Pocono Raceway
Pocono 500
12:30pm ET Sunday, June 7th 2009
race 14 of 36

Race Recap

Lap 200 -- CHECKERED FLAG: Tony Stewart makes the fuel last and wins the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway.

Lap 199 -- Jimmie Johnson runs out of fuel and drops to the bottom of the track coming off Turn 3.

Lap 199 -- Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards race for second side-by-side as Tony Stewart watches his rear-view mirror.

Lap 199 -- WHITE FLAG: Tony Stewart drafts off the slow car of Paul Menard as second and third are approaching.

Lap 198 -- Tony Stewart leads, but second-place Carl Edwards is being chased by Jimmie Johnson on his bumper.

Lap 197 -- Kasey Kahne, in 12th position, is running lap speeds 5 mph faster than leader Tony Stewart.

Lap 196 -- Leader Tony Stewart is floating into the corner and using no brakes.

Lap 195 -- Tony Stewart leads Carl Edwards by 4.987 seconds and is letting off the gas early going into the corner.

Lap 194 -- Jeff Gordon runs in sixth and is confident he can make it the rest of the race on fuel while trying to run down the cars in front of him.

Lap 193 -- Most of the top five cars have slowed their lap speeds in order to save fuel. Tony Stewart has slowed, as has second-place Carl Edwards. Edwards contemplated allowing third-place Jimmie Johnson to pass him.

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Lap 192 -- Tony Stewart leads Carl Edwards by 5.579 seconds as Stewart is now in fuel conservation mode.

Lap 191 -- Kasey Kahne makes a pit stop from second spot to get fuel.

Lap 190 -- With 10 laps to go, Tony Stewart leads Kasey Kahne by 2.229 seconds.

Lap 187 -- Matt Kenseth pits to get two tires and fuel. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in for tires and fuel.

Lap 186 -- Clint Bowyer gives up his fifth spot to pit for two tires and fuel.

Lap 185 -- Mark Martin hits pit road along with Greg Biffle. Both get two tires and, most importantly, fuel. Kyle Busch makes a pit stop for fuel and right-sides in 7.6 seconds.

Lap 181 -- Kasey Kahne has the fastest car on the track this lap in third place.

Lap 177 -- Ryan Newman and David Reutimann, running eighth and ninth, respectively, both believe they can go the rest of the race without stopping for fuel. Most everyone else is on the edge or cannot make it.

Lap 175 -- Clint Bowyer is up to fifth position and having a solid finish in the race.

Lap 173 -- Kasey Kahne passes Jimmie Johnson to take third place behind leader Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards.

Lap 170 -- Jimmie Johnson is up to third place, 1.504 seconds behind leader Tony Stewart.

Lap 166 -- It's a three-wide battle between Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Clint Bowyer as they cross the line. Kahne wins that battle to take fourth.

Lap 165 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart gets the race under way from the outside lane.

1. Tony Stewart

2. Carl Edwards

3. Greg Biffle

4. Matt Kenseth

5. Mark Martin

Lap 164 -- Several cars come in to top off with fuel while the wave-by cars make their stops.

Lap 162 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart takes the lead as Jeff Gordon ducks onto pit road to make his stop. Gordon gets four tires and fuel as rain clears and the green is set for two laps.

Lap 160 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon is the new leader by staying on the race track. Rain is falling now at Pocono.

Lap 159 -- Leaders hit pit road; Jeff Gordon stays out:

• Greg Biffle has no brakes and needs to tighten his car

• Mark Martin gets no changes to his car

• Matt Kenseth gets tires and a minor adjustment

• Carl Edwards gets a wedge change to tighten his car

• Tony Stewart gets no changes and is out first

• Michael Waltrip gets the free pass

Lap 158 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Debris is in Turns 3 and 4.

Lap 157 -- David Reutimann is continuing his strong run and is now in eighth.

Lap 154 -- Carl Edwards leads Tony Stewart by 3.808 seconds with at least one more pit stop, perhaps more for Edwards.

