFY:
#34-Chad Chaffin
#50-Stanton Barrett (withdrew)
#08-Johnny Sauter