2009 Samsung 500

The 2009 Samsung 500 was the seventh stock car race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It was held on April 5, 2009 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas before a crowd of 176,300 people. The 334-lap race was won by Jeff Gordon of the Hendrick Motorsports team after starting from second position. His teammate Jimmie Johnson finished second and Greg Biffle came in third.

2009 Samsung 500
Race details[1][2][3]
Race 7 of 36 in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Simple line diagram of Texas Motor Speedway track layout
Date April 5, 2009 (2009-April-05)
Official name Samsung 500
Location Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas
Course 1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 334 laps, 501 mi (806.281 km)
Weather Temperatures reaching up to 79 °F (26 °C); wind speeds up to 25.1 miles per hour (40.4 km/h)[4]
Average speed 146.372 miles per hour (235.563 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Michael Waltrip Racing
Time 28.344
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 105
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network Fox Broadcasting Company
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds
Nielsen Ratings
  • 4.7/11 (Final)
  • 4.2/10 (Overnight)
  • (7.4 million)[5]

David Reutimann won the pole position, and maintained his lead going into the first corner to begin the race, but Gordon took over the lead before the first lap was over. Afterward, Reutimann took back the lead, holding it until Matt Kenseth passed him on lap 47. Gordon led after the final pit stops. In the final laps, Johnson was gaining on Gordon, but Gordon maintained his position to win. There were six cautions and twenty-eight lead changes among thirteen different drivers during the race.

The race was Gordon's first win of the 2009 season, and the eighty-second of his career. The result kept Gordon in the lead of the Drivers' Championship, one-hundred and sixty-two ahead of Johnson, and one-hundred and eighty ahead of Kurt Busch. Chevrolet increased its lead in the Manufacturers' Championship, ten points ahead of Ford, who bumped Toyota to third place, with twenty-nine races remaining in the season remaining. The race attracted 7.4 million television viewers.

Background

Texas Motor Speedway, were the race was held.

The 2009 Samsung 500 was the seventh of thirty-six scheduled stock car races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.[3][6] It took place on April 5, 2009, in Fort Worth, Texas, at Texas Motor Speedway,[6] an intermediate track that holds NASCAR races.[7] The standard track at Texas Motor Speedway is a four-turn quad-oval track that is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long.[8] The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, and both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the back stretch have a five degree banking.[8]

Before the race, Jeff Gordon led the Drivers' Championship with 959 points, followed by Clint Bowyer with 870. Kurt Busch was third with 827 points, Jimmie Johnson was fourth with 817 and Denny Hamlin was fifth with 811 points. Kurt's younger brother Kyle Busch, along with Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top ten.[9] In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 39 points, five points ahead of their rival Toyota. Ford, with 32 points, was five points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third place.[10] Edwards was the race's defending champion.[11]

Practice and qualifying

David Reutimann won pole position with the fastest time, 28.344.

Three practice sessions were before the Sunday race — one on Friday, and two on Saturday. The first session lasted 90 minutes, while the second session lasted 45 minutes. The third and final practice session lasted 60 minutes.[3] During the first practice session, Mark Martin was fastest, placing ahead of David Reutimann in second and Kurt Busch in third. Greg Biffle was scored fourth, and Johnson placed fifth. Jeff Gordon, Edwards, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., David Stremme and David Ragan rounded out the top ten fastest drivers in the session.[12]

Forty-eight drivers were entered in the qualifier on Friday afternoon;[13] according to NASCAR's qualifying procedure, forty-three were allowed to race. Each driver ran two laps, with the starting order determined by the competitor's fastest times.[3] Reutimann clinched his second pole position in the Sprint Cup Series, with a time of 28.344. He was joined on the grid's front row by Jeff Gordon. Matt Kenseth qualified third, Ragan took fourth, and Paul Menard started fifth. Kahne, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Johnson and Joey Logano rounded out the top ten qualifiers. The five drivers who failed to qualify were Joe Nemechek, Scott Speed, Jeremy Mayfield, Todd Bodine and Scott Riggs.[14] After the qualifier Reutimann said, "We had a great car all day, right off the truck. This pole reminds me of how much things have changed for me in the past few years. I didn't make the field here two years ago, during a bad time in my racing career."[2]

On Saturday morning, Reuitmann was fastest in the second practice session, ahead of Johnson in second, and Hamlin in third. Edwards was fourth quickest, and Jeff Gordon took fifth. Stewart, Kurt Busch, Kenseth, Bobby Labonte and Jeff Burton rounded out the top ten.[15] Later that day, Johnson paced the final practice session, with Hamlin and Kyle Busch followed in second and third respectively. Jamie McMurray was fourth fastest, ahead of David Gilliland and Burton. Martin placed seventh, Edwards eighth, Juan Pablo Montoya ninth, and Martin Truex, Jr. tenth.[16]

