Jimmie Johnson Storms to Victory in Chevy Rock & Roll 400

Race Results

Two-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson won the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway. The "Race for the Chase" was also settled at Richmond this afternoon, setting the order for the "Chase for the Championship."

Johnson held off a hard charging Tony Stewart in a thrilling side-by-side duel over the final 15 laps of the race. The racers had the fans on their feet as they swapped the lead numerous times. Jimmie Johnson commented, "We just never gave up. We got behind some cars during the pit cycle and the guys got me out ahead during the pit stop. I was running on the bottom early and I went to the top to make a bigger arc to get a better run. I was able to keep that outside line working. We've worked hard to get to this point and we'll see what these next ten races do for us."

Finishing a very close second, Tony Stewart said, "We just couldn't get by him. We raced him clean, with respect, like he would have raced me."

Rounding out the top 5 positions were local favorite Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin.

Fourth placed Dale Earnhardt Jr. said "We had a real good car. We started the day with one of the best. We were losing the race track a little bit and couldn't figure out what to do to improve the car at the end. I'm happy with what we did today."

Sixth place Jeff Burton of South Boston, Virginia, said "We were not the best on old tires. There were times today we were good and times were weren't. I think we can make some noise in the Chase."

Coming into the race with a slim, but mathematical chance to make "The Chase for the Championship," David Ragan (#6 AAA Insurance Ford) and Kasey Kahne would have had to finish very well in today's race. That would not be the case, as Ragen would finish 32nd and Kahne 19th.

Ragan said, "Running 32nd, you don't deserve to make the "Chase."

Kasey Kahne would comment "We needed to do better than we did. We'll keep working and try to be better prepared next year."

Clint Bowyer, who wrapped up a "Chase" spot with a solid 12th place finish, said, "The car got tight in traffic and I was about to go a lap down but we got a caution and things worked out."

Six drivers: Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle had already locked their positions into the "Chase for the Championship." With solid finishes today, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth secured their positions in the "Chase" as well.

Clint Bowyer, winner of the 2008 Crown Royal Present the Dan Lowry 400 race back in May at Richmond, ran a strong race early, but fell back in the second half of the race, finishing 12th, securing the 5th place seeding in the Chase for the Championship based on his earlier win at Richmond this season.

After Tropical Storm Hanna swept into the Richmond area on Friday afternoon, NASCAR and Richmond International Raceway officials chose to play it safe and postpone all on-track activities to Sunday afternoon. Regularly scheduled to run Saturday night "Under the Lights," today's race was run "Under The Light" - the Sun!

Under a brilliant blue sky, Kyle Busch led the field to the green flag. With qualifying cancelled due to Friday's rain, the field was set using Owner Points. Season point leader Busch claimed the pole position, with Carl Edwards joining him on the front row. Odd man out was rookie Joey Logano, who had one of the fastest practice laps on Friday afternoon. He was trying to make his Sprint Cup debut at Richmond, but will have to wait until next week.

In the early running of the race,

Kevin Harvick was the man on the move. Starting in the 7th position, Harvick was up to 2nd by lap 17. Running a very high line around the turns, Harvick was able to move right to the rear bumper of Kyle Busch on lap 25 and pass him for the lead on lap 29. Using a similar strategy, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took over the second place two laps later.

A mandatory "Competition Caution" was displayed on lap 35 to allow all the teams to analyze their tire wear. Kyle Busch over shot his pit stall by just a few feet and lost many positions on the race track as he was forced to back up to allow his team to work on the car. He would restart in 9th place. When all 43 cars had finished their stops, Jeff Gordon was in the lead position, having opted for only a two-tire stop. Having scored his 5 bonus points for leading the race, Gordon would pay for only taking two tires, falling back to 8th position by lap 60. Kevin Harvick meanwhile would pull out to a comfortable one second lead over Denny Hamlin, the Chesterfield, Virginia native.

With his car's handling coming into its own, Denny Hamlin took the lead from Kevin Harvick on lap 77. Right on his bumper was Dale Earnhardt Jr. The driver of the #88 then bumped the back of Hamlin's car hard enough for NASCAR officials to warn the drivers to settle down. Four laps later, Earnhardt Jr swept around the outside of Hamlin to head the field.

