Lap-by-Lap: Michigan
Lap-by-Lap: Michigan
By NASCAR.COM
Lap 200 -- CHECKERED FLAG: Carl Edwards wins the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan, his fifth victory of the season. As the field crosses the line, Jimmie Johnson spins in the grass after contact with Travis Kvapil in a battle for 13th.
Lap 199 -- WHITE FLAG: Carl Edwards pulls away from Kyle Busch. David Ragan and Greg Biffle follow. Matt Kenseth makes a move to pass Mark Martin for fifth.
Lap 198 -- GREEN FLAG: Carl Edwards gets the race back under way.
1. Carl Edwards
2. Kyle Busch
3. David Ragan
4. Greg Biffle
5. Mark Martin
Lap 194 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 7: Denny Hamlin's car goes up in smoke with a blown engine.
Lap 194 -- Mark Martin moves into fifth place.
Lap 192 -- Carl Edwards has a 0.834-second lead on Kyle Busch.
Lap 191 -- David Ragan battles back below Kyle Busch as they run side-by-side, but Busch holds the spot as the come off Turn 2.
Lap 190 -- Kyle Busch quickly dives beneath David Ragan to take second just after the green flag.
Lap 190 -- GREEN FLAG: Carl Edwards leads the field to green.
1. Carl Edwards
2. David Ragan
3. Kyle Busch
4. Greg Biffle
5. Brian Vickers
Lap 188 -- Jimmie Johnson and several other lap-down cars pit. Johnson will get the free pass.
Lap 187 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 6: Debris is on the track, possibly from Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car when he hit the wall.
Lap 183 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards goes to the outside of David Ragan for the lead.
Lap 183 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. slows after getting into the wall. He has heavy damage on the right side and heads down pit road.
Lap 182 -- GREEN FLAG: David Ragan gets the race back under way.
1. David Ragan
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Carl Edwards
4. Kyle Busch
5. Greg Biffle
Lap 181 -- LEAD CHANGE: David Ragan stays on the track and inherits the lead. Dale Earnhardt Jr. also stays out and runs second.
Lap 180 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards leads the lap down pit road.
Lap 180 -- Some of the leaders come down pit road:
• Kyle Busch is in for tires due to his concern; two tires
• Carl Edwards follows with right-sides only and beats Busch
• Greg Biffle is third out with a fast stop
Lap 179 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Debris is on the track.
Lap 176 -- Kyle Busch tells his crew the right-front tire feels like it's gone already. Busch has lost his margin of lead and is trying to hold off Carl Edwards for the top spot.
Lap 174 -- Jeff Gordon is officially out of the race, scoring a 42nd-place finish.
Lap 173 -- Jamie McMurray is up to 12th, as all five Roush Fenway Racing cars are in the top 12.
Lap 170 -- Kurt Busch spins around and into the grass coming off Turn 4 and heads directly to pit road. Busch had cut a tire on the restart from contact with Tony Raines. No caution.
Lap 169 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Busch goes to the outside of Brian Vickers to take the lead again.
Lap 169 -- GREEN FLAG: Brian Vickers leads the field to green.
1. Brian Vickers
2. Kyle Busch
3. Carl Edwards
4. Greg Biffle
5. David Ragan
Lap 167 -- LEAD CHANGE: Brian Vickers is the new leader after pit stops.
Lap 166 -- Carl Edwards leads the lap on pit road.
Lap 165 -- Leaders are on pit road:
• David Ragan takes out some air pressure in his tires
• Kyle Busch wants a loose car and gets adjustments
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets an air-pressure adjustment
• Carl Edwards gets a big wedge adjustment and tires
• Brian Vickers gains five spots on pit road
Lap 164 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: Debris is on the track from Jeff Gordon's beat-up car.
Lap 163 -- Just 16 cars are on the lead lap. The final car is Tony Stewart. The first car a lap down is Martin Truex Jr.
Lap 160 -- In five laps Kyle Busch has extended his lead from 4.4 seconds to 6.614 seconds.
Lap 155 -- Kyle Busch has a 4.401-second lead on second-place Carl Edwards, who has spent the last couple of laps sliding around the corner with a loose car.
Lap 153 -- Travis Kvapil has come on in the second half of the race and is now running in 13th.
Lap 150 -- David Ragan has the fastest car on the track. He is running fourth.
Lap 144 -- Only half a second separates leader Kyle Busch and second-place Carl Edwards. But the two lead third-place Greg Biffle by 8.192 seconds.
Lap 142 -- LEAD CHANGE: Following pit stops, Kyle Busch is on Carl Edwards' tail and then sails by him to lead for the first time.
