Lap-by-Lap: Talladega

CHECKERED FLAG: On the frontstretch Regan Smith went below the yellow line to pass Tony Stewart and crossed the line in front of Stewart but NASCAR says he went out of bounds and Stewart wins his first race at Talladega. Smith finishes second but NASCAR will look at the finish to see if he should be dropped in the results.

Lap 189 -- WHITE FLAG: The top five stay single file as the white flies for Tony Stewart.

Lap 188 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart brings the field to the green for the green-white-checkered finish.
1. Tony Stewart
2. Regan Smith
3. Paul Menard
4. Aric Almirola
5. Elliott Sadler

Lap 186 -- Kyle Busch the only lead lap car to pit.

Lap 185 -- Kevin Harvick is back on the track to try and collect some points. He is in 22nd, 10 laps down.

Lap 184 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 10: Jamie McMurray has a tire go bringing out the caution. No free pass will be given since there is less than 10 laps to go.

Lap 183 -- The top 14 are running single file with five to go.

Lap 181 -- Joe Nemechek fell out of the draft and now Elliott Sadler is with Tony Stewart out front.

Lap 179 -- Tony Stewart and Joe Nemechek pull away from the field.

Lap 178 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart brings the field to the green. Eighteen cars are on the lead lap
1. Tony Stewart
2. Joe Nemechek
3. Elliott Sadler
4. David Ragan
5. Casey Mears

Lap 176 -- About half the cars remaining on the lead lap hit pit road.
• Clint Bowyer takes four tires
• Jimmie Johnson with four tires and an adjustment
• Jeff Burton with four tires

Lap 175 -- YELLOW FLAG: The yellow is back out, the cars are rolling and a ton of action is taking place in the garage and on pit road.

Lap 175 -- RED FLAG: The red is out for the second time today.

Lap 174 -- LEAD CHANGE/YELLOW FLAG NO. 9: The Chase Big One just happened as Carl Edwards spins Greg Biffle and Biffle collects Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Joe Nemechek, Reed Sorenson, Matt Kenseth, Travis Kvapil, Michael Waltrip, Dave Blaney and Juan Montoya. Tony Stewart out front when the caution flew. Terry Labonte with the free pass.

Lap 173 -- Juan Montoya and Tony Stewart are side by side at the line with Montoya out front.

Lap 172 -- Tony Stewart is up to fourth, Kevin Harvick up to 16th.

Lap 170 -- The top six have pulled away from the pack, who are four and five wide.

Lap 169 -- GREEN FLAG: Juan Montoya brings the field to the green.
1. Juan Montoya
2. Casey Mears
3. Paul Menard
4. Clint Bowyer
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 167 -- Kyle Busch won the race off of pit road and he will restart 13th. Kevin Harvick back on pit road and Carl Edwards makes his stop taking two tires.

Lap 166 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya takes the lead as a handful of drivers hit pit road.
• Michael Waltrip takes two tires and tops off on fuel
• Kyle Busch with two tires and fuel
• Jimmie Johnson with a wedge adjustment
• Jeff Burton with four tires and no adjustments

Lap 164 -- LEAD CHANGE/YELLOW FLAG NO. 8: Michael Waltrip out front when Kevin Harvick spins bringing out the caution. Harvick doesn't hit anything or anyone and is on pit road for new tires. Terry Labonte gets the free pass and will be one lap down.

Lap 163 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Juan Montoya have worked together all day and continue to do so late in the race. Michael Waltrip has found his way to the front.

Lap 162 -- LEAD CHANGE: After passing lap traffic, Dale Earnhardt Jr. passes David Ragan for the lead.

Lap 160 -- LEAD CHANGE: David Ragan takes the lead with the help of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 159 -- David Ragan and Dale Earnhardt Jr. charge to the front from the outside.

Lap 156 -- LEAD CHANGE: All three RCR cars get together and push Jeff Burton to the lead.

Lap 154 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Busch got shuffled out of the draft and Dale Earnhardt Jr. retakes the lead.

