Lap-by-Lap: Atlanta

Lap 325 -- CHECKERED FLAG: Carl Edwards cruises to the checkered flag to win the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Lap 324 -- WHITE FLAG: Carl Edwards continues to lead, but Jimmie Johnson is running down Denny Hamlin for second.

Lap 323 -- Jimmie Johnson passes Matt Kenseth for third spot.

Lap 322 -- Jimmie Johnson gets fourth from Kyle Busch shortly after taking fifth from Kurt Busch.

Lap 318 -- Jimmie Johnson is on the move with four new tires and passes Dale Earnhardt Jr. for sixth.

Lap 317 -- GREEN FLAG: Carl Edwards gets the race going again.
1. Carl Edwards
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Kyle Busch
5. Kurt Busch

Lap 313 -- Jimmie Johnson heads down pit road to take four tires.

Lap 312 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 10: Debris is on the track in the corner.

Lap 309 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards quickly jumps beneath Denny Hamlin to lead.

Lap 309 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin leads the field to green.
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Carl Edwards
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Kyle Busch
5. Kurt Busch

Lap 305 -- Pit road is open but no takers.

Lap 303 -- Jeff Burton is on pit road as his crew works to repair damage.

Lap 302 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 9: Big multi-car crash in Turn 3. Dave Blaney was slowing and Jeff Burton ran into him, collecting Juan Montoya, Reed Sorenson and Joe Nemechek. Montoya has the biggest damage to the nose of his car, and Blaney's car is stopped. Burton continues on with front-end damage.

Lap 302 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin leads the field to green.
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Carl Edwards
4. Kurt Busch
5. Kyle Busch

Lap 300 -- Brian Vickers is penalized one lap for pitting outside of his pit box.

Lap 299 -- Juan Montoya and Clint Bowyer are back on pit road to repair damage to their cars.

Lap 298 -- A handful of cars hit pit road:
• Jeff Gordon gets no adjustments and four tires
• Juan Montoya wants no changes, but gets clipped by Clint Bowyer when he exits; his right-side bumper is disconnected from the car
• Ryan Newman gets the free pass

Lap 297 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 8: Debris is on the track from Michael Waltrip's car.

Lap 296 -- Carl Edwards goes beneath Kurt Busch to take third.

Lap 293 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin gets the race going again.
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Kurt Busch
4. Juan Montoya
5. Carl Edwards

Lap 289 -- Drivers head down pit road:
• Matt Kenseth gets track-bar and air-pressure adjustments
• Kurt Busch gets a track-bar adjustment for a loose car
• Denny Hamlin gets no changes
• Carl Edwards wants a free car
• Jimmie Johnson asks for minimal changes
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. hits Kurt Busch on the right side, then gets hit by Carl Edwards on the left side as he exits
• Jeff Burton gets the free pass

Lap 288 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 7: Michael Waltrip spins coming off Turn 2 after another tire goes down.

Lap 285 -- All four Hendrick cars are running in the top 12. All five Roush cars are running in the top 15.

Lap 280 -- Casey Mears is now running 10th and has had a strong run all day.

Lap 275 -- Denny Hamlin leads Matt Kenseth by 1.999 seconds.

Lap 270 -- Tony Stewart is running 20th and is the lowest-running Chase driver.

Lap 265 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is up to fifth and chasing Kurt Busch, who is the only non-Chase driver inside the top five.

Lap 259 -- Jeff Burton's car is smoking in the corner with a possible tire rub. He is one lap down in 17th.

Lap 257 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin leads the field to green.
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Kurt Busch
4. Carl Edwards
5. Jeff Gordon

Lap 255 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin is the new leader after winning the race off pit road.

Lap 254 -- Leaders head down pit road:
• Matt Kenseth gets an air-pressure adjustment and tires
• Kurt Busch gets air-pressure and chassis adjustments
• Denny Hamlin asks for a wedge adjustment for a tight car
• Jimmie Johnson gets wedge and track-bar adjustments
• Carl Edwards gets air-pressure and wedge adjustments
• David Ragan gets the free pass

Lap 253 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 6: Debris is on the backstretch.

Lap 250 -- Clint Bowyer is the worst-running Chase driver in 19th position.

Lap 247 -- Denny Hamlin has agreed to save some fuel so he can get the most out of his final green-flag run, which will come after one more pit stop.

Lap 243 -- Jamie McMurray is having a good run and is settled in seventh position. He is one of three non-Chase drivers in the top 10.

Lap 240 -- Matt Kenseth leads Kurt Busch by 1.493 seconds.

Lap 230 -- Jimmie Johnson is settling in at 13th position.

Lap 223 -- Matt Kenseth finally pulls ahead of Kurt Busch to secure the lead.

Lap 222 -- Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch again cross the line side-by-side.

Lap 221 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth leads the lap by a nose as he and Kurt Busch cross the line side-by-side.

Lap 220 -- Matt Kenseth closes in on Kurt Busch to challenge for the lead.

