Racin' Cup Fantasy Nascar Free Nascar Race Information Talladega Super Speedway Aaron's 500 Race Recap Race 09 April 26 2009

Talladega Superspeedway
Aaron's 499
Race 09 2009
1pm ET Sunday April 26th

Race Recap

CHECKERED FLAG: Brad Keselowski wins the Aaron's 499 after he and Carl Edwards get together sending Edwards airborne into the catch fence and into Ryan Newman. On the cool-down lap, Edwards runs across the finish line to finish the race and Kyle Busch spins Brad Keselowski.

Lap 187 -- WHITE FLAG/LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards takes the lead thanks to a push from Brad Keselowski.

Lap 186 -- Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are out front but Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski are on the outside trying to catch them.

Lap 185 -- Tony Stewart can't get up to speed and falls to 24th after he loses a cylinder.

Lap 184 -- GREEN FLAG: Ryan Newman brings the field to the green.
1. Ryan Newman
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Kurt Busch
4. Jeff Burton
5. Joey Logano

Lap 181 -- Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth among the lead-lap cars on pit road.

Lap 180 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 9: Juan Montoya gets bumped by Denny Hamlin and smacked into Bobby Labonte and Robby Gordon causing a huge crash collecting Jeremy Mayfield, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Michael Waltrip, David Stremme and Sam Hornish Jr.

Lap 179 -- Jeff Burton gets out of the draft and joins the outside line.

Lap 178 -- LEAD CHANGE: Ryan Newman takes the lead as Denny Hamlin falls out of the draft.

Lap 177 -- Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman have teamed up to make a run past the leaders.

Lap 176 -- Denny Hamlin got loose but saved it. The top-eight have put some distance between them and the rest of the field.

Lap 175 -- GREEN FLAG: Matt Kenseth brings the field to the green.
1. Matt Kenseth
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Jeff Burton
4. Kurt Busch
5. Joey Logano

Lap 174 -- Martin Truex Jr. pits.

Lap 173 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth takes the lead when Kyle Busch spins. Juan Montoya in 11th is the highest-running car to pit. Michael Waltrip, Casey Mears, Greg Biffle and Sam Hornish Jr. among the cars to pit.

Lap 172 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 8: Kyle Busch got loose after a bump from Jeff Burton and tried to save it but couldn't and he goes around but doesn't hit anything. Martin Truex Jr. also spins but avoids contact. David Reutimann gets the free pass. Busch can't get his car fired and is stuck on the track and will go a lap down.

Lap 170 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Busch back out front and the field is starting to spread out.

Lap 169 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth takes the lead with Dale Earnhardt Jr. right behind.

Lap 168 -- The single-file line has broke as Matt Kenseth tries to get something going.

Lap 167 -- The top five with 20 to go:
1. Kyle Busch
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Kurt Busch
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Brian Vickers

Lap 163 -- Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. have fallen out of the draft but other than that no changes to the running order.

Lap 157 -- Guys look like they are just waiting for their moment as they are single-file behind leader Kyle Busch.

Lap 154 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Busch gets a huge push from Dale Earnhardt Jr. and takes the lead.

Lap 152 -- Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have brought the inside line from mid-pack to the front.

Lap 151 -- Sam Hornish Jr. went inside and was all alone so he fell back.

Lap 150 -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch brings the field to the green.
1. Kurt Busch
2. Sam Hornish Jr.
3. Casey Mears
4. Juan Montoya
5. Greg Biffle

Lap 149 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch is back out front as Jeremy Mayfield pits. Michael Waltrip back on pit road.

Lap 148 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeremy Mayfield stays out to collect five bonus points while everyone else hits pit road for what should be the final stop of the day.
• Brian Vickers with two tires and fuel
• Kurt Busch with fuel only and wins the race off pit road
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a four-tire stop
• Jeff Burton with four tires
• Jimmie Johnson with four tires and tape
• Sam Hornish Jr. with a fuel-only stop

Lap 146 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 7/LEAD CHANGE: Debris on the backstretch brings out the caution. Reed Sorenson gets the free pass. Dale Earnhardt Jr. out front when the caution comes out.

Lap 145 -- LEAD CHANGE: The lead swap continues as Kurt Busch is back out front.

Lap 144 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead in the middle groove.

Lap 143 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton comes from three laps down to leader thanks to a push from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 141 -- LEAD CHANGE: Casey Mears leads for the first time today.

