Lap-by-Lap: Michigan
By NASCAR.COM
June 14, 2010
10:23 AM EDT
type size: + -
Lap 200 -- CHECKERED FLAG: Denny Hamlin continues to dominate the 2010 season as he takes the checkered flag at Michigan giving him five wins on the season. Kasey Kahne finishes second and Kurt Busch is third.
Lap 199 -- WHITE FLAG: Denny Hamlin takes the white flag and is two miles away from his second consecutive victory.
Lap 196 -- Strong run for Joey Logano, who is ninth, and A.J. Allmendinger, who is 11th.
Lap 195 -- Denny Hamlin now leads by one second with five to go.
Lap 193 -- Denny Hamlin leads by 0.5 seconds with seven to go.
Lap 191 -- A two-man race as Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne have pulled away from the field.
Lap 189 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. seventh and Jeff Burton eighth after pitting. Juan Montoya and Carl Edwards have fallen to the pit cars.
Lap 188 -- Jimmie Johnson and his four new tires up to sixth as he passes Greg Biffle.
Lap 187 -- Denny Hamlin has a great restart and jumps out to the lead.
Lap 186 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin brings the field to the green with 14 to go.
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kasey Kahne
3. Kurt Busch
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Greg Biffle
Lap 184 -- The top-nine cars stayed out. Jeff Burton won the race off pit road and is 10th.
Lap 183 -- Pit road is open for the lead lap cars. Jeff Burton in ninth the highest-running car to come in. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Juan Montoya, Kevin Harvick and numerous other cars pit.
Lap 181 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: Debris on the back straightaway brings out the caution. Elliott Sadler gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.
Lap 180 -- The top five after green flag stops and with 20 to go:
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kasey Kahne
3. Kurt Busch
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Greg Biffle
Lap 179 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin back out front by nine seconds as Kasey Kahne finishes up his pit stop.
Lap 178 -- Kasey Kahne on pit road.
Lap 177 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kasey Kahne takes the lead as Denny Hamlin hits pit road.
Lap 176 -- Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle on pit road.
Lap 175 -- Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch and Juan Montoya on pit road.
Lap 174 -- Kevin Harvick on pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments.
Lap 173 -- Jamie McMurray and Marcos Ambrose on pit road.
Lap 170 -- With 30 to go, everyone will have to make at least one more stop.
Lap 168 -- David Reutimann on pit road with 32 laps to go.
Lap 166 -- Regan Smith goes a lap down as Mark Martin passes Denny Hamlin to climb to one lap down.
Lap 163 -- Jimmie Johnson currently 11th followed by Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Juan Montoya, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick.
Lap 161 -- Mark Martin on pit road. Martin with four tires and fuel.
Lap 160 -- Mark Martin and Paul Menard go a lap down.
Lap 156 -- Denny Hamlin starting to lap cars on the track as Ryan Newman goes a lap down.
Lap 155 -- Kyle Busch rubbed the wall hard in the corner but he looks to be continuing OK. Busch scored in 11th.
Lap 154 -- Denny Hamlin leads by more than seven seconds.
Lap 150 -- Ryan Newman hit a piece of aluminum and says his car doesn't feel right. Newman is afraid something may be wrong underneath his car. Newman runs 26th with 50 to go.
Lap 146 -- The top five following green flag stops:
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kasey Kahne
3. Kurt Busch
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Greg Biffle
Lap 144 -- Martin Truex Jr. back on pit road and he will go a lap down.
Lap 143 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin back out front as green flag stops wrap up.
Lap 142 -- Matt Kenseth pits for four tires and a chassis adjustment.
Lap 140 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth leads as Denny Hamlin pits. Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch on pit road.
Lap 139 -- Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Joey Logano and Kurt Busch on pit road.
Lap 138 -- Kevin Harvick, A.J. Allmendinger, Juan Montoya and Clint Bowyer on pit road. Montoya with a track bar adjustment.
Lap 137 -- Ryan Newman and Elliott Sadler on pit road.
Lap 136 -- Jamie McMurray and David Reutimann on pit road.
Lap 135 -- Mark Martin gives up 24th and pits.
Lap 134 -- Brad Keselowski on pit road as another round of green flag stops are under way.
Lap 133 -- Tony Stewart passes Jeff Burton for fifth.
Lap 129 -- Sam Hornish Jr. had to give up his top-15 position and pit. Hornish Jr. will now go a lap down.
Lap 128 -- Greg Biffle on the move as he is up to seventh.
Lap 126 -- Denny Hamlin leads Kasey Kahne by 2.8 seconds. Sam Hornish Jr. has dropped to 11th after not pitting.
Lap 121 -- Marcos Ambrose has recovered from his earlier spin as he runs 19th.