Lap 216 -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch gets the race going again.
1. Kurt Busch
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Carl Edwards
5. Jeff Gordon

Lap 211 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch takes the lead by winning the race off pit road.

Lap 210 -- Leaders head to pit road:
• Matt Kenseth gets few changes, just air pressure in the front tires
• Kurt Busch gets a wedge adjustment and four tires
• Carl Edwards gets an eighth of a round of wedge
• Jimmie Johnson's crew makes a big wedge adjustment
• Greg Biffle gets the free pass

Lap 209 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Michael Waltrip's right-rear tire explodes and spews debris all over the track.

Lap 204 -- Juan Montoya is having a good run and is in seventh, chasing down Kevin Harvick.

Lap 196 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. brushes the wall coming off the corner. He continues without problem and minor scrapes.

Lap 189 -- LEAD CHANGE: Brian Vickers pits for service, giving the lead back to Matt Kenseth. Reed Sorenson is also in for a pit stop.

Lap 188 -- David Ragan is on pit road but misses his pit stall and has to back up to complete service.

Lap 188 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon pits for a track-bar adjustment. Matt Kenseth is in and gives up the lead to get an air-pressure adjustment. Jimmie Johnson pits for a wedge adjustment. Brian Vickers is the new leader.

Lap 187 -- Denny Hamlin pits for four tires and minor adjustments. Carl Edwards pits and gets a minor wedge adjustment and four tires.

Lap 186 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in for his stop. His crew reverses the wedge adjustment from the previous stop. Kurt Busch is in for his stop and gets his crew to check the damage from when he brushed the wall. Busch also gets a track-bar adjustment

Lap 185 -- Kyle Busch is on pit road for a track-bar adjustment. Kevin Harvick is in to get four tires.

Lap 184 -- Mark Martin begins green-flag pit stops, along with teammate Paul Menard.

Lap 169 -- Michael Waltrip is on pit road with a right-rear flat. He gets tires and a track-bar adjustment.

Lap 168 -- Michael Waltrip is off the pace with tires issues. He hit the wall a lap earlier and has a flat tire.

Lap 160 -- Chase drivers Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart run in a cluster from positions 15-18.

Lap 155 -- Kyle Busch is battling a really loose car and the team has tried several major changes to make a difference. Busch is now running 10th.

Lap 150 -- Jamie McMurray is up to 10th position and having a strong run.

Lap 145 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes fourth position from Kurt Busch, who is losing grip on his tires.

Lap 142 -- Jimmie Johnson is back up to 18th position after getting the free pass.

Lap 135 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth leads the field to green. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s windshield tearoff blows off without problem.
1. Matt Kenseth
2. Carl Edwards
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5. Kurt Busch

Lap 134 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s windshield tearoff is still half on and bunched up on his windshield. Michael Waltrip is on pit road for a short inside the helmet radio.

Lap 133 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth is the leader following pit stops.

Lap 132 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards is credited with leading the lap due to his pit stall location.

Lap 131 -- Leaders head to pit road:
• Matt Kenseth is loose and gets track-bar and air-pressure adjustments
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets air-pressure and wedge adjustments
• Carl Edwards gets air-pressure and four tires
• Jimmie Johnson gets the free pass

Lap 130 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: Kasey Kahne goes for a spin and blows all four tires and he's sliding.

Lap 125 -- Just 19 cars are on the lead lap. Jimmie Johnson is 20th, the first car a lap down.

Lap 121 -- Michael Waltrip is running 14th and having a strong day, spending most of it inside the top 15 so far.

Lap 114 -- GREEN FLAG: Matt Kenseth gets the race back under way.
1. Matt Kenseth
2. Carl Edwards
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Greg Biffle
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 113 -- Jeff Burton is penalized for speeding off pit road. He will restart at the end of the longest line.

Lap 112 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth is the new leader after winning the race off pit road.

Lap 111 -- Leaders head to pit road:
• Matt Kenseth is loose and gets an air-pressure adjustment
• Jeff Gordon's crew reverses previous changes with a track-bar adjustment
• Carl Edwards gets a chassis adjustment and four tires
• David Gilliland gets the free pass

Lap 110 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Debris is in Turn 2.

Lap 106 -- Kasey Kahne is on pit road after battling an extremely loose racecar. He gets four fresh tires.

Lap 100 -- Juan Montoya is now running in 10th, the third non-Chase driver inside the top 10.

Lap 94 -- Jimmie Johnson is now running 30th, one lap down, after his pit-road speeding penalty.

Lap 92 -- Carl Edwards has a 2.731-second lead.
1. Carl Edwards
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Kurt Busch
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 91 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards gets the lead back when Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes his pit stop for minor changes. Scott Speed is back on pit road for speeding during his pit stop.

Lap 90 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth pits, giving the lead to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jimmie Johnson is headed back down pit road to serve a speeding penalty based off his pit stop. Jeff Burton is in for his tires and fuel.