Lap 140 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin pushes David Reutimann to the lead but Hamlin goes around the No. 00 at the line to lead the lap.

Lap 137 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch is out front with help from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 135 -- Brad Keselowski is shuffled out of the draft. Kurt Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have found their way back up to the top five.

Lap 134 -- LEAD CHANGE: Elliott Sadler takes the lead with help from Brad Keselowski.

Lap 132 -- They are four-wide at times as Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch swap the lead back-and-forth.

Lap 129 -- Lots of shuffling as the field is three wide all the way back.

Lap 127 -- GREEN FLAG: Kyle Busch brings the field to the green.
1. Kyle Busch
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5. Brian Vickers

Lap 126 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards and Jeremy Mayfield pit giving the lead to Kyle Busch.

Lap 125 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards stays out to lead for the first time today. Jeremy Mayfield also stays out.
• Brian Vickers will make some body work to the car
• Kurt Busch with four tires and takes some tape off
• Martin Truex Jr. with four tires
• Kyle Busch with four tires and wins the race off pit road
• Jimmie Johnson with four tires and an adjustment

Lap 124 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 6: Debris on the track brings out the caution. Jeff Burton remained on the tail end of the lead lap so he will be back on the lead lap. Paul Menard gets the free pass.

Lap 123 -- LEAD CHANGE: With a push from Kyle Busch on the outside, Martin Truex Jr. is back out front. Jimmie Johnson has worked his way up to fourth.

Lap 121 -- LEAD CHANGE: Brian Vickers takes the lead on the inside.

Lap 119 -- Jeff Burton is out front and got his lap back the old-fashioned way. Burton now on the tail-end of the lead lap after being three laps down.

Lap 117 -- LEAD CHANGE: Martin Truex Jr. quickly took the lead back and Joey Logano has shuffled to the back.

Lap 116 -- LEAD CHANGE: Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano cross the line side-by-side with Logano getting credit for the lap.

Lap 114 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s runaway lead has gone away as Martin Truex Jr. brings the field back up and takes the lead. Junior falls to 11th.

Lap 113 -- Reed Sorenson has a flat tire and is making a green-flag stop with four tires and fuel.

Lap 112 -- Paul Menard is having to make a green-flag stop and he will go a lap down.

Lap 111 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton take off like a rocket as they team up and take a big lead from the field.

Lap 110 -- The single-file train has ended as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth create an inside line.

Lap 105 -- David Stremme is complaining of a vibration under his feet.

Lap 102 -- Some notables and their running position:
11. Jimmie Johnson
13. Kyle Busch
24. Greg Biffle
25. Tony Stewart
27. Ryan Newman

Lap 100 -- Everyone is just riding around right now playing follow the leader with Denny Hamlin. Casey Mears leads a small pack on the inside.

Lap 96 -- The outside line is pacing this race with Denny Hamlin, David Reutimann, David Stremme, Brian Vickers and Reed Sorenson.

Lap 94 -- David Reutimann has worked his way to second place behind Denny Hamlin.

Lap 93 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin takes the outside line back to the front.

Lap 92 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson takes the lead from Denny Hamlin on the inside. Joey Logano gets shuffled out of the draft and falls 15 spots.

Lap 90 -- Joey Logano is right behind teammate Denny Hamlin on the outside as they pace the field. Paul Menard has shuffled back after falling out of the draft.

Lap 89 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin passed Paul Menard with no problems and takes the lead.

Lap 88 -- GREEN FLAG: Paul Menard brings the field to the green.
1. Paul Menard
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Elliott Sadler
4. Joey Logano
5. David Reutimann

Lap 87 -- LEAD CHANGE: Joe Nemechek pits giving the lead to Paul Menard who continues to stay out. Kyle Busch is back on pit road.

Lap 86 -- LEAD CHANGE: Joe Nemechek stays out to lead while everyone else hits pit road. Paul Menard also stays out. Kyle Busch has a long stop to fix damage.

Lap 85 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Debris on the backstretch brings out the caution. Jeff Burton gets the free pass and is just one lap down.

Lap 83 -- LEAD CHANGE: Sam Hornish Jr. takes the lead for the first time today.

Lap 82 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski get together and fall to the apron. Junior is able to get back in line but Keselowski falls to the rear of the field.

Lap 81 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin takes the lead on the inside. The field is now spread out three and four wide.