Lap 150 -- Kasey Kahne is running in 10th as his crew continues to make changes to the car each stop.

Lap 148 -- Kurt Busch returns to the track after the crew repairs his water pump problem. He is 17 laps down in 37th.

Lap 145 -- After pit stops, Carl Edwards leads Tony Stewart by 2.730 seconds.

1. Carl Edwards

2. Tony Stewart

3. Matt Kenseth

4. Greg Biffle

5. Mark Martin

Lap 143 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards passes Casey Mears on the track for the lead. Mears then heads to pit road.

Lap 143 -- LEAD CHANGE: Elliott Sadler makes his pit stop for tires and an adjustment for a tight car. Casey Mears leads.

Lap 141 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jamie McMurray makes his stop and wants a free car. He gets four tires and a chassis adjustment. Elliott Sadler leads.

Lap 140 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jamie McMurray is the leader when Ryan Newman pits for minor changes and tires. Juan Montoya pits for changes and new tires.

Lap 139 -- LEAD CHANGE: Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth make their pit stops. Mark Martin and Kyle Busch pit also. Kasey Kahne is in. Everyone is looking for more grip. Ryan Newman is the leader. Michael Waltrip spins coming to pit road for the second time this race.

Lap 138 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart make pit stops from the top two spots. Matt Kenseth is the leader. Edwards gets tires and minor changes. Stewart gets no changes.

Lap 137 -- Jeff Burton pits for tires. He wants a wedge adjustment.

Lap 135 -- Jeff Gordon pits for changes to his car. He takes a big air-pressure change, four tires and fuel.

Lap 134 -- Carl Edwards will pit in four laps due to being slightly off in his fuel cycle.

Lap 130 -- Kurt Busch pits with an issue. He has no power steering. There's a possibility a belt came off.

Lap 128 -- Tony Stewart drives by Matt Kenseth to take second position.

Lap 126 -- Over the course of the last two cautions, Ryan Newman pitted six times to diagnose the engine issue. The problem: a bad plug. The crew has fixed it, and now Newman runs in 17th.

Lap 123 -- After restarting in the back from a pit miscue two cautions ago, Jimmie Johnson is back up to 10th place.

Lap 122 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards catches and passes Matt Kenseth back for the lead.

Lap 120 -- A.J. Allmendinger battles hard with Brian Vickers for sixth place, but Allmendinger gets loose and drops two spots to Marcos Ambrose and David Reutimann.

Lap 118 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth drives below teammate Carl Edwards for the lead. Tony Stewart follows, but Edwards goes back around him for second.

Lap 118 -- GREEN FLAG: Carl Edwards gets the race going again from the outside lane.

1. Carl Edwards

2. Matt Kenseth

3. Greg Biffle

4. Tony Stewart

5. Mark Martin

Lap 115 -- Ryan Newman and David Stremme were caught speeding on pit road and will restart at the back.

Lap 114 -- Some of the lead-lap cars pit, but the top cars stay out:

• Jimmie Johnson pits for fresh tires

• Kurt Busch is tight and gets an air-pressure change

• Kyle Busch gets just two tires and a chassis adjustment

Lap 113 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: Caution is out for debris from David Stremme hitting the wall.

Lap 112 -- David Stremme slows down the staightaway after getting turned into the wall. Stremme wasn't clear of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s nose and caught the bumper.

Lap 110 -- Tony Stewart has moved up to third place after passing Greg Biffle. He restarted in sixth.

Lap 109 -- GREEN FLAG: Carl Edwards gets the race going again from the outside lane.

1. Carl Edwards

2. Jeff Burton

3. Greg Biffle

4. Matt Kenseth

5. Jeff Gordon

Lap 107 -- Jimmie Johnson will be penalized for pitting too soon. He will restart at the tail-end of the field. Ryan Newman is caught speeding off pit road and will also restart at the back of the field. Johnson pits a second time for tires and more fuel.