Lap 89 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth gets the lead when Carl Edwards comes in for his pit stop. He gets wedge and air-pressure adjustments. Jimmie Johnson is in and will also get an air-pressure adjustment.

Lap 88 -- Kyle Busch is in for an air-pressure adjustment and a wedge adjustment. Juan Montoya is in for his pit stop.

Lap 87 -- Casey Mears is in for his stop for tires. Clint Bowyer pits and gets an air-pressure adjustment. Tony Stewart is in and asking for more grip in his car.

Lap 86 -- Denny Hamlin is in for his stop. He had a vibration, takes four tires and fuel. He also gets a chassis adjustment. Elliott Sadler is in for his stop.

Lap 85 -- Bobby Labonte is on pit road to begin early green-flag pit stops. A.J. Allmendinger is also in.

Lap 80 -- Kurt Busch is running fifth as the highest non-Chase driver.

Lap 75 -- RCR teammates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton are running 17th and 18th, respectively.

Lap 70 -- Clint Bowyer has settled in at 22nd but says the car is too loose and he is struggling with the handle.

Lap 67 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. passes Jimmie Johnson for fourth.

Lap 65 -- Jeff Gordon takes fourth position from teammate Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 61 -- Matt Kenseth drives beneath Jimmie Johnson to take second from the points leader.

Lap 60 -- Clint Bowyer is the worst-running Chase driver and is down to 23rd.

Lap 55 -- Martin Truex Jr. has cracked the top 10 and now runs in ninth. He and Kurt Busch (seventh) are the only non-Chase drivers in the top 10.

Lap 50 -- Matt Kenseth is now up to third position and trying to catch second-place Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 45 -- LEAD CHANGE: After several laps of chasing him, Carl Edwards finally goes below Jimmie Johnson for the top spot.

Lap 39 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson gets the race going again.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Carl Edwards
3. Greg Biffle
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Matt Kenseth

Lap 38 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson inherits the lead when Scott Speed pits.

Lap 37 -- LEAD CHANGE: Scott Speed stays out to lead.

Lap 36 -- Leaders head down pit road:
• Jeff Gordon gets a wedge adjustment for a tight car and four tires
• Carl Edwards gets less air pressure in his tires
• Jimmie Johnson gets a chassis adjustment and tires
• Matt Kensth gains three spots on pit road
• Joe Nemechek gets the free pass

Lap 35 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Scott Riggs cuts a right-front tire and gets into the Turn 3 wall after some contact from Elliott Sadler on the backstretch..

Lap 31 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. passes Jeff Gordon on the outside to take third position.

Lap 30 -- Tony Stewart is struggling and has fallen to 21st position. He started this race in eighth.

Lap 27 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is up to fifth and making lap times that are faster than the leader.

Lap 24 -- Kurt Busch has moved to 10th, breaking up the all-Chase party up front.

Lap 20 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards dives beneath Jimmie Johnson in Turn 2 to take the lead.

Lap 17 -- Kevin Harvick has fallen back from his sixth starting spot and now runs in 12th.

Lap 12 -- Carl Edwards moves back around Greg Biffle to take second.

Lap 7 -- Greg Biffle sails above Carl Edwards for second, then closes to Jimmie Johnson for the lead.

Lap 6 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson gets the racing back under way.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Carl Edwards
3. Greg Biffle
4. Clint Bowyer
5. Jeff Gordon

Lap 3 -- Several cars make pit stops to get tires early. Sam Hornish Jr. and Bill Elliott will be held a lap for pitting too soon.

Lap 2 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Bill Elliott and Sam Hornish Jr. make contact and go spinning down the backstretch. Hornish bumped the left-rear bumper of Elliott coming off Turn 4.

Lap 1 -- Jimmie Johnson leads the first lap.

2:20 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson gets the Pep Boys Auto 500 under way from Atlanta Motor Speedway.

2:13 p.m. -- Cars are rolling onto the track.

2:10 p.m. -- Scott Webb of Pep Boys delivers the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines!"

2:03 p.m. -- Michael Johns sings the national anthem.

2:02 p.m. -- Keith Strickland of Solid Stone Ministries delivers the invocation.

2:01 p.m. -- A moment of silence for NASCAR official Steve Lawson, who died last week.

1 p.m. ET -- ABC's pre-race coverage of the Pep Boys Auto 500 is under way from Atlanta Motor Speedway.

WEEKEND HEADLINES
• Busch hopes fast times change intermediate luck
• Revamped Goodyear tires pass initial test at Atlanta
• Raines remains optimistic as he looks toward future
• Ambrose getting his Cup chance, headstart on '09
• Kenseth, Stewart declare their title aspirations over
• Johnson, challengers not ready to crown champ yet
• Another qualifying rainout gives Johnson pole at AMS
• No simple solution to fixing Friday qualifying rainouts
• Chasers to start up front for third consecutive race
• Tires could once again factor into race at Atlanta