2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season
Previous: 2008	Next: 2010

The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, which began at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, a race for the top six teams of the four brands in the 2008 season on February 7, with the first points race being the 2009 Daytona 500 to be held on February 15. The 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup began on September 20 with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, and ended November 22 with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports was crowned champion, his fourth consecutive in the series.

Schedule

The biggest changes for 2009 in a NASCAR schedule realignment added the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway to the 2009 Chase, the shifting of the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway to a later autumn date, and the placement of the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway to Labor Day weekend as a night race. Additionally, there was a fourth bye week between the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway and the Pep Boys 500. The schedule changes are listed in boldface on the chart below.

2009 Sprint Cup Schedule
No.	Date	Race	Length	Site	Winner
	2/7	Budweiser Shootout ♣ ¶	Segment 1: 25 Laps; 62.5 mi (100.6 km); Segment 2: 50 Laps; 125 mi (201.3 km)	Daytona International Speedway	Kevin Harvick
	2/12	Gatorade Duels ¶ ♥	Two races; each 60 Laps 150 mi (241.5 km)	Daytona International Speedway	Jeff Gordon; Kyle Busch
1	2/15	Daytona 500 ♣	152 Laps 380 mi (611.8 km) (race shortened due to rain)	Daytona International Speedway	Matt Kenseth
2	2/22	Auto Club 500	250 Laps 500 mi (805 km)	Auto Club Speedway	Matt Kenseth
3	3/1	Shelby 427	285 Laps 427.5 mi (688.3 km)	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	Kyle Busch
4	3/8	Kobalt Tools 500	331 laps 509.74 mi (820.7 km) (race extended due to green/white/checker finish.)	Atlanta Motor Speedway	Kurt Busch
5	3/22	Food City 500	503 Laps 268.1 mi (431.6 km) (race extended due to green/white/checker finish.)	Bristol Motor Speedway	Kyle Busch
6	3/29	Goody's Fast Relief 500	500 Laps 263 mi (423.4 km)	Martinsville Speedway	Jimmie Johnson
7	4/5	Samsung 500	334 Laps 501 mi (806.6 km)	Texas Motor Speedway	Jeff Gordon
8	4/18	Subway Fresh Fit 500 ♣	312 Laps 502.3 km (312 mi)	Phoenix International Raceway	Mark Martin
9	4/26	Aaron's 499	188 Laps 500.08 mi (805.1 km)	Talladega Superspeedway	Brad Keselowski
10	5/2	Crown Royal Presents The Russell Friedman 400 ♣	400 Laps 300 mi (483 km)	Richmond International Raceway	Kyle Busch
11	5/9	Southern 500 presented by GoDaddy.com ♣	367 Laps 501.322 mi (807.1 km)	Darlington Raceway	Mark Martin
	5/16	NASCAR Sprint Shootout and All-Star Race XXV ¶ ♣	Shootout: Two 20 Lap 30 mi (48.3 km) segments; All-Star Race: Four segments: 50 laps 75 mi (120.75 km) with mandatory 4- tire pit stop; two 20 laps 30 mi (48.3 km); final 10 15 mi (24.15 km) green flag laps.	Lowe's Motor Speedway	Sam Hornish, Jr. (Shootout); Tony Stewart
12	5/24§	Coca-Cola 600 ♣	227 Laps 341.5 mi (549.8 km)(race shortened due to rain)	Lowe's Motor Speedway	David Reutimann
13	5/31	Autism Speaks 400 presented by Heluva Good! Cheese	400 Laps 400 mi (644 km)	Dover International Speedway	Jimmie Johnson
14	6/7	Pocono 500	200 Laps 500 mi (805 km)	Pocono Raceway	Tony Stewart
15	6/14	Lifelock 400	200 Laps 400 mi (644 km)	Michigan International Speedway	Mark Martin
16	6/21	Toyota/Save Mart 350	113 Laps 360 km (579.6 km) (race extended due to green/white/checker finish.)	Infineon Raceway	Kasey Kahne
17	6/28	Lenox Industrial Tools 301	273 Laps 289.389 mi (465.9 km) (race shortened due to rain)	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	Joey Logano
18	7/4	Coke Zero 400 ♣	160 Laps 400 mi (644 km)	Daytona International Speedway	Tony Stewart
19	7/11	LifeLock.com 400 ♣	267 laps 400.5 miles (Template:Convert/(400.5)*1609.344)	Chicagoland Speedway	Mark Martin
20	7/26	Allstate 400 at the Brickyard	160 Laps 400 mi (644 km)	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Jimmie Johnson
21	8/2§	Sunoco American Red Cross Pennsylvania 500	200 Laps 500 miles (Template:Convert/(500)*1609.344)	Pocono Raceway	Denny Hamlin
22	8/9§	Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen	90 laps 220.5 miles (Template:Convert/(220.5)*1609.344)	Watkins Glen International	Tony Stewart
23	8/16	CARFAX 400	200 Laps 400 mi (644 km)	Michigan International Speedway	Brian Vickers
24	8/22	Sharpie 500 ♣	500 Laps 266.5 miles (Template:Convert/(266.5)*1609.344)	Bristol Motor Speedway	Kyle Busch
25	9/6	Pep Boys Auto 500 ♣	325 Laps 500.5 miles (Template:Convert/(500.5)*1609.344)	Atlanta Motor Speedway	Kasey Kahne
26	9/12	Chevy Rock & Roll 400 ♣	400 Laps 300 miles (Template:Convert/(300)*1609.344)	Richmond International Raceway	Denny Hamlin
2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup
27	9/20	Sylvania 300	300 Laps 317.4 miles (Template:Convert/(317.4)*1609.344)	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	Mark Martin
28	9/27	AAA 400	400 Laps 400 mi (644 km)	Dover International Speedway	Jimmie Johnson
29	10/4	Price Chopper 400	267 Laps 400.5 miles (Template:Convert/(400.5)*1609.344)	Kansas Speedway	Tony Stewart
30	10/11	Pepsi 500	250 Laps 500 miles (Template:Convert/(500)*1609.344)	Auto Club Speedway	Jimmie Johnson
31	10/17	NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America ♣	334 Laps 501 miles (Template:Convert/(501)*1609.344)	Lowe's Motor Speedway	Jimmie Johnson
32	10/25	TUMS Fast Relief 500	501 Laps 264 miles (Template:Convert/(264)*1609.344)(race extended due to green/white/checker finish.)	Martinsville Speedway	Denny Hamlin
33	11/1	AMP Energy 500	191 Laps 508.08 miles (Template:Convert/(508.08)*1609.344)(race extended due to green/white/checker finish.)	Talladega Superspeedway	Jamie McMurray
34	11/8	Dickies 500 ♣	334 Laps 501 miles (Template:Convert/(501)*1609.344)	Texas Motor Speedway	Kurt Busch
35	11/15	Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500	312 Laps 310 miles (Template:Convert/(310)*1609.344)	Phoenix International Raceway	Jimmie Johnson
36	11/22	Ford 400 ♣	267 Laps 400.5 miles (Template:Convert/(400.5)*1609.344)	Homestead Miami Speedway	Denny Hamlin

|11/30-12/4 |Las Vegas Week |3 races (613 laps) |Las Vegas Motor Speedway |Various

The total distance of the season will be 14,461.9 miles (Template:Convert/(14461.9)*1609.344).
Key to symbols:
¹ – All races were broadcast on Sirius XM Radio.
^* – Television times are listed. Fox started (except for Daytona 500 and Aaron's 499) with a 30-minute pre-race show, TNT had a 90-minute pre-race show and ESPN/ABC had a one-hour pre-race show. Add an extra fifteen minutes following the pre-race show for the scheduled green flag of the race.
♣ – This race was run at night or began in the day and finished that evening.
¶ – Non-points race.
♥ – This is a pair of races that will set the field for the Daytona 500.
† – This race was produced and distributed by IMS Radio and the broadcast will be produced in conjunction with Performance Racing Network.
§ – This race was scheduled to have been run on Sunday, but was rescheduled to the following Monday due to rain.

Standings

For current top twelve driver point standings, see 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Teams

Because of the merger of DEI with Chip Ganassi, the #01 and #15 shops closed after the 2008 season. However, the owners' points from the #15 were transferred to the #34, while points from either the #01 or #41 will be transferred to the #07, with the #33 owned by Richard Childress possibly receiving the other. (NASCAR allows for a transfer if the original owner maintains some stake in the team to which points are transferred.) Also Bill Davis Racing was bought by Triad Racing, however the #22 was bought by Penske Racing with Bill Davis holding minority interest. The #22's points were transferred to the #77, thus guaranteeing that car a spot in the Daytona 500 should all other transfers occur.