Qualifying results

Qualifying results
Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 00David ReutimannMichael Waltrip RacingToyota28.344190.516
2 24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28.392190.194
3 17Matt KensethRoush Fenway RacingFord28.428189.954
4 6David RaganRoush Fenway RacingFord28.431189.934
5 98Paul MenardRobert Yates RacingFord28.435189.907
6 9Kasey KahneEvernham MotorsportsDodge28.436189.000
7 14Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet28.450189.907
8 18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota28.507189.427
9 48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28.508189.421
10 20Joey LoganoJoe Gibbs RacingToyota28.531189.268
11 47Marcos AmbroseJTG Daugherty RacingToyota28.538189.221
12 77Sam Hornish, Jr.Team PenskeDodge28.539189.215
13 99Carl EdwardsRoush Fenway RacingFord28.545189.175
14 16Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord28.548189.155
15 31Jeff BurtonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet28.553189.122
16 42Juan Pablo MontoyaEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet28.593188.857
17 29Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet28.597188.831
18 83Brian VickersRed Bull Racing TeamToyota28.605188.778
19 33Clint BowyerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet28.606188.772
20 88Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28.610188.745
21 39Ryan NewmanStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet28.628188.626
22 11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota28.641188.541
23 5Mark MartinHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28.645188.515
24 96Bobby LabonteHall of Fame RacingFord28.652188.469
25 44A. J. AllmendingerRichard Petty MotorsportsDodge28.678188.298
26 34John AndrettiFront Row MotorsportsChevrolet28.679188.291
27 09Mike BlissPhoenix RacingDodge28.722188.009
28 2Kurt BuschPenske Championship RacingDodge28.731187.950
29 7Robby GordonRobby Gordon MotorsportsToyota28.739187.898
30 171David GillilandTRG MotorsportsChevrolet28.749187.833
31 1Martin Truex, Jr.Earnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet28.772187.682
32 12David StremmePenske RacingDodge28.801187.493
33 78Regan SmithFurniture Row RacingChevrolet28.802187.487
34 55Michael WaltripMichael Waltrip RacingToyota28.830187.305
35 07Casey MearsRichard Childress RacingChevrolet28.834187.279
36 26Jamie McMurrayRoush Fenway RacingFord28.840187.240
37 21Bill ElliottWood Brothers RacingFord28.871187.039
38 43Reed SorensonRichard Petty MotorsportsDodge28.885186.948
39 113Max PapisGermain RacingToyota28.955186.496
40 25Brad KeselowskiHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28.977186.355
41 8Aric AlmirolaEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet29.008186.156
42 19Elliott SadlerRichard Petty MotorsportsDodge29.606182.395
43 66Dave BlaneyPrism MotorsportsToyota29.015186.111
Failed to qualify
44 187Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsToyota29.027186.034
45 82Scott SpeedRed Bull Racing TeamToyota29.065185.790
46 41Jeremy MayfieldMayfield MotorsportsToyota29.135185.344
47 64Todd BodineGunselman MotorsportsToyota29.261184.546
48 36Scott RiggsTommy Baldwin RacingToyota29.352183.974
Source:[14]

Race

Television coverage for the race, the seventh of a total of thirty-six in the 2009 season, began at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time live in the United States on Fox. Roger Marsh of Texas Alliance Raceway Ministries began pre-race ceremonies with the invocation. Pianist Lewis Warren, Jr. performed the national anthem, and Contest Winner Mark Fredde commanded the drivers to start their engines. No driver had to move to the rear of the grid at the start of the race.[17]

The race began at 2:17 p.m. Jeff Gordon passed Reuitmann almost immediately by the end of the first lap. Three laps later, Kurt Busch collided with Robby Gordon, with the latter sustaining minor damage and both drivers managed to continue. On lap 8, Reutimann took back the lead from Jeff Gordon. One lap later, Jeff Gordon dropped a further position when he was passed by Kenseth. By lap 20, Reuitmann had a lead of about 1.6 seconds over Kenseth. Kurt Busch, who began the race in twenty-sixth, had moved up seven positions to nineteenth by lap 24. On lap 29, Stewart claimed fifth from Menard.[17]

By lap 30, Earnhardt had moved up eight positions to twelfth. Ten laps later, Reutimann had maintained a lead of 1.7 seconds over Kenseth. On lap 42, Marcos Ambrose moved into seventh. Five laps later, Kenseth claimed the lead off Reutimann who was blocked by Casey Mears. On lap 51, green flag pit stops began, as Kenseth made a pit stop handling the lead to Stewart. On lap 54, Kyle Busch became the new race leader after Stewart came into pit road. Kyle Busch made a pit stop one lap later, handing the lead back to Kenseth. By lap 60, Kenseth had built up his lead over Reutimann by over two seconds. Eight laps later, Stewart passed Reutimann for second.[17]

