Lap-by-Lap: California

CHECKERED FLAG / YELLOW FLAG NO. 12: Carl Edwards wins the Auto Club 500 as Dale Jarrett gets into the wall, bringing out the caution and freezing the field.

Lap 249 -- WHITE FLAG: Carl Edwards is in control.

Lap 245 -- Carl Edwards is cruising with a 1.999-second lead. Jimmie Johnson is second, followed by Jeff Gordon.

Lap 240 -- With 10 to go, Carl Edwards has pulled away to a 0.856-second lead.

Lap 238 -- Jamie McMurray gets sideways in the corner and drops from the eighth position.

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Lap 237 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards makes the outside lane stick this time, and pulls ahead as the leader.

Lap 236 -- Carl Edwards moves around Jimmie Johnson on the inside, but Johnson tries to slingshot back around and does so with success by inches.

Lap 235 -- With 15 laps to go, Carl Edwards has caught Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 232 -- Carl Edwards eases his way to the high side of Jeff Gordon to take second. He trails leader Jimmie Johnson by 1.064 seconds.

Lap 226 -- Jimmie Johnson holds on to the top spot, as Jeff Gordon settles in to second position. Carl Edwards is third but has the fastest lap times.

Lap 225 -- Jimmie Johnson leads, but Jeff Gordon is on his left quarter panel racing side-by-side.

Lap 224 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson gets the race back under way.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Carl Edwards
5. Mark Martin

Lap 222 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson is the new leader thanks to a fast pit stop.

Lap 221 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon leads the lap due to his pit stall location.

Lap 220 -- Leaders head to pit road:
• Carl Edwards make another air-pressure adjustment
• Matt Kenseth asks for his crew to make his car tighter on entry
• Jeff Gordon gets a chassis adjustment
• Jimmie Johnson is loose off the corner and gets an adjustment
• Jamie McMurray gains 15 spots with two tires

Lap 219 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 11: Jeremy Mayfield slaps the wall.

Lap 217 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on pit road. He cannot gain another position and currently runs in 40th at 42 laps down.

Lap 213 -- After green-flag pit stops, Carl Edwards leads by 3.073 seconds.
1. Carl Edwards
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Kyle Busch
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Kasey Kahne

Lap 212 -- Kyle Busch is reporting that he cannot make it the length of the race on fuel. His crew chief says he has trouble believing anyone else can make it, either, but says he is sure some will try.

Lap 211 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards cycles back around as the leader. Reed Sorenson is penalized for speeding on pit road. John Andretti heads to the garage.

Lap 210 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick leads the lap as Carl Edwards makes his pit stop and gets adjustments. Harvick is also on pit road seeking rear grip; he is scored the leader due to crossing the start/finish line before Edwards.

Lap 209 -- Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne and Martin Truex Jr. headline the leaders who are stopping.
• Jeff Gordon should be close on fuel
• Jimmie Johnson is tight in the center

Lap 208 -- Jeff Burton and Brian Vickers are in for their stops.

Lap 207 -- Tony Stewart is on pit road and gets four tires and fuel. Ryan Newman makes his stop and is battling a loose racecar; he gets an air-pressure adjustment.

Lap 206 -- Kyle Busch makes his stop and gets a chassis adjustment. It's tight on center and lose off for Busch. Clint Bowyer is also in.

Lap 205 -- Kurt Busch is on pit road for his green-flag stop. He gets a track-bar adjustment and tires.

Lap 200 -- Carl Edwards is cruising with a 4.963-second lead on Jeff Gordon.

Lap 196 -- Jimmie Johnson moves into third position, passing Matt Kenseth.

Lap 189 -- Juan Montoya is having a strong run, currently in 11th.

Lap 182 -- Kyle Petty has taken his car to the garage.

Lap 179 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards slides below Jeff Gordon to take the top spot once again.

Lap 178 -- Greg Biffle is battling an extremely loose racecar and runs 16th, a vast difference from Sunday when his car was strong.

Lap 171 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon gets the race back under way.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Carl Edwards
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Kyle Busch
5. Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 170 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon becomes the new leader thanks to a fast pit stop.