Team	Car(s)	#	Driver(s)	Primary Sponsor(s)	Secondary Sponsor(s)	Crew Chief	Rounds
Ash Motorsports	Chevrolet Impala	02	Brandon Ash	Efusjon Energy Club Spinter Trucking		Kenneth Wood	8, 16, 35
BlackJack Racing	Dodge Charger	51	Kelly Bires	Livewire Energy FAB Grills		Ryan Bergenty	1
			David Starr				2
			Dexter Bean				3, 8, 14, 17, 19, 27
Boys Will Be Boys Racing Co.	Dodge Charger	06	Trevor Boys			Iain Moncrieff	8, 10
Carl Long Racing	Dodge Charger	46	Carl Long	Romeo Guest Construction			1
			Dennis Setzer				6
Carter/Simo Racing	Ford Fusion	08	Boris Said	U.S. Chrome		Frankie Stoddard	1, 16, 22
	Toyota Camry		Terry Labonte	FanCar		Tony Furr	20, 24–25, 31, 36
Cope/Keller Racing	Dodge Charger	75	Derrike Cope	Blu Frog Energy Drink / FlipnBags.com	FW1 Top Secret Wax / EZPCBackup.com / Limu Company	Rich Markle	1, 6, 13–14, 20, 27
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing	Chevrolet Impala	1	Martin Truex Jr.	Bass Pro Shops	General Electric / TomTom Guitar Hero / Vaseline Rain-X	Kevin Manion	All
		8	Aric Almirola	Guitar Hero / TomTom	Cub Cadet / Champion Apparel	Doug Randolph	1–7
		42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target	Lysol / Tums / Energizer / Polaroid	Brian Pattie	All
Furniture Row Racing	Chevrolet Impala	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row	World of Vision	Jay Guy	1, 3, 7–9, 11, 13–14, 17–18, 20, 24–26, 28, 30, 33–36
Front Row Motorsports	Chevrolet Impala	34	John Andretti	Window World		Steve Lane	1–10, 13–36
			Tony Raines	A&W / Taco Bell			11–12
	Chevrolet Impala/Dodge Charger	37	Tony Raines	Long John Silver's		Scott Eggleston	1–3, 6, 10, 13–15, 17–19, 21, 23–28, 30, 34–35
			Chris Cook				16
			Tony Ave				22
			Kevin Hamlin	Long John Silver's		Peter Sospenzo	29
			Travis Kvapil				31–32, 36
Germain Racing	Toyota Camry	13	Max Papis	GEICO		Bootie Barker	3, 7, 9, 11–13, 15–16, 18, 20, 22, 24–26, 29–31, 33–36
		35	Todd Bodine				4
Gunselman Motorsports	Toyota Camry	64	Geoffrey Bodine			Doug Richert	1, 4
			Todd Bodine				2–3, 5–8, 10, 12
			Mike Wallace				14, 17–19, 21, 24, 27, 30
			Derrike Cope				32
H&S Motorsports	Dodge Charger	73	Mike Garvey	Quality Concrete		Buddy Sisco	1–3, 12
			Tony Raines				8
			Josh Wise				32
Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet Impala	5	Mark Martin	Kellogg's/Carquest	Pop Tarts / Cheez-It	Alan Gustafson	All
		24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont	National Guard	Steve Letarte	All
		25	Brad Keselowski	GoDaddy.com		Lance McGrew	3, 7, 11, 13, 19, 23, 29, 31
		48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's / Kobalt Tools		Chad Knaus	All
		88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	AMP/National Guard		Tony Eury, Jr.	All
Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota Camry	02	David Gilliland	Farm Bureau		Wally Brown	31, 34, 36
		11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx	Farm Bureau	Mike Ford	All
		18	Kyle Busch	M&M's/Interstate Batteries	Snickers / Combos / Pedigree	Steve Addington	All
		20	Joey Logano (R)	The Home Depot	Farm Bureau	Greg Zipadelli	All
JTG Daugherty Racing	Toyota Camry	47	Marcos Ambrose	McKee Foods/Clorox Co.		Frank Kerr	All
Kirk Shelmerdine Racing	Toyota Camry	27	Kirk Shelmerdine	Biker Design	Wabash		1
Mayfield Motorsports	Toyota Camry	41	Jeremy Mayfield	All Sport		Tony Furr	1–11
			J. J. Yeley	SmallSponsor.com			12
Michael Waltrip Racing	Toyota Camry	00	David Reutimann	Aaron's Dream Machine		Rodney Childers	All
		55	Michael Waltrip	NAPA Auto Parts		Bootie Barker/Gene Nead	1–15, 17–21, 23–36
			Patrick Carpentier			Bootie Barker	16, 22
Morgan-McClure Motorsports	Chevrolet Impala	4	Eric McClure	Hefty SteelSak	Wall-Mart		9
			Scott Wimmer	Alpha Natural Resources			24, 28
NEMCO Motorsports	Toyota Camry	87	Joe Nemechek			Phillipe Lopez	All
Norm Benning Racing	Chevrolet Impala	57	Norm Benning	D3 Outdoor		Mark Tutor	1
Penske Racing	Dodge Charger	2	Kurt Busch	Miller Lite		Pat Tryson	All
		12	David Stremme	Penske Racing		Roy McCauley	1–33
			Brad Keselowski				34–36
		77	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Mobil 1	AAA	Travis Geisler	All
Phoenix Racing	Dodge Charger / Chevrolet Impala	09	Brad Keselowski	Miccosukee Indian Gambling		Marc Reno	1, 9, 17–18, 26, 33
			Sterling Marlin				2–3, 5–6, 8, 11, 14–15, 20–21, 31–32
			Mike Bliss				4, 7, 10, 12–13, 19, 23, 25, 28–30, 34
			Ron Fellows				16, 22
			Aric Almirola				24, 27
			David Gilliland				35
			David Stremme				36
Prism Motorsports	Toyota Camry	66	Terry Labonte	Window World		Bill Henderson	1
			Dave Blaney				2–36
R3 Motorsports	Chevrolet Impala	23	Mike Skinner	Mahindra Tractors			1
Red Bull Racing Team	Toyota Camry	82	Scott Speed (R)	Red Bull		Jimmy Elledge	All
		83	Brian Vickers			Ryan Pemberton	All
Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet Impala	07	Casey Mears	Jack Daniel's	DirecTV / Chocktaw Resort And Casino	Gil Martin	All
		29	Kevin Harvick	Shell/Pennzoil	Reese's	Todd Berrier	All
		31	Jeff Burton	Caterpillar, Inc.	Prilosec OTC / Lenox Industrial Tools	Scott Miller	All
		33	Clint Bowyer	General Mills/BB&T	Hartford Financial Services	Shane Wilson	All
Richard Petty Motorsports	Dodge Charger	9	Kasey Kahne	Budweiser		Kenny Francis	All
	Dodge Charger/Ford Fusion	19	Elliott Sadler	Best Buy/Stanley	Insignia / Geek Squad	Kevin Buskirk	All
	Dodge Charger	43	Reed Sorenson	McDonald's/Air Force/Super 8 / Valvoline	Siemens / Super 8 / PVA.org / Charter / Auto Value / Bumper 2 Bumper	Mike Shiplett	All
	Dodge Charger/Ford Fusion	44	A. J. Allmendinger	Valvoline/Charter/Harrah's	Best Buy	Sammy Johns	All
Robby Gordon Motorsports	Toyota Camry	04	P.J. Jones	Jim Beam/Menards		Bob Gordon	16, 22
			David Gilliland				29
		7	Robby Gordon			Kirk Almquist	1–25, 27–36
			David Gilliland				26
Roush Fenway Racing	Ford Fusion	6	David Ragan	United Parcel Service		Jimmy Fennig	All
		16	Greg Biffle	3M	American Red Cross	Greg Erwin	All
		17	Matt Kenseth	DeWalt	Carhartt / USG / R&L Carriers	Drew Blickensderfer	All
		26	Jamie McMurray	Crown Royal/Irwin Tools	Valvoline / Sears / Jeremiah Weed Southern Style Sweet Tea	Donnie Wingo	All
		99	Carl Edwards	Aflac	Claritin / Subway (restaurant)	Bob Osbourne	All
Stewart Haas Racing	Chevrolet Impala	14	Tony Stewart	Office Depot/Old Spice	Burger King	Darian Grubb	All
		39	Ryan Newman	U.S. Army	Haas Automation	Tony Gibson	All
Tommy Baldwin Racing	Toyota Camry	36	Scott Riggs			Tommy Baldwin, Jr.	1–12
			Mike Skinner				13, 15, 19–20, 23–24
			Patrick Carpentier				14, 17–18, 21, 25
			Brian Simo				16, 22
			Michael McDowell	Wave Energy Drink			26–32, 34–36
			Robert Richardson Jr.	Mahindra Tractors			33
TRG Motorsports	Chevrolet Impala	70	David Gilliland				22
			Mike Skinner				34, 36
			Kevin Conway	ExtenZe			35
		71	Mike Wallace			Slugger Labbe	1
			David Gilliland	Capital Window/American Monster			2–21, 23–24, 28, 30, 32
			Andy Lally	Adobe Road Winery			22
			Bobby Labonte	TaxSlayer.com			25, 27, 29, 33–36
			Mike Bliss				26, 31
Wood Brothers Racing	Ford Fusion	21	Bill Elliott	Motorcraft		David Hyder	1, 4, 7, 12, 15, 19–20, 23, 29, 31, 34, 36
			David Gilliland				25
Yates/Hall of Fame Racing	Ford Fusion	28	Travis Kvapil	Golden Corral	Farmers Insurance	Ben Leslie	1–5
		96	Bobby Labonte	Ask.com/Academy Sports		Todd Parrott/Ben Leslie	1–24, 26, 28, 30–32
			Erik Darnell	Academy Sports	Valvoline / Northern Tool	Ben Leslie	25, 27, 29, 33–36
		98	Paul Menard	Menards		Larry Carter	All