Lap 106 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards assumes the lead by not pitting.

Lap 105 -- Leaders head down pit road:

• Greg Biffle is tight and gets a wedge adjustment

• Jeff Gordon is tight and gets a minor change on the chassis

• Matt Kenseth gets a chassis adjustment for a tight car

• Tony Stewart is tight and reverses his previous adjustment of air-pressure

• Bobby Labonte gets the free pass

Lap 104 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Debris is on the track. Jimmie Johnson was on pit road when the yellow flag flew, sliding through his stall. He backs up his car and gets service, then drives off. The red light was on at the entrance of pit road, signaling it was closed when Johnson came down the lane.

Lap 103 -- Jeff Burton hits pit road for tires and fuel. He gets an air-pressure adjustment for help with his tight car in Turn 3.

Lap 101 -- LEAD CHANGE: Greg Biffle assumes the lead when Carl Edwards hits pit road for tires and fuel. He gets a minor wedge adjustment and is out in 15.7 seconds.

Lap 100 -- Halfway through and Carl Edwards continues to lead Greg Biffle. Edwards has pushed his pit stop back a few laps.

Lap 96 -- Carl Edwards is planning his pit stop with his crew within two laps.

Lap 91 -- Ryan Newman's crew is preparing in case the team has to change the carburetor on the car and has replacement plug wires ready in case. Newman's car is losing speed on the straightaway.

Lap 90 -- Jeff Burton drives below Kurt Busch to take sixth place with ease. Mark Martin closes in on Busch for seventh.

Lap 87 -- Leader Carl Edwards' crew tells the driver they have to short-pit because they did not get the car full of fuel. He will pit in seven laps.

Lap 84 -- Brian Vickers runs in 14th. He had a spin in practice on Saturday, but it has not slowed the team's preparation for a consistent race.

Lap 80 -- After pit stops, Carl Edwards leads Greg Biffle by 0.790 seconds. Edwards' crew does not think they got the car completely fueled up on the last pit stop.

1. Carl Edwards

2. Greg Biffle

3. Jimmie Johnson

4. Matt Kenseth

5. Jeff Gordon

Lap 79 -- Ryan Newman is reporting a possible motor problem, an issue of a miss in the engine that has happened all race but has now enhanced.

Lap 78 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards takes the lead again when Tony Stewart makes his pit stop. Stewart gets an air-pressure adjustment and tires.

Lap 77 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart takes the lead as Carl Edwards pits. Edwards is loose and spills some fuel as he leaves. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin make stops. Martin gets major changes to his car.

Lap 76 -- Jimmie Johnson makes his pit stop for tires and minor changes. Ryan Newman pits, as does Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle.

Lap 75 -- Matt Kenseth peels onto pit road from his fourth position to get four tires and minor changes. Clint Bowyer follows him for tires and fuel.

Lap 74 -- David Reutimann is having another solid run, sitting in 12th place.

Lap 70 -- Carl Edwards leads Greg Biffle by 2.666 seconds.

Lap 67 -- Three Roush Fenway Racing cars are running in the top four: Carl Edwards (first), Greg Biffle (second) and Matt Kenseth (fourth). Jamie McMurray is 24th and David Ragan is 28th.

Lap 64 -- Three of the four Hendrick Motorsports cars are running sixth or better: Jimmie Johnson (third), Jeff Gordon (fifth) and Mark Martin (sixth). Dale Earnhardt Jr. runs in 19th.

Lap 60 -- Jeff Burton is running in seventh position and has been inside the top 10 for most of the day.

Lap 56 -- After Kasey Kahne's crew worked on his stuck throttle, he has rebounded and stabilized in 17th position.

Lap 53 -- A.J. Allmendinger is having a solid day, running 11th.

Lap 49 -- After pit stops, Carl Edwards leads Greg Biffle by 0.512 seconds.

