Lap-by-Lap: Atlanta

CHECKERED FLAG: Kurt Busch holds off a charging Jeff Gordon to win the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Lap 330 -- WHITE FLAG / LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch passes Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon follows.

Lap 329 -- GREEN FLAG: Carl Edwards gets the race going again for a green-white-checkered finish.
1. Carl Edwards
2. Kurt Busch
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Martin Truex Jr.
5. Kevin Harvick

Lap 324 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards takes the lead with his two-tire stop. Lapped cars make their stops.

Lap 323 -- Leaders head down pit road:
• Kurt Busch is in for tires and fuel
• Brian Vickers gets his tires and fuel
• Jeff Gordon was coming anyway and gets tires
• Carl Edwards is out first with two tires

Lap 322 -- Pit road is closed, but Matt Kenseth comes because he is out of gas.

Lap 322 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 11: Robby Gordon's tire shreds and spreads debris all over the track.

Lap 320 -- The lead is still a half-second with five laps to go.

Lap 317 -- Jeff Gordon has the fastest car this lap in third, but the race is between the top two cars.

Lap 315 -- With 10 laps to go, Kurt Busch leads Brian Vickers by 0.515 seconds.

Lap 314 -- Tony Stewart is now running 10th after making up two laps during the race.

Lap 312 -- The lead is less than a half-second now between Kurt Busch and Brian Vickers.

Lap 310 -- The top five remains the same, and Kurt Busch's lead on Brian Vickers begins to dwindle.

Lap 305 -- Brian Vickers has the fastest car on the track this lap as he tries to chase down leader Kyle Busch.

Lap 300 -- Denny Hamlin is battling loose conditions and has fallen back to 14th position, the last car on the lead lap.

Lap 296 -- Kasey Kahne battles Matt Kenseth for several laps before finally taking fifth position. Both cars have worked their way from a lap down.

Lap 293 -- Kurt Busch leads by 1.302 seconds.

Lap 289 -- Joey Logano is on pit road for tires and so his crew can repair some right-side damage from when he hit the wall a few laps ago.

Lap 282 -- Kurt Busch's lead on Brian Vickers is 1.204 seconds.

Lap 279 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. loses two spots to Tony Stewart and Jeff Burton after getting too close to Aric Almirola. Earnhardt is in 14th, the last car on the lead lap.

Lap 275 -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch gets the race going again.
1. Kurt Busch
2. Brian Vickers
3. Clint Bowyer
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Carl Edwards

Lap 272 -- Lapped cars make their pit stops, including Jeff Burton so his crew can remove the grass caking his splitter.

Lap 271 -- Just a few leaders hit pit road. The top five (six total) stay out, while seven come in for service:
• Matt Kenseth gets four tires and fuel
• Kasey Kahne gets tires and minor adjustments
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. pits for changes
• Jeff Burton gets the free pass

Lap 268 -- Pit road is closed.

Lap 267 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 10: Scott Speed is in the wall coming off Turn 4. He slides in front of David Ragan and into the wall. The chain reaction collects Greg Biffle as he gets spun into the outside wall. Biffle has major damage to the nose and rear. Jeff Burton goes through the grass to avoid and collects grass in his splitter.

Lap 266 -- Michael Waltrip begins to slow on the restart with a potential problem.

Lap 265 -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch leads the field to green.
1. Kurt Busch
2. Brian Vickers
3. Clint Bowyer
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Carl Edwards

Lap 264 -- Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. come in to top off with fuel.

Lap 262 -- Jimmie Johnson is too fast exiting pit road and will restart at the tail of the longest line.

Lap 261 -- Leaders head down pit road:
• Brian Vickers is loose and gets minor changes and tires
• Kurt Busch is just right and gets minimal changes
• Carl Edwards has big adjustments and fuel, tires
• Jeff Gordon gets adjustments but a crewman drops a lug nut
• Tony Stewart gets the free pass

Lap 260 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 9: Debris from Robby Gordon's car is in Turn 4.

Lap 254 -- Brian Vickers is now in fourth and has the fastest car on the track this lap.

Lap 251 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch stays high off Turn 4 and passes Jeff Gordon for the lead.

Lap 249 -- Kurt Busch continues to trim Jeff Gordon's lead, which is now 0.596 seconds.

Lap 247 -- Ryan Newman's car is down a cylinder. He is one lap down in 15th.

Lap 245 -- Jeff Gordon's lead on Kurt Busch is 1.956 seconds.

