2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Complete schedule

Because of the merger of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. with Chip Ganassi Racing, the No. 01 and No. 15 teams closed after the 2008 season. However, the owners' points from the No. 15 were transferred to the No. 34, while points from either the No. 01 or No. 41 was transferred to the No. 07, with the No. 33 car, owned by Richard Childress, receiving the other. (NASCAR allows for a transfer if the original owner maintains some stake in the team to which points are transferred.) 2009 also saw the demise of Petty Enterprises, which merged with Gillette Evernham Motorsports. The new company would be called Richard Petty Motorsports, forming a 4 car team with Kasey Kahne in the No. 9, Elliott Sadler in the No. 19, Reed Sorenson driving the famed No. 43, and A. J. Allmendinger driving the No. 44. Also Bill Davis Racing was bought by Triad Racing, however the No. 22 was bought by Penske Racing with Bill Davis holding minority interest. The No. 22's points were transferred to the No. 77, thus guaranteeing that car a spot in the Daytona 500 should all other transfers occur. There were 41 full-time teams in 2009.

Schedule

The most significant schedule changes in the 2009 NASCAR schedule realignment included the addition 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 off-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.

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 No. 1 and No. 8 from DEI and No. 42 from Ganassi, and shut down the DEI No. 01 and No. 15 teams as well as Ganassi's No. 40 and No. 41 teams, as the No. 40 was a full-time team in 2008 until July, when it was closed for a lack of sponsorship. The No. 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 No. 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 No. 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 No. 96 team as they move from Toyota to Ford. The first in-season casualty was the No. 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 No. 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 No. 44 and No. 96 teams as a result for the 2010 season and the No. 9, No. 19 and No. 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 No. 9, No. 19 and No. 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 its 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.

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 pm 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 pm, so NASCAR said it found a lab closer to his location. At 3:45 pm, 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 pm, 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 pm, could not gain access for 10 minutes, and then weren't able to persuade Mayfield to give a sample until 8:20 pm 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 an 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.

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 ESPN2; 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:

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' championship

Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Pole position set by owner's points standings. * – Most laps led.

Note:This list does not include exhibition races.

⁺ Scott Speed failed to qualify his normal ride, the No. 82 Red Bull Toyota at Darlington and Infineon, but drove Joe Nemechek's No. 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 No. 13 Ginn Racing Chevrolet in 2007 that would later be merged with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. on July 25, 2007.

Budweiser Shootout

The Budweiser Shootout, ran on February 7, is an exhibition race that traditionally is contested by all pole winners from the previous season. This year however, after an announcement made during the previous season, the top six teams from each competing manufacturer based on 2008 owner's points, plus a wild card entry from each manufacturer would be entered to run this race. Paul Menard drew the pole.

Top 10 results

1. 29 – Kevin Harvick
2. 26 – Jamie McMurray
3. 14 – Tony Stewart
4. 24 – Jeff Gordon
5. 44 – A. J. Allmendinger
6. 9 – Kasey Kahne
7. 99 – Carl Edwards
8. 17 – Matt Kenseth
9. 2 – Kurt Busch
10. 18 – Kyle Busch

Gatorade Duels

The Gatorade Duels, held on February 12, are a pair of qualifying races to set the field for the Daytona 500.

Race 1 results

1. 24 – Jeff Gordon
2. 14 – Tony Stewart
3. 48 – Jimmie Johnson
4. 20 – Joey Logano
5. 8 – Aric Almirola
6. 2 – Kurt Busch
7. 9 – Kasey Kahne
8. 36 – Scott Riggs
9. 98 – Paul Menard
10. 26 – Jamie McMurray

Race 2 results

1. 18 – Kyle Busch
2. 5 – Mark Martin
3. 83 – Brian Vickers
4. 42 – Juan Pablo Montoya
5. 11 – Denny Hamlin
6. 96 – Bobby Labonte
7. 88 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8. 99 – Carl Edwards
9. 41 – Jeremy Mayfield
10. 44 – A. J. Allmendinger

2009 Daytona 500

The 2009 Daytona 500 was held on February 15. Martin Truex Jr. qualified on the pole. On lap 152, the race was halted because of rain and when NASCAR determined they could not get the race restarted, the race was called official.