Lap 169 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson is credited with leading the lap due to his pit stall position and when he crossed the start/finish line.

Lap 168 -- Leaders head down pit road:
• Carl Edwards gets four tires and fuel
• Matt Kenseth is still loose and gets a spring rubber removed
• Jeff Gordon is too tight and gets an air-pressure adjustment
• Kasey Kahne gets a track-bar adjustment
• Jimmie Johnson loses seven spots and is eighth off pit road

Lap 167 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 10: Dale Jarrett loses the tire tread from his right-rear. He brushed the wall and continues on to pit road.

Lap 160 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards continues to work the high line and have the fastest laps as he passes Jimmie Johnson for the lead.

Lap 158 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson eases around Matt Kenseth to take the top spot. Carl Edwards takes second from Kenseth.

Lap 156 -- Ryan Newman goes high into Turn 3 and brushes the wall while dusting the high groove of the track. He drops back to fifth.

Lap 155 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth moves to the outside of Ryan Newman for the lead.

Lap 153 -- GREEN FLAG: Ryan Newman gets the race back under way. Travis Kvapil still sits on pit road with a broken splitter.
1. Ryan Newman
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Kyle Busch
5. Jeff Gordon

Lap 152 -- LEAD CHANGE: Ryan Newman inherits the lead when Robby Gordon makes his pit stop. Travis Kvapil is on pit road with the crew working on the front end. He was running in the top 12.

Lap 151 -- LEAD CHANGE: Robby Gordon stays out to lead.

Lap 151 -- Leaders hit pit road:
• Carl Edwards gets four tires and an air-pressure adjustment
• Matt Kenseth is battling a loose racecar
• Kyle Busch doesn't get any changes
• Jeff Gordon gets a track-bar adjustment
• Jimmie Johnson gets a chassis adjustment
• Ryan Newman wins the race off pit road with two tires

Lap 150 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 9: Michael Waltrip spins and hits the Turn 2 wall.

Lap 149 -- David Ragan is having a strong run and sits ninth.

Lap 145 -- Jimmie Johnson trails leader Kyle Busch by 0.686 seconds.

Lap 138 -- GREEN FLAG: Kyle Busch gets the race back under way.
1. Kyle Busch
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Brian Vickers
5. Matt Kenseth

Lap 137 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Busch becomes the new leader under caution.

Lap 135 -- Leaders head to pit road:
• Carl Edwards gets no adjustments, four tires
• Kyle Busch gets some adjustments and tires
• Jimmie Johnson has a free car and gets adjustments
• Brian Vickers is out fourth and gains 15 spots
• Clint Bowyer has a long stop as the crew works under the fenders
• Jeremy Mayfield heads to the garage

Lap 134 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 8: Jeff Burton smacks the wall in Turn 1.

Lap 133 -- After running out of fuel and making his stop, Kurt Busch is now one lap down and running in 26th.

Lap 130 -- Five laps past the halfway point, Jimmie Johnson leads by 4.995 seconds.

Lap 126 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson regains the lead when he overtakes Carl Edwards following green-flag pit stops.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kyle Busch
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Carl Edwards

Lap 125 -- Carl Edwards makes his pit stop as the leader but maintains the top spot for this lap. Kurt Busch gets his car refired again and is out smoothly.

Lap 124 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards becomes the leader when Kurt Busch runs out of fuel on the backstretch. Busch makes it safely to his stall.

Lap 123 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch inherits the lead when Kasey Kahne makes his stop. Kahne gets an adjustment in the rear and tire pressure. Others pit as well.

Lap 122 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman all make green-flag pit stops. Kasey Kahne inherits the lead. Johnson gets a chassis adjustment to the left-rear.

Lap 114 -- After bouncing off the wall and his car becoming tight, Kyle Busch loses second to Kasey Kahne.

Lap 111 -- Travis Kvapil is still hanging inside the top 10, running ninth. He restarted the race second after a two-tire stop Sunday night.

Lap 103 -- Kasey Kahne moves past Jeff Gordon to take third. Kahne is reporting his car is loose off the corner.