Major news stories

Economic effects

Mergers, contractions, and alliances

The economic crisis of 2008 caused problems even before the 2009 season began. While gas (and diesel) prices came down to nearly $2.00 per gallon, corporate America is reluctant to shell out millions of dollars to sponsor teams due to the volatility of the stock market. As a result, Chip Ganassi Racing merged with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. to form Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. They fielded the #1 and #8 from DEI and #42 from Ganassi, and shut down the DEI #01 and #15 teams as well as Ganassi's #40 and #41 teams, as the #40 was a full-time team in 2008 until July, when it was closed for a lack of sponsorship. The #42 team will run under the Chevrolet banner under the merger as it changes from Dodge. In addition, Front Row Motorsports has EGR support for their #34 car, to be driven by John Andretti. On January 19, Petty Enterprises merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports for the merger with Petty's famous #43 joining the newly renamed Richard Petty Motorsports. On December 22, 2008, Bill Davis Racing was sold to California businessman Mike Held and BDR vice president Marty Gaunt, and was renamed Triad Racing Development. Hall of Fame Racing announced an alliance with Yates Racing on January 13, 2009 and named Bobby Labonte as the new driver of the #96 team as they move from Toyota to Ford. The first in-season casualty was the #28 team of Travis Kvapil owned by Yates Racing, ceasing operations following the Food City 500 on March 22. On April 7, the second casualty of the season was the famous #8, which folded because of a lack of sponsorship, leaving Aric Almirola without a ride. On September 10, it was announced that Yates Racing and RPM would merge, closing the #44 and #96 teams as a result for the 2010 season and the #9, #19 and #43 teams will switch to Ford.

The elimination of testing

On November 14, 2008, NASCAR announced, as another cost-cutting measure, that teams will no longer be allowed to test on NASCAR-sanctioned tracks in all three major series. Traditionally, they had had preseason tests at Daytona and Las Vegas, along with as many as four additional in-season sessions at tracks, but all teams also use unsanctioned tracks (such as Rockingham Speedway) for their tests. The testing ban covers all tracks used on NASCAR's three national series, plus tracks that host events in the Camping World East and West circuits. This radically reduces the number of tracks that can be used for testing, with Rockingham being one of the few major tracks still available. This meant that the annual "Pre-Season Thunder" testing events, which covered all three major touring series at Daytona was cancelled for 2009. However, a fan fest remained in place with the thunder provided by the Richard Petty Driving Experience for fans to ride in a special two-seat stock car. However, Goodyear will still conduct tire tests, such as at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A total of seven tests were conducted at Indianapolis following the 2008 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard tire debacle.

Reduction in manufacturer support

Following General Motors' bankruptcy, GM cut all financial support in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, and considerably reduced financial support in the Sprint Cup Series. Similarly, the Chrysler bankruptcy led to several Dodge Sprint Cup teams, including Richard Petty Motorsports, losing their manufacturer support; as stated earlier, RPM will merge with Yates and have the #9, #19 and #43 cars switch to Ford for the 2010 season. Dodge claims that "funding is on hold." Toyota gave a small reduction in funding before the season, but has not made any mid-season cuts. Rumors have floated that Toyota may leave the Camping World Truck Series or Nationwide Series; the automaker has denied these reports. Ford, the healthiest of all the automakers, continues funding at pre-crisis levels. From the 2005 season it has been rumored that Honda will join the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series, and the rumor gets stronger entering the 2009 season, as Dodge claimed it's funding on hold. This was denied by the manufacturer.

Town-hall meeting

On Tuesday, May 26, 2009, NASCAR held a town-hall meeting closed to the public and media with its drivers and owners to discuss a range of topics. Major topics discussed included the Jeremy Mayfield substance abuse suspension controversy, along with double-file restarts, the controversial Car of Tomorrow, sponsorship, testing, the reduction in TV ratings and attendance, and competition in general. All attendees considered the meeting a success.

Double-file restarts

Before the start of the season, NASCAR changed restart rules regarding the final moments of all races in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series. Previously, when the race was inside the final ten laps, all cars/trucks on the lead lap were in a single-file restart in that window. As of the 2009 season, the window changed to the final 20 laps. The "lucky dog"/"free pass" rule will still be eliminated in the last ten laps of a race.

However, before the June Pocono race, the entire restart procedure changed entirely in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. After being run successfully at the NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race and in the Budweiser Shootout, NASCAR implemented a double-file restart system starting at Pocono for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. This change came at the request of fans, drivers, owners, and the media and as a result in a decrease in TV ratings during the NASCAR on Fox portion of the season. (The June Pocono race was the first race of the 2009 season on TNT.) The entire field will line up double-file, much like the start of the race at every restart. The leaders and other lead lap cars are now in front always when taking the green flag. Cars who choose to stay out and not pit during a caution flag who are in front of the leaders are now waved-around to restart (double file) at the back of the field. The lucky dog/free pass rule is now in effect the entire distance of the race, and the double-file restarts are for every restart, including green-white-checkered finishes. The only reasons cars do not line up double-file in the order they are position wise on the leaderboard is if they are serving a penalty (in most cases, for pit road violations). The leader of the race also has the option of selecting which lane, inside or outside, to restart in, however, the 3rd place car (and 5th, 7th, and so on) will always restart on the inside.

The new restart procedure began in the NASCAR Nationwide Series on July 3 at Daytona. NASCAR said it will not be it in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series until at least 2010.

Jeremy Mayfield substance abuse controversy

Suspension

Two hours prior to the race at Darlington, NASCAR announced that driver Jeremy Mayfield had been suspended for a substance abuse policy violation. Mayfield said that the positive test was due to an interaction between a prescription drug and an over-the-counter drug. Mayfield had failed to qualify for the race.

Mayfield violated his suspension by being at the Lowe's Motor Speedway for a press conference during the all-star race weekend.

The suspension is indefinite until Mayfield completes NASCAR's substance abuse program, which includes rehabilitation and additional testing.

Controversy

In the ensuing days and weeks following the initial suspension, NASCAR was widely criticized by fans, drivers, owners, the media, and the World Anti-Doping Agency for not publicly identifying the drug found in Mayfield's test and failing to publish its drug policy or a list of banned substances. NASCAR's drug policy was later published and reports and court filings (see below) indicate that the test was positive for amphetamines. Despite releasing this information, NASCAR has still not published a definitive list of banned substances, leading to continued criticism. However, NASCAR addressed the issue in its May meeting with the NASCAR owners and drivers, who now say they understand why NASCAR doesn't publish a list. Nonetheless, some remained skeptical of NASCAR's intentions, claiming that "if NASCAR sees something they don't like, they can suspend anyone at anytime." In the middle of the controversy, NASCAR randomly tested 10 NASCAR drivers, officials, and crew members during a rain delay at the Coca-Cola 600 during Memorial Day weekend.

ESPN reported on June 9 that Mayfield tested positive for methamphetamines. This was later confirmed in court.

