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Date October 11, 2009 (2009-10-11) Course Permanent racing facility2.0 mi (3.23 km) Distance 250 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) Weather Temperatures up to 69.8 °F (21.0 °C); wind speeds up to 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h) Average speed 143.908 miles per hour (231.597 km/h) | ||
The 2009 Pepsi 500 was the thirtieth race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and also served as the fourth race in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup. It took place on October 11, 2009 at Auto Club Speedway in the American community of Fontana, California.
Summary
Jimmie Johnson would defeat his Hendricks Motorsports team mate Jeff Gordon by slightly more than 1.6 seconds after a gruelling three hours and twenty-eight minutes of racing.
Kyle Busch suffered through three different illnesses during this race; including a non-H1N1 form of the flu. After driving for 62 laps, he felt weak and went into the pits in order for David Gilliland to perform the substitute duty for him. David Gilliland finished the race in 28th place but Busch received the points for it. Mike Bliss walked away as the last-place finisher after encountering engine problems on lap 11.
The gambling pundits handpicked Jimmie Johnson to be the winner of the race; with Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth being wild cards. Just before the race, Johnson had an average finish of 6th place in his 13 prior races at Auto Club Speedway and finished worse than tenth place only twice.