Lap 100 -- Forty-one of the 43 starters are still on the track. The two cars out of the race are Casey Mears and Sam Hornish Jr.

Lap 93 -- Jeff Gordon has quickly moved from sixth to third. Kyle Busch runs second behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 90 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson gets the Auto Club 500 back under way.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Travis Kvapil
3. Kyle Busch
4. Greg Biffle
5. Kasey Kahne

Lap 89 -- Jimmie Johnson reports that the track looks much like it did Sunday night, with some water still seeping from the surface.

Lap 88 -- Several cars hit pit road to make adjustments, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., J.J. Yeley and Dave Blaney.

1:03 p.m. -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 7: Cars are rolling onto the track, ending the red flag period of 15 hours, 49 minutes, 54 seconds.

1:01 p.m. -- The drivers are in their cars and have fired their engines.

1 p.m. ET -- FOX is on the air for coverage of the Auto Club 500, picking up on Lap 87 with Jimmie Johnson leading. The sun is out and there is no sign of rain in the forecast.
• Rain, seeping water turn Cup race into marathon

The Auto Club 500 has been postponed until 1 p.m. ET on Monday, Feb. 25. The decision was made at 2 a.m. ET after track-drying efforts.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Travis Kvapil
3. Kyle Busch
4. Greg Biffle
5. Kasey Kahne

Lap 87 -- At 1 a.m. ET, activity is heating up on pit road. Still no definite on when racing could resume.

Lap 87 -- At 12:02 a.m. ET, NASCAR has all intentions of running the race in its entirety. Weather reports show no further rain is in the radar. The plan is to go back racing by 1 a.m. ET.

Lap 87 -- At 11 p.m. ET, NASCAR hopes to get the race back under way by midnight ET.

Lap 87 -- At 10:29 p.m. ET, officials are still drying the track while the rain has slowed.

Lap 87 -- RED FLAG: At 9:12 p.m. ET, the drivers have pulled down pit road and stopped. The track surface is too wet and the rain continues. Track dryers begin circling.

Lap 85 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson inherits the lead when Dario Franchitti makes his pit stop.

Lap 82 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dario Franchitti stays out and leads the race.

Lap 82 -- Leaders head down pit road:
• Carl Edwards takes four tires to avoid Michael Waltrip's machine
• Greg Biffle says his car is perfect; four tires
• Jeff Gordon has a tight car in traffic
• Travis Kvapil gains 19 spots with a two-tire stop and is off second
• Jimmie Johnson gets out first

Lap 81 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 7: It's raining again.

Lap 75 -- Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch move around Jamie McMurray to take second and third.

Lap 73 -- LEAD CHANGE: Greg Biffle takes the top spot from Jamie McMurray.

Lap 73 -- GREEN FLAG: Jamie McMurray gets the race back under way.
1. Jamie McMurray
2. J.J. Yeley
3. Greg Biffle
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Jimmie Johnson

Lap 72 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jamie McMurray did not pit and takes the lead. J.J. Yeley stays out as well and is second. McMurray was going to pit due to debris on his front, but it fell off when McMurray pulled close to the pace car.

Lap 71 -- The leaders turn down pit road:
• Carl Edwards gets four tires and a clean front end
• Greg Biffle gets just two tires and fuel
• Jeff Gordon gets four tires and fuel
• Kyle Busch gets four tires and fuel
• Jimmie Johnson gets four tires and a tire-pressure adjustment
• Mark Martin and Bobby Labonte gain 16 spots with two tires
• Greg Biffle is first off with two tires

Lap 70 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 6: Elliott Sadler spins after avoiding a loose Robby Gordon. Sadler let off the throttle and went high, then spun and hit the wall.

Lap 69 -- Kyle Busch has overcome his early-race overheating problem and has worked his way to fifth.

Lap 65 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon gets the race back under way.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Carl Edwards
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Jeff Burton

Lap 63 -- Pit road is open for everyone, and some cars near the back make stops.

Lap 62 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Joe Nemechek spins in Turn 4 and avoids hitting anything. He had a flat left-rear tire.

Lap 59 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon goes back to his spot out front, moving to the outside of Jeff Burton.

