Lap-by-Lap: Martinsville

CHECKERED FLAG: Virginia native Denny Hamlin hangs on and keeps Jeff Gordon at bay to win the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Lap 499 -- Jeff Gordon has cleared the lapped car and is chasing Denny Hamlin.

Lap 497 -- Denny Hamlin continues to lead as the lapped car of Kyle Busch is between him and Jeff Gordon.

Lap 495 -- Michael McDowell pits with a flat tire after the spin.

Lap 493 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson are battling for fifth position. Michael McDowell spins but gets going; no caution. Jeff Gordon moves into second around Jeff Burton.

Lap 486 -- David Reutimann is behind the wall with gear problems. A DNF will likely drop him outside the top 35 in owner points.

Lap 484 -- The lapped traffic has been kind to Denny Hamlin, but rough for second-place Jeff Burton. The distance between the two is larger.

Lap 478 -- Jeff Burton is closing in on leader Denny Hamlin as they battle lapped traffic.

Lap 473 -- Denny Hamlin's lead is .411 seconds ahead of Jeff Burton.

Lap 462 -- Rain continues to drop as the laps wind down. Carl Edwards' team calculates they may be eight laps short of the end on fuel.

Lap 453 -- Drivers are reporting that gear oil is on the track. Officials are checking Ryan Newman's car for possibly leaking fluid.

Lap 450 -- Denny Hamlin continues to set the pace, followed by Jeff Burton.

Lap 436 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon move around Brian Vickers to take fourth and fifth position, respectively.

Lap 427 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin finally makes the low line stick and takes the lead.

Lap 426 -- Jeff Burton and Denny Hamlin fight side-by-side for the lead.

Lap 420 -- Denny Hamlin goes underneath Brian Vickers for second position and now sets his sights on leader Jeff Burton. Carl Edwards follows and passes Vickers for third.

Lap 418 -- Denny Hamlin moves below Carl Edwards to take third place.

Lap 416 -- All four Hendrick cars are lined up in fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth.

Lap 411 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Burton gets the race back under way.
1. Jeff Burton
2. Brian Vickers
3. Carl Edwards
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Jeff Gordon

Lap 410 -- Jeff Burton and Brian Vickers both say oil is still on the track and do not want to restart. However, there's one lap to go before the green.

Lap 405 -- Travis Kvapil gets the free pass.

Lap 403 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 18: The caution is waved for the fluid Ken Schrader dropped onto the track.

Lap 402 -- Ken Schrader's car is smoking badly and likely has a gear problem.

Lap 396 -- Brian Vickers gets back around Carl Edwards for second.

Lap 395 -- Carl Edwards moves around Brian Vickers to take second while leader Jeff Burton struggles to get around the lapped car of Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 393 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Burton gets the race going again as the top four cars stayed out.
1. Jeff Burton
2. Brian Vickers
3. Carl Edwards
4. Casey Mears
5. Denny Hamlin

Lap 388 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton takes the lead as the rest of the leaders make pit stops:
• Jeff Gordon gets tires and adjustments
• Denny Hamlin picks up three spots with a fast stop
• Jamie McMurray says this is his final stop for fuel
• Jimmie Johnson gets a chassis adjustment

Lap 386 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 17: Reed Sorenson stopped at the entrance of pit road with a transmission failure.

Lap 379 -- Aric Almirola heads to pit road with a smoking car. Dave Blaney's crew pushes his car to the garage.

Lap 371 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon gets around David Reutimann to take the lead. Jeff Burton follows by to take second.

Lap 368 -- LEAD CHANGE: David Reutimann takes the lead as Dave Blaney can't get going on the restart. Blaney says he could have an ignition problem.

Lap 367 -- GREEN FLAG: Dave Blaney leads the field to green.
1. Dave Blaney
2. David Reutimann
3. Paul Menard
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Jeff Burton

Lap 363 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dave Blaney stays out to lead. David Reutimann and Paul Menard also stay out.

Lap 363 -- Matt Kenseth is held two laps on pit road for aggressive driving.

Lap 362 -- Leaders hit pit road:
• Jeff Burton needs a full tank of fuel
• Jamie McMurray gets a track-bar adjustment
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets adjustments and tires
• Jeff Gordon wins the race off pit road

Lap 361 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 16: Matt Kenseth hits David Gilliland heading into Turn 1, spinning Gilliland into the wall.

Lap 357 -- Robby Gordon is in the garage after breaking a rear gear. Scott Riggs is also in the garage.

