No matter who won the race, when we look back over the Chase race at Dover in 2009, we will remember Joey Logano's wreck.  It happened on the restart, with only a few laps completed, and resulted in 7 rolls, side over side over side for young Logano.  Luckily the car ended up on its wheels, but even after being checked out in the Infield Care Unit, Joey's voice continued to quaver as he was interviewed and he admitted freely that it was the worst wreck he'd ever had, that it scared him, and that he was just praying for it to be over.  Thankfully, the COT and the new driver's "cage" kept him safe.



After a 20+ minute Red Flag, the race again got underway again, and within a few laps Kurt Busch assumed the lead.  Jimmie Johnson took his turn at the lead, and the laps were winding down, Kyle Busch had a tire blow on him, pushing him into the wall. Luckily, it was not in a corner and he was able to get his tires changed and get back out.  However,  green flag pit stops had just gotten under way and a number of good cars got trapped laps down, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.   Kurt Busch came off pit road first, but Jimmie Johnson got around him again quickly and the race settled in once again.  Kyle Busch was the first car one lap down, with Bobby Labonte, Dale Jr and Elliott Sadler  sharing the lap with him.   Kyle lost a front tire again, and again hit the wall, but this time took his car to the garage to get the repairs done properly.

Bobby Labonte got the free pass putting 21 cars on the lead lap.  Dale Jr was able to stay running strong enough to remain the first car one lap down and eligible for the free pass.

Unfortunately, by the time the caution flew for Stremme hitting the wall, Jimmie had passed several cars putting them also a lap down.  With the restart, heading toward the last 100 laps of the race, there were only 17 cars on the lead lap.

As the final 100 laps wound down, the top cars remained to be Jeff, Jimmie and Kurt, but Kasey Kahne, who had been hanging around the top twelve, sudeenly seemed to come to life, challenging Juan Pablo Montoya and bringing Greg Biffle with him.  Although the dominating cars continued to be many of those in the Chase, this fan was pleased to see Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer running in the top ten along with AJ Allmendinger, who eventually finished in 7th.  Casey Mears, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton all rounded out the balance of the RCR cars, and all were running in the top twenty.   Of the Chase cars, however, only Denny Hamlin was laps down,

With 58 laps to go, some of the lap down cars who had been involved in the first racing incident resulting in Joey Logano's tumble got together and brought out another caution.  Jimmie Johnson again took the top spot after the restart, with Matt Kenseth settling in behind him in second.  With 40 odd laps to go, Denny Hamlin was the only Chase not within the top 18.  The cautions however had taken so many cars out of the running, and even 2 laps down he was running in 22nd.

Sam Hornish Jr brough the caution out with 32 laps to go when he spun on the front stretch, trying to get around the 00 of Reutimann.  None of the front runners pitted, but Tony Stewart peeled off from about 7th and pitted and a handful of cars behind him followed suit.

The restart with under 30 to go and no one was giving anyone else any room.  They were racing as if it were the last lap.  None of that let up, but it was all for naught, as Jimmie Johnson who had held off the challenges of everyone all day long, came home to the Checkers first, for the fifth time in his career.  His teammate, Mark Martin, made it to second, with Matt Kenseth in third and Montoya behind him in fourth.  Jimmie grabbed maximum points and gained 25 points he needed to come within 10 points of Mark Martin for the lead leaving Dover. 

Denny Hamlin dropped three spots in the standings, moving Tony, Kurt and Juan each up one.  Carl and Kasey remain mired in the back.  The teams head off to Kansas for the next race, again Sunday at 1pm.