Lawsuit

Mayfield sued NASCAR to have his suspension lifted. Mayfield says that he had taken Claritin-D, an allergy drug, in addition to Adderall, a prescription medication used to treat attention deficit disorder. Adderall is an amphetamine.

An initial court hearing for a restraining order that would have allowed Mayfield to compete at Dover was ruled in NASCAR's favor. Mayfield's team, which had been taken over by his wife and driver J.J. Yeley, withdrew from the race at Dover. Mayfield sold his team in late July to raise funds for his legal defense. NASCAR has said that Mayfield's team may continue to compete with a different driver and under a different owner. Since Mayfield is suspended, he cannot be in the NASCAR garage area or anywhere a NASCAR license is required.

NASCAR has successfully moved the case to federal court. NASCAR has also countersued Mayfield, accusing the suspended driver of willfully violating the substance abuse policy, breach of contract, and defrauding competitors of earnings. Mayfield earned approximately $150,000 from May 1 in NASCAR earnings. May 1 is when Mayfield claims he began taking the Claritin-D. On June 25, Mayfield formally denied ever taking methamphetamines in a pre-hearing affidavit filed in U.S. District Court, while NASCAR said that the test results proved he was a chronic user of meth and was a danger to public safety.

On July 1, U.S. District Court granted Mayfield a temporary injunction that lifted Mayfield's suspension and allowed him to resume his role as driver and owner. The court ruled the damage to Mayfield was far exceeding the damage to NASCAR, and that there was a high probability that the second test sample was compromised. Mayfield did not return to the track, as his race team was low on funds and sponsors do not want to associate with Mayfield. He sold his team in late July.

On July 7, NASCAR appealed the U.S. District Court's ruling. On July 8, NASCAR formally filed an appeal with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, one step away from the United States Supreme Court. NASCAR claimed that the district court's ruling undermines NASCAR's ability to police drug use and is asking that Mayfield be re-suspended. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals granted NASCAR a motion to re-suspend Mayfield on July 24 following a second drug test. NASCAR re-suspended Mayfield immediately.

Second drug test

On July 7, Mayfield submitted to a drug test. NASCAR said Mayfield was notified by an Aegis representative at 1:18 p.m. Monday to report to a nearby testing center within two hours, but the driver said he had to first speak to his attorney. After a delay, Mayfield's attorney told NASCAR that Mayfield couldn't get to the center by 3:18 p.m., so NASCAR said it found a lab closer to his location. At 3:45 p.m., Mayfield called the lab to say he was close but lost, and a receptionist offered to talk him the rest of the way. NASCAR said Mayfield told the lab he would call right back but no one was contacted until 5:30 p.m., when Mayfield's attorney called NASCAR to inform them Mayfield could not find the location so the lawyer had sent him to an independent laboratory. Two testers and a NASCAR security officer arrived at Mayfield's home in Catawba County, N.C., at 7:20 p.m., could not gain access for 10 minutes, and then weren't able to persuade Mayfield to give a sample until 8:20 p.m. NASCAR called this seven-hour layover between the time requested for a test and the time a test was given a "classic delay tactic".

On July 15, NASCAR filed documents in U.S. District court that indicated that Mayfield had once again tested positive for methamphetamines. In addition to the second test results, NASCAR also submitted a sworn affidavit from Mayfield's stepmother in which she says that Mayfield used meth over 30 times in 7 years through snorting it up his nose. Mayfield says that "Brian France talking about effective drug programs is like having Al Capone talking about effective law enforcement," and that "I don't trust anything NASCAR does, anything (program administrator) Dr. David Black does, never have, never will." As for his stepmother, Mayfield says that "She's basically a whore. She shot and killed my dad." Lisa Mayfield (Jeremy's Stepmother) has since filed a lawsuit suing Mayfield for $20,000 in damages. Mayfield says that he has been tested almost daily by an independent lab and every test result has come back negative.

Mayfield Motorsports' general manager resigned the same day, hours before the test results were released. The team has since been sold, and few expect Mayfield to return to the track soon, if ever again.

Effect on drug testing

Many drivers have said that since the controversy began, the drug testing time has gone from a quick 5 minute in and out to a prolonged 45-minute process that includes identity verification.

Television and radio

USA

In their third year of the current NASCAR television agreement, Fox carried the Bud Shootout, the Daytona 500 and the first 13 races through Dover's June race. Fox-owned Speed Channel aired the Gatorade Duels and Sprint All Star Race XXV. TNT then picked up the next six races starting at Pocono including the summer race at Daytona, the Coke Zero 400 with its "wide open format" coverage and ending at Chicago. The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard started ESPN/ABC's coverage, including the entire Chase for the Sprint Cup on ABC.

New to Fox telecasts was 3-D CGI animated adventures of "Digger", the network's gopher cam mascot and his friends, Annie, Marbles, Grandpa and rival Lumpy Wheels (named after former Lowe's Motor Speedway chief Humpy Wheeler). According to Digger's backstory, created by Fox Sports chairman David Hill, Digger lives underground at Talladega Superspeedway. The characters were also used in segues into and out of commercial breaks. However, Digger later became a harbor of criticism, as well as what most have cited as a cause of a deeper ratings decline than in years past, adding to already lower-than-normal ratings. More is mentioned here.

Hours before the July New Hampshire race on TNT, Bill Weber was removed from the broadcast booth and replaced by Ralph Sheheen for undisclosed personal reasons. TNT and NASCAR announced on July 1 that Sheheen would replace Weber for the final two races on TNT at Daytona and Chicagoland.

The annual changes at ABC/ESPN continue. Mike Massaro became a third host of NASCAR Now on ESPN 2; Vince Welch replaced Massaro on pit road and Marty Reid is doing selected Nationwide Series events as well. But ESPN continues to face heavy criticism from NASCAR fans in result of bored announcers, bad camera work, excessive commercials and lack of post-race coverage.

On radio, Sirius XM Radio will carry all races in the series. Terrestrial radio rights are being handled as follows:

• Motor Racing Network will carry races at tracks owned by their corporate sibling, International Speedway Corporation as well as the races at Dover and Pocono and the All-Star Race at Lowe's;
• Speedway Motorsports, Inc.-owned Performance Racing Network will carry events from those SMI tracks, and will joinly produce the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network.

Speed (replacing ESPN Classic) and MRN will be the broadcasters at the annual Sprint Cup Banquet at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel Casino in said city on December 4. Las Vegas replaces New York City as the host after 27 years there, 26 of the banquets being staged in The Waldorf=Astoria Hotel.

Other North American channels

In Canada, TSN and TSN 2 covered the 2009 season.

International

In Australia, Fox Sports showed all of the Sprint Cup races live across their networks. Network Ten also showed Qualifying, Final Practice (Happy Hour), a 1-hour highlights package and selected races live on its new digital sports multichannel, ONE.

In Portugal, all races this season were telecast on SportTv 3, while in Sweden, Viasat Motor televised the races. In nearby Finland, Urheilu+Kanava telecasted the season's events, and in Great Britain and Ireland, the whole season was again telecasted on Sky Sports, in Spain Teledeporte televised six races of the season live.

In Latin America all the races were broadcast on Speed Latin America (Fox Latin American Channels). They did not telecast practices or qualifying.

Ratings

NASCAR on Fox saw an 11% decrease in TV ratings for the first 13 races of 2009. Fox's NASCAR season suffered from a trio of negative on-track trends: more cautions, fewer lead changes, and lower average speeds. 649 laps were run under caution on Fox this season, a +15% increase over last year. Put another way, there was one caution flag for every 40 miles of racing this season. Last year it was one every 45 miles, in Fox's first NASCAR season (2001) it was one every 63 miles. Ten years ago it was one every 72 miles. Lead changes were down this year, with one coming every 20 miles compared to last year's once every 17 miles. That's at least one extra lap between lead changes, sometimes more. Average speed, which is obviously tied to number of cautions, was also down this year. This year's average speed during Fox races was 118 mph. Last year it was 124 mph. In 2001 it was 128 mph, and in 1999, before Fox arrived on the scene, it was 130 mph.

NASCAR on TNT saw the first and to date only increase in TV ratings at New Hampshire, up 2.5% from 2008. Ratings remained the same from 2008 at Michigan, but saw a decrease in ratings at its other races. Overall, TNT saw an 8% decrease in ratings from 2008.

Drivers

Template:NASCAR driver results legend  Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Pole position set by owner's points standings. * – Most laps led.

