Lap-by-Lap: Bristol

CHECKERED FLAG: Kyle Busch wins the Food City 500 by edging Jeff Burton at the line.

Lap 502 -- Jeff Burton goes by Jeff Gordon as Kyle Busch spins his wheels.

Lap 502 -- GREEN FLAG: Kyle Busch leads the green-white-checkered finish at Bristol.
1. Kyle Busch
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Jeff Burton
4. Greg Biffle
5. Kevin Harvick

Lap 498 -- Carl Edwards and David Stremme head to pit road. Neither stopped during the last caution.

Lap 497 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 15: Kasey Kahne makes contact with David Ragan, and Ragan slides to a stop at the bottom of the track.

Lap 496 -- Kyle Busch's lead is five car-lengths, with Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton moving by Greg Biffle.

Lap 493 -- Denny Hamlin has slowed. He radioed to his crew, "We're blowing up. We're blowing up."

Lap 492 -- Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton move to fourth and fifth with fresh tires.

Lap 491 -- GREEN FLAG: Kyle Busch leads the field to green in a single-file restart with nine laps to go. The top five cars did not pit, while positions 6-15 did pit.
1. Kyle Busch
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Greg Biffle
4. David Stremme
5. Carl Edwards

Lap 486 -- Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Greg Biffle stay out, but Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick stop for tires. Ten lead-lap cars pitted.

Lap 485 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 14: Caution is out for Jimmie Johnson's flat tire.

Lap 485 -- LEAD CHANGE: As the leaders go by Jimmie Johnson's slow car, Kyle Busch passes Denny Hamlin for the lead.

Lap 484 -- Jimmie Johnson has a flat right-front tire and is slow. He stays out to get a caution.

Lap 480 -- With 20 laps to go, the leaders continue to work through lapped traffic. Denny Hamlin's lead is now 0.227 seconds.

Lap 470 -- Three cars are out of the race, while there have been 10 different leaders. Denny Hamlin holds a slight advantage ahead of Kyle Busch.

Lap 455 -- As they work through lapped traffic, Kyle Busch is on leader Denny Hamlin's tail.

Lap 447 -- Kasey Kahne, who spun earlier in the race, is now running 23rd in his fight to stay inside the top 35 in owner points.

Lap 441 -- Juan Montoya's problems continue, as he heads to pit road with a flat tire.

Lap 428 -- Kyle Busch goes around Kevin Harvick for second, while Denny Hamlin has built a nearly 1-second lead.

Lap 424 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin leads the field to green again.
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Kyle Busch
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Greg Biffle

Lap 421 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 13: Debris is on the frontstretch, and it may have come from the restart when Kevin Harvick bumped Denny Hamlin. Ward Burton gets the free pass.

Lap 420 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin leads the field to green.
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Kyle Busch
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Greg Biffle

Lap 415 -- Brian Vickers pulls onto pit road to make his stop, giving the lead to Denny Hamlin.

Lap 414 -- Brian Vickers stays out to lead a lap.

Lap 413 -- All cars hit pit road:
• David Stremme gets no adjustments but has lost radio communication
• Denny Hamlin is loose, but a fast stop gets him out first
• Jeff Gordon picks up one more spot and gets out fourth
• Jeff Green gets the free pass

Lap 412 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 12: Debris is in Turn 4, and Sterling Marlin hit it.

Lap 408 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick drives below Denny Hamlin to take the lead.

Lap 394 -- Kevin Harvick moves around Kyle Busch to take second after he got past Greg Biffle.

Lap 382 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin gets the race going again.
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kyle Busch
3. Greg Biffle
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Clint Bowyer

Lap 381 -- Jimmie Johnson gets off pit road just before the green flag waves.

Lap 377 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 11: Mike Bliss and Bobby Labonte spin. Robby Gordon and Ricky Rudd have minor damage from contact that set off the congestion.

Lap 374 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin leads the field to the stripe.
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Greg Biffle
3. Kyle Busch
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Clint Bowyer

Lap 368 -- The leaders head to pit road:
• Clint Bowyer gets an air-pressure adjustment
• David Stremme is battling a loose racecar and takes adjustments
• Denny Hamlin gets out in 13.3 seconds with zero changes

Lap 367 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 10: Debris is on the track -- a bumper bar -- just as Jimmie Johnson goes a lap down. He will get the free pass.

Lap 362 -- Jeff Gordon is up to sixth after battling all day with a rude-handling racecar.

Lap 350 -- After all three Evernham cars have had trouble, the top two Dodges are David Stremme in ninth and Mike Bliss in 12th.

Lap 325 -- Greg Biffle goes under Kyle Busch to take second position.

Lap 317 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin gets things going again.
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kyle Busch
3. Greg Biffle
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Matt Kenseth

Lap 315 -- Tony Stewart is back onto the track, running 38th, 23 laps down.

Lap 312 -- Some cars hit pit road, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon. J.J. Yeley is penalized for speeding and will restart at the back.

Lap 309 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 9: Martin Truex Jr. gets sideways, smacks the wall and Ryan Newman runs directly into the back of Truex. Casey Mears also spun. Newman has heavy damage to the front and goes to the garage.

