Lap-by-Lap: Watkins Glen

CHECKERED FLAG: Tony Stewart wins for the fifth time at Watkins Glen and extends his points lead. Marcos Ambrose finishes a career-high second and Greg Biffle finishes fifth, his best finish at The Glen.

Lap 89 -- WHITE FLAG: Tony Stewart has finished first or second in the last five Watkins Glen races and he takes the white flag as the leader.

Lap 88 -- Marcos Ambrose gets loose in Turn 1 as he overdrives the car giving Tony Stewart a 1.4-second lead.

Lap 87 -- Marcos Ambrose has closed the gap on Tony Stewart to 0.7 seconds.

Lap 85 -- Tony Stewart leads by 1.2 seconds. Denny Hamlin passes Jimmie Johnson for 11th.

Lap 84 -- This is a two-man race as Tony Stewart and Marcos Ambrose have put a three-second margin between them and Carl Edwards. Both are concerned about fuel though as they race for the win.

Lap 83 -- Patrick Carpentier and Elliott Sadler are back on the track.

Lap 82 -- Jamie McMurray has some smoke coming out of his No. 26 Ford. Marcos Ambrose has shaved 0.4 seconds off of Tony Stewart's lead.

Lap 81 -- Tony Stewart leads by 1.4 seconds on Marcos Ambrose. Both drivers are concerned about fuel with nine laps remaining.

Lap 79 -- Kyle Busch gets loose in the esses and goes into the grass allowing Carl Edwards to pass him for third.

Lap 77 -- Kurt Busch passes Max Papis for seventh. Carl Edwards challenging Kyle Busch for third.

Lap 76 -- Boris Said takes his car to the garage as his day comes to a close. Tony Stewart leads by 0.9 seconds.

Lap 75 -- Kurt Busch up to ninth. Jimmie Johnson up to 11th. Boris Said's car is smoking heavily as he might lose his engine.

Lap 74 -- Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards pass Greg Biffle in Turn 2 for third and fourth.

Lap 73 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart brings the field to the green from the inside.
1. Tony Stewart
2. Marcos Ambrose
3. Greg Biffle
4. Kyle Busch
5. Juan Montoya

Lap 71 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Elliott Sadler and Patrick Carpentier get together with the race staying green. But as Sadler drove off, he blew a tire bringing out the caution. Andy Lally gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.

Lap 70 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back on the track. Boris Said is up to 17th with fresh tires.

Lap 69 -- Marcos Ambrose and Greg Biffle pass Kyle Busch for second and third in Turn 10 as Busch struggles to turn his car and has to lock up his brakes.

Lap 68 -- Reed Sorenson is back on the track. Greg Biffle challenges Marcos Ambrose for third in Turn 10. Carl Edwards passes Max Papis for sixth.

Lap 67 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart gets around Kyle Busch in Turn 2 to take the lead. Carl Edwards jumps from ninth to seventh on the restart.

Lap 66 -- GREEN FLAG: Kyle Busch brings the field to the green on the outside.
1. Kyle Busch
2. Tony Stewart
3. Marcos Ambrose
4. Greg Biffle
5. Juan Montoya

Lap 65 -- John Andretti and Ron Fellows are the wave-around cars.

Lap 64 -- LEAD CHANGE: Scott Speed finally pits ending the final round of stops and giving Kyle Busch the lead. Boris Said also pits.

Lap 63 -- YELLOW FLAG: The yellow is back out and the cars are back under way at 2:25 p.m., ending the 20-minute red flag.

Lap 63 -- RED FLAG: The race is under red at 2:05 p.m. to clean up the track.

Lap 62 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: Big crash in Turn 9 as Sam Hornish Jr. gets bumped by Kasey Kahne and spins hard into the wall. Hornish Jr. bounces onto the track where Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon hit the No. 77 at full speed in a violent crash. Andy Lally and Joey Logano also involved. Robby Gordon gets the free pass.

Lap 61 -- After pit stops, Denny Hamlin is 12th. Jimmie Johnson runs 13th. Kurt Busch is 14th. Jeff Gordon is 23rd. Jamie McMurray is back on the track.

Lap 60 -- LEAD CHANGE: David Stremme pits giving the lead to Scott Speed. Stremme with four tires and fuel.

Lap 59 -- LEAD CHANGE: David Stremme is now the leader. Scott Speed is second. Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart and Marcos Ambrose round out top five.

Lap 58 -- Kurt Busch on pit road for his final stop. He takes four tires and fuel.

Lap 57 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch has yet to pit and he inherits the lead. A.J. Allmendinger gives up second to pit. David Stremme and Scott Speed have yet to pit.

Lap 56 -- Tony Stewart and Juan Montoya hit pit road. Four tires and fuel for Stewart with no changes. No changes for Montoya as he takes four tires and fuel.

Lap 55 -- Marcos Ambrose, Max Papis, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne among the leaders to pit.

Lap 54 -- Jimmie Johnson spins in Turn 1 and is able to continue but loses third place. Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Casey Mears on pit road.

Lap 53 -- Ryan Newman and Patrick Carpentier get together and spin in Turn 1 but both are able to keep going and the race stays green.