Lap 241 -- Carl Edwards is back in the top five after losing several spots on pit road.

Lap 235 -- Kurt Busch catches and passes Jimmie Johnson for second. He now trails leader Jeff Gordon.

Lap 234 -- Tony Stewart is the first car one lap down.

Lap 230 -- Kurt Busch battles Denny Hamlin for third and finally uses the outside lane to hold the spot.

Lap 226 -- Matt Kenseth is up to seventh after just getting back on the lead lap two cautions ago on Lap 205.

Lap 222 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon leads the field to green with 13 cars on the lead lap.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Clint Bowyer
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Kurt Busch

Lap 221 -- Greg Biffle has to return to pit road for a lap after pitting outside his pit stall. He was black-flagged for refusing to come in upon request.

Lap 216 -- Lapped cars make their stops.

Lap 215 -- Leaders on pit road:
• Kurt Busch gets very little changes and four tires but loses ground
• Jeff Gordon has a track-bar adjustment to find handle
• Jimmie Johnson is out second with a fast stop
• Kevin Harvick gets the free pass

Lap 214 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 8: Mark Martin cuts a right-rear tire and backs into the wall. He has major damage to the rear sheet metal, but the car is in decent shape.

Lap 211 -- Jeff Gordon leads, but a three-wide battle goes on behind him between Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch for second, along with the lapped car of Kevin Harvick. They finally settle in line.

Lap 209 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon leads the field to green with 12 cars on the lead lap.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Kurt Busch
3. Mark Martin
4. Carl Edwards
5. Denny Hamlin

Lap 206 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon wins the race off pit road and takes the lead. Lapped cars make their stops.

Lap 205 -- Leaders head to pit road:
• Jimmie Johnson makes big changes to the car
• Kurt Busch goes down a round on the track bar
• Jeff Gordon gets a wedge adjustment and tires
• Mark Martin still wants a tighter car and gets changes
• Matt Kenseth gets the free pass

Lap 204 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 7: Sam Hornish Jr. hits the wall, then comes back down the track in front of Bill Elliott. Both have big damage and head to the garage.

Lap 202 -- Jeff Gordon passes Kurt Busch, but Busch gets him back at the line. Busch has damage on the outside from scraping the wall.

Lap 198 -- Tony Stewart drove past leader Kurt Busch to get one of his laps back. Stewart is now just one lap down.

Lap 196 -- Greg Biffle gets sideways when David Ragan makes contact with him. Biffle nearly loses it, but gathers it up and continues on. Ragan slaps the wall after the incident.

Lap 192 -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch gets the race going once again with 11 cars on the lead lap.
1. Kurt Busch
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Mark Martin
5. Brian Vickers

Lap 191 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch gets the lead back when Martin Truex Jr. pits. Tony Stewart's team did not get enough fuel in the car but he will not return to pit road.

Lap 190 -- LEAD CHANGE: Martin Truex Jr. leads after staying out.

Lap 189 -- Martin Truex Jr. stays out to lead, but Kurt Busch is credited with the lead for crossing the line first. Lapped cars make their stops.

Lap 188 -- Leaders make their stops:
• Jimmie Johnson gets air pressure and tires
• Kurt Busch reverses his changes and adds wedge
• Jeff Gordon makes minor adjustments and gets tires
• Carl Edwards gets chassis and air-pressure adjustments
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. stays late to get some wheel adjustments

Lap 186 -- Pit road is closed.

Lap 185 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 6: Debris from Marcos Ambrose's car is on the track. Kasey Kahne gets the free pass.

Lap 183 -- Marcos Ambrose slows and is on the apron with smoke coming from his car.

Lap 178 -- Three of the top five cars are Hendrick teammates: Jeff Gordon (second), Mark Martin (fourth) and Jimmie Johnson (fifth).

Lap 172 -- Jeff Gordon catches and passes Kurt Busch to take the top spot, but Busch gets it back before they reach the line.

Lap 166 -- Mark Martin moves past Clint Bowyer for fifth. All four Hendrick cars are on the lead lap in the top 10.

Lap 164 -- Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards all move past Clint Bowyer, dropping him to fifth.

Lap 162 -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch leads the field to green.
1. Kurt Busch
2. Clint Bowyer
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Carl Edwards

Lap 160 -- Lapped cars make their pit stops on a crowded pit road.