Lap 120 -- Carl Edwards (seventh) is complaining about the handling of his car. Greg Biffle passes Jimmie Johnson for ninth.
Lap 119 -- Kasey Kahne passes Kurt Busch for second.
Lap 117 -- David Ragan back on pit road and will go a lap down.
Lap 116 -- Joey Logano has made his way up to 14th.
Lap 113 -- LEAD CHANGE: It didn't take long for Denny Hamlin to recover from his earlier issue as he passes Kurt Busch in Turn 3 for the lead.
Lap 110 -- Kyle Busch up to ninth as he continues his march to the front.
Lap 108 -- Scott Speed (34th) and Bill Elliott (35th) the only drivers on track that aren't on the lead lap. Both drivers are one lap down.
Lap 107 -- Sam Hornish Jr. falling quick as he drops to fourth.
Lap 106 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch passes teammate Sam Hornish Jr. for the lead.
Lap 105 -- David Ragan now running 33rd after the contact with Casey Mears on pit road. Ragan was in the top 10 when the caution came out.
Lap 103 -- GREEN FLAG: Sam Hornish Jr. brings the field to the green.
1. Sam Hornish Jr.
2. Kurt Busch
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Kasey Kahne
Lap 102 -- Casey Mears takes his No. 83 to the garage.
Lap 101 -- David Gilliand and David Stremme the wave-around cars and they are back on the lead lap. Casey Mears gets together with David Ragan on pit road. Ragan slow out of the pits and Mears with an extended stop to fix the damage.
Lap 100 -- LEAD CHANGE: Sam Hornish Jr. stays out and leads as the lead lap cars hit pit road.
• Kasey Kahne with two tires and fuel
• David Ragan with two tires and an adjustment
• Tony Stewart with two tires
• Kurt Busch with two tires
Lap 99 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Casey Mears taps teammate Scott Speed and Speed spins in Turn 2 bringing out the caution. Travis Kvapil gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.
Lap 98 -- The top five after green flag stops:
1. Kasey Kahne
2. Kurt Busch
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Juan Montoya
5. Jeff Gordon
Lap 96 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kasey Kahne able to complete the pass of Kurt Busch for the lead.
Lap 95 -- Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne remain side-by-side.
Lap 94 -- Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne are side-by-side for the lead.
Lap 93 -- Denny Hamlin gets back going and runs fourth. The thought is he was out of fuel and some air got into the line.
Lap 92 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin has problems getting started after his pit stop and Kurt Busch takes the lead.
Lap 91 -- Denny Hamlin on pit road for four tires and an air pressure adjustment.
Lap 90 -- Kasey Kahne, David Ragan, Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon on pit road.
Lap 89 -- Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, A.J. Allmendinger, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Joey Logano on pit road as the leaders begin green flag stops.
Lap 88 -- Paul Menard and Travis Kvapil on pit road.
Lap 87 -- Sam Hornish Jr. on pit road.
Lap 82 -- Kyle Busch on the move up to 15th. Kevin Harvick continues to climb as he runs 16th.
Lap 80 -- The race has the feel now of a long green-flag run as cars are settling into their spots around the track. Green flag stops should come around Lap 90.
Lap 78 -- Jamie McMurray down to 17th. David Reutimann sitting in 13th and Greg Biffle hovering around the top 10 in 11th.
Lap 74 -- Carl Edwards running sixth and he is complaining of an aero-push issue.
Lap 72 -- Kevin Harvick on the move as he is challenging Matt Kenseth for 18th.
Lap 68 -- Mark Martin struggling in the early going currently 21st. Martin Truex Jr. right in front of him in 20th.
Lap 67 -- Denny Hamlin out front by 2.4 seconds.
Lap 65 -- Kasey Kahne passes Juan Montoya for third.
Lap 63 -- Tony Stewart gets around Dale Earnhardt Jr. for 10th.
Lap 62 -- Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Burton in a nice battle for fifth.
Lap 60 -- David Ragan having a great day early as he runs ninth.
Lap 55 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. passes Greg Biffle and is in the top 10.
Lap 54 -- Landon Cassill back in the race scored 17 laps down. J.J. Yeley back in the garage.
Lap 53 -- Tony Stewart down to 15th after the last round of pit stops.
Lap 52 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin passes Kurt Busch on the inside to take the lead in Turn 1.
Lap 51 -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch brings the field to the green.
1. Kurt Busch
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Juan Montoya
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Kasey Kahne
Lap 50 -- LEAD CHANGE: Robby Gordon and David Gilliand pit giving the lead to Kurt Busch, who won the race off pit road. Clint Bowyer back on pit road fixing something on the hood.
Lap 49 -- LEAD CHANGE: Robby Gordon and David Gilliand stay out as the lead lap cars hit pit road.