Pos	Driver	DAY	CAL	LSV	ATL	BRI	MAR	TEX	PHO	TAL	RIC	DAR	CHA	DOV	POC	MIC	INF	NHA	DY2	CHI	IND	PO2	GLN	MI2	BR2	ATL	RI2		NH2	DV2	KN2	CA2	CH2	MA2	TL2	TX2	PH2	HOM	Points
1	Jimmie Johnson	31	9	24*	9	3	1	2	4	30	36	2	13	1*	7	22*	4	9*	2	8	1	13	12	33*	8	36	11		4	1*	9	1*	1*	2	6	38	1*	5	6652
2	Mark Martin	16	40	40	31	6	7	6	1*	43	5	1	17	10	19	1	35	14	38	1*	2	7	23	31	2*	5	4		1	2	7	4	17	8	28	4	4	12	6511
3	Jeff Gordon	13	2	6	2	4	4	1*	25	37	8	5	14	26	4	2	9	2	28	2	9	8	37	2	23	8	3		15	8	2	2	4	5	20	13	9	6	6473
4	Kurt Busch	10	5	23	1*	11	18	8	3	6	12	16	34	5	37	8	15	3	5	17	27	9	7	36	7	38	2		6	5	11	8	10	17	30	1	6	4	6446
5	Denny Hamlin	26	6	22	13	2	2*	12	6	22	14*	13	11	36	38	3	5	15	3	5	34	1*	10	10	5	6	1*		2	22	5	37	42	1*	38	2	3	1*	6335
6	Tony Stewart	8	8	26	8	17	3	4	2	23	2	3	19	2	1	7	2	5	1*	4	3	10	1*	17	33	11	17		14	9	1	5	13	9	35	6	25	22	6309
7	Greg Biffle	20	4	7	34	39	28	3	5	7	17	8*	20	3	11	5	28	18	18	31	4	15	5	20	4	10	13		9	13	3*	20	16	25	4	8	14	14	6292
8	Juan Pablo Montoya	14	11	31	27	9	12	7	24	20	10	20	8	30	8	6	6	12	9	10	11*	2	6	19	25	3	19		3*	4	4	3	35	3	19	37	8	38	6252
9	Ryan Newman	36	28	25	22	7	6	15	16	3	4	4	2	8	5	23	17	29	20	6	14	14	21	15	6	9	10		7	10	22	15	11	7	36	12	20	23	6175
10	Kasey Kahne	29	12	11	7	5	19	19	13	36	29	23	7	6	15	21	1*	10	15	3	7	5	17	11	28	1	12		38	8	6	34	3	32	2	33	15	17	6128
11	Carl Edwards	18	7	17	3	15	26	10	10	24	26	32	4	7	2*	4	13	19	4	14	15	18	3	4	16	37	15		17	11	10	6	39	20	14	39	16	7	6118
12	Brian Vickers	39	10	8	5	29	33	16	19	8	15	31	5	25	21	9	16	35	7	7	5	6	11	1	12	7	7		11	18	37	29	34	11	13	26	38	20	5929
Chase for the Championship automatic qualifying cut-off
Pos	Driver	DAY	CAL	LSV	ATL	BRI	MAR	TEX	PHO	TAL	RIC	DAR	CHA	DOV	POC	MIC	INF	NHA	DY2	CHI	IND	PO2	GLN	MI2	BR2	ATL	RI2		NH2	DV2	KN2	CA2	CH2	MA2	TL2	TX2	PH2	HOM	Points
13	Kyle Busch	41*	3	1	18	1*	24	18	17	25*	1	34	6*	23	22	13	22	7	14	33	38	16	4	23	1	13	5		5	31	12	24	8	4	15	11*	12	8	4457
14	Matt Kenseth	1	1*	43	12	33	23	5	27	17	13	10	10	4	16	20	18	22	8	23	10	11	14	14	10	12	25		23	3	39	13	2	14	24	3	18	13	4389
15	Clint Bowyer	4	19	2	6	13	5	22	26	39	18	37	36	11	12	10	8	20	29	9	18	3	9	8	21	29	6		10	15	21	9	6	19	12	7	7	11	4359
16	David Reutimann	12	14	4	32	12	20	11	8	26	28	29	1	18	3	19	31	4	36	12	8	29	25	9	17	4	20		12	21	8	18	15	16	26	16	10	15	4221
17	Jeff Burton	28	32	3	14	8	15	9	15	10	3	12	25	16	9	26	34	31	16	37	25	21	38	18	18	34	18		16	16	23	30	14	15	5	9	2	2	4022
18	Marcos Ambrose	17	22	20	38	10	14	41	14	4	11	33	26	20	6	31	3	23	6	11	22	34	2	35	3	23	22		20	14	14	23	22	27	34	15	11	35	3830
19	Kevin Harvick	2	38	12	4	30	11	27	30	38	34	11	41	17	24	18	29	34	26	19	6	12	35	12	38	2	9		32	12	24	10	18	10	21	5	24	3	3796
20	Joey Logano	43	26	13	30	38	32	30	21	9	19	9	9	15	23	25	19	1	19	18	12	27	16	7	34	22	14		21	42	28	14	5	12	3	19	21	24	3791
21	Casey Mears	15	24	30	16	24	21	21	20	16	9	36	33	9	14	24	23	11	34	28	19	25	15	6	13	25	30		13	17	15	11	7	18	25	21	27	19	3759
22	Jamie McMurray	37	16	9	15	37	10	38	11	42	7	22	21	14	13	11	14	33	11	22	21	20	40	32	11	28	27		18	28	31	36	33	6	1*	20	19	18	3604
23	Martin Truex Jr.	11	27	32	10	26	29	25	7	33	22	6	23	21	18	36	25	37	25	16	17	19	28	21	22	26*	37		19	33	16	22	9	28	31	14	5	9	3503
24	A. J. Allmendinger	3	29	33	17	16	9	34	35	35	21	17	32	29	30	39	7	32	17	13	20	17	13	22	37	20	23		25	7	17	33	23	34	33	10	13	10	3476
25	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	27	39	10	11	14	8	20	31	2	27	27	40	12	27	14	26	13	39	15	36	28	39	3	9	17	21		35	20	36	25	38	29	11	25	35	28	3422
26	Elliott Sadler	5	25	29	20	20	31	32	32	19	25	14	31	27	25	12	10	26	10	27	40	24	32	25	26	21	34		8	30	20	32	26	21	9	22	28	41	3350
27	David Ragan	6	17	42	19	27	27	37	22	12	23	38	24	24	26	15	33	38	13	25	24	22	24	30	14	33	33		33	24	35	7	20	22	17	17	23	34	3252
28	Sam Hornish Jr.	32	23	16	37	31	34	17	9	34	6	30	16	13	10	29	38	8	32	38	37	4	36	5	35	35	8		37	26	18	12	40	36	40	40	17	21	3203
29	Reed Sorenson	9	21	34	33	23	17	36	12	11	20	19	35	19	20	27	40	17	33	24	13	35	31	29	19	27	16		36	35	26	31	21	24	16	36	26	40	3147
30	Bobby Labonte	22	20	5	40	22	16	40	29	28	31	18	12	28	28	28	20	21	21	21	23	36	20	43	36	18	31		22	23	43	26	31	13	10	31	39	31	3128
31	Paul Menard	38	37	35	28	25	25	13	23	13	30	15	29	32	29	34	21	30	23	35	29	26	19	26	24	15	28		34	19	30	27	27	23	42	29	29	26	2979
32	David Stremme	33	13	18	23	19	22	14	18	31	38	24	22	31	34	38	39	28	35	26	16	32	26	13	20	14	26		28	29	25	16	19	33	22			DNQ	2919
33	Michael Waltrip	7	15	27	25	32	13	24	37	21	24	40	30	35	17	30		24	37	20	35	31		27	31	32	32		27	36	38	17	32	30	7	23	36	30	2839
34	Robby Gordon	34	30	15	26	21	40	39	39	29	16	28	3	33	31	17	36	25	22	34	28	33	18	37	32	16			24	34	34	38	30	37	32	27	22	39	2699
35	Scott Speed	35	41	21	35	28	39	DNQ	34	5	33	26+	18	37	32	37	37+	36	31	36	31	23	22	34	15	24	36		31	25	27	21	28	31	27	18	33	27	2690
36	John Andretti	19	31	28	29	34	35	26	38	27	32			34	35	33	30	16	27	30	32	30	30	28	30	31	29		26	27	33	19	36	26	23	24	34	33	2597
37	David Gilliland		33	14	24	36	36	29	33	40	39	43	27	43	42	32	32	40	40	42	30	41	DNQ	40	39	19	24			39	DNQ	42	25	39		28	30	29	1928
38	Brad Keselowski	DNQ		38				23		1		7		DNQ				6	24	32				24			38				13		12		8	35	37	25	1528
39	Regan Smith	21		19				31	28	15		21		22	33			27	12		39				24	DNQ	40			32		28			39	32	DNQ	32	1440
40	Joe Nemechek	DNQ	43	41	39	41	41	DNQ	41	14	40	DNP	37	38	41	42	DNP	39	41	41	43	39	DNQ	39	41	42	35		40	41	42	39	43	38	43	42	40	DNQ	1342
41	Dave Blaney		42	DNQ	41	43	42	43	42		43	41	28	39	40	40	42	42	43	43	42	40	42	42	43	43	43		42	37	40	41	DNQ	40	41	DNQ	42	DNQ	1204
42	Bill Elliott	23			36			28					15			16				29	26			16							19		29			34		16	1095
43	Max Papis			36				35		18		35	42	DNQ		35	12		DNQ		DNQ		8		DNQ	40	37				32	35	41		29	DNQ	32	DNQ	1047
44	Mike Bliss				43			42			37		43	40						40				38		41	42			40	41	43	24			DNQ			577
45	Tony Raines	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ			DNQ		43		41	25	39	42	DNQ	43		41	30	DNQ		42		DNQ	42	DNQ	DNQ		43	43		DNQ				DNQ	43		528
46	Aric Almirola	30	35	39	21	35	37	33																	DNQ				29										527
47	Erik Darnell																									30			30		29				37	30	31	36	472
48	Scott Riggs	25	36	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	30	DNQ	36	41	42	39	38																										448
49	Travis Kvapil	42	18	DNQ	42	18																											DNQ	43				37	378
50	Patrick Carpentier														43		11	43	42			37	33			DNQ													351
51	Terry Labonte	24																			33				40	39							37					42	338
52	Michael McDowell									DNQ																	41		41	38	DNQ	40	DNQ	41		41	41	43	326
53	Sterling Marlin		DNQ	DNQ		40	DNQ		40			42			39	41					DNQ	38											DNQ	35					316
54	Jeremy Mayfield	40	34	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	38	DNQ	DNQ	32	35	DNQ																											288
55	Mike Skinner	DNQ												41		DNQ				39	41			41	DNQ											43		DNQ	200
56	Ron Fellows																27						29																158
57	Boris Said	DNQ															24						34																152
58	Todd Bodine		DNQ	37	DNQ	42	43	DNQ	DNQ		DNQ		DNQ																										123
59	Robert Richardson, Jr.																																		18				109
60	Andy Lally																						27																82
61	Mike Wallace	DNQ													DNQ			DNQ	DNQ	DNQ		43			DNQ				39			DNQ							80
62	Scott Wimmer																								29					DNQ									76
63	Dexter Bean			DNQ					DNQ						36			DNQ		DNQ									DNQ										55
64	P.J. Jones																43						41																40
65	Brandon Ash								DNQ								41																				DNQ		40
66	Derrike Cope	DNQ					DNQ							DNQ	DNQ						DNQ								DNQ					42					37
67	Tony Ave																						43																34
Pos	Driver	DAY	CAL	LSV	ATL	BRI	MAR	TEX	PHO	TAL	RIC	DAR	CHA	DOV	POC	MIC	INF	NHA	DY2	CHI	IND	PO2	GLN	MI2	BR2	ATL	RI2		NH2	DV2	KN2	CA2	CH2	MA2	TL2	TX2	PH2	HOM	Points
	Mike Garvey	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ									DNQ
	Geoff Bodine	DNQ			DNQ
	Carl Long	DNQ
	Kirk Shelmerdine	DNQ
	Norm Benning	DNQ
	Kelly Bires	DNQ
	David Starr		DNQ										DNQ	DNQ
	Dennis Setzer						DNQ
	Trevor Boys								DNQ		DNQ				Wth
	Eric McClure									DNQ
	J. J. Yeley												DNQ
	Brian Simo																DNQ						DNQ
	Tom Hubert																DNQ
	Chris Cook																DNQ
	Ted Christopher																	DNQ
	Kevin Hamlin																														DNQ
	Josh Wise																																	DNQ
	Kevin Conway																																				DNQ