Lap 59 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Burton gets the race back under way.
1. Jeff Burton
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Carl Edwards

Lap 58 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton becomes the new leader after his two-tire stop.

Lap 57 -- Leaders hit pit road:
• Carl Edwards gets four tires and fuel
• Greg Biffle gets four tires and a chassis adjustment
• Jeff Gordon gets four and a chassis adjustment
• Jimmie Johnson gets tires only
• Robby Gordon gains 16 positions with two tires
• Jeff Burton is first off with a two-tire stop

Lap 56 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: Caution is out for debris from Jeremy Mayfield's cut tire.

Lap 55 -- Jeremy Mayfield is on pit road with a flat tire.

Lap 54 -- David Gilliland, who restarted fourth after a two-tire stop, has fallen to 14th.

Lap 47 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon sails by Jimmie Johnson for the top spot. Carl Edwards follows for second.

Lap 47 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson gets the race back under way.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Carl Edwards
4. David Gilliland
5. Jeff Burton

Lap 46 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson inherits the lead when Dale Jarrett pulls down pit road.

Lap 43 -- LEAD CHANGE: John Andretti pulls in to make his stop and gives the lead to Dale Jarrett.

Lap 42 -- LEAD CHANGE: John Andretti stays out and leads. Dale Jarrett also stays out and is second.

Lap 40 -- The leaders head down pit road:
• Carl Edwards is tight and gets four tires
• Greg Biffle gets four and adjustments
• Jeff Gordon gets the debris totally removed and four tires
• Kasey Kahne is battling a loose racecar
• David Gilliland gains 21 positions with a two-tire stop

Lap 39 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: It is raining in Turn 4.

Lap 38 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon gets back around his teammate and takes the lead from Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 35 -- After the lead change, the debris on Jeff Gordon's car has moved out of the way of the front opening.

Lap 34 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson goes out front, and Jeff Gordon trails him to try and get the debris removed from his front. The lead change was planned.

Lap 31 -- Jeff Gordon has another piece of debris on his nose. His temperature is rising. Reed Sorenson has returned to the track.

Lap 26 -- Cars make their way around the track without incident following the repair work.

Lap 25 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon gets the race back under way after 1 hour, 7 minutes of a red flag.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Tony Stewart
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Clint Bowyer

Lap 24 -- Kyle Busch goes back down pit road for normal service before the green.

Lap 22 -- Kyle Busch and Robby Gordon head down pit road. Bobby Labonte leads a group of cars near the back down pit road.
• Kyle Busch's crew goes under the hood for a hot engine
• Nearly half the field pits
• Dale Jarrett's crew takes tape off the front of the car
• J.J. Yeley's crew is under the hood with another Toyota overheating issue

Lap 21 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: At 7:59 p.m. ET, the red flag has been lifted after 1 hour, 7 minutes and cars are rolling back onto the track.

Lap 21 -- At 7:56 p.m. ET, drivers start their engines again.

Lap 21 -- At 7:48 p.m. ET, drivers are called to their cars by NASCAR.

Lap 21 -- At 7:25 p.m. ET, drivers are out of their cars as track officials are working on the surface, using a saw to cut a groove down the banking so water can drain.

Lap 21 -- Drivers are starting their cars and bringing them to pit road. Track officials are reviewing the seams in the racetrack and water that is present.

Lap 21 -- The crash debris is cleaned up, but officials have dryers on the track.

Casey Mears: "A couple times I hit the water and right about the time I crossed that seam, I don't know if that's what caused me to get loose."

Sam Hornish Jr.: "There was nowhere to go either way. I couldn't see anything and couldn't steer the car, either."

Denny Hamlin: "I think there are 42 other drivers out there who would agree; we should not be racing on that racetrack right now. I hit a slick spot and the car just took off."

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "We were just sitting there trying to chill. The track's real dirty and everybody's sliding around. The track ain't ready today. The track's dirty, and this was a bad move."

Lap 21 -- RED FLAG: At 6:52 p.m. ET, the race has been stopped so officials can clean up the wreckage in Turn 2.