Top 10 results

1. 17 – Matt Kenseth
2. 29 – Kevin Harvick
3. 44 – A. J. Allmendinger
4. 33 – Clint Bowyer
5. 19 – Elliott Sadler
6. 6 – David Ragan
7. 55 – Michael Waltrip
8. 14 – Tony Stewart
9. 43 – Reed Sorenson
10. 2 – Kurt Busch

Failed to qualify: No. 87 – Joe Nemechek, No. 08 – Boris Said, No. 09 – Brad Keselowski, No. 27 – Kirk Shelmerdine, No. 71 – Mike Wallace, No. 37 – Tony Raines, No. 73 – Mike Garvey, No. 75 – Derrike Cope, No. 23 – Mike Skinner, No. 51 – Kelly Bires, No. 46 – Carl Long, No. 64 – Geoffrey Bodine, No. 57 – Norm Benning, No. 60 – James Hylton (withdrew)

Auto Club 500

The Auto Club 500 was run on February 22 at the Auto Club Speedway. Brian Vickers won the pole for this race, but had to start in the back of the field due to an engine change. Despite the caution flag coming out for rain on 4 occasions, NASCAR was still able to complete this race in its entirety. Matt Kenseth took the checkered flag and became the first driver since Jeff Gordon in 1997 to start off a Cup season by winning the first two races of the year.

Top 10 results

1. 17 – Matt Kenseth
2. 24 – Jeff Gordon
3. 18 – Kyle Busch
4. 16 – Greg Biffle
5. 2 – Kurt Busch
6. 11 – Denny Hamlin
7. 99 – Carl Edwards
8. 14 – Tony Stewart
9. 48 – Jimmie Johnson
10. 83 – Brian Vickers

Failed To Qualify: No. 64 – Todd Bodine, No. 37 – Tony Raines, No. 51 – David Starr, No. 73 – Mike Garvey, No. 09 – Sterling Marlin

Shelby 427

The Shelby 427 was run at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 1. Normally this race is 267 laps and 400 miles long, but for this year's running, Carroll Shelby International took over the title sponsorship of the race and decided to run the race 27 miles longer in honor of the Shelby 427 sports car. Kyle Busch qualified on the pole for the race, but had to start in the back due to an engine change. Busch would rally in the last part of the race to win from the pole.

Top 10 results

1. 18 – Kyle Busch
2. 33 – Clint Bowyer
3. 31 – Jeff Burton
4. 00 – David Reutimann
5. 96 – Bobby Labonte
6. 24 – Jeff Gordon
7. 16 – Greg Biffle
8. 83 – Brian Vickers
9. 26 – Jamie McMurray
10. 88 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Failed To Qualify: No. 28 – Travis Kvapil, No. 66 – Dave Blaney, No. 73 – Mike Garvey, No. 41 – Jeremy Mayfield, No. 09 – Sterling Marlin, No. 36 – Scott Riggs, No. 37 – Tony Raines, No. 51 – Dexter Bean

Kobalt Tools 500

The Kobalt Tools 500 was held on March 8 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mark Martin won the pole. Kurt Busch started on the outside front row from second place and would go on to lead 234 laps on his way to a dominating win. This race was extended from 325 to 330 laps due to a Green-White-Checkered finish.

Top 10 results

1. 2 – Kurt Busch
2. 24 – Jeff Gordon
3. 99 – Carl Edwards
4. 29 – Kevin Harvick
5. 83 – Brian Vickers
6. 33 – Clint Bowyer
7. 9 – Kasey Kahne
8. 14 – Tony Stewart
9. 48 – Jimmie Johnson
10. 1 – Martin Truex Jr.

Failed to qualify: No. 35 – Todd Bodine, No. 36 – Scott Riggs, No. 41 – Jeremy Mayfield, No. 64 – Geoffrey Bodine, No. 37 – Tony Raines

Food City 500

The Food City 500 was held on March 22 at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Mark Martin started on the pole. One week after Kurt Busch dominated at Atlanta, his brother Kyle Busch would dominate this race. Kyle Busch led 378 of the races 503 laps despite starting mid pack in 19th place. This race was extended to 503 laps from its scheduled 500 due to a Green-White-Checkered finish.

