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. Held on May 31 of that year at the 1-mile (1.6 km) Dover International Speedway in Delaware's state capital city, consisting of 400 miles (640 km) and marked the halfway point to the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup.

2009 Autism Speaks 400

Race details
Race 13 of 36 in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season
2009 Autism Speaks 400 program cover
Date	May 31, 2009 (2009-05-31)
Official name	Autism Speaks 400
Location	Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	1.0 miles (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	David Reutimann	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

Background

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.

Entry list

Car[2]	Driver	Hometown	Make	Sponsor	Owner	Team	Crew Chief
00	David Reutimann	Zephyrhills, FL	Toyota	Aaron's Dream Machine	Michael Waltrip	Michael Waltrip Racing
1	Martin Truex Jr	Mayetta, NJ	Chevrolet	Bass Pro Shops / Tracker	Teresa Earnhardt	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
2	Kurt Busch	Las Vegas, NV	Dodge	Miller Lite	Walter Czarnecki	Penske Racing
5	Mark Martin	Batesville, AR	Chevrolet	Kellogg's / Carquest	Mary Hendrick	Hendrick Motorsports
06	David Starr	Houston, TX	Dodge	Canics.com	Theresa Boys	Boys Will Be Boys Racing
6	David Ragan	Unadilla, GA	Ford	UPS	John Henry	Roush Fenway Racing
07	Casey Mears	Bakersfield, CA	Chevrolet	Jack Daniel's	Richard Childress	Richard Childress Racing
7	Robby Gordon	Bellflower, CA	Toyota	Richmond Water Heaters	Robby Gordon	Robby Gordon Motorsports
09	Mike Bliss	Milwaukie, OR	Dodge	Phoenix Racing	James Finch	Phoenix Racing
9	Kasey Kahne	Enumclaw, WA	Dodge	Budweiser	George Gillett Jr	Richard Petty Motorsports
11	Denny Hamlin	Chesterfield, VA	Toyota	FedEx Office	J D Gibbs	Joe Gibbs Racing
12	David Stremme	South Bend, IN	Dodge	Penske Racing	Roger Penske	Penske Racing
13	Max Papis	Como, Italy	Toyota	GEICO	Bob Germain	Germain Racing
14	Tony Stewart	Rushville, IN	Chevrolet	Office Depot / Old Spice	Margaret Haas	Stewart-Haas Racing
16	Greg Biffle	Vancouver, WA	Ford	3M Nexcare	Jack Roush	Roush Fenway Racing
17	Matt Kenseth	Cambridge, WI	Ford	Dewalt	John Henry	Roush Fenway Racing
18	Kyle Busch	Las Vegas, NV	Toyota	M&M's	Joe Gibbs	Joe Gibbs Racing
19	Elliott Sadler	Emporia, VA	Dodge	Stanley Tools	George Gillett Jr	Richard Petty Motorsports
20	Joey Logano	Middleton, CT	Toyota	The Home Depot	Joe Gibbs	Joe Gibbs Racing
24	Jeff Gordon	Vallejo, CA	Chevrolet	DuPont	Rick Hendrick	Hendrick Motorsports
25	Brad Keselowski	Auburn Hills, MI	Chevrolet	GoDaddy.com	Rick Hendrick	Hendrick Motorsports
26	Jamie McMurray	Joplin, MO	Ford	Crown Royal	Geoff Smith	Roush Fenway Racing
29	Kevin Harvick	Bakersfield, CA	Chevrolet	Shell / Pennzoil	Richard Childress	Richard Childress Racing
31	Jeff Burton	South Boston, VA	Chevrolet	Caterpillar	Richard Childress	Richard Childress Racing
33	Clint Bowyer	Emporia, KS	Chevrolet	The Hartford	Bobby Ginn III	Richard Childress Racing
34	John Andretti	Bethlehem, PA	Chevrolet	Taco Bell	Teresa Earnhardt	Front Row Motorsports
36	Mike Skinner	Ontario, CA	Toyota	Tommy Baldwin Racing	Tommy Baldwin	Tommy Baldwin Racing
37	Tony Raines	LaPorte, IN	Chevrolet	Long John Silver's	Brad Jenkins	Front Row Motorsports
39	Ryan Newman	South Bend, IN	Chevrolet	U.S. Army	Tony Stewart	Stewart-Haas Racing
42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Bogota, Colombia	Chevrolet	Target	Teresa Earnhardt	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
43	Reed Sorenson	Peachtree City, GA	Dodge	U.S. Air Force	Richard Petty	Richard Petty Motorsports
44	AJ Allmendinger	Los Gatos, CA	Dodge	Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper	George Gillett Jr	Richard Petty Motorsports
47	Marcos Ambrose	Launceston, Tasmania	Toyota	RaceSavers.com	Rob Kauffman	JTG Daugherty Racing
48	Jimmie Johnson	El Cajon, CA	Chevrolet	Lowe's / Kobalt Tools	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports
55	Michael Waltrip	Owensboro, KY	Toyota	NAPA	Michael Waltrip	Michael Waltrip Racing
66	Dave Blaney	Hartford, OH	Toyota	Prism Motorsports	Phil Parsons	Prism Motorsports
71	David Gilliland	Riverside, CA	Chevrolet	CompUSA	Kevin Buckler	TRG Motorsports
75	Derrike Cope	Spanaway, WA	Dodge	FlipnBags.com	Derrike Cope	Cope-Keller Racing
77	Sam Hornish Jr	Defiance, OH	Dodge	Mobil 1	Bill Davis	Penske Racing
78	Regan Smith	Cato, NY	Chevrolet	Furniture Row Companies	Barney Visser	Furniture Row Racing
82	Scott Speed	Manteca, CA	Toyota	Red Bull	Dietrich Mateschitz	Red Bull Racing Team
83	Brian Vickers	Thomasville, NC	Toyota	Red Bull	Dietrich Mateschitz	Red Bull Racing Team
87	Joe Nemechek	Lakeland, FL	Toyota	G.P.'s Enterprises / Huckleberry's BBQ / LubePro's	Andrea Nemechek	NEMCO Motorsports
88	Dale Earnhardt Jr	Kannapolis, NC	Chevrolet	Amp Energy / National Guard	Rick Hendrick	Hendrick Motorsports
96	Bobby Labonte	Corpus Christi, TX	Ford	Ask.com / AutismSpeaks.com	Jeffrey Moorad	Hall of Fame Racing
98	Paul Menard	Eau Claire, WI	Ford	Pittsburgh Paints / Menards	Max Jones	Yates Racing
99	Carl Edwards	Columbia, MO	Ford	Aflac	Jack Roush	Roush Fenway Racing