Lap 20 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Casey Mears crashes in Turn 2 and collects Dale Earnhardt Jr. As Mears slides to a stop against the wall, Sam Hornish Jr. hits Reed Sorenson and slams into Mears. Mears' car flips onto its roof. The cars come to rest with Mears on his side and fire breaks out. Mears exits his car OK.
Cars Involved
• Casey Mears
• Sam Hornish Jr.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr.
• Reed Sorenson

Lap 20 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon motors around Jimmie Johnson for the lead.

Lap 18 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson gets the race back under way.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Tony Stewart
4. Greg Biffle
5. Clint Bowyer

Lap 17 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson assumes the lead after NASCAR determines Kevin Harvick pitted illegally. Harvick apparently came down pit road after the caution flag came out. Harvick is placed at the back of the longest line.

Lap 17 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick becomes the leader due to pitting just before the caution and not losing a lap to the leaders.

Lap 15 -- Leaders head to pit road:
• Carl Edwards gets four tires and no adjustments
• Tony Stewart gets tires and a chassis adjustment
• Jeff Gordon gets his front cleaned and a minor adjustment
• Greg Biffle gains five spots on pit road

Lap 14 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Denny Hamlin cuts a right-front tire and smacks the Turn 3 wall hard. He heads to the garage.

Lap 14 -- Kevin Harvick pits to remove debris from his nose just as the caution comes out.

Lap 11 -- Matt Kenseth is in trouble; he hits put road with paper stuck to his front. It was causing his car to run hot.

Lap 10 -- Jeff Gordon leads by 3.7 seconds but he's reporting his water pressure is high.

Lap 8 -- Kyle Busch started 22nd but has moved into 11th after just eight laps.

Lap 6 -- Kasey Kahne brushes the wall in the corner, but he's worked his way from 20th to 15th.

Lap 5 -- Jeff Gordon has built a 2-second lead on teammate Jimmie Johnson. Matt Kenseth has fallen back from third to seventh.

Lap 1 -- Jeff Gordon sails away to lead the first lap.

6:32 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon get the Auto Club 500 under way.

6:28 p.m. -- Two more pace laps until green. Michael Waltrip has started his car and reports his gauges appear OK. A Wiggins clap was replaced.

6:22 p.m. -- Michael Waltrip is on pit road with his crew working on the car. They are trying to install a clamp on the oil line to stop the leak.

6:19 p.m. -- Track officials are distributing a drying agent onto the track where Michael Waltrip spilled oil.

6:16 p.m. -- Michael Waltrip is dropping oil on the racetrack. He has slowed and heads to pit road. Officials will have to clean the surface.

6:12 p.m. -- Cars are rolling onto the track.

6:07 p.m. -- Brad Garrett delivers the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines!"

6:01 p.m. -- Kina Grannis performs the national anthem.

6 p.m. -- Jeff Hamilton from Motor Racing Outreach delivers the invocation.

5:51 p.m. -- The national anthem is scheduled in 10 minutes.

5:23 p.m. -- Word is that race festivities could begin within 30 minutes.

4:42 p.m. -- NASCAR plans to go racing within the hour as track drying continues.

4:06 p.m. -- As track-drying efforts continue, ZZ Top takes the stage for some entertainment.

4 p.m. -- Drivers are awaiting introductions. The rain has stopped and track-drying efforts are under way.

3:30 p.m. -- FOX's pre-race show is on the air.

3 p.m. ET -- After raining all weekend and all morning at Auto Club Speedway, the skies have cleared and racing looks to be promising. A break in the weather is expected to last the most part of the day.

• Mears excited about quick bond with new No. 5 team
• Cup guys finally practice, rain ends it after just 17 laps
• J. Gordon says it was right move to cancel qualifying
• Some moonlighting Cup drivers prefer Nationwide car
• Caraviello: R. Gordon may be innocent, but not surprised
• The good and bad of top 35 rule evident at California
• Trust continues to grow between Newman, Busch
• Rain washes out qualifying events Friday at California
• Ky. Busch pleased, frustrated heading into Fontana race
• 'Rally for Robby' T-shirts part of Gordon support
• Penske looking for first California win since 2001