Lap 151 -- The top seven have put a little distance between them and the rest of the field.

Lap 148 -- Jimmie Johnson goes from fifth to the back of the pack, keeping up with his strategy to run at the rear until the end.

Lap 146 -- Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth have teamed up and are climbing through the field.

Lap 144 -- GREEN FLAG: Kyle Busch brings the field to the green. The top-eight stayed out, everyone else topped off on fuel hoping to make it to the end.
1. Kyle Busch
2. David Ragan
3. Travis Kvapil
4. Tony Stewart
5. Jimmie Johnson

Lap 143 -- LEAD CHANGE: Joe Nemechek pits giving the lead to Kyle Busch, who won the race off of pit road.

Lap 142 -- LEAD CHANGE: Greg Biffle pits giving the lead to Joe Nemechek, the final car not to pit currently on the track. That gives this race 27 different leaders, a Cup Series record.

Lap 141 -- LEAD CHANGE: Greg Biffle now leads as Kenny Wallace and most of the cars that stayed out hit pit road.

Lap 140 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kenny Wallace among a handful of cars to stay out while everyone else pits.
• Kevin Harvick with four tires and fuel with no changes
• David Ragan with four tires and no changes
• Aric Almirola with four tires and fuel with no changes
• Travis Kvapil with four tires and fuel
• Carl Edwards spins while exiting pit road

Lap 138 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 7: Jeff Gordon has smoke and fluid pouring out of his car, ending his day and bringing out the caution. Terry Labonte gets the free pass and will be scored two laps down.

Lap 137 -- Green flag stops are upcoming, but they will need to stop at least one more time before the end of the race.

Lap 134 -- The race has been green for 30 laps, the longest green-flag run since the first 34 laps of the race.

Lap 133 -- Rick Heinrich from Goodyear says they are still looking at all the tires. He said this is the same tire they ran in the spring and he doesn't think the tires are to blame for all the incidents.

Lap 131 -- Kevin Harvick has now led 14 laps, the most on the day for a driver.

Lap 129 -- The top three of Kevin Harvick, David Ragan and Tony Stewart are single file with double-wide racing behind them.

Lap 125 -- Kasey Kahne is back in the race scored 56 laps down.

Lap 122 -- Brian Vickers is back in the race scored 54 laps down.

Lap 120 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick back out front as he takes the inside line to the lead.

Lap 117 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton beats Tony Stewart to the line to lead for the first time today.

Lap 116 -- The top three in points -- Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle -- continue to run at the rear of the back.

Lap 115 -- Tony Stewart and Jeff Burton side by side at the line with Stewart leading the lap.

Lap 113 -- David Reutimann has taken his No. 44 Toyota to the garage.

Lap 112 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart passes Paul Menard for the lead.

Lap 111 -- Tony Stewart and Juan Montoya are working together and moving to the front.

Lap 108 -- LEAD CHANGE: Paul Menard back out front. Denny Hamlin is alert and awake but is being transported to the hospital for further evaluation.

Lap 107 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart takes the lead as the field goes three wide throughout the pack.

Lap 105 -- LEAD CHANGE: Scott Riggs got shuffled out of the draft and lost the lead to Paul Menard.

Lap 104 -- GREEN FLAG: Scott Riggs brings the field to the green.
1. Scott Riggs
2. Paul Menard
3. Aric Almirola
4. Kyle Busch
5. Tony Stewart

Lap 102 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kenny Wallace finally hits pit road giving the lead to Scott Riggs.

Lap 101 -- Kenny Wallace stays out while Robby Gordon and Carl Edwards pit. Scott Riggs won the race off pit road and sits second.

Lap 100 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin is being put on a stretcher as he is finally out of the car. Kenny Wallace stays out to lead as the leaders hit pit road. Robby Gordon and Carl Edwards also stay out.
• Matt Kenseth with two tires and fuel
• Tony Stewart with four tires and fuel
• Kyle Busch with four tires and fuel
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. with four tires

Lap 99 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Busch takes the lead with Denny Hamlin's problems. Tony Raines and Mike Skinner back in the race.