Lap 300 -- Tony Stewart's crew checked the new fuel system, but it's not the problem as he continues to sit on pit road.

Lap 298 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin moves underneath Kyle Busch to take the lead.

Lap 290 -- Tony Stewart is still on pit road and reports he has no fuel pressure. The hood is up on his machine as his team works on a new fuel cable that is the reason for the problem. Stewart had led 257 of the 290 laps.

Lap 289 -- GREEN FLAG: Kyle Busch leads the field to green.
1. Kyle Busch
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Greg Biffle
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Kevin Harvick

Lap 289 -- Tony Stewart is penalized for violating the pit-road commitment line. He will restart at the longest line.

Lap 287 -- Jeff Burton is caught speeding coming onto pit road and will go to the back of the longest line, forcing him to restart 16th.

Lap 285 -- Kasey Kahne is back on pit road to repair the right fender. Kahne is scored two laps down in 30th.

Lap 283 -- The leaders are on pit road:
• Matt Kenseth is battling a loose racecar and takes wedge
• Kevin Harvick gets forward bite and is happy with his car
• Tony Stewart is out in 14.6 seconds and gets out first again

Lap 282 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 8: Kasey Kahne spins coming off Turn 4. He got loose in the corner, went up the track and smacked the wall. He had been losing ground fast on the track. Kahne's right fender is flat.

Lap 272 -- Kyle Busch moves past Greg Biffle to take second position, but Busch is more than 4 seconds behind leader Tony Stewart.

Lap 255 -- Elliott Sadler is back in to change left-side tires because of a vibration. Sadler is now four laps down, running in 35th.

Lap 253 -- Martin Truex Jr. has a flat left-front tire and is riding on the flat tire. He hits pit road. The left side of his front splitter slid on the track, but no adjustments were made.

Lap 248 -- Elliott Sadler hits pit road because of another loose wheel. He was running second and will lose a lap. He did not change tires, as the crew only tightened the lug nut.

Lap 231 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart gets the race going again:
1. Tony Stewart
2. Elliott Sadler
3. Kasey Kahne
4. Greg Biffle
5. Kyle Busch

Lap 229 -- Jeremy Mayfield is sent to the rear of the field for a violation of the pit-road commitment cone.

Lap 227 -- All the leaders hit pit road for adjustments:
• Jimmie Johnson gets wedge and a track-bar adjustment
• Kasey Kahne's team goes up a round and a half on the track bar
• Elliott Sadler gets a track-bar adjustment
• Greg Biffle has a slow stop and loses two spots on pit road

Lap 226 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 7 -- The caution comes out for Jeremy Mayfield's slow car.

Lap 224 -- Jeremy Mayfield smacks the wall in Turn 2 but continues around the track in the high groove. He can't make it to pit road because of the continuous string of cars.

Lap 221 -- Greg Biffle catches and passes Elliott Sadler for second, now setting his sights on leader Tony Stewart.

Lap 208 -- Greg Biffle moves around teammate Jamie McMurray for third position as he continues to run fast lap times. Kurt Busch is on pit road for an unscheduled stop.

Lap 198 -- LEAD CHANGE: The shuffle reverses itself, as Elliott Sadler goes high and Tony Stewart re-takes the lead as the two approach heavy lapped traffic.

Lap 194 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart wiggles slightly, and that opens the door for Elliott Sadler to take the lead.

Lap 187 -- Elliott Sadler has caught Tony Stewart as the two battle through lapped traffic.

Lap 168 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart gets things going.
1. Tony Stewart
2. Elliott Sadler
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Denny Hamlin

Lap 163 -- Less than 10 cars hit pit road for minor adjustments, Jeff Gordon once again among them.

Lap 161 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 6 -- David Ragan spins again, this time in Turn 2. He got touched by Mike Bliss in the corner, sending Ragan around.

Lap 155 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart gets the race going again.
1. Tony Stewart
2. Elliott Sadler
3. Kasey Kahne
4. Jamie McMurray
5. Denny Hamlin

Lap 151 -- A handful of lead-lap cars head to pit road, including Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte.

Lap 149 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5 -- A.J. Allmendinger crashes into the Turn 1 wall. He got loose, then came down on Ken Schrader before sliding up to the wall. He has left-side damage, and his front splitter is heavily damaged as well as the rear wing and deck lid.

Lap 146 -- Elliott Sadler gets around teammate Kasey Kahne for second position.

Lap 143 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart gets the race going again.
1. Tony Stewart
2. Kasey Kahne
3. Elliott Sadler
4. Jamie McMurray
5. Denny Hamlin

Lap 138 -- Seven lead-lap cars pitted, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 137 -- Bobby Labonte gets the free pass. J.J. Yeley is behind the wall with problems.

Lap 136 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4 -- Juan Montoya spins coming off Turn 2. He made contact with Tony Raines and slid to the inside wall, making slight contact to the nose. Dale Earnhardt Jr. got spun in the aftermath, but managed to stay on the lead lap.