1. Kyle Busch
2. Carl Edwards
3. Greg Biffle
4. Brian Vickers
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Lap 141 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards is the leader again after pit stops.
Lap 140 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton inherits the lead. David Ragan is in for minor adjustments and four tires.
Lap 140 -- Kyle Busch is in for four tires and a wedge adjustment on a loose car. Carl Edwards gives up the lead for minor changes and ties. Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets four tires and few adjustments. Kurt Busch gets four tires and a track-bar adjustment.
Lap 139 -- Greg Biffle and Brian Vickers are in. Biffle is loose and gets a wedge adjustment and four tires. Vickers takes four tires and minor changes.
Lap 138 -- Patrick Carpentier is on pit road for tires and fuel. Mark Martin is in for changes and battles a tight car.
Lap 136 -- Kasey Kahne is headed to the garage with problems. Teammate Elliott Sadler begins green-flag pit stops with a loose car.
Lap 133 -- Kyle Busch is the fastest car on the track and is catching leader Carl Edwards. The margin is 3.678 seconds.
Lap 130 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is running sixth after struggling with a loose racecar.
Lap 125 -- Jimmie Johnson is stuck in 33rd position following his cut tire and unscheduled pit stop. He is the first car one lap down.
Lap 121 -- Greg Biffle moves into third position by passing Brian Vickers.
Lap 120 -- Denny Hamlin is now up to 10th, his best running position of the race. He started 37th.
Lap 117 -- Elliott Sadler is running sixth, but he is more than 10 seconds behind leader Carl Edwards.
Lap 114 -- Jeff Burton is running eighth and is the highest-running Chevrolet driver.
Lap 110 -- Carl Edwards leads Kyle Busch by 1.737 seconds.
Lap 104 -- Kevin Harvick is now running 10th. He started 38th and has worked his way forward since the start of the race. He has been battling a loose racecar all day.
Lap 101 -- GREEN FLAG: Just past the halfway point, Carl Edwards leads the field to green.
1. Carl Edwards
2. Greg Biffle
3. Kyle Busch
4. Brian Vickers
5. David Ragan
Lap 99 -- Carl Edwards maintains his lead following pit stops.
Lap 98 -- Jeff Gordon heads to the garage as the leaders come to pit road:
• David Ragan takes two tires and no adjustments
• Kyle Busch takes two tires and adjustments
• Carl Edwards is free and takes two tires
• Bobby Labonte is unable to get to his pit stall
Lap 97 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Jeff Gordon's right-front tire blows and sends the No. 24 into the wall. He has significant right-side damage. The cut tire is likely from Lap 91 contact with teammate Jimmie Johnson.
Lap 96 -- Four of the top six drivers are Roush Fenway: Carl Edwards (first), Greg Biffle (third), Matt Kenseth (fifth) and David Ragan (sixth). The fifth driver, Jamie McMurray, is running 19th.
Lap 92 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards goes below Greg Biffle to take the lead back. Kyle Busch follows for second.
Lap 92 -- Jimmie Johnson heads to pit road for new tires. His left-front was going down after three-wide contact from Jeff Gordon. Tony Stewart was on his outside.
Lap 91 -- LEAD CHANGE: Greg Biffle takes the lead from teammate Carl Edwards.
Lap 91 -- Jimmie Johnson's car starts smoking in the corner and has a tire rub on the left-front.
Lap 89 -- GREEN FLAG: Carl Edwards gets the race going again.
1. Carl Edwards
2. Greg Biffle
3. Brian Vickers
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5. Kyle Busch
Lap 88 -- LEAD CHANGE: Scott Riggs makes his pit stop, giving the lead to Carl Edwards.
Lap 87 -- LEAD CHANGE: Scott Riggs stays out to lead.
Lap 86 -- Leaders are in:
• Matt Kenseth is battling a loose car and removes a spring rubber
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets a track-bar and air-pressure adjustment
• Carl Edwards gets an air-pressure adjustment and tires
• Jeff Gordon's crew drops lug nuts during the slow stop
Lap 85 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Paul Menard touches Ryan Newman, who then spins Dave Blaney around. Blaney's car gets on two wheels as it scrapes the wall. He drives away.
Lap 82 -- David Ragan moves to the outside of Jimmie Johnson for ninth position. He is the fourth Roush Fenway driver in the top 10.
Lap 78 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. loses third place to Greg Biffle. He continues to wiggle in the corners with his loose racecar.
Lap 75 -- Brian Vickers goes three-wide above Mike Skinner and below Dale Earnhardt Jr. to take second. Earnhardt isn't happy with the handling and says his car is too loose.
Lap 74 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards runs down and passes Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the top spot.