Lap 98 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 6: Leader Denny Hamlin has his tire explode in Turn 2 sending him into the wall hard. Ken Schrader will get the free pass and return to the lead lap.

Lap 97 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin back out front on the inside. Hamlin has a voltage problem and they are concerned his car won't start on pit road.

Lap 96 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth takes the lead on the outside.

Lap 94 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin back out front.

Lap 93 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth uses help from teammate David Ragan to lead.

Lap 92 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin beats Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the line to lead the lap.

Lap 91 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. goes to the outside with help from Aric Almirola to take the lead.

Lap 90 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead but gets passed immediately by Denny Hamlin, who leads the lap.

Lap 89 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. pushes Bobby Labonte to lead the outside line, then passes Labonte to lead that line.

Lap 87 -- Jeff Gordon is back on the track, 33 laps down.

Lap 86 -- GREEN FLAG: Kyle Busch brings the field to the green.
1. Kyle Busch
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Juan Montoya
4. Tony Stewart
5. Matt Kenseth

Lap 84 -- Mike Wallace has taken his car to the garage.

Lap 83 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Busch won the race off pit road and takes the lead when Greg Biffle pits. Mike Wallace will lose a lap for excessive speeding.

Lap 82 -- LEAD CHANGE: Greg Biffle stays out to lead a lap. Everyone else hits pit road.
• Matt Kenseth takes tape off and takes two tires
• Juan Montoya with two tires and fuel
• Jimmie Johnson with four tires and fuel
• Denny Hamlin with two tires

Lap 81 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Mike Wallace has his tire blow bringing out the caution. Wallace is able to control his car and no one crashes. The tire hit Michael Waltrip's car and he is on pit road trying to fix the damage. Ken Schrader gets the free pass and will get one of his two laps back.

Lap 80 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart uses help from Mike Wallace to lead for the first time today as they pass Jimmie Johnson on the inside.

Lap 78 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. pushes Jimmie Johnson back to the front.

Lap 77 -- LEAD CHANGE: Three wide as they cross the line and Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the outside has the lead.

Lap 76 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson brings the inside line to the front and Johnson is out front.

Lap 75 -- Juan Montoya was forced below the yellow line but didn't spin and maintains his third position.

Lap 74 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya had the lead, but Denny Hamlin passed him at the start/finish line to lead the lap.

Lap 73 -- Kurt Busch is back on the track and scored 10 laps down.

Lap 72 -- GREEN FLAG: Dale Earnhardt Jr. brings the field to the green.
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Paul Menard
3. Jeff Burton
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Juan Montoya

Lap 71 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race off pit road and takes the lead as Scott Riggs, Greg Biffle and Dave Blaney pit.

Lap 70 -- LEAD CHANGE: Scott Riggs stays out to lead. Greg Biffle and Dave Blaney also stay out, everyone else hits pit road.
• Kevin Harvick with four tires and fuel
• Juan Montoya with four tires and no changes
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. with two tires
• Jeff Burton with four tires and no changes

Lap 69 -- YELLOW FLAG: The yellow is back out as the track is clear. Red flag lasted 17 minutes.

Lap 68 -- RED FLAG: The race has been halted to clean up all the debris.

Lap 68 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4/LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. out front as the caution comes out for the Big One. Brian Vickers' right front tire blew collecting David Gilliland, Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne, Mike Skinner, Jamie McMurray, Terry Labonte, Tony Raines and Aric Almirola.

Lap 67 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick now out front thanks to the outside line.

Lap 66 -- LEAD CHANGE: Martin Truex Jr. edges Jamie McMurray at the line to lead the lap.

Lap 65 -- LEAD CHANGE: As soon as Martin Truex Jr. crossed the line, Jamie McMurray went to the inside and passed Truex for the lead. Kasey Kahne shuffled back in the pack, now sitting in 26th.