• Kasey Kahne with four tires and an air pressure adjustment
• Jimmie Johnson with four tires and a track bar and wedge adjustment
• Kurt Busch with a track bar and air pressure adjustment
• Greg Biffle with a track bar adjustment
Lap 48 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Debris in Turn 1 brings out the caution. Marcos Ambrose gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.
Lap 47 -- The top 10 are running single file with some distance between each car.
Lap 45 -- J.J. Yeley back in the race scored five laps down.
Lap 44 -- Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano are nose-to-tail on the track.
Lap 42 -- Ryan Newman is down to 12th after running in the top five earlier.
Lap 41 -- J.J. Yeley takes his No. 46 to the garage. Kevin Conway remains on pit road.
Lap 39 -- Kevin Conway on pit road. Jeff Gordon not happy with his car complaining that it is very loose.
Lap 37 -- Landon Cassill takes the No. 09 to the garage.
Lap 36 -- Kevin Harvick runs 25th and is extremely tight.
Lap 35 -- Kyle Busch up to 24th. Matt Kenseth up to 15th.
Lap 34 -- Bobby Labonte takes his No. 71 to the garage.
Lap 33 -- Second through fifth has settled itself with Kasey Kahne second, Jimmie Johnson third, Denny Hamlin fourth and Tony Stewart fifth.
Lap 31 -- Joe Nemechek is back on the track scored six laps down.
Lap 30 -- Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson in three-way battle for second.
Lap 28 -- A.J. Allmendinger up to 12th after starting 26th.
Lap 27 -- Kurt Busch leads by two seconds. Carl Edwards up to eighth.
Lap 26 -- Jimmie Johnson passes Juan Montoya for third but Johnson says his car is loose.
Lap 24 -- Joe Nemechek takes his No. 87 to the garage.
Lap 23 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch passes Tony Stewart with ease to retake the lead. Juan Montoya also passes Stewart for second.
Lap 22 -- LEAD CHANGE/GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart brings the field to the green after Joe Nemechek drops to the rear.
1. Tony Stewart
2. Kurt Busch
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Juan Montoya
5. Kasey Kahne
Lap 21 -- LEAD CHANGE: Joe Nemechek stays out to lead a lap and collect five bonus points. Todd Bodine takes his car to the garage.
Lap 20 -- The lead lap cars hit pit road.
• Kasey Kahne with four tires and they work on an overheating issue
• Jimmie Johnson with four tires and a track bar adjustment
• Kurt Busch with four tires and no adjustments
• Jamie McMurray with four tires and an air pressure adjustment
• Tony Stewart with two tires
Lap 18 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Marcos Ambrose spins on the frontstretch after getting bumped by Regan Smith bringing out the caution. No free pass will be given.
Lap 15 -- Carl Edwards in the top 10 after starting 19th.
Lap 13 -- Juan Montoya is fourth, Ryan Newman is fifth and Jeff Gordon is sixth.
Lap 11 -- Max Papis has taken his No. 13 to the garage.
Lap 10 -- Matt Kenseth up to 24th after starting 35th. Kyle Busch up to 34th after starting in rear.
Lap 9 -- Denny Hamlin, Juan Montoya and Jeff Gordon in a good battle for fifth.
Lap 7 -- Kasey Kahne now putting some pressure on Kurt Busch for the lead. Jamie McMurray is complaining of a loose race car.
Lap 6 -- Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon pass Jamie McMurray for fourth and fifth.
Lap 5 -- Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne have put one second between them and the rest of the field.
Lap 3 -- Jamie McMurray is down to fourth as Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson get around him.
Lap 2 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch rockets around Jamie McMurray in Turn 1 to take the lead. There is lots of good racing mid-pack.
Lap 1 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jamie McMurray jumps to the lead on the start and leads.
1:20 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch brings the field to the green and the Heluva Good! 400 is under way.
1:12 p.m. -- The cars are rolling off pit road for three warm-up laps.
1:07 p.m. -- In a way no one has seen before, Adam Sandler and Kevin James deliver the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines!"
1:02 p.m. -- The Army Chorus A Cappella Team performs the national anthem.
1:01 p.m. -- Geoff Rose from Lumen Christi High School in Jackson, Mich., gives the Invocation.
1 p.m. -- A moment of silence to honor Les Richter.
12:55 p.m. -- Three drivers will move to the rear: Kyle Busch due to an engine change, Clint Bowyer switched to a back-up car and Kevin Conway due to a transmission change.
Noon -- Countdown to Green is under way on TNT.
11:40 a.m. ET -- It's cloudy at Michigan International Speedway, but those clouds will burn off and it will be a beautiful day for racing. Temperatures in the low 80s all afternoon with no rain in sight. Kurt Busch is on the pole for the Heluva Good! 400. Green set for 1:16 p.m. ET.