Lap 71 -- Although he got no changes on his pit stop, Jeff Gordon has the fastest car on the track. He is running in sixth.
Lap 68 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. inherits the lead following green-flag pit stops.
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Carl Edwards
3. Brian Vickers
4. Greg Biffle
5. Kyle Busch
Lap 67 -- Kyle Busch is in to add a spring rubber for the second time in as many stops. Leader Brian Vickers is in for tires and fuel. Jeff Gordon gets no changes with his four tires.
Lap 66 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in for tires and fuel. His water temperature has come down. Carl Edwards is too loose and gets minor adjustments. Kevin Harvick gets a track-bar adjustment and four tires. Dave Blaney makes contact with Reed Sorenson, but neither car is heavily damaged.
Lap 65 -- Greg Biffle is in for his stop. He gets an air-pressure adjustment and a chassis adjustment for a tight car. Matt Kenseth is in to reverse some earlier adjustments. David Ragan is also in for tires.
Lap 64 -- Ryan Newman begins green-flag stops. He gets a wedge adjustment to tighten the car. Sam Hornish Jr., Juan Montoya, Mike Skinner and Paul Menard follow.
Lap 61 -- Three of the five Roush Fenway Racing cars are now among the top 11: Carl Edwards is third, Greg Biffle is fifth, and Matt Kenseth is 11th.
Lap 57 -- Kurt Busch is having a solid run. He is in ninth and has hovered around the top 10 all race.
Lap 52 -- The debris on the front of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car is gone. When Brian Vickers passed him for the lead, Earnhardt was able to draft off his car and free the stuck paper.
Lap 50 -- LEAD CHANGE: Brian Vickers catches and passes Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the top spot.
Lap 48 -- Jimmie Johnson settles into seventh position, behind teammate Jeff Gordon and ahead of Elliott Sadler.
Lap 45 -- Debris is lodged on the front of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car, forcing his water temperature to rise.
Lap 44 -- Brian Vickers takes second spot from Kyle Busch.
Lap 43 -- Leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. is telling his crew the water temperature in his car is extremely high. The team is monitoring the situation.
Lap 41 -- Matt Kenseth is battling a loose racecar. He is running in 11th.
Lap 38 -- David Reutimann is having a solid run. He started seventh and hangs on to 12th position.
Lap 33 -- Jimmie Johnson loses third place to Brian Vickers, and now has Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle on his tail.
Lap 32 -- A tire from Jeff Gordon's car had a slice in it, what the team calls a product of tire contamination. No further problems are expected.
Lap 30 -- Kyle Busch dives below Jimmie Johnson and slides up in front of his bumper to take second position.
Lap 29 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. again goes around Jimmie Johnson after making quick work of Brian Vickers.
Lap 26 -- Patrick Carpentier drops to eighth one lap after the restart. He had trouble getting up to speed when the green flag waved.
Lap 25 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson leads the field to green.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Brian Vickers
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4. Patrick Carpentier
5. Kyle Busch
Lap 24 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson takes the lead with quick work on pit road. A.J. Allmendinger is back on pit road to repair minor cosmetic damage on the right-front fender.
Lap 23 -- Leaders head down pit road:
• Matt Kenseth gets a wedge and air-pressure adjustment
• Patrick Carpentier is battling a loose car, gets tires and fuel
• Jeff Gordon's car is tight; he gets four tires and fuel
Lap 21 -- Pit road remains closed.
Lap 20 -- NASCAR officials work to clean up oil on pit road, leaving the lane closed for service.
Lap 19 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Marcos Ambrose's No. 21 Ford goes up in smoke. He pulls onto pit road and the team addresses the engine trouble. He then gets pushed to the garage, leaving a large puddle in his pit stall.
Lap 18 -- Patrick Carpentier passes teammate Elliott Sadler to take fifth position. The other Gillett Evernham Motorsports driver, Kasey Kahne, is mired in 29th.
Lap 16 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s lead on teammate Jimmie Johnson is 1.988 seconds. Brian Vickers is third.
Lap 13 -- Greg Biffle is running eighth and is the only Ford in the top 10.
Lap 10 -- Carl Edwards is on the move. He started 27th and is now up to 19th, although he has told his crew his car is a "little loose."
Lap 8 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. catches and passes Jimmie Johnson. Earnhardt has had the fastest car the last three laps.
Lap 5 -- Kyle Busch is on the move. He started 11th and is up to seventh.
Lap 3 -- Sam Hornish Jr. brushes the wall coming off Turn 2. He is OK and running 28th.
Lap 1 -- Jimmie Johnson gets the push from Dale Earnhardt Jr. to lead the first lap.
2:20 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Brian Vickers and Jimmie Johnson get the 3M Performance 400 under way.