On lap 79, Biffle passed Reutimann for third. Seven laps later, Stewart claimed the lead from Kenseth. During the 97th lap, debris was spotted on the track, prompting the first caution of the race. During the caution, all of the drivers on the lead lap made pit stops. Kenseth reclaimed the lead and maintained it at the restart. On the 109th lap, Kyle Busch's car suffered a cut left front tire from contact with John Andretti, forcing Kyle Busch to come to pit road. Seven laps later, Biffle passed Kenseth for the lead, while Jeff Gordon passed Reuitmann for fourth thirteen laps later. By the 135th lap, Biffle had built a lead over Kenseth to three seconds.[17]

Green flag pit stops began on the 152nd lap; Kenseth made his pit stop on the same lap. Johnson and Biffle made a pit stop the next lap, handing the lead to Jeff Gordon. After pit stops, Biffle reclaimed the first position. On lap 157, Elliott Sadler spun out, causing the second caution. None of the leaders elected to pit under the caution. The race restarted on lap 162 with Biffle in the lead, ahead of Kenseth and Jeff Gordon. By the 190th lap, Biffle's lead was three seconds.[17]

Another round of green flag pit stops began on lap 203 when Truex made a pit stop; Kenseth was the first of the leaders to pit the following lap. On lap 208, Jeff Gordon became the new race leader after Biffle came into pit road. After pit stops, Biffle reclaimed the top position. On lap 220, the third caution was given as Ambrose's car suffered an engine failure. Jeff Gordon and Martin stayed out, while some of the leaders came to pit road.[17]

Jeff Gordon won the race and maintained his lead in the points standings.

Jeff Gordon led the field back up to speed on the restart. On lap 226, Sam Hornish, Jr. spun and Labonte collided with the wall, prompting the fourth caution. During the caution, Johnson, Earnhardt and Hamlin made pit stops. Jeff Gordon stayed out of pit road and the led the field to restart on lap 237. Four laps later, Logano collided with the wall, but escaped with minor damage. On lap 247, Edwards moved into sixth. Four laps later, a fifth caution came out when Robby Gordon's car suffered an engine failure. All of the leaders elected to pit under caution, giving the lead to Earnhardt The race restarted on lap 259. On lap 260, Jeff Gordon moved back into the lead, while Earnhardt fell back to the seventh position. Three laps later, Edwards passed Brian Vickers to move into ninth.[17]

On lap 290, Earnhardt Jr was forced onto pit road after colliding with the wall at turn two. One lap later, Ragan drove to pit road because of overheating issues. On the 294th lap, Edwards reclaimed the lead off Gordon, while Ragan drove to the garage, three laps later. On lap 298, Stewart moved into second after passing Jeff Gordon. Four laps later, a sixth and final caution came out, after Stremme collided with the wall and spun going into turn 3. Jeff Gordon led on the restart. On lap 309, Johnson passed Stewart for the second position, while Jeff Gordon built up a 1.4 second lead four laps later. On the 314th lap, Biffle moved into the fourth position after passing Johnson. By lap 323, Jeff Gordon had increased his lead to 1.7 seconds over Johnson. Jeff Gordon maintained the lead to win his first race of the 2009 season. Johnson finished second, ahead of Biffle in third, Stewart in fourth, and Kenseth in fifth. Martin, Montoya, Kurt Busch, Burton and Edwards rounded out the top ten finishers.[17]

Post-race

""I knew we were going to get one eventually, We had some missed opportunities last season, but that keeps you driving hard and pushing forward."

Jeff Gordon, speaking after the race.[18]

Jeff Gordon appeared in victory lane to celebrate his first win of the 2009 season in front of 176,300 who attended the race.[6] He also earned $541,874 in race winnings.[19] Gordon was delighted with his victory: "Incredible team effort. This whole year has been amazing. What a great car. I've never had a car like this at Texas. We finally had one and put it in position."[20] Johnson was happy with his second-place result, saying, "It was nice to get our car up front and get some clean air on it. We had to work really hard all day long to keep the car right. I'm very proud of the team."[21] Third-place finisher Biffle was candid with his performance: "We worked our way all the way back to fourth, third – 15 more laps, would've passed [runner-up Jimmie Johnson] and then a little while longer we could've gotten [Gordon]. But, I just ran out of time, lost track position and weren't able to capitalize on it."[22]