Top 10 results

1. 18 – Kyle Busch
2. 11 – Denny Hamlin
3. 48 – Jimmie Johnson
4. 24 – Jeff Gordon
5. 9 – Kasey Kahne
6. 5 – Mark Martin
7. 39 – Ryan Newman
8. 31 – Jeff Burton
9. 42 – Juan Pablo Montoya
10. 47 – Marcos Ambrose

Failed to qualify: No. 36 – Scott Riggs, No. 41 – Jeremy Mayfield

Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500

The Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 was held at Martinsville Speedway on March 29. Qualifying was rained out and points were used to set the field. Jeff Gordon would be given the pole starting spot as a result. Denny Hamlin led the bulk of the laps, leading 296 of 500. Jimmie Johnson however, would hold off a hard charging Hamlin and give car owner Rick Hendrick an emotional win as Hendrick Motorsports was celebrating their 25th anniversary of the organization's first win right at this very track.

Top 10 results

1. 48 – Jimmie Johnson
2. 11 – Denny Hamlin
3. 14 – Tony Stewart
4. 24 – Jeff Gordon
5. 33 – Clint Bowyer
6. 39 – Ryan Newman
7. 5 – Mark Martin
8. 88 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
9. 44 – A. J. Allmendinger
10. 26 – Jamie McMurray

Failed to qualify: No. 09 – Sterling Marlin, No. 37 – Tony Raines, No. 46 – Dennis Setzer, No. 75 – Derrike Cope, No. 73 – Mike Garvey (withdrew)

Samsung 500

The Samsung 500 was held on Sunday April 5, from Texas Motor Speedway. David Reutimann won the pole. Jeff Gordon would hold on from a hard charging Jimmie Johnson who was cutting into Gordon's lead and take the victory. This was Jeff Gordon's first career victory at Texas.

Top 10 results

1. 24 – Jeff Gordon
2. 48 – Jimmie Johnson
3. 16 – Greg Biffle
4. 14 – Tony Stewart
5. 17 – Matt Kenseth
6. 5 – Mark Martin
7. 42 – Juan Pablo Montoya
8. 2 – Kurt Busch
9. 31 – Jeff Burton
10. 99 – Carl Edwards

Failed to qualify: No. 87 – Joe Nemechek, No. 82 – Scott Speed, No. 41 – Jeremy Mayfield, No. 64 – Todd Bodine, No. 36 – Scott Riggs

Subway Fresh Fit 500

The Subway Fresh Fit 500 was run on Saturday, April 18, from the Phoenix International Raceway. Mark Martin started on the pole, led 157 of the race's 312 laps, and went on to become the fourth driver in Cup Series history to win a points race over the age of 50.

Top 10 results

1. 5 – Mark Martin
2. 14 – Tony Stewart
3. 2 – Kurt Busch
4. 48 – Jimmie Johnson
5. 16 – Greg Biffle
6. 11 – Denny Hamlin
7. 1 – Martin Truex, Jr.
8. 00 – David Reutimann
9. 77 – Sam Hornish, Jr.
10. 99 – Carl Edwards

Failed to qualify: No. 64 – Todd Bodine, No. 41 – Jeremy Mayfield, No. 51 – Dexter Bean, No. 02 – Brandon Ash, No. 06 – Trevor Boys

Aaron's 499

The Aaron's 499 was run on Sunday, April 26, at the Talladega Superspeedway. Juan Pablo Montoya won the pole. This race is forever remembered for the final lap. The tandem duo of Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. were running first and second coming to the white flag when another tandem duo of Carl Edwards and Nationwide Series regular Brad Keselowski drafted and blew right by Newman and Earnhardt, Jr., breaking away down the back straightaway to settle the race among themselves. Coming into the tri oval, Brad Keselowski started to peak outside, causing Edwards to react high when Keselowski quickly turned back into the inside finding some room and some momentum to start making a pass down to the inside. Edwards tried to block Keselowski but when Brad's front end made contact with Carl's back end, it turned Carl Edward's car side ways, causing the back end of his car to lift before being slammed into from the oncoming car of Ryan Newman. The impact sent Carl Edward's car crashing up into the catch fence that separates the fans from the action. Brad Keselowski took the checkered flag to win his first career Sprint Cup Series race in just his 5th start.

Top 10 results

1. 09 – Brad Keselowski
2. 88 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
3. 39 – Ryan Newman
4. 47 – Marcos Ambrose
5. 82 – Scott Speed
6. 2 – Kurt Busch
7. 16 – Greg Biffle
8. 83 – Brian Vickers
9. 20 – Joey Logano
10. 31 – Jeff Burton

Failed to qualify: No. 66 – Michael McDowell, No. 4 – Eric McClure, No. 64 – Geoffrey Bodine

Crown Royal Presents the Russ Friedman 400

The Crown Royal Presents the Russ Friedman 400 was held on Saturday, May 2 at the Richmond International Raceway. Brian Vickers won the pole.