Lap 350 -- There are 25 cars on the lead lap, the last one being rookie Michael McDowell in his debut.

Lap 336 -- Jimmie Johnson is now running 10th after his spin. Kyle Busch is back on the track but at a slow pace, 56 laps down in 43rd.

Lap 332 -- GREEN FLAG: Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets the race going again.
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Jeff Burton
5. Clint Bowyer

Lap 330 -- Matt Kenseth is on pit road as his crew tries to repair some of the nose damage.

Lap 329 -- Tony Stewart hits pot road for tires and a few adjustments to gain forward bite. A handful of other lead-lap cars pit: Juan Montoya, Dave Blaney and Elliott Sadler.

Lap 328 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 15: Matt Kenseth spins in Turn 1. He has major damage to the front after being clipped by David Gilliland and making contact with the wall.

Lap 324 -- Elliott Sadler is hanging on to 14th position ahead of Jimmie Johnson. Sadler has had a back injury since Wednesday and it was questioned as to whether he would race.

Lap 319 -- Tony Stewart moves below Jeff Burton to take fourth spot.

Lap 316 -- GREEN FLAG: Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the field to green.
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Jeff Burton
5. Tony Stewart

Lap 309 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 14: Michael Waltrip spins in Turn 1 after slowing and getting contact from Aric Almirola heading into the turn. Waltrip's car stops on the curbing and is stuck.

Lap 301 -- GREEN FLAG: Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets the race back under way. Jimmie Johnson restarts the race in 21st.
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Jeff Burton
5. Tony Stewart

Lap 298 -- Jimmie Johnson is on pit road for tires and adjustment to the chassis. Casey Mears gives up his top-five spot to pit as well due to a fender rub.

Lap 297 -- Kurt Busch is on pit road after jumping the curb to avoid the crash. He has right-front damage to the fender.

Lap 295 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 13: Third-place Jimmie Johnson goes spinning when lapped car Greg Biffle makes contact with Ryan Newman. Newman's car hits Johnson as they enter Turn 1. All cars continue.

Lap 295 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is credited with the lead.

Lap 293 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. runs side-by-side for the lead with Jeff Gordon.

Lap 292 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon gets the race back under way.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Jamie McMurray
5. Casey Mears

Lap 287 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 12: Matt Kenseth and Patrick Carpentier spin in Turn 3. Robby Gordon bounced off the inside curb and hit Carpentier, spinning him. Kenseth then spun trying to avoid the crash.

Lap 286 -- Kurt Busch pulls onto pit road with trouble. He is multiple laps down.

Lap 282 -- Points leader Kyle Busch pulls directly behind the wall. His crew pushes the car into its garage stall. He reports to his team he broke the rear gear.

Lap 281 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. moves below teammate Jimmie Johnson for second place.

Lap 277 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon gets the race going again as all four Hendrick cars are in the top five.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4. Jamie McMurray
5. Casey Mears

Lap 272 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 11: Travis Kvapil makes contact with Patrick Carpentier, sending Carpentier spinning around. Both cars continue.

Lap 269 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon rebounds from his early damage and takes the lead from teammate Jimmie Johnson. It took 202 laps for Gordon to come from a low of 31st position.

Lap 268 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. moves below Jeff Burton to take third back as Burton gets pinned on the outside.

Lap 265 -- A slow start by Jimmie Johnson shuffles the running order behind him as Dale Earnhardt Jr. loses third to Jeff Burton in the fight with lapped cars.

Lap 265 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson leads the field to green.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4. Jeff Burton
5. Jamie McMurray

Lap 261 -- Leaders head to pit road:
• Jimmie Johnson gets tires and minor adjustments
• Jeff Burton needs rear grip and gets tires
• Jamie McMurray gets a slight air-pressure adjustment
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets an air-pressure adjustment
• Jeff Gordon gets air pressure in his tires

Lap 260 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 10: Sam Hornish Jr. spins out in Turn 2.

Lap 251 -- The race is official. Weather is still a concern but any sprinkles have let up as Jimmie Johnson continues to lead teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon.

Lap 241 -- Nine laps until halfway and Dale Earnhardt Jr. has moved into second past Jeff Gordon.

Lap 230 -- After the pit stop, Denny Hamlin has gained just one position to 18th in 12 laps since the restart.

Lap 221 -- Rain is coming down at a decent rate, but the racing continues with 30 laps until halfway.

Lap 218 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson leads the field to green. Denny Hamlin will restart 19th after his pit stop.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4. Jamie McMurray
5. Jeff Burton

Lap 214 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin gives up the lead to make a pit stop. Jimmie Johnson inherits the lead.