The first real caution of the day occurred on lap 96 when Johnny Sauter (#70 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet) cut a tire, scattering debris in turn 2. All the leaders headed for pit road to fill up on fuel and get four new tires. The race off pit road was won by Earnhardt over Hamlin and Harvick.

The running order on lap 100 was Earnhardt, Jr. (#88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet), Denny Hamlin (#11 FedEx Express Toyota), Kevin Harvick (#29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet), Kyle Busch (#18 M&M's Toyota), Matt Kenseth (#17 DeWalt Ford), Clint Bowyer (#07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet), Tony Stewart (#20 Home Depot Toyota), David Ragan (#6 AAA Insurance Ford), Jeff Burton (#31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet), and Jimmie Johnson (

When the race went green, Michael Waltrip (#55 NAPA Toyota) spun exiting turn two, slowing the field again.

Lap 114 saw Greg Biffle (#16 3M Ford) spin his machine in turn one, tapping the SAFER Barrier with the right-rear of his car, forcing NASCAR officials to wave the yellow flag for the fourth time of the afternoon.

A pair of "Chase" contenders, David Ragan and Matt Kenseth, Roush/Fenway Racing teammates no less, were both involved in an accident on lap 120 in turn one. Ragan lost control of his Ford and Kenseth spun trying to avoid the sliding Ragan. Both cars would sustain sheet metal damage that could be repaired. They would drop to the 32nd and 33rd positions. This all but sealed Ragan's fate and kept him out of "The Chase."

After the race went green again, Kevin Harvick chased down Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and grabbed the lead back from Jr. on lap 134

On lap 162, former Formula One driver, Juan Pablo Montoya (#42 Juicy Fruit Slim Pack Dodge), lost control of his machine entering turn one and put on a Drifting demonstration, throwing up a cloud of smoke all the way around turn one and two before sliding to the inside of the track entering the back straight. Elliot Sadler (#19 Best Buy Dodge) cut a tire on his machine at the same time.

During the ensuing pit stop, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew was able to get their man out ahead of Kevin Harvick. This situation would not last long as Harvick got back around Earnhardt Jr. a few laps after the race went green. Matt Kenseth's day got even worse as a piece of debris got lodged under his Ford, necessitating a green flag stop which cost him yet another lap to the leaders.

A flurry of activity engulfed the top three cars on lap 184 through lap 200. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. got around Harvick on lap 185. Then,

Kyle Busch was the man on the move on lap 186, passing both Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to grab the lead. Harvick got around Earnhardt a lap later, only for Earnhardt to regain the position two laps later. Denny Hamlin then got into the mix, grabbing the third position from Harvick on lap 195.

Martin Truex Jr. and Sam Hornish spun in formation together in turn 4 on lap 200, bringing out another caution. Amazingly, no other cars made contact with the spinning machines, despite the smoke and the pack of cars bearing down on them.

When the order was sorted out after the pit stops, the running order was Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon,

The fans rose to their feet with a thunderous roar on lap 211 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. tapped Kyle Busch into a spin entering turn one. Earnhardt Jr. tried all he could to keep off of Busch's Toyota, locking up the left front tire. Busch gunned his motor, spinning the rear tires, in an effort to stay off the wall. This helped minimize the damage to his car as he only tapped the SAFER Barrier with the left rear corner of his Toyota. The accident was almost a mirror image of the incident that cost Earnhardt Jr. the win in the spring race this year.

Lap 225 saw Elliot Sadler cut a right front tire when he was tapped into a spin by Kurt Busch in turn 4. All the front runners headed to pit road during the ensuing caution. Dale Earnhardt Jr. would lead over Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick when the green flag waved on lap 230.

On lap 237 Dale Earnhardt Jr. slid high in turn 3 and 4, allowing Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson to pass him, even as Johnson was trying to squeeze past Stewart's machine.

Kyle Busch got bumped from behind yet again on lap 241, this time by Elliot Sadler, forcing him into a spin in turns 3 and 4. Busch did another great job staying off the wall, missing the outside wall in the turns and the inside wall on the straight. Again, the front of the field headed to pit road for service. Hamlin would beat Johnson and Stewart out of the pits, but they would start only 15th, 16th and 17th as the rest of the field stayed out on the track. The new leaders were David Reutimann (#44 UPS Toyota), Mark Martin (#8 U.S. Army Chevrolet) and Martin Truex (#1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet).