Note:This list does not include exhibition races.

⁺ Scott Speed failed to qualify his normal ride, the #82 Red Bull Toyota at Darlington and Infineon, but drove Joe Nemechek's #87 Toyota for those two races, replacing Nemechek, who had a relationship with Jay Frye, vice president of Red Bull and the listed owner of Nemechek's #13 Ginn Racing Chevtolet in 2007 that would later be merged with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. on July 25, 2007.

2009 season races

See List of 2009 NASCAR races for a complete list and schedule of the 2009 season races.

Budweiser Shootout

Main article: 2009 Budweiser Shootout

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
2	26	Jamie McMurray	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
3	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
4	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	44	A.J. Allmendinger	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
6	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
7	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
9	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
10	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing

Gatorade Duels

Main article: 2009 Gatorade Duels

Top Ten Finishers in Race #1 and #2
Race 1						Race 2
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Team	Make		Pos.	Car #	Driver	Team	Make
1	24	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet		1	18	Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
2	14	Tony Stewart	Stewart-Haas Racing	Chevrolet		2	5	Mark Martin	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
3	48	Jimmie Johnson	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet		3	83	Brian Vickers	Team Red Bull	Toyota
4	20	Joey Logano	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota		4	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing	Chevrolet
5	8	Aric Almirola	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing	Chevrolet		5	11	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
6	2	Kurt Busch	Penske Championship Racing	Dodge		6	96	Bobby Labonte	Hall of Fame Racing	Ford
7	9	Kasey Kahne	Richard Petty Motorsports	Dodge		7	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
8	36	Scott Riggs	Tommy Baldwin Racing	Toyota		8	99	Carl Edwards	Roush Fenway Racing	Ford
9	98	Paul Menard	Yates Racing	Ford		9	41	Jeremy Mayfield	Mayfield Motorsports	Toyota
10	26	Jamie McMurray	Roush Fenway Racing	Ford		10	44	A.J. Allmendinger	Richard Petty Motorsports	Dodge

Drivers listed in boldface qualified outside the Top 35 owners points exemption from 2008 season.

Daytona 500

Main article: 2009 Daytona 500

The 51st edition of "The Great American Race" was held on February 15, 2009. For only the fourth time in the history of the Daytona 500, the race was cut short due to rain. On Lap 145 of the 200 lap race, Matt Kenseth took the lead for the first time that day. On the next lap a caution was called due to a wreck between Sam Hornish, Jr. and Aric Almirola. After six caution laps the race was red-flagged and eventually called because of the weather. Kenseth won the race after having led only one lap under green. There was also controversy over a nine-car wreck that occurred on Lap 124 when Dale Earnhardt, Jr. attempted to pass Brian Vickers. When Vickers threw a block on Earnhardt and forced him below the yellow line, Earnhardt came back up and hit the left-rear side of Vickers' car causing the pile-up. Many believed that Earnhardt hit Vickers intentionally and that he should have been fined by NASCAR, though Earnhardt maintains that the contact was accidental. The fact that Earnhardt and Vickers were both a lap down further angered fellow drivers, especially Kyle Busch who was taken out of the race by the wreck after having led 88 laps.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
2	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
3	44	A.J. Allmendinger	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
4	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
5	19	Elliott Sadler	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
6	6	David Ragan	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
7	55	Michael Waltrip	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
8	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
9	43	Reed Sorenson	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
10	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing

NOTE: Race was shortened to 380 miles (Template:Convert/(380)*1609.344) or 152 laps due to rain.
Failed to qualify:

Race #1: Joe Nemechek (#87), Brad Keselowski (#09), Carl Long (#46), Tony Raines (#37), Kirk Shelmerdine (#27), Mike Skinner (#23).

Race #2: Mike Wallace (#71), Kelly Bires (#51), Derrike Cope (#75), Norm Benning (#57), Mike Garvey (#73), Geoffrey Bodine (#64), Boris Said (#08).

Auto Club 500

Main article: 2009 Auto Club 500

The Auto Club 500 took place on February 22 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Brian Vickers won the pole, but due to an engine change, would start in the back of the field. After not winning a race in 2008, Matt Kenseth became one of only five people in Sprint Cup history to win both of the first two races in a season, but Kyle Busch failed to be the first person in NASCAR history to win 3 different NASCAR races in one weekend.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
2	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
4	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
6	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
7	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Renway Racing
8	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
9	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team

Failed to qualify: Sterling Marlin (#09), Tony Raines (#37), David Starr (#51), Todd Bodine (#64), Mike Garvey (#73).

