Lap-by-Lap: Chicagoland

CHECKERED FLAG: Tony Stewart wins the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

WHITE FLAG: Carl Edwards attempts to take second, but can't.

Lap 266 -- Tony Stewart continues to sail with Matt Kenseth holding second.

Lap 265 -- Carl Edwards catches Matt Kenseth and is working on him for second.

Lap 263 -- Tony Stewart has built a lead of 1.531 seconds ahead of Matt Kenseth.

Lap 261 -- David Stremme is on the apron with a smoking car.

Lap 259 -- Carl Edwards takes third position by passing Kevin Harvick on the outside.

Lap 258 -- Denny Hamlin has a close call with Sterling Marlin while running 10th.

Lap 255 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart gets the race going one more time.
1. Tony Stewart
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Carl Edwards
5. Casey Mears

Lap 252 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 7: Joe Nemechek spins through the tri-oval and into the grass. He has no damage.

Lap 250 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart leads the field to green.
1. Tony Stewart
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Carl Edwards
5. Kurt Busch

Lap 246 -- Some cars head to pit road, although the leaders stay out:
• Jeff Gordon gets four tires and fuel
• Kyle Busch is in for fuel

Lap 245 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 6: J.J. Yeley is in the wall.

Lap 244 -- Tony Stewart has a 0.839-second lead ahead of Matt Kenseth. Meanwhile, Stewart's teammate J.J. Yeley slows slightly down the straightaway.

Lap 239 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is running 17th, the last car on the lead lap. Replacing the power steering belt did not fix his problem.

Lap 233 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart slides back around Matt Kenseth and secures the position.

Lap 232 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth leads the lap as they cross the line side-by-side.

Lap 231 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart gets the race going again.
1. Tony Stewart
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Kurt Busch
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Casey Mears

Lap 229 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart's quick stop hands him the lead off pit road.

Lap 228 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick gets credit for leading the lap while driving down pit road.

Lap 227 -- Leaders head to pit road:
• Matt Kenseth gets fuel only
• Tony Stewart gets fuel only
• Kevin Harvick gets right-sides and an adjustment
• Casey Mears gets two tires
• Kurt Busch comes off third, picking up four spots
• Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew replaces the power steering belt

Lap 226 -- Jimmie Johnson has climbed from his car and been taken to the infield care center. Pit road is closed.

Lap 223 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Jimmie Johnson crashes hard into the wall with heavy damage to the right side of his car. He cut a right-rear tire and slammed the fence while running second.

Lap 222 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. has fallen back to 12th and makes slight contact with the lapped car of Joe Nemechek.

Lap 212 -- Martin Truex Jr. is on pit road and headed to the garage. Truex told his team smoke was in the cockpit and the car was down a cylinder.

Lap 211 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. drops off the pace suddenly. He says he lost the power steering and falls from third to ninth. The team thinks debris knocked off the power steering belt.

Lap 207 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart gets the race back under way.
1. Tony Stewart
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4. Kyle Busch
5. Kevin Harvick

Lap 203 -- Everyone is on pit road:
• Matt Kenseth wants a small air-pressure adjustment
• Tony Stewart will be close on fuel, so he tops off
• Jimmie Johnson wants an air-pressure adjustment
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a 12.0-second stop and gains three spots

Lap 202 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: Dave Blaney cuts a tire and spins into the wall, collecting Ward Burton. Blaney has major damage to the front and driver's side. Burton heads to the garage.

Lap 192 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart re-takes the lead from Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 190 -- Matt Kenseth remains silent on his radio, quietly running in third position behind Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart.

Lap 187 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson floats to the outside of Tony Stewart and takes the lead.

Lap 177 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Casey Mears battle for sixth position, with Earnhardt running the high line and Mears down low. They have battled since the restart.

Lap 168 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart leads the field to green.
1. Tony Stewart
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Kyle Busch
5. Kevin Harvick

Lap 165 -- The top leaders stay out, while some take advantage of a stop:
• Jeff Gordon tops off with fuel and gets tires
• Denny Hamlin goes in for service and adjustments
• Carl Edwards gets service
• Mark Martin takes on two tires
• Juan Montoya is in and is the free pass car
• Joe Nemechek and Johnny Sauter are in as well

Lap 164 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Robby Gordon spins around in Turn 2 after getting loose and backs his car into the wall. He has major damage to the rear end and takes it behind the wall.

Lap 162 -- David Stremme gets black-flagged for not being in line during the restart, when cars were three-wide taking the green.

Lap 160 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart gets the race back under way.
1. Tony Stewart
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Kyle Busch
5. Kevin Harvick

Lap 158 -- Ryan Newman and a few cars from the tail of the lead lap make another stop to top off with fuel.

Lap 156 -- Martin Truex Jr. gets penalized for the lose tire on pit road and will restart at the tail of the longest line.

Lap 155 -- Leaders are on pit road:
• Four tires and fuel for Matt Kenseth
• Tony Stewart makes minimal adjustments
• Jimmie Johnson gets minor adjustments and tires
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. adds air pressure to the left side
• Martin Truex Jr. loses a tire, but a crewman fetches it before he leaves

Lap 154 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Jamie McMurray hits the wall in the corner with a possible right-front tire issue.

Lap 144 -- Just 17 cars remain on the lead lap, with the final one being Juan Montoya in his first visit to Chicagoland.

Lap 134 -- At halfway, Jimmie Johnson leads a Chevrolet brigade, but Tony Stewart is closing in.

Lap 120 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson catches and passes Kevin Harvick for the lead.