Lap 213 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 9: Ken Schrader spins coming off Turn 4 with a nudge from Elliott Sadler, and Kurt Busch spins in the aftermath.

Lap 207 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin takes the inside line and scoots by Jimmie Johnson to take the lead for the second time; he led the race's first lap.

Lap 204 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson gets the race back under way.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5. Jamie McMurray

Lap 198 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 8: Bill Elliott spins out on the back straightaway. Robby Gordon gets the free pass.

Lap 195 -- Denny Hamlin and Jeff Gordon both move around Dale Earnhardt Jr. to take second and third, respectively.

Lap 193 -- Michael Waltrip brushes the wall and heads to pit road.

Lap 189 -- Michael Waltrip has damage on the front after running into Aric Almirola on the restart. Waltrip's car is smoking from a tire rub.

Lap 187 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson gets the race going again.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Jamie McMurray

Lap 183 -- LEAD CHANGE: Due to winning the race off pit road, Jimmie Johnson is the new leader.

Lap 182 -- Leaders hit pit road:
• Jeff Burton gets track-bar and air-pressure adjustments
• Denny Hamlin gets a track-bar adjustment
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets an air-pressure adjustment
• Jimmie Johnson wins the race off pit road with tires and adjustments
• Kyle Busch has to back up after missing the pit road exit

Lap 181 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 7: Debris is on the racetrack: a bumper bar in the corner.

Lap 178 -- The problems for Casey Mears are multiple: a hot brake rotor, debris on the grille and an extremely loose racecar.

Lap 177 -- Jeff Gordon has cracked the top five.

Lap 173 -- Casey Mears has fallen from third to seventh in the last 10 laps.

Lap 161 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. moves around Jimmie Johnson during the battle through slow traffic.

Lap 160 -- Jeff Burton is running in sixth position, his highest spot of the day, after starting in 24th.

Lap 152 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. has caught leader Jimmie Johnson as they battle slow traffic.

Lap 140 -- Jeff Gordon is running 12th after his early-race nose damage. His other Hendrick teammates are running 1-2-3.

Lap 133 -- A light drizzle is coming down on the track, but the cars continue to race without issue.

Lap 130 -- Kyle Busch has recovered from his early spin and is now running sixth. His air conditioning unit is blowing hot air.

Lap 123 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson leads the field to green.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Casey Mears
4. David Ragan
5. Carl Edwards

Lap 118 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 6: David Reutimann and Aric Almirola crash coming off Turn 4. Paul Menard got swiped on the side slightly but continues.

Lap 110 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson gets the race back under way as five cars are caught on pit road when the green flag waves.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Casey Mears
4. Jamie McMurray
5. David Ragan

Lap 109 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson inherits the lead when Jeremy Mayfield makes his stop.

Lap 107 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeremy Mayfield stays out to lead.

Lap 106 -- Cars are on pit road:
• Jamie McMurray gets a track-bar adjustment
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets an air-pressure adjustment
• Mike Skinner collides with Travis Kvapil on pit road
• Greg Biffle picks up 16 spots with a fast stop

Lap 105 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Sam Hornish Jr. spins J.J. Yeley in Turn 1, and Mike Skinner has nowhere to go but into Hornish's side. All cars continue.

Lap 103 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson dives below Dale Earnhardt Jr. to take the lead as the two battle lapped traffic.

Lap 97 -- Jimmie Johnson moves into second spot behind teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 92 -- Travis Kvapil is running strong. He started 14th and currently runs in ninth.

Lap 83 -- After multiple stops to repair nose damage, Jeff Gordon is now running 29th and moving through the field.

Lap 73 -- GREEN FLAG: Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets the race going once again.
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Casey Mears
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Kasey Kahne

Lap 70 -- J.J. Yeley gets the free pass. A handful of cars make pit stops, including Jeff Gordon as he tries to correct the nose damage on his car.

Lap 69 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: Reed Sorenson spins around in Turn 2. He has no major damage. Bill Elliott has some front damage from the chain reaction.

Lap 64 -- GREEN FLAG: Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets the race under way.
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Casey Mears
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Jamie McMurray
5. Juan Montoya

Lap 61 -- Jeff Gordon hits pit road to make repairs to the damage on the nose of his car. Others pit as well.

Lap 57 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Bobby Labonte spins out with a little help from Aric Almirola. Labonte was running third. The entire field was blocked, and some cars received very minor damage in the chain reaction, including Scott Riggs, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 49 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. moves by Bobby Labonte to take the lead.