Shelby 427

Main article: 2009 Shelby 427

The Shelby 427 was held on March 1, 2009 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch won the pole for the race. However, due to an engine change prior to qualifying, he had to start the race at the back of the field. Nevertheless, Busch went on to win for the first time at his hometown track.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
3	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
4	00	David Reutimann	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
5	96	Bobby Labonte	Ford	Hall of Fame Racing
6	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
7	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team
9	26	Jamie McMurray	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
10	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports

Failed to Qualify: Travis Kvapil (#28), Dave Blaney (#66), Mike Garvey (#73), Jeremy Mayfield (#41), Sterling Marlin (#09), Scott Riggs (#36), Tony Raines (#37), Dexter Bean (#51)

Kobalt Tools 500

Main article: 2009 Kobalt Tools 500

Kurt Busch crushed the field, getting the victory by holding off Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards on a green-white checkered finish. Mark Martin won the pole.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
2	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
5	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team
6	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
8	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
9	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10	1	Martin Truex, Jr.	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

Failed to Qualify: Todd Bodine (#35), Scott Riggs (#36), Jeremy Mayfield (#41), Geoff Bodine (#64)

Food City 500

Main article: 2009 Food City 500

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
3	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
4	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
6	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
7	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	Stewart Haas Racing
8	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
9	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
10	47	Marcos Ambrose	Toyota	JTG Daugherty Racing

Failed to Qualify: Scott Riggs (#36), Jeremy Mayfield (#41)

Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500

Main article: Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
3	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
4	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
6	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
7	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
8	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
9	44	A.J. Allmendinger	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
10	26	Jamie McMurray	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing

Failed to Qualify: Sterling Marlin (#09), Tony Raines (#37), Dennis Setzer (#46), Derrike Cope (#75)

Samsung 500

Main article: 2009 Samsung 500

Jeff Gordon ended his 47-race winless streak, the longest in his career, by winning the Samsung 500 on April 5, 2009. It was Gordon's first-ever win at Texas Motor Speedway in any event, the last track where he had not win any NASCAR-sanctioned race. (Although Gordon has yet to win a Sprint Cup race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Gordon won the 2000 NASCAR Nationwide Series (Busch Series) race at Homestead.)

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
5	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
7	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
8	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
9	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing

Failed to Qualify: Joe Nemechek (#87), Scott Speed (#82), Jeremy Mayfield (#41), Todd Bodine (#64), Scott Riggs (#36)

Subway Fresh Fit 500

Main article: 2009 Subway Fresh Fit 500

Mark Martin wins ending a 97-race winless streak, scoring his first win since Kansas in 2005. Sam Hornish Jr. gets his first career top 10.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
3	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
4	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
7	1	Martin Truex, Jr.	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
8	00	David Reutimann	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
9	77	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Dodge	Penske Racing
10	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing

Failed to Qualify: Todd Bodine (#64), Jeremy Mayfield (#41), Dexter Bean (#51), Brandon Ash (#02), Trevor Boys (#06)

Aaron's 499

Main article: Aaron's 499

Brad Keselowski got his first Sprint Cup win after making contact with Carl Edwards, sending Edwards into Ryan Newman and flipping into the catchfence. It was Keselowski's fifth start, and it was also the first lap he ever led in a Sprint Cup series event. It was also Keselowski's first top 10 finish. Other first time top 10 finishers included Scott Speed and Joey Logano.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	09	Brad Keselowski	Chevrolet	Phoenix Racing
2	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
4	47	Marcos Ambrose	Toyota	JTG Daugherty Racing
5	82	Scott Speed	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team
6	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
7	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team
9	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
10	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing

Failed to Qualify: Michael McDowell (#66), Eric McClure (#4)

Crown Royal Presents the Russell Friedman 400

Kyle Busch took the lead from Jeff Gordon with 48 laps to go and became only the second driver to get a win on his birthday.

Main article: 2009 Crown Royal 400

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
3	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
4	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
5	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
6	77	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Dodge	Penske Racing
7	26	Jamie McMurray	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
9	07	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

Failed to Qualify: Todd Bodine (#64), Trevor Boys (#06)

Southern 500 presented by GoDaddy.com

Main article: 2009 Southern 500

The 2009 Southern 500 presented by GoDaddy.com was held at Darlington Raceway on May 9. The biggest news to come out of this race was the indefinite suspension of Jeremy Mayfield as both owner and driver of the self-owned #41 car in a pre-race media opportunity.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
4	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
5	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
6	1	Martin Truex, Jr.	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
7	25	Brad Keselowski	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
8	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
9	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
10	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing

Failed to Qualify: Jeremy Mayfield (#41), Scott Speed (#82)

NOTE: Scott Speed's team paid Joe Nemechek to let Speed drive his car in this race.

NASCAR Sprint Showdown

Main article: NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXV

Although a non-points race, Sam Hornish Jr. wins his first stock car race in his career.

Top Two Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	77	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Dodge	Penske Racing
2	26	Jamie McMurray	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
Qualified via fan vote
	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing

In pre-race practice, Carl Long blew a motor and requested to change his engine. Per NASCAR procedure and the one-engine per weekend rule, NASCAR confiscated the blown motor and allowed Long to change his engine. However, in inspecting the blown engine, the engine was found to be 358.17 cubic inches, 0.17 cubic inches too big. Long was penalized 200 driver and owner points, crew chief Charles Swing was fined $200,000, and the team was suspended for 12 races, a record penalty. Long appealed and lost to the appeals board, but the National Stock Car Racing Commissioner lowered the suspension from 12 to 8 races. The appeals board also allowed Long to compete in lower-level racing series. Long still must come up with $200,000 to for the fine, which he is unsure how he will come up with. Fans have so far raised $16,000.

NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race

Main article: NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXV

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
2	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
3	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
4	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
5	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
7	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
8	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
9	26	Jamie McMurray	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
10	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports

Coca-Cola 600

Main article: 2009 Coca-Cola 600

The 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 was scheduled to have been held on May 24 but was postponed to May 25 (Memorial Day in the USA) due to rain, marking the first time the race was held on that holiday. Kyle Busch led 173 of the 228 laps. During the last caution, David Reutimann opted not to go to his pit, a choice that led to his first Sprint Cup victory after the race was called due to rain. The race was also stopped at 3 PM US EDT to remember those who had given their lives in a moment of silence.Robby Gordon was penalized 50 owner and 50 driver points while crew chief Kirk Almquist was fined $50,000 and placed on probation until Dec. 31 after the race. Officials said the rear axle housing of the #7 Toyota, which was taken following a third-place finish by Gordon, exceeded the maximum specified toe of plus or minus one degree.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	00	David Reutimann	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
2	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
3	7	Robby Gordon	Toyota	Robby Gordon Motorsports
4	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team
6	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
7	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
8	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
9	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
10	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing

Failed to Qualify: J.J. Yeley (#41), Mike Garvey (#73), Todd Bodine (#64), David Starr (#06)

Autism Speaks 400

Main article: 2009 Autism Speaks 400 presented by Heluva Good!

The Autism Speaks 400 at Dover was run on May 31, 2009. This was the final race on NASCAR on Fox for the 2009 season. Jimmie Johnson came back from a bad final pit stop to win the race in a thrilling side-by-side battle with Tony Stewart at the end of the race. David Reutimann won the pole.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart Haas Racing
3	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
6	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
7	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush-Fenway Racing
8	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
9	07	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports

Failed to Qualify: Brad Keselowski (#25), Max Papis (#13), Derrike Cope (#75), David Starr #06

Pocono 500

Main article: 2009 Pocono 500

NASCAR's first points race with double-file restarts and first race of 2009 for TNT turned into a fuel-saving and fuel-conserving race. Tony Stewart took the lead on the final round of pit stops to win his first race as driver-owner, the first time a driver-owner won a race since Ricky Rudd in 1998.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
2	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
3	00	David Reutimann	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
4	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
6	47	Marcos Ambrose	Toyota	JTG Daugherty Racing
7	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
8	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
9	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10	77	Sam Hornish Jr.	Dodge	Penske Racing

Failed to Qualify: Derrike Cope (#75), Mike Wallace (#64), Tony Raines (#37)

LifeLock 400

Main article: 2009 LifeLock 400

Jimmie Johnson dominated the race. Johnson and Greg Biffle went cat and mouse on fuel mileage late in the race, and both ran out of fuel on the last lap, allowing then-third place Mark Martin to get the win. Brian Vickers won the pole.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
4	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush-Fenway Racing
5	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Roush-Fenway Racing
6	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
7	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
8	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
9	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team
10	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing

Failed to Qualify: Mike Skinner (#36)

Toyota/Save Mart 350

Main article: 2009 Toyota/Save Mart 350

Kasey Kahne picked up his first win in more than a year, and his first-ever win on a road course. Car owner Richard Petty returned to victory lane for the first time in 10 years. Petty had all his cars in the top 10, except for Reed Sorenson.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
2	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
3	47	Marcos Ambrose	Toyota	JTG Daugherty Racing
4	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
6	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
7	44	A.J. Allmendinger	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
8	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
9	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10	19	Elliott Sadler	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports

Failed to Qualify: Scott Speed (#82), Tom Hubert (#27), Chris Cook (#37), Brian Simo (#36)

NOTE: Scott Speed's team paid Joe Nemechek to let Speed drive his car in this race.