1. Carl Edwards

2. Greg Biffle

3. Jimmie Johnson

4. Matt Kenseth

5. Jeff Gordon

Lap 48 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards leads again after green-flag pit stops are complete. Kurt Busch pits for minor adjustments and tires.

Lap 47 -- Michael Waltrip spins coming onto pit road. Mark Martin is tight and gets a track-bar adjustment. Dale Earnhardt Jr. pits with a loose car and gets more adjustments.

Lap 46 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch takes the lead as Carl Edwards pits. Edwards gets no changes. Jimmie Johnson gets air-pressure and chassis changes. Matt Kenseth pits, with Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart following. Dexter Bean smokes his tires getting onto pit road.

Lap 45 -- Jeff Burton hits pit road for a scheduled stop. He takes four tires and gets changes.

Lap 44 -- Jimmie Johnson says there is oil in Turn 2. Johnson, however, has an extremely loose car.

Lap 39 -- Greg Biffle moves by Jimmie Johnson to take second.

Lap 39 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards dives below Greg Biffle, then leads the lap by a nose ahead of Jimmie Johnson. He holds the spot.

Lap 38 -- Greg Biffle passes Jimmie Johnson for the lead as Johnson gets really loose. But Johnson comes back to hold the lead at the line. Carl Edwards catches the two leaders.

Lap 37 -- Tony Stewart passes teammate Ryan Newman to take 10th position.

Lap 31 -- Matt Kenseth has dropped two spots to fourth, both of which were lost to teammates. Greg Biffle now runs second, while Carl Edwards is third.

Lap 30 -- Denny Hamlin has returned to the track. Joe Nemechek has taken his car to the garage.

Lap 27 -- Kyle Busch began the race tight, but now he's settled in due to changes in the previous stop. He's running 10th.

Lap 24 -- Tony Stewart's climb continues. He's up to 13th.

Lap 20 -- Carl Edwards drives by Mark Martin to take fourth spot.

Lap 17 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson gets the race going from the outside lane.

1. Jimmie Johnson

2. Matt Kenseth

3. Greg Biffle

4. Mark Martin

5. Carl Edwards

Lap 15 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson gets the lead by being the first car off pit road. The six cars that stayed out come for service.

Lap 14 -- LEAD CHANGE: Ryan Newman is credited with the lead

Lap 14 -- Leaders head to pit road:

• Jimmie Johnson is free and gets two right-side tires

• Kurt Busch is tight and gets chassis and air-pressure changes

• Matt Kenseth takes two tires and fuel

• Kasey Kahne's throttle sticks, so his crew goes under the hood

Lap 13 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Denny Hamlin's stopped car brings out the caution again.

Lap 12 -- Denny Hamlin returns to the track but cannot get speed. He's coasting on the straightaway.

Lap 10 -- Tony Stewart is up to 22nd position after starting in the back in a backup car.

Lap 8 -- Kurt Busch drives by Jeff Gordon for second. Ryan Newman follows in the next corner to take third.

Lap 7 -- Word from the garage is that Denny Hamlin broke a fuel pump cable at the start of the race.

Lap 6 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson drives below Jeff Gordon to take the top spot.

Lap 5 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon gets the race back under way in the first in-race restart in which the grid is lined up double-file. He choose the outside lane.

Lap 4 -- A couple cars in the back duck onto pit road: Dexter Bean, Robby Gordon and Michael Waltrip.

Lap 2 -- Denny Hamlin's car has come to a stop in Turn 2. A crash truck pushes him back to pit road.

Lap 2 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Caution is out for Denny Hamlin. He's trying to restart his car.

Lap 1 -- Jeff Gordon leads the first lap.

Lap 1 -- Denny Hamlin slows immediately at the green flag. "The gauges are out," he tells his crew. He flips to the second battery but has fallen to the back of the pack.

2:20 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon get the Pocono 500 under way from Pocono Raceway.

2:14 p.m. -- Tony Stewart drops to the rear of the field from his pole position for going to a backup car. Robby Gordon joins him.

 


 

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