Lap 159 -- Leaders head down pit road:
• Jimmie Johnson is loose and gets big adjustments
• Clint Bowyer gets adjustments for a tighter car
• Kurt Busch gets his adjustments for a loose problem
• Carl Edwards gets a track-bar adjustment

Lap 158 -- Pit road is closed, but David Reutimann comes anyway. He is down a cylinder.

Lap 157 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Fluid is on the track in Turn 2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets the free pass.

Lap 155 -- David Stremme and Robby Gordon hit pit road for changes and tires.

Lap 153 -- With pit stops approaching, Kurt Busch continues to put cars down multiple laps.

Lap 145 -- Kurt Busch leads Carl Edwards by 9.148 seconds.

Lap 143 -- Juan Montoya is on pit road for a regular stop, a little early compared to the scheduled window.

Lap 138 -- The crew member from Marcos Ambrose's team who chased down the loose tire and forced a caution on Lap 67 has been suspended by NASCAR for the rest of the race.

Lap 134 -- There are 15 cars that are listed as two laps down, including David Reutimann in 30th who is down a cylinder.

Lap 128 -- Joe Nemechek is back on the track after spending several laps in the garage with brake trouble.

Lap 125 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is reporting a bad vibration, possibly in the brakes. He is also extremely loose.

Lap 121 -- Kyle Busch is trapped two laps down and has fallen to 27th in the running order.

Lap 118 -- Brian Vickers is in 10th and the last car on the lead lap. Kasey Kahne is the first car a lap down.

Lap 112 -- Carl Edwards is chasing down Kurt Busch as Edwards runs the low line and Busch runs the high line.

Lap 108 -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch gets the race back under way with 10 cars on the lead lap.
1. Kurt Busch
2. Carl Edwards
3. Clint Bowyer
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Denny Hamlin

Lap 106 -- Brian Vickers will start at the tail of the longest line for speeding down pit road. Bobby Labonte heads to the garage.

Lap 105 -- Lapped cars make their stops on a busy pit road. Robby Gordon leaves his box with the gas and catch cans still on the car. He will be penalized. Kyle Busch has a long stop because the car was not taking fuel properly.

Lap 104 -- Cars head to pit road:
• Jimmie Johnson is a little tight and gets chassis adjustments
• Kurt Busch asks for air-pressure adjustments and grip
• Clint Bowyer gets a chassis adjustment and tires
• Carl Edwards changes air pressure and gets a chassis adjustment

Lap 103 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: Bobby Labonte spins after having potential engine problems. Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets the free pass.

Lap 103 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch moves to the outside of Carl Edwards to lead.

Lap 100 -- Juan Montoya pits for tires. Bobby Labonte may be heading to pit road soon. Labonte says he thinks his engine may be blowing up.

Lap 98 -- Carl Edwards puts Tony Stewart two laps down.

Lap 95 -- Carl Edwards is in a tight battle with Dale Earnhardt Jr. to put him a lap down. Edwards finally completes the pass, leaving nine cars on the lead lap.

Lap 88 -- Eleven cars are on the lead lap with Carl Edwards leading.

Lap 84 -- Kurt Busch goes below Jimmie Johnson in traffic to take third.

Lap 83 -- Joe Nemechek is in the garage with the crew working on the car.

Lap 81 -- LEAD CHANGE -- Carl Edwards goes around Jimmie Johnson on the high side.

Lap 78 -- Carl Edwards moves past Denny Hamlin into second as the leaders battle through traffic.

Lap 76 -- Jeff Gordon has developed a clutch problem from pit road.

Lap 74 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson gets the race going again with now 15 cars on the lead lap, most of which are starting at the front of the grid on the tail-end of the lead lap. Johnson is the ninth car in line.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Clint Bowyer
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Carl Edwards
5. Kurt Busch

Lap 70 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson is the new leader when Kurt Busch is called back to pit road by his crew. Busch's car wasn't taking fuel properly, but the crew solves the problem.

Lap 69 -- Only six cars are on the lead lap due to the caution coming in the green-flag cycle. Denny Hamlin will get the free pass. Leaders pit:
• Kurt Busch gets a track-bar adjustment and tires
• Clint Bowyer has a quick stop for tires and fuel
• Carl Edwards is loose on exit and gets changes

Lap 67 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Caution is out because of a loose tire that escaped pit road from Marcos Ambrose's stall. A crew member ran out to get it, forcing NASCAR to throw the caution.

