2009 Autism Speaks 400
The 2009 Autism Speaks 400 presented by Heluva Good! was the thirteenth points race in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, marking the halfway point to the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup, and was held at the 1-mile (1.6 km) Dover International Speedway in Delaware's state capital city May 31 of that year, consisting of 400 miles (640 km).
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 13 of 36 in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Dover International Speedway | |||
| Date | May 31, 2009 | ||
| Official name | Autism Speaks 400 | ||
| Location | Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.0 mi (1.609 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 80.6 °F (27.0 °C); wind speeds up to 13 miles per hour (21 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 115.237 miles per hour (185.456 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Michael Waltrip Racing | ||
| Time | 22.960 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 298 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Broadcasting Company | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds | ||
Summary
Fox Sports, in its 2009 swan song, televised the race beginning at 1:30 PM US EDT while MRN (terrestrial) and Sirius XM Radio (satellite) handled radio coverage starting at 1 PM.
The biggest change that year at Dover was a new pit road area. Previously, Dover's pit road only had enough room for 42 pit stalls, meaning one team had to share a pit until a car dropped out of the race. Now, thanks to a new pit wall facing the main stands, widening the lanes within pit road by 4 feet (1.2 m), the area was rebuilt and all 43 cars will have their own pit stalls that are 4 feet (1.2 m) longer than before.
Pre-Race News
The biggest news this week concerned the Hendrick Motorsports #88 team of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.. His cousin and crew chief, Tony Eury, Jr., who had come with him from Dale Earnhardt Inc. (now Earnhardt Ganassi Racing) two years ago in one of the biggest events of that Silly Season, was fired. He will be replaced for the next two races with manager Brian Whitesell. Lance Magrew, a veteran crew chief will take over at Michigan.
Qualifying
Jeff Gordon wrecked his car in the first run of qualifying. David Reutimann, winner of the previous week's rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 took his third career pole.
Failed to Qualify: Brad Keselowski (#25), Max Papis (#13), Derrike Cope (#75), David Starr (#06).
Recap
The Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe's team chose a rather unusual strategy: they chose the last pit stall (the newly designated 43rd pit stall). It worked to a charm as he led the most laps (298), and made the win with a pass of Tony Stewart with three laps to go and claim the win coming from seventh place on the final pit stop under caution that had earlier cost them the lead.
| 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 | ||||
References
- Weather information for the 2009 Autism Speaks 400 presented by Heluva Good! at The Old Farmers' Almanac
| Previous race: 2009 Coca-Cola 600 |
Sprint Cup Series 2009 season |
Next race: 2009 Pocono 500 |