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.

Jeff Gordon damaged his car after hitting the wall during qualifying

Pos.[3][4]	Car	Driver	Make	Avg. Speed (mph)	Time	Behind
1	00	David Reutimann	Toyota	156.794	22.960	0.000
2	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	156.542	22.997	00.037
3	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	156.020	23.074	00.114
4	43	Reed Sorenson	Dodge	155.952	23.084	00.124
5	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	155.932	23.087	00.127
6	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	155.885	23.094	00.134
7	44	AJ Allmendinger	Dodge	155.689	23.123	00.163
8	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	155.662	23.127	00.167
9	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	155.595	23.137	00.177
10	19	Elliott Sadler	Dodge	155.514	23.149	00.189
11	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	155.447	23.159	00.199
12	77	Sam Hornish Jr	Dodge	155.440	23.160	00.200
13	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	155.420	23.163	00.203
14	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	155.313	23.179	00.219
15	1	Martin Truex Jr	Chevrolet	155.313	23.179	00.219
16	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	155.152	23.203	00.243
17	07	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	155.085	23.213	00.253
18	26	Jamie McMurray	Ford	155.066	23.216	00.256
19	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	155.032	23.221	00.261
20	47	Marcos Ambrose	Toyota	154.919	23.238	00.278
21	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	154.812	23.254	00.294
22	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr	Chevrolet	154.799	23.256	00.296
23	82	Scott Speed	Toyota	154.706	23.270	00.310
24	71	David Gilliland	Chevrolet	154.593	23.287	00.327
25	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	154.573	23.290	00.330
26	6	David Ragan	Ford	154.566	23.291	00.331
27	96	Bobby Labonte	Ford	154.434	23.311	00.351
28	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	154.328	23.327	00.367
29	55	Michael Waltrip	Toyota	154.242	23.340	00.380
30	12	David Stremme	Dodge	153.932	23.387	00.427
31	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	153.675	23.426	00.466
32	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	153.577	23.441	00.481
33	78	Regan Smith	Chevrolet	153.446	23.461	00.501
34	36	Mike Skinner	Toyota	153.368	23.473	00.513
35	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	153.263	23.489	00.529
36	98	Paul Menard	Ford	153.133	23.509	00.549
37	09	Mike Bliss	Dodge	153.120	23.511	00.551
38	87	Joe Nemechek	Toyota	152.853	23.552	00.592
39	66	Dave Blaney	Toyota	152.840	23.554	00.594
40	7	Robby Gordon	Toyota	151.681	23.734	00.774
41	34	John Andretti	Chevrolet	151.471	23.767	00.807
42	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	0.000	00.000	0.000
43	37	Tony Raines	Chevrolet	152.491	23.608	00.648
Failed to qualify
44	25	Brad Keselowski	Chevrolet	152.265	23.643
45	13	Max Papis	Toyota	151.815	23.713
46	75	Derrike Cope	Dodge	0.000	00.000	0.000
47	06	David Starr	Dodge	0.000	00.000	0.000
WD	41	J.J. Yeley	Toyota	0.000	00.000	0.000
WD	64	Todd Bodine	Toyota	0.000	00.000	0.000

Failed to Qualify: Brad Keselowski (#25), Max Papis (#13), Derrike Cope (#75), David Starr (#06).

Race 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.