Lenox Industrial Tools 301

Main article: 2009 Lenox Industrial Tools 301

Joey Logano, at the age of Template:Age in years and days, became the youngest driver to win a Cup Race after this event was shortened due to rain. He became the third first-time Sprint Cup race winner of the season.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
4	00	David Reutimann	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
5	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
6	09	Brad Keselowski	Chevrolet	Phoenix Racing
7	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
8	77	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Dodge	Penske Racing
9	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports

Failed to Qualify: Dexter Bean (#51), Ted Christopher (#27)

Coke Zero 400

Main article: 2009 Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola

Tony Stewart, won the race by edging Kyle Busch, and Busch hit Kasey Kahne's roof, causing him to hit surrounding cars and nearly flipped his car, finishing 14th. Busch told the media several days later that Stewart should have gotten a black flag and the win would have been given to the 3rd place driver which was the position Jimmie Johnson was in before the accident happened. Stewart got the pole due to qualifying being rained out.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart Haas Racing
2	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
4	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
6	47	Marcos Ambrose	Toyota	JTG Daugherty Racing
7	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team
8	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
9	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
10	19	Elliott Sadler	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports

Failed to Qualify: Mike Wallace (#64), Max Papis (#13)

NOTE: Regan Smith's team made an agreement with Mike Wallace's team, which withdrew, allowing Smith to race.

LifeLock.com 400

By finishing 1st and 2nd in both races sponsored by LifeLock this season, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon win the Musgrove family $1,000,000. Martin dominated, leading 4 times for 195 laps. The race had some wild final laps, as Martin went to the lead with 15 laps left after a pass on Brian Vickers when he and Denny Hamlin touched. Jeff Gordon was the highest car with fresh tires, making up six spots in only two laps. Brian Vickers won his fifth pole of the season.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
4	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart Haas Racing
5	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
6	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	Stewart Haas Racing
7	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team
8	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
9	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

Failed to Qualify: Mike Wallace (#64), Dexter Bean (#51), Tony Raines (#37)

Allstate 400 at the Brickyard

Juan Pablo Montoya led the most laps in a race for the first time in his career. He led 116 laps until a penalty stopped his chances of a win. Jimmie Johnson took off to the lead with 20 laps to go, holding off tenacious teammate Mark Martin for his third win of the season. Martin also won the pole.

Main article: 2009 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard

Top Ten Finishers
Place	Car #	Driver	Car make	Team
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart Haas Racing
4	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team
6	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
8	00	David Reutimann	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
9	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing

Failed to Qualify: Sterling Marlin (#09), Max Papis (#13), Derrike Cope (#75)

Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500

The Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 was originally scheduled to take place on August 2, but was postponed a day due to rain. Points leader, Tony Stewart, was to start on the pole, but because he wrecked in practice, third in points, Jeff Gordon, started from point. Denny Hamlin got his fifth career win, and his first of the 2009 season after leading the most laps. It was also the first race since 2004 that only 43 cars showed up to qualify.

Main article: 2009 Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500

Top Ten Finishers
Place	Car #	Driver	Car make	Team
1	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
3	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
4	77	Sam Hornish Jr.	Dodge	Penske Championship Racing
5	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
6	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team
7	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
8	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
9	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Championship Racing
10	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart Haas Racing

Failed to Qualify: None

Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen

Main article: 2009 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen

The Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen, the second and final road course race of the season, was held on August 10 at Watkins Glen International in the New York village of said racetrack. Jimmie Johnson won the pole for the race and after a great qualifing run, Tony Stewart won the event.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Stewart Haas Racing
2	47	Marcos Ambrose	Toyota	JTG Daugherty Racing / Michael Waltrip Racing
3	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
5	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
7	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Championship Racing
8	13	Max Papis	Toyota	Germain Racing
9	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing

Failed to qualify: Joe Nemechek (#87), Brian Simo (#36), and David Gilliland (#70).

Reed Sorenson was suffering from inhalation of carbon monoxide during Pocono. Petty Motorsports had Jacques Villeneuve on standby.

Carfax 400

Main article: 2009 Carfax 400

The Carfax 400 was held August 16 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Team Red Bull's pole position was earned by Brian Vickers in qualifying, just as he did in 2008. Tony Stewart locked himself into the Chase with the 34 points for starting, getting a 17th place finish.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team
2	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
4	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	77	Sam Hornish Jr.	Dodge	Penske Championship Racing
6	07	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
8	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
9	00	David Reutimann	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
10	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing

Failed to Qualify: Tony Raines (#37).

Sharpie 500

Main article: 2009 Sharpie 500

The Sharpie 500 was held August 22 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Mark Martin won the pole for this event. However Kyle Busch, after a horrible mid-season, won his second straight Bristol race, the first person to win both Cup Bristol races since 2003, which was his brother Kurt Busch.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos	Car #	Driver	Car Make	Team
1	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	47	Marcos Ambrose	Toyota	JTG Daugherty Racing / Michael Waltrip Racing
4	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
6	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	Stewart Haas Racing
7	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Championship Racing
8	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
9	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing

Failed to qualify: Max Papis (#13), Mike Skinner (#36), Mike Wallace (#64), and Aric Almirola (#09).

Pep Boys Auto 500

Main article: Pep Boys Auto 500

The Pep Boys Auto 500 was held on September 6 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. As part of the 2009 NASCAR realignment, this race was moved to the Labor Day weekend. Kurt Busch, who dominated the race in March, started 6th. On a double file restart with 10 to go, Kasey Kahne, who started second, took the lead from Kevin Harvick, who has been struggling this season. Kahne then held off Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya for his second win of the season and keeping himself in contention to make the Chase.

Top Ten Finishers
Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports
2	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
3	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
4	00	David Reutimann	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
5	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
6	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
7	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Red Bull Racing
8	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
9	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing
10	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing

Failed to qualify: Patrick Carpentier (#36), Tony Raines (#37), and Regan Smith (#78).

DNQ For The Chase: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#88), Jeff Burton (#31), Kevin Harvick (#29), Joey Logano (#20).

Green indicates that the driver is in contention to make the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup

Yellow indicates that the driver is on the bubble to make the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup

Red indicates that the driver is eliminated from the Chase

Chevy Rock & Roll 400

Main article: 2009 Chevy Rock & Roll 400

The final "regular season" race, the Chevy Rock and Roll 400, was held on Saturday, September 12, 2009. This race set the field for the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup with the top 12 drivers being eligible, and having their points reset to 5,000 with a ten-point bonus for each win they earned in the first 26 races of the season.

Top Ten Finishers

Pos.	Car #	Driver	Make	Team
1	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
3	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
4	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
6	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team
8	77	Sam Hornish Jr.	Dodge	Penske Racing
9	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	Stewart Haas Racing

"Out of Chase": Kyle Busch (#18), Matt Kenseth (#17), David Reutimann (#00), Clint Bowyer (#33)

Rookie of the Year

The clear favorite for Rookie of the year was 18-year-old standout Joey Logano. Despite struggling early in the year, Logano became the youngest winner in Sprint Cup Series history by winning the rain shortened Lenox Industrial Tools 301. The other competitors, former Formula 1 driver Scott Speed and Max Papis, struggled to adjust to stock cars.

External links

• 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at ESPN
• NASCAR.com
• NASCAR 2010 Schedule Released
• RacingOne
• Jayski's Silly Season Site
• Speed Channel
• ThatsRacin.com
• 2009 Sprint Cup Series schedule
• Racing-Reference.info

This page uses some content from Wikipedia. The original article was at 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Autopedia, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.