Lap 80 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya was out front but got hung out to dry and Jimmie Johnson took the lead with a push from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 78 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead with a push from David Stremme. Stremme is complaining of a loose wheel.

Lap 77 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya takes the lead on the outside.

Lap 76 -- Martin Truex Jr. got bumped out of the draft as Juan Montoya leads the outside line with a push from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 75 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin was finally able to bring the inside line to the front and he takes the lead.

Lap 71 -- Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth have brought the inside line to the front.

Lap 67 -- Kyle Busch got shuffled out of the draft and has drifted to the back of the lead pack.

Lap 66 -- Most of the field is single file except for Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth who lead a pack of four cars on the inside.

Lap 65 -- The top four got a strong start and pulled away from the field.

Lap 64 -- GREEN FLAG: Martin Truex Jr. brings the field to the green.
1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Elliott Sadler
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4. Kyle Busch
5. Elliott Sadler

Lap 63 -- LEAD CHANGE: Michael Waltrip pits giving the lead to Martin Truex Jr. who won the race off of pit road.

Lap 62 -- LEAD CHANGE: Michael Waltrip stays out to lead as everyone else hits pit road.
• David Ragan takes four tires and fuel
• Martin Truex Jr. with two tires
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. with two tires
• Denny Hamlin with four tires
• Jimmie Johnson with four tires

Lap 61 -- Kasey Kahne is back on the track and scored 53 laps down.

Lap 60 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: Kurt Busch gets loose and spins on the frontstretch but doesn't hit a thing and is able to continue. Jeff Burton gets the free pass and will be two laps down.

Lap 57 -- Everyone is single-file behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. Denny Hamlin is second and Martin Truex Jr. is third. Jimmie Johnson is complaining of something loose in the corners.

Lap 55 -- Thirty-three cars are on the lead lap with 28 in the main draft. Bobby Labonte, Max Papis and Scott Speed are half a lap behind the lead pack.

Lap 54 -- Kevin Harvick is back on pit road after having trouble maintaining minimum speed.

Lap 53 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead on the outside.

Lap 52 -- Matt Kenseth leads on the bottom but Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the outside line is gaining.

Lap 51 -- Kurt Busch is down to 23rd as his entire rear bumper is gone.

Lap 50 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth goes to the inside to take the lead for the first time today.

Lap 49 -- Kevin Harvick is back on the track.

Lap 48 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead on the outside with a push from Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 47 -- Jeff Burton had to change his alternator and is now two laps down.

Lap 46 -- GREEN FLAG: Kyle Busch brings the field to the green.
1. Kyle Busch
2. Brad Keselowski
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Casey Mears
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 45 -- LEAD CHANGE: Scott Speed pits giving the lead to Kyle Busch, who won the race off pit road.

Lap 44 -- LEAD CHANGE: Scott Speed stays out and takes the lead.
• Kyle Busch with a chassis adjustment and fuel
• Jimmie Johnson with fuel only
• Jeff Burton on pit road with the hood up

Lap 43 -- Jeff Burton, Michael Waltrip and Carl Edwards are on pit road.

Lap 42 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Michael Waltrip cuts in front of Marcos Ambrose and gets loose but makes an amazing save and doesn't hit anything. A.J. Allmendinger gets the free pass and gets back one of his laps.

Lap 41 -- Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson cross the line side-by-side. Johnson being pushed by Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 40 -- Scott Speed has worked his way up from a lap down to second.

Lap 39 -- Kyle Busch is pushed on the bottom by David Ragan. Jimmie Johnson leads the outside line pushed by David Stremme.

Lap 38 -- Jimmie Johnson is trying to make a move on the outside.

Lap 37 -- Martin Truex Jr. gets out in front of the draft on the backstretch.

Lap 36 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. has worked his way up to third as the field is spread three-wide.

Lap 35 -- Kyle Busch on the bottom along with Michael Waltrip and David Ragan are out front. David Stremme leads the outside line but it isn't going anywhere.

Lap 34 -- Kyle Busch brings the field to the green.
1. Kyle Busch
2. Elliott Sadler
3. Michael Waltrip
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 33 -- A.J. Allmendinger is back on the track, scored 22 laps down.

Lap 31 -- LEAD CHANGE: Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards pit giving the lead to Kyle Busch.