Lap 64 -- LEAD CHANGE: The outside line is quickest this lap as Martin Truex Jr. leads.

Lap 63 -- The pack is three wide and all three lines are equal in speed.

Lap 62 -- LEAD CHANGE: Reed Sorenson now out front with help from the outside.

Lap 61 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kasey Kahne is out front using the outside. Kurt Busch has gone to the garage.

Lap 60 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin uses the draft to move to the front. Bobby Labonte is right behind him.

Lap 58 -- GREEN FLAG: Brian Vickers brings the field to the green.
1. Brian Vickers
2. Travis Kvapil
3. Mike Skinner
4. Kyle Busch
5. Paul Menard

Lap 56 -- Jimmie Johnson is off pit road and is still on the lead lap. David Reutimann and Jeff Gordon are in the garage. Carl Edwards pitted early and will start tail end of the longest line.

Lap 55 -- LEAD CHANGE: Brian Vickers stays out and leads the race, everyone else hits pit road.
• Kyle Busch with fuel only
• Jeff Burton with four tires and fuel
• Jimmie Johnson has a splitter brace broken when the tire from Reutimann hit the front of his No. 48
• Kurt Busch on pit road with the hood open checking the spark plugs

Lap 54 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jamie McMurray was out front when the caution came out and he leads.

Lap 53 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: David Reutimann blows a tire and spins. Jeff Gordon tries to avoid Reutimann and slams into the outside wall suffering heavy damage. Robby Gordon gets the free pass.

Lap 52 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch, with help from Brian Vickers, passes his brother for the lead.

Lap 51 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin drive away from the pack and Busch leads for the first time today.

Lap 50 -- Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin lead the outside line. Ryan Newman is in the garage as his No. 12 has lost a cylinder. Dave Blaney is complaining of electrical problems.

Lap 49 -- GREEN FLAG: Elliott Sadler brings the field to the green.
1. Elliott Sadler
2. Casey Mears
3. Kyle Busch
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Denny Hamlin

Lap 48 -- LEAD CHANGE: Elliott Sadler won the race off pit road and leads as Kevin Harvick makes his pit stop. Ryan Newman will be penalized for having too many men over the wall as they pushed him back to his pit.

Lap 47 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick is the only car to stay out and he takes the lead, everyone else hits pit road.
• Matt Kenseth with two tires and fuel
• Kyle Busch removes tape and fuel
• Casey Mears with a fuel only stop
• Denny Hamlin with a track bar adjustment and fuel
• Ryan Newman stalls on pit road and has to be pushed back to his pit

Lap 45 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2/LEAD CHANGE: Casey Mears leads as he passes Elliott Sadler. Debris on the front straightaway brings out the caution. Jimmie Johnson gets the free pass and will be back on the lead lap.

Lap 44 -- LEAD CHANGE: Elliott Sadler takes the lead on the outside and leads for the first time today.

Lap 43 -- LEAD CHANGE: Brian Vickers follows Jimmie Johnson on the inside to take the lead. Johnson currently leads the pack and is back on the lead lap.

Lap 40 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth rides the outside line to lead.

Lap 39 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton passes Jeff Gordon and with help from Jimmie Johnson leads for the first time today.

Lap 38 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon brings the field to the green.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Jeff Burton
4. Mike Wallace
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 37 -- Kenny Wallace is being held a lap on pit road for going more than 100 miles an hour down pit road. Bobby Labonte and Ken Schrader too fast on pit road and will start at the tail end of the longest line. Robby Gordon was held a lap for taking fuel twice.

Lap 36 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards hits pit road giving Jeff Gordon, who won the race off pit road, the lead. David Ragan involved in a spin on pit road and he is back on pit road getting repairs.

Lap 35 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards stays out and leads while everyone else hits pit road.
• Matt Kenseth with four tires and an adjustment
• Mike Wallace loves his car and makes no adjustments
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. with no adjustments
• Travis Kvapil with no changes but they have trouble on their stop

Lap 34 -- LEAD CHANGE: Mike Wallace was out front as the caution came out giving him the lead.