Top 10 results

1. 18 – Kyle Busch
2. 14 – Tony Stewart
3. 31 – Jeff Burton
4. 39 – Ryan Newman
5. 5 – Mark Martin
6. 77 – Sam Hornish, Jr.
7. 26 – Jamie McMurray
8. 24 – Jeff Gordon
9. 07 – Casey Mears
10. 42 – Juan Pablo Montoya

Failed to qualify: No. 64 – Todd Bodine, No. 06 – Trevor Boys

Southern 500 Presented by GoDaddy.Com

The Southern 500 Presented by GoDaddy.Com was held at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, May 9. Matt Kenseth won the pole.

Top 10 results

1. 5 – Mark Martin
2. 48 – Jimmie Johnson
3. 14 – Tony Stewart
4. 39 – Ryan Newman
5. 24 – Jeff Gordon
6. 1 – Martin Truex, Jr.
7. 25 – Brad Keselowski
8. 16 – Greg Biffle
9. 20 – Joey Logano
10. 17 – Matt Kenseth

Failed to qualify: No. 41 – Jeremy Mayfield*, No. 82 – Scott Speed, No. 64 – Geoffrey Bodine (withdrew)

Sprint All-Star Race XXV

The 2009 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race is a non-points event, held on Saturday, May 16, at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. Sam Hornish, Jr. won the Sprint Showdown race prior to the start of the All-Star Race, allowing him and runner up Jamie McMurray to transfer into the main event. Joey Logano won the fan vote that also lets one driver not eligible to run the All-Star race to make the event on account of a popular vote by the fans. Jimmie Johnson led the first 50 laps in the event before the lead switched back and forth between Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon. Matt Kenseth would take the lead on lap 95, but with four laps to go Tony Stewart pulled up alongside in what was an exciting battle for the lead. Stewart would overtake Kenseth with two laps to go and hold on for the race win.

Top 10 results

1. 14 – Tony Stewart
2. 17 – Matt Kenseth
3. 2 – Kurt Busch
4. 11 – Denny Hamlin
5. 99 – Carl Edwards
6. 5 – Mark Martin
7. 18 – Kyle Busch
8. 20 – Joey Logano
9. 26 – Jamie McMurray
10. 88 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Coca-Cola 600

The 50th Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race of the season, was scheduled to run on Sunday, May 24, but due to rain the race was postponed to Monday, May 25 on Memorial Day. Ryan Newman won the pole. On lap 222, rain hit the track throwing out the yellow flag. When drivers and teams decided on pit strategy in the ensuing couple laps, David Reutimann chose to stay out on the track, inheriting the race lead. The race was stopped on lap 227 and never restarted. Reutimann was declared the winner.

Top 10 results

1. 00 – David Reutimann
2. 39 – Ryan Newman
3. 7 – Robby Gordon
4. 99 – Carl Edwards
5. 83 – Brian Vickers
6. 18 – Kyle Busch
7. 9 – Kasey Kahne
8. 42 – Juan Pablo Montoya
9. 20 – Joey Logano
10. 17 – Matt Kenseth

Failed to qualify: No. 41 – J. J. Yeley, No. 73 – Mike Garvey, No. 64 – Todd Bodine, No. 06 – David Starr

Autism Speaks 400

The Autism Speaks 400 was held at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, May 31. David Reutimann won the pole for the race. Jimmie Johnson was the class of the field, leading 298 of 400 laps. Johnson would pass Tony Stewart with a couple laps to go and take the win.

Top 10 results

1. 48 – Jimmie Johnson
2. 14 – Tony Stewart
3. 16 – Greg Biffle
4. 17 – Matt Kenseth
5. 2 – Kurt Busch
6. 9 – Kasey Kahne
7. 99 – Carl Edwards
8. 39 – Ryan Newman
9. 07 – Casey Mears
10. 5 – Mark Martin

Failed to qualify: No. 25 – Brad Keselowski, No. 13 – Max Papis, No. 75 – Derrike Cope, No. 06 – David Starr, No. 41 – J. J. Yeley (withdrew), No. 64 – Todd Bodine (withdrew)

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 One driver Scott Speed and Max Papis, struggled to adjust to stock cars.