Lap 30 -- LEAD CHANGE: Ryan Newman takes the lead as he stays out to lead a lap. All but three cars hit pit road.
• Matt Kenseth with two tires and fuel
• Kurt Busch with four tires and a wedge adjustment
• Kyle Busch with two tires and wins the race off pit road
• Jimmie Johnson with four tires and fuel

Lap 29 -- Jeff Burton is back on pit road and will be penalized for pitting early.

Lap 28 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Debris is on the track bringing out the caution. Jeff Burton was on pit road but didn't stop and will not be a lap down. No free pass will be given.

Lap 27 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch inherits the lead as Jeff Burton gets shuffled out of the draft. Burton says he has no voltage and his car has shut down.

Lap 26 -- Jeff Burton continues to lead as the middle groove seems to be the fastest.

Lap 25 -- Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman are running 24th and 25th.

Lap 24 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton on the inside takes the lead as the field is three-wide.

Lap 23 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin back out front as Jeff Burton's line slips back.

Lap 22 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton takes the lead from Denny Hamlin as they run side-by-side.

Lap 21 -- Joey Logano has shuffled back to 13th after being out front.

Lap 20 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin is out front as Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton and Juan Montoya are 2-by-2 at the start/finish line.

Lap 19 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch is out front for the first time today with help from Jeff Burton.

Lap 18 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya, with a push from Denny Hamlin on the outside line, takes the lead.

Lap 17 -- Martin Truex Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. drop to the bottom line leaving Jimmie Johnson on the outside fading into the pack.

Lap 16 -- Jimmie Johnson is up to third using the bumper of teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 15 -- Martin Truex Jr. continues to lead but the rest of the field has caught him and the inside line is challenging.

Lap 14 -- LEAD CHANGE: Martin Truex Jr. gets a huge push from Dale Earnhardt Jr. and takes the lead.

Lap 13 -- GREEN FLAG: Joey Logano brings the field to the green.

Lap 12 -- LEAD CHANGE: Joey Logano inherits the lead when Ryan Newman hits pit road.

Lap 11 -- LEAD CHANGE: Greg Biffle pits giving the lead to Ryan Newman.

Lap 10 -- LEAD CHANGE: John Andretti hits pit road giving the lead to Greg Biffle. Carl Edwards also on pit road.

Lap 9 -- LEAD CHANGE: John Andretti stays out to lead. Pit road is open and most everyone hits pit road.
• David Ragan with two tires and fuel
• Martin Truex Jr. with four tires and no changes
• Juan Montoya with four tires and no changes
• Joey Logano with fuel only

Lap 7 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1/LEAD CHANGE: The Big One comes early as Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon get together causing the No. 24 to go around collecting Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray, David Gilliland, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Elliott Sadler, Carl Edwards, David Gilliland, Scott Riggs, Brian Vickers, Mark Martin, A.J. Allmendinger and Kasey Kahne. David Ragan is the leader. Scott Speed gets the free pass.

Lap 6 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya gets back out front but it's short lived.

Lap 5 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. grabs the lead with help from Denny Hamlin.

Lap 3 -- Juan Montoya continues to lead as the top five pulled away from the field.

Lap 2 -- There is now three lanes as the middle groove takes shape.

Lap 1 -- Juan Montoya leads the first lap as the inside line takes control early.

2:22 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Juan Montoya, for the first time in his career, bring the field to the green and the Aaron's 499 is under way.

2:18 p.m. -- Scott Speed will start the race one-lap down for pitting before the green.

2:16 p.m. -- Scott Speed is on pit road with the left side of the car jacked up.

2:13 p.m. -- The cars are rolling off pit road.

2:08 p.m. -- University of Alabama head football coach, Nick Saban, delivers the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines!"

2:01 p.m. -- Katie Stam, Miss America 2009, performs the national anthem.

2:00 p.m. -- Jeff Sauls, Chaplain, Emergency Crews and Alabama Raceway Ministry, delivers the Invocation.

1:45 p.m. -- David Stremme, Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, Reed Sorenson and A.J. Allmendinger will all move to the rear of the field for engine changes.

1 p.m. -- FOX's pre-race coverage of the Aaron's 499 is under way.

12:30 p.m. ET -- It's going to be a beautiful day at Talladega Superspeedway for the Aaron's 499. Highs will be in the upper 80s under sunny, blue skies. Green flag is scheduled for 2:19 p.m. ET.

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