At this point in the race, Reutimann was the 10th different leader of the race, two short of the event record. There have been 16 lead changes so far (event record: 25).

Tony Stewart was more effective at cutting through traffic, moving up to 3rd by lap 272, while Earnhardt Jr, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin were back in 8th, 9th and 10th.

Tony Stewart moved up to second on lap 278 and set out after leader Reutimann. Brian Vickers (#83 Red Bull Toyota) cut a right front tire coming out of turn 4 and slid along the wall all the way through turn 2 before nearly coming to a stop. NASCAR officials felt he slowed intentionally and penalized him for "Intentionally bringing out a caution," much to the chagrin of his team.

Prior to the caution, cars had been running 3 and 4 wide through the turns. This confirmed the predictions of the first three starters who had said as much during their press conference on Friday evening.

At the 300 lap mark, Reutimann lead Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Casey Mears and Michael McDowell. Early leader Kyle Busch was one lap down and battled with Reutimann to get his lap back once the race resumed green flag running on lap 305.

On lap 310, Clint Bowyer moved back into the coveted 12th position in the standings as Ragan Smith dropped back to the 18th position in the race.

An incident on lap 314 involving Bobby Labonte (#43 Cheerios Racing/Betty Crocker Dodge), Bill Elliot (#21 Air Force Ford) and Carl Edwards (# 99

Office Depot Ford) bought out yet another caution. Labonte spun in turn 4, and Elliot and Edwards spun in tandem while checking up. Kyle Busch would benefit from the "Lucky Dog" rule which allows the first lapped car to regain one lap, moving up to the lead lap. This would put Busch in 32nd position in the race.

David Ragan's chances of making the chase were dealt a fatal blow on lap 330 when he was running three wide with Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer through turn 2. Bowyer tapped Truex Jr., who slid up into Ragan's AAA Insurance Ford. The impact further damaged Ragan's wounded machine and he lost a dozen places to Bowyer on the track.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. brushed the wall in turn one and two on lap 340 losing time on the leaders as his car began to get very loose on old tires. On lap 349, Tony Stewart moved around David Reutimann in turn 3 to grab the lead. Jimmie Johnson would stalk Reutimann until lap 356 when he was able to take the UPS Toyota around the outside.

Scott Riggs brought out the 13th caution on lap 358 when he spun exiting turn 2. Juan Pablo Montoya took evasive action to avoid a more serious wreck. All the front runners headed for pit road during this critical caution period.

Martin Truex Jr.'s team gambled and took only 2 tires during their pit stop and returned to the track in first place. Jimmie Johnson's crew got their man out ahead of Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr to be the first of the cars that changed four tires.

The green flag waved again on lap 364 and Jimmie Johnson immediately began attacking Truex Jr amidst a group of cars trying to get their lap back. Johnson would take the lead two laps later, tying the record for the most leaders in this event (12).

Paul Menard (#15 Menards/Energizer Chevrolet) and Patrick Carpentier (#10 Valvoline Dodge) tangled in turn 2, bringing out the 14th caution of the day on lap 369. Carpentier was on the inside, pushing Menard up to the wall.

When the green flag waved again, the top three runners were Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr., all previous winners at Richmond. With twenty laps to go, Johnson held a half second lead over Stewart, who was a further second ahead of Earnhardt Jr. By now, Reutimann had slipped down to the 6th position.

With 15 laps to go, Tony Stewart began putting pressure on Johnson for the lead. They raced side-by-side around the track, Stewart running down low, Johnson riding the high line. The fans were on their feet while they ran this way, lap after lap, swapping the lead almost every lap. With 3 laps to go, Stewart got a little loose in turn 4, dropping back one car length. Johnson had a two length lead as they took the white flag. Johnson, continuing to ride that high line, finished 0.355 seconds ahead of Stewart to take his fourth win of the year.

Johnson averaged 92.684 mph, leading 32 laps. David Reutimann used pit strategy and a strong car in clean air to lead a race high 104 laps. There were 14 cautions for 70 laps. There were 23 lead changes among 12 drivers. The 12 leaders ties a record that was achieved on four other occasions (5/07, 5/04, 9/03, 9/86). The time of the race was 3 hours, 14 minutes, 28seconds.