Lap 48 -- GREEN FLAG: Bobby Labonte gets the race going again as the top nine cars stayed out.
1. Bobby Labonte
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Juan Montoya
4. Casey Mears
5. Aric Almirola

Lap 46 -- Matt Kenseth is penalized for pitting outside of his box. He receives a one-lap penalty.

Lap 45 -- LEAD CHANGE: Bobby Labonte stays out to lead.

Lap 44 -- Leaders hit pit road:
• Jimmie Johnson gets an air-pressure adjustment
• Jamie McMurray gets four tires and fuel
• Jeff Gordon is out fast and gets a small adjustment
• Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth make contact as they work out of their stalls
• Kenseth has left-rear damage, with Burton dents on his right-front
• Bill Elliott gets the free pass

Lap 43 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Robby Gordon and Mike Skinner spin out as they come out of Turn 4. The two had been racing side-by-side for a lap and made contact.

Lap 42 -- Ken Schrader is having a strong run and is holding solidly in sixth place.

Lap 34 -- Jimmie Johnson is on the move and has worked his way into fourth position.

Lap 27 -- Michael Waltrip gets out of the groove after slight contact with Kurt Busch and Dave Blaney. He gets back in line.

Lap 24 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon gets the race going again.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Jamie McMurray
3. Denny Hamlin
4. David Ragan
5. Kasey Kahne

Lap 22 -- Bill Elliott is penalized for a commitment-cone violation and will go to the tail of the longest line.

Lap 21 -- Kyle Busch hits pit road to check his machine. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is also pitting for four tires and adjustments, along with Aric Almirola and others near the back.

Lap 20 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Kyle Busch spins coming out of Turn 4 after he came down on brother Kurt Busch. Kyle straightens his car and continues without losing a spot, while Kurt is undamaged. J.J. Yeley spins in the aftermath.

Lap 15 -- Aric Almirola finally settles into the 15th position after getting caught on the outside lane and falling back.

Lap 8 -- Aric Almirola gets booted to the high side and Jamie McMurray moves by to take second position. Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin follow.

Lap 4 -- Aric Almirola moves around Denny Hamlin to take the second position and he's on the move. Hamlin drops back to fifth position.

Lap 2 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon noses ahead of Denny Hamlin to get the top spot.

Lap 1 -- Denny Hamlin pulls ahead on the outside to lead the first lap.

2:16 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin get the Goody's Cool Orange 500 under way.

2:15 p.m. -- Greg Biffle drops to the back of the starting grid from his 19th starting spot due to changing engines.

2:12 p.m. -- Cars are rolling onto the track.

2:07 p.m. -- Goody's vice president for marketing delivers the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines!"

2:01 p.m. -- The Virginia Tech Precision Marching Band, the Highty-Tighties, perform the national anthem.

2 p.m. -- Eldred Davis from Raceway Ministries delivers the invocation

1:30 p.m. -- Pre-race coverage on FOX is under way.

1:10 p.m. -- Sadler to start Cup race, may be relieved
Despite a mending back injury, Elliot Sadler will start Sunday's Cup race at Martinsville Speedway.

Scott Sebastian, media relations for Dodge Motorsports, announced the driver will start the race; however, he may exit early if his back injury prevents him from finishing.

The driver of the No. 19 Dodge sustained a lower-back injury away from the racetrack Wednesday and the team tapped Dennis Setzer to stand by as a backup driver. Setzer practiced the Cup car on Friday but Sadler felt well enough to qualify the car.

"Nothing hurts a driver more than not being in his racecar with his team," Sadler said.

Sadler will start in the 25th on the grid.
-- Raygan Swan, NASCAR.COM

1:05 p.m. -- It's 42 degrees at Martinsville and rain is in the forecast. However, drops are not falling now and the green is scheduled for just after 2 p.m. ET.

WEEKEND HEADLINES
• Menzer: Mr. Martinsville, 'mate see chance to end silence
• Caraviello: Real race is under way well before green flag
• Waltrip had Roush part, refutes notion it was stolen
• Menzer: 'Partgate' proves Roush needs to lighten up a bit
• When it's needed most, McMurray finding his speed
• Gordon wins his seventh career pole at Martinsville
• Biffle hopes to put an end to struggles at Martinsville
• Busch's emotions present balancing act for driver
• Back injury might keep Sadler out at Martinsville
• Martinsville a beginning for McDowell ... but Johnson?