The race results kept Jeff Gordon in the lead of the Drivers' Championship with 1154 points. Johnson, who finished behind Gordon, moved to second on 992, eighteen points ahead of Kurt Busch and twenty-five ahead of Bowyer.[23] In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet increased their points total to 48, while Ford advanced to second with 38 and Toyota was bumped to third with 37.[10] 7.4 million people watched the race on television.[5] The race took three hours, twenty-five minutes and twenty-two seconds to complete, and the margin of victory was 0.378 seconds.[6]

Race results

Race results
Pos Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Run Points
1 224Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3341952
2 948Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3341751
3 1416Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord3341701
4 714Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet3341651
5 317Matt KensethRoush Fenway RacingFord3341601
6 235Mark MartinHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3341551
7 1642Juan Pablo MontoyaEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet334146
8 282Kurt BuschPenske Championship RacingDodge3341471
9 1531Jeff BurtonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet334138
10 1399Carl EdwardsRoush Fenway RacingFord3341391
11 100David ReuitmannMichael Waltrip RacingToyota3341351
12 2211Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota334127
13 598Paul MenardRobert Yates RacingFord3341291
14 3212David StremmePhoenix RacingDodge334121
15 2139Ryan NewmanStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet334118
16 1883Brian VickersRed Bull Racing TeamToyota3341201
17 1277Sam Hornish, Jr.Team PenskeDodge334112
18 818Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota3331141
19 69Kasey KahneEvernham MotorsportsDodge333106
20 2088Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3331081
21 3507Casey MearsRichard Childress RacingChevrolet333100
22 1933Clint BowyerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet33397
23 4025Brad KeselowskiHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet33294
24 3455Michael WaltripMichael Waltrip RacingToyota33291
25 311Martin Truex, Jr.Earnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet33288
26 2634John AndrettiFront Row MotorsportsChevrolet33285
27 1729Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet33172
28 3721Bill ElliottWood Brothers RacingFord33179
29 30171David GillilandTRG MotorsportsChevrolet33076
30 1020Joey LoganoJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet33073
31 3378Regan SmithFurniture Row RacingChevrolet33070
32 4219Elliott SadlerRichard Petty MotorsportsDodge32967
33 418Aric AlmirolaEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet32864
34 2544A. J. AllmendingerRichard Petty MotorsportsDodge32861
35 39113Max PapisGermain RacingToyota32658
36 3843Reed SorensonRichard Petty MotorsportsDodge31555
37 46David RaganRoush Fenway RacingFord293521
38 3626Jamie McMurrayRoush Fenway RacingFord25549
39 297Robby GordonRobby Gordon MotorsportsToyota24946
40 2496Bobby LabonteHall of Fame RacingFord22943
41 1147Marcos AmbroseJTG Daugherty RacingToyota21640
42 2709Mike BlissPhoenix RacingDodge7637
43 4366Dave BlaneyPrism MotorsportsToyota4834
Source:[1][19]
1 Includes five bonus points for leading a lap
2 Includes ten bonus points for leading the most laps

Standings after the race

gollark: That does NOT apiologically functionize.
gollark: :GWcodezGopher:
gollark: What do you mean "global emotes"?
gollark: > isnt it athleio, not alethio? or am i unable to spell.Quite possibly.
gollark: Too bad.

References

  1. "Samsung 500". Fox Sports. MSN. Archived from the original on April 1, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  2. "NASCAR: Reutimann captures pole for Sprint Cup race in Texas". Autoweek. Crain Communications, Inc. April 2, 2009. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  3. "The Race: Samsung 500". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  4. "2009 Samsung 500 weather information". Old Farmer's Almanac. Yankee Publishing. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  5. "2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup TV Ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  6. "2009 Samsung 500". Racing-Reference. Fox Sports Digital. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  7. "Tracks". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on November 11, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  8. "Track Facts". Texas Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
  9. "Drivers' Championship Classification". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on February 27, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  10. "Manufacturers' Championship Classification". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on July 7, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  11. "2008 Samsung 500". Racing-Reference. Fox Sports Digital. Archived from the original on June 21, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  12. "Practice One Speeds". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 20, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  13. "Qualifying Order". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  14. "Race Lineup". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 6, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  15. "Practice Two Speeds". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 7, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  16. "Practice Three Speeds". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 7, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  17. "Lap by Lap: Texas". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 6, 2009. Archived from the original on June 25, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  18. Graves, Gary (April 6, 2009). "Gordon drives away at Texas, snaps winless streak at 47". USA Today. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  19. "2009 Official Race Results: Samsung 500". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  20. Hawkins, Stephen (April 6, 2009). "Gordon snaps winless streak with victory at Texas". U-T San Diego. MLIM Holdings. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  21. Sporting News Wire Service (April 6, 2009). "Gordon gets first victory at Texas to end winless skid". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 8, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  22. Rodman, Dave (April 6, 2009). "Biffle, Martin, Montoya gain momentum, ground at TMS". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  23. "Points Standings". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 2, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
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