Race results

Fin[5][6]	St	#	Driver	Sponsor	Make	Team	Laps	Led	Status	Pts	Winnings (USD)
1	8	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's, Kobalt Tools	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	400	298	running	195	341151
2	31	14	Tony Stewart	Office Depot, Old Spice	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing	400	6	running	175	215398
3	5	16	Greg Biffle	3M Nexcare Products	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing	400	41	running	170	188700
4	14	17	Matt Kenseth	DeWalt	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing	400	7	running	165	179940
5	19	2	Kurt Busch	Miller Lite	Dodge	Penske Racing	400	0	running	155	136250
6	2	9	Kasey Kahne	Budweiser	Dodge	Richard Petty Motorsports	400	0	running	150	150398
7	13	99	Carl Edwards	Aflac	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing	400	12	running	151	149656
8	11	39	Ryan Newman	U.S. Army	Chevrolet	Stewart-Haas Racing	400	0	running	142	131454
9	17	07	Casey Mears	Jack Daniel's	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing	400	0	running	138	112975
10	28	5	Mark Martin	Kellogg's, Carquest	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	400	1	running	139	106825
11	25	33	Clint Bowyer	The Hartford	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing	400	0	running	130	103225
12	22	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	AMP Energy, National Guard	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	400	0	running	127	107600
13	12	77	Sam Hornish Jr.	Mobil 1	Dodge	Penske Racing	400	0	running	124	112235
14	18	26	Jamie McMurray	Crown Royal	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing	400	0	running	121	101100
15	21	20	Joey Logano	Home Depot	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing	400	0	running	118	137351
16	32	31	Jeff Burton	Caterpillar	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing	400	0	running	115	133331
17	35	29	Kevin Harvick	Shell, Pennzoil	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing	400	0	running	112	127403
18	1	00	David Reutimann	Aaron's Dream Machine	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing	400	25	running	114	125998
19	4	43	Reed Sorenson	U.S. Air Force	Dodge	Roush Fenway Racing	400	4	running	111	125851
20	20	47	Marcos Ambrose	RaceSavers.com	Toyota	JTG Daugherty Racing	400	0	running	103	104173
21	15	1	Martin Truex Jr.	Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing	399	0	running	100	122165
22	33	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row	Chevrolet	Furniture Row Racing	399	0	running	97	86525
23	6	18	Kyle Busch	M&M's	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing	399	0	running	94	131248
24	26	6	David Ragan	UPS	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing	399	0	running	91	93675
25	9	83	Brian Vickers	Red Bull	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team	399	0	running	88	112973
26	42	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	398	0	running	85	121851
27	10	19	Elliott Sadler	Stanley Tools	Dodge	Roush Fenway Racing	398	2	running	87	91350
28	27	96	Bobby Labonte	Ask.com, Autism Speaks	Ford	Hall of Fame Racing	397	0	running	79	110329
29	7	44	A.J. Allmendinger	Auto Value, Bumper to Bumper	Dodge	Roush Fenway Racing	396	0	running	76	82550
30	3	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target	Chevrolet	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing	395	3	running	78	117073
31	30	12	David Stremme	Penske Racing	Dodge	Penske Racing	370	0	crash	70	112740
32	36	98	Paul Menard	Pittsburgh Paints, Menards	Ford	Yates Racing	363	0	running	67	109506
33	40	7	Robby Gordon	Richmond Water Heaters	Toyota	Robby Gordon Motorsports	282	0	crash	64	98660
34	41	34	John Andretti	Taco Bell	Chevrolet	Front Row Motorsports	253	0	crash	61	86750
35	29	55	Michael Waltrip	NAPA Auto Parts	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing	250	0	engine	58	86525
36	16	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Office	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing	232	0	crash	55	96400
37	23	82	Scott Speed	Red Bull	Toyota	Red Bull Racing Team	118	0	engine	52	90328
38	38	87	Joe Nemechek	NEMCO Motorsports	Toyota	NEMCO Motorsports	67	0	drive shaft	49	78145
39	39	66	Dave Blaney	Prism Motorsports	Toyota	Prism Motorsports	66	0	transmission	46	78030
40	37	09	Mike Bliss	Phoenix Racing	Dodge	Phoenix Racing	56	0	electrical	43	77900
41	34	36	Mike Skinner	Tommy Baldwin Racing	Toyota	Tommy Baldwin Racing	51	0	engine	40	77745
42	43	37	Tony Raines	Long John Silver's	Chevrolet	Front Row Motorsports	42	0	crash	37	77665
43	24	71	David Gilliland	TRG Motorsports	Chevrolet	TRG Motorsports	38	1	power	39	78034
Failed to qualify
44		25	Brad Keselowski	GoDaddy.com	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
45		13	Max Papis	GEICO	Toyota	Germain Racing
46		75	Derrike Cope	Cope-Keller Racing	Dodge	Cope-Keller Racing
47		06	David Starr	Canics.com	Dodge	Boys Will Be Boys Racing
WD		41	J.J. Yeley	SmallSponsor.com	Toyota	Mayfield Motorsports
WD		64	Todd Bodine		Toyota	Gunselman Motorsports