Lap 126 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart gets everyone up to speed.
1. Tony Stewart
2. Kasey Kahne
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Elliott Sadler
5. Kyle Busch

Lap 123 -- Jeremy Mayfield pulls in to make his stop, handing the lead back to Tony Stewart

Lap 121 -- Jeremy Mayfield stays out to lead a lap.

Lap 120 -- The leaders head to pit road:
• Jimmie Johnson makes big adjustments on the track bar and in wedge
• Kasey Kahne takes air out of his tires and add wedge
• Tony Stewart gets off in 13.0 seconds with a chassis adjustment
• Kevin Harvick comes off ninth, gaining three positions
• Kurt Busch got blocked in his stall and came out 16th.

Lap 119 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3 -- David Ragan gets touched by Juan Montoya coming out of Turn 4. Ragan keeps his car from spinning or hitting anything.

Lap 111 -- Scott Riggs was clocked as too fast down pit road and serves a pass-through penalty. He is now running 40th, four laps down.

Lap 105 -- Scott Riggs slaps the wall and takes his machine to the pits. He was running fourth when his car went straight up the hill and tagged the fence.

Lap 95 -- Ryan Newman hits pit road for an expected stop.

Lap 92 -- Leader Tony Stewart works patiently through lapped traffic, but second-place Kasey Kahne is right on Stewart's tail.

Lap 80 -- Jeff Gordon continues to struggle with handling, and he has fallen back to 16th.

Lap 70 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart, who got around all the cars that stayed out, catches Kurt Busch and re-takes the lead.

Lap 60 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch goes to the inside of J.J. Yeley to take the point.

Lap 55 -- GREEN FLAG: J.J. Yeley leads the field to green.
1. J.J. Yeley
2. Kurt Busch
3. Matt Kenseth
4. David Stremme
5. Tony Stewart

Lap 52 -- Regan Smith is penalized for pitting outside of his box and will lose a lap.

Lap 51 -- J.J. Yeley, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and David Stremme -- drivers who pitted on the first caution -- stay out.

Lap 50 -- Everyone hits pit road:
• Jimmie Johnson changes air pressure and makes a chassis adjustment
• Kasey Kahne is both tight and loose, but gets air-pressure adjustments
• Elliott Sadler's team changes tires, eliminating his loose wheel problem

Lap 48 -- The cars of Dale Jarrett and David Gilliland are towed away.

Lap 43 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Dale Jarrett gets turned by Matt Kenseth as they entered Turn 1, sending Jarrett slamming into the wall. His rear is destroyed. David Gilliland ran into Jarrett. Robby Gordon and David Stremme also spun slightly.

Lap 41 -- Tony Stewart has caught the back of the pack and laps A.J. Allmendinger.

Lap 38 -- Elliott Sadler is reporting a loose wheel and may be headed to pit road, depending on what his crew says. He is running fourth.

Lap 30 -- Pole-sitter Jeff Gordon is fighting a loose racecar and driving in the second groove. He has fallen back to fifth and is trying to hold off Scott Riggs.

Lap 23 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart gets the race going again.
1. Tony Stewart
2. Kasey Kahne
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Elliott Sadler
5. Jamie McMurray

Lap 19 -- Reed Sorenson is behind the wall for repairs, although his car did not show major damage. His team is changing the radiator.

Lap 18 -- As many as 17 cars hit pit road for adjustments, all drivers who were near the rear of the field.

Lap 17 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Reed Sorenson spins by himself in Turn 2 and does not hit anything. He got help from Kevin Harvick, who touched Sorenson's left-rear fender.

Lap 7 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart goes by Jeff Gordon to become the new point man.

Lap 4 -- Tony Stewart moves under Kasey Kahne to get second position.

Lap 1 -- Jeff Gordon is out front as most of the field goes by single-file.

2:29 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Darrell Waltrip waves the green flag on the Food City 500 as Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne lead the field.

2:28 p.m. -- J.J. Yeley already has damage on the rear of his fender from when Reed Sorenson bumped into him during the pace laps.

2:25 p.m. -- Cars are rolling onto the track. No cars will be going to the rear.

2:24 p.m. -- One of the big stories on pit road today is pitting the Car of Tomorrow. Because of the front splitter, teams must be careful with the air hose, and because of the rear wing, teams must alter their strategy of adjusting wedge.

2:19 p.m. -- Grand marshal and NASCAR legend Junior Johnson gives the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines."

2:12 p.m. -- Billy Currington performs the national anthem.

2:11 p.m. -- Invocation.

1:30 p.m. -- FOX's pre-race coverage for the Food City 500 is on the air.

WEEKEND HEADLINES FROM BRISTOL
• FYI: Car of Tomorrow
• Ameriquest leaving Biffle's 16 team after this season
• Notebook: Double-dipping not helpful at Bristol
• Allmendinger relieved with 'monumental' BMS effort
• Stremme gets speed he's looking for in Happy Hour
• Caraviello: Mayfield's team beginning to see the light
• With Francis, Kahne ready to climb out of early hole
• In taking over No. 01, Smith calling on Martin
• Questions remain after day of COT qualifying, practice
• Reiser, Francis return to pit box after suspensions
• Stewart says COT could play championship role