Lap 118 -- Clint Bowyer serves a pass-through penalty due to speeding on pit road. Robby Gordon is also penalized for hitting the commitment cone.

Lap 117 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick is the leader once again after green-flag stops.
1. Kevin Harvick
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Tony Stewart
4. Kyle Busch
5. Matt Kenseth

Lap 115 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch is the leader after Clint Bowyer makes his stop. Denny Hamlin is in and wants a tighter racecar.

Lap 114 -- LEAD CHANGE: Clint Bowyer inherits the lead when Tony Stewart hits pit road.

Lap 114 -- Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. are on pit road. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in for his stop and is pushing heavily on the right-front.

Lap 113 -- Jimmie Johnson is on pit road for a scheduled stop. He was free and gets a track-bar adjustment. Jamie McMurray is also in for tires and fuel.

Lap 111 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart inherits the lead when Kevin Harvick ducks onto pit road for his scheduled stop.

Lap 109 -- Reed Sorenson is on pit road for tires and fuel. He wants to tighten his car. Sorenson, along with Kevin Harvick, did not pit during the last caution.

Lap 107 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is running sixth and clicking off the fastest lap times by running the high line.

Lap 101 -- Two drivers who started at the back are now in the top 20. Kurt Busch has worked his way up to 13th after changing engines, and Mark Martin is running 17th after crashing his primary car in practice.

Lap 98 -- Jeff Gordon is running fifth, but he is complaining that his car is extremely loose.

Lap 87 -- Jimmie Johnson is working his way through the field, passing Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon in five laps and now running fourth.

Lap 80 -- Tony Stewart moves around Reed Sorenson for second position and trails leader Kevin Harvick by 4.052 seconds.

Lap 74 -- Not pitting has not done any harm to Kevin Harvick and Reed Sorenson, as the two are still out front with clean air.

Lap 64 -- GREEN FLAG: Kevin Harvick gets the race back under way.
1. Kevin Harvick
2. Reed Sorenson
3. Ryan Newman
4. Tony Stewart
5. Jeff Gordon

Lap 61 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick inherits the lead after he and Reed Sorenson stay out during the caution.

Lap 60 -- Leaders head to pit road:
• Matt Kenseth gets four and fuel, afraid he had loose lug nuts
• Jimmie Johnson gets a chassis adjustment
• Ryan Newman gains five spots and is off first
• Tony Stewart gains six spots and is off second
• Fuel only for Jeff Gordon, who gains seven positions

Lap 59 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Jeff Green spins after getting high in the turn and trying to avoid crashing Michael Waltrip.

Lap 54 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson again becomes the race leader after green-flag pit stops are complete.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Kyle Busch
5. Casey Mears

Lap 53 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick is credited as the leader, although he is on pit road for tires and fuel.

Lap 52 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. slows to hit pit road but can't get slow enough. He continues on the track after missing pit road.

Lap 52 -- Jeff Gordon is in and battling a tight racecar.

Lap 51 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the leader as Jimmie Johnson makes his stop.

Lap 51 -- Casey Mears and Denny Hamlin are in for their stops and adjustments. Track bar and wedge for Hamlin.

Lap 50 -- Second-place Martin Truex Jr. is in for adjustments and tires. Ryan Newman is in for an air-pressure change.

Lap 48 -- Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards are in for green-flag pit stops. Both ask for minor adjustments. Teammate Jamie McMurray is in as well.

Lap 46 -- David Reutimann is off the pace with a car that is smoking heavily.

Lap 39 -- Jimmie Johnson's lead is at 1.430 seconds ahead of Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 29 -- Matt Kenseth appears to be on the move. He started 10th and is currently running fourth.

Lap 19 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson sails beneath Martin Truex Jr. to take the lead.

Lap 18 -- Jimmie Johnson has moved to second and is reeling in leader Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 8 -- Paul Menard is on pit road with the hood up and a fire being extinguished in his motor. The crew pushes the car behind the wall.

Lap 7 -- LEAD CHANGE: Martin Truex Jr. runs down Casey Mears and takes the point.

Lap 4 -- Paul Menard is being black-flagged. His car is smoking, a quick problem even after an engine change.

Lap 1 -- Casey Mears pulls out front to lead the first lap.

4:19 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Casey Mears and Martin Truex Jr. get the USG Sheetrock 400 under way.

4:16 p.m. -- Cars that will be dropping to the back for various unapproved changes: Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Paul Menard and Elliott Sadler.

4:13 p.m. -- Cars are rolling onto the racetrack for warmup laps.

4:09 p.m. -- Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith delivers the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines."

4:02 p.m. -- Hanson sings the national anthem.

4 p.m. -- Fans have a moment of silence in memory of Bill France Jr., as well as those who lost their lives in the Florida plane crash earlier this week. Monty Self delivers the invocation.

2:30 p.m. -- TNT's pre-race coverage of the USG Sheetrock 400 is on the air.

1:31 p.m. -- One hour until pre-race at Chicagoland Speedway and the skies are clear for a perfect day of racing.

HEADLINES FROM CHICAGOLAND
• Blaney sets Toyota pace; Waltrip brings up the rear
• Notes: Harvick in favor of strong drug-testing policy
• Martin forced to backup car after Saturday practice wreck
• Busch vows to finish time with Hendrick on own terms
• Roush resurgence slowed as cars struggle at Chicago
• Hamlin vents frustration over teammate Stewart
• Surging Mears edges Truex for pole position at Chicago
• This Bud's for ...? Dale Jr., longtime sponsor to split
• Chicagoland lap-leader still looking to lead the last one