Lap 33 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Debris on the track brings out the first caution. Robby Gordon gets the free pass. Tony Raines pits early and will be penalized.

Lap 32 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back out front. Robby Gordon is close to being lapped as he lost the draft, which would take the free pass from Jimmie Johnson if that was the case. Johnson currently runs as the fourth car in the inside line.

Lap 30 -- LEAD CHANGE: Travis Kvapil takes the lead as Kvapil and Jeff Gordon team up on the outside.

Lap 26 -- LEAD CHANGE: The Talladega fans go nuts as Dale Earnhardt Jr. works his way to the lead.

Lap 25 -- Jimmie Johnson and Ken Schrader have gone a lap down as David Ragan flies by.

Lap 23 -- The pack has caught Jimmie Johnson and Ken Schrader and will lap them within a lap or two.

Lap 19 -- Ken Schrader has fallen back and is now with Jimmie Johnson as the two try to work together and work their way back up to the pack.

Lap 18 -- Jeff Gordon has worked his way up to seventh. Jimmie Johnson is 28 seconds behind the pack.

Lap 17 -- LEAD CHANGE: David Ragan is able to use the outside to pass Aric Almirola and lead for the first time today.

Lap 15 -- David Ragan and Travis Kvapil lead the outside line as they try to catch Aric Almirola.

Lap 14 -- LEAD CHANGE: Aric Almirola and Paul Menard work together and on the outside on the backstretch pass Brian Vickers giving Almirola the lead.

Lap 11 -- Jimmie Johnson is now 17 seconds off the pace. Johnson fell off the draft and just can't catch up.

Lap 10 -- LEAD CHANGE: Brian Vickers is able to pass Carl Edwards for the lead when Edwards drops to the high side.

Lap 9 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards and Brian Vickers used the outside line and swapped the lead on the backstretch until Edwards finally got out front and held it. Travis Kvapil is down to seventh.

Lap 5 -- The low line continues to lead early as the outside line has now dropped seven cars behind Travis Kvapil. Jimmie Johnson is way off the pace driving alone behind the pack.

Lap 4 -- Mike Wallace now leads the outside line and is challenging Travis Kvapil for the lead.

Lap 2 -- Casey Mears is leading the outside line on the way to the front. Jeff Gordon is falling back in the pack.

Lap 1 -- The field is spread out three and four wide as Travis Kvapil leads the first lap.

2:23 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Travis Kvapil brings the field to speed and the Amp Energy 500 is under way.

2:14 p.m. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and David Ragan will move to the rear of the field due to an engine change. Jimmie Johnson will also start at the rear because of adjustments outside of impound.

2:13 p.m. -- The cars are rolling off pit road and we are minutes away from the green flag.

2:10 p.m. -- Pepsi employees involved in the National Guard give the command, "Gentlemen, start your engines!"

2:02 p.m. -- Brad Arnold, lead singer for Three Doors Down, performs the national anthem.

2:01 p.m. -- Fred Cook of Alabama Raceway Ministries delivers the Invocation.

1 p.m. -- ABC's coverage of the Amp Energy 500 is under way.

12:50 p.m. -- It is a picture perfect day at Talladega. The sun is shining for the fourth race of the Chase, maybe the most exciting 500 miles in the postseason. Green for the Amp Energy 500 is set for 2:20 p.m. ET.

TALLADEGA HEADLINES
Edwards admits to being 'stressed' for 'Dega race
Gordon, Earnhardt have unified plan for Sunday
'Dega a breeding ground for first-time Cup winners
Despite strong runs, Riggs still feels like an outsider
Kvapil gives Yates the pole; DEI strong in 'Dega quals
Chasers will have to work way through 'Dega field
Drivers respect Edwards' last-lap effort at Kansas
Gibbs, HOF decide to take Logano out of No. 96 car
Earnhardt Jr. crashes in practice, forced to backup
Talladega strategies range as wide as the track itself