Lap 66 -- Kyle Busch pits and asks for changes. He gets four tires and fuel. Brian Vickers is loose and gets changes. Denny Hamlin is also loose and gets changes.

Lap 65 -- Kyle Busch slows but misses pit road. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is too free on entry. Jeff Gordon makes his pit stop.

Lap 64 -- John Andretti and Jamie McMurray are in. Michael Waltrip and Elliott Sadler pit. McMurray gets a major adjustment for a loose car.

Lap 63 -- Tony Stewart and Aric Almirola pit. Stewart asks for rear grip and gets wedge and air-pressure adjustments.

Lap 62 -- Joe Nemechek and Matt Kenseth are pitting. Both get tires and fuel.

Lap 61 -- David Reutimann and Dave Blaney are on pit road. Reutimann gets four tires and fuel with huge adjustments for a loose car. Blaney has a problem and the team lifts the hood.

Lap 55 -- Martin Truex Jr. is running in 13th after his kidney stone treatment Saturday. He started in 23rd.

Lap 54 -- David Stremme makes his pit stop.

Lap 53 -- Sam Hornish Jr. is on pit road for a pit stop just after losing a lap.

Lap 50 -- Clint Bowyer is up to 10th place after starting 21st.

Lap 45 -- Kurt Busch starts lapping slower cars. He has a 7.309-second lead on Denny Hamlin.

Lap 40 -- Travis Kvapil and Mike Bliss are out of the race.

Lap 39 -- Kyle Busch wins a good battle for 10th position, passing Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ryan Newman is in 12th.

Lap 35 -- Jamie McMurray is battling a loose car and has fallen to 13th. He started in third but got no changes on his pit stop.

Lap 32 -- Travis Kvapil is on pit road and the crew goes under the hood. His crew determines the car has lost a cylinder.

Lap 31 -- Carl Edwards is moving and is up to seventh after starting deep in 29th.

Lap 28 -- Brian Vickers is up to 11th after starting the race in 17th.

Lap 23 -- Jeff Gordon is moving up and has cracked the top 10 in ninth. He started 16th.

Lap 20 -- Denny Hamlin and Mark Martin battle Ryan Newman for second. Hamlin gets him, but Martin can't.

Lap 18 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch goes to the outside of Ryan Newman to lead.

Lap 17 -- Kurt Busch is on the move and jumps to second.

Lap 16 -- GREEN FLAG: Ryan Newman gets the race going again.
1. Ryan Newman
2. Mark Martin
3. Kurt Busch
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Greg Biffle

Lap 15 -- LEAD CHANGE: Ryan Newman inherits the lead when Joe Nemechek, Dave Blaney and Mike Bliss pit.

Lap 14 -- LEAD CHANGE: Joe Nemechek stays out to lead. Dave Blaney and Mike Bliss also stay out.

Lap 13 -- Cars head to pit road:
• Greg Biffle is "snappy" and over-rotating; chassis adjustment
• Kurt Busch gets some minor changes and four tires
• Denny Hamlin has a chassis adjustment and is tight
• Ryan Newman is out first with a fast stop

Lap 12 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Bobby Labonte goes for a spin in Turn 3. He lost it going into the turn and tells his crew his machine is amazingly loose. No damage.

Lap 7 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch ducks below Mark Martin to snag the lead on the restart.

Lap 6 -- GREEN FLAG: Mark Martin gets the race back under way.
1. Mark Martin
2. Kurt Busch
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Greg Biffle
5. Juan Montoya

Lap 2 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Reed Sorenson smacks the wall in Turn 1. He tells his crew something broke. He heads to the garage.

Lap 1 -- Mark Martin pulls ahead to lead the opening lap. Kurt Busch falls in line for second.

2:18 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Mark Martin and Kurt Busch get the Kobalt Tools 500 under way from Atlanta Motor Speedway.

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

2:06 p.m. -- Kelly Brown from Lowe's delivers the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines!"

2:04 p.m. -- Martin Truex Jr. is OK and will start the race. He was taken to the hospital Saturday and treated for kidney stones.

2:01 p.m. -- Richie McDonald performs the national anthem.

2 p.m. -- Chris Patton of Southside Church in Peachtree City, Ga., delivers the invocation.

1:53 p.m. -- David Ragan will be dropping to the rear to start the race due to an engine change.

1:30 p.m. ET -- FOX's pre-race coverage of the Kobalt Tools 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway is on the air.