Lap 52 -- Juan Montoya up to sixth. Carl Edwards runs eighth. Marcos Ambrose up to 19th after passing Jeff Gordon.

Lap 50 -- Marcos Ambrose up to 21st as he passes Andy Lally. Tony Stewart leads by 0.5 seconds.

Lap 49 -- Boris Said hits pit road as he looks to be overheating. They are cleaning the grill, changing four tires and filling it with fuel.

Lap 48 -- Juan Montoya up to eighth after passing Clint Bowyer in Turn 1. Max Papis passes Boris Said for fifth. Carl Edwards up to 10th. Kurt Busch up to 17th.

Lap 47 -- Juan Montoya bumps Casey Mears out of the way and passes him for ninth.

Lap 46 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart passes Kyle Busch in the esses and takes the lead for the first time today. Marcos Ambrose up to 27th in one lap.

Lap 45 -- GREEN FLAG: Kyle Busch brings the field to the green.
1. Kyle Busch
2. Tony Stewart
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Greg Biffle
5. Boris Said

Lap 44 -- Kevin Harvick is back on the track.

Lap 43 -- David Reutimann, Marcos Ambrose, Brian Vickers, Scott Speed, Joey Logano, Sam Hornish Jr. and David Ragan the cars to pit.

Lap 41 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Dale Earnhardt Jr. lost his brakes in Turn 10 and went flying into the gravel pit. Reed Sorenson in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets collected by Junior. Sorenson able to start back up and get on the track. David Stremme gets the free pass.

Lap 40 -- Juan Montoya passes Brian Vickers for 11th.

Lap 38 -- Brian Vickers continues to fall as he is down to 10th. Jeff Gordon up to 20th.

Lap 37 -- Kyle Busch leads by two seconds on Tony Stewart as he goes around Jimmie Johnson for second.

Lap 36 -- Tony Stewart on the bumper of Jimmie Johnson for second. Clint Bowyer passes Brian Vickers for sixth. Sam Hornish Jr. on pit road.

Lap 35 -- Matt Kenseth passes Martin Truex Jr. for 10th. Casey Mears having a good run, currently ninth. Joey Logano spins in Turn 1 but doesn't hit anything.

Lap 34 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Busch passes Jimmie Johnson coming out of Turn 11 and takes the lead. Jamie McMurray takes his car to the garage.

Lap 33 -- Kyle Busch is on the bumper of leader Jimmie Johnson. Kurt Busch is catching up to the rear of the field.

Lap 31 -- Ron Fellows is back in the race. Tony Stewart passes Greg Biffle for third. Matt Kenseth is up to 11th. Juan Montoya is 15th. Carl Edwards is 16th and Denny Hamlin is 17th.

Lap 30 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson inherits the lead as Marcos Ambrose pits. Just a small air-pressure adjustment for the No. 47 along with four tires and fuel.

Lap 29 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch hits pit road for a second time giving the lead to Marcos Ambrose who has still yet to pit. No changes for Busch as he takes fuel only.

Lap 28 -- Ron Fellows takes his car to the garage as he has lost his starter. Jamie McMurray up to ninth.

Lap 27 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch passes Marcos Ambrose at the start/finish line. Tony Stewart up to sixth as Boris Said falls to seventh on the restart.

Lap 26 -- GREEN FLAG: Marcos Ambrose brings the field to the green from the inside.
1. Marcos Ambrose
2. Kurt Busch
3. Kyle Busch
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Boris Said

Lap 24 -- Kasey Kahne and Reed Sorenson give up third and sixth, respectively, and pit. Juan Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Ron Fellows and A.J. Allmendinger among the cars to pit. Robby Gordon on pit road with the hood up. Ryan Newman with alternator problems and he has a long stop to change batteries.

Lap 23 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: David Stremme goes into the grass out of the busstop, spins in front of the field and collects Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon. John Andretti gets the free pass as Kevin Harvick takes his car to the garage.

Lap 22 -- After the pitstop Jeff Gordon is up to 16th. Jimmie Johnson passes Reed Sorenson for fifth. John Andretti is back on the track.

Lap 21 -- Juan Montoya falls to 10th on the restart as he gets shuffled to the outside. Kurt Busch passes Reed Sorenson for third. Patrick Carpentier gets bumped in Turn 11 and spins but the race stays green.

Lap 20 -- GREEN FLAG: Marcos Ambrose brings the field to the green. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin and Jeff Burton all caught speeding on pit road and will start at tail-end of the longest line.
1. Marcos Ambrose
2. Kasey Kahne
3. Reed Sorenson
4. Kurt Busch
5. Kyle Busch

Lap 19 -- LEAD CHANGE: Marcos Ambrose stays out as most everyone else hits pit road. Kasey Kahne and Reed Sorenson also stay out.
• Tony Stewart with a spring rubber and wedge adjustment
• Juan Montoya with an air pressure adjustment
• Denny Hamlin with a track bar adjustment
• Kurt Busch with a four-tire stop

Lap 17 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Debris in the interloop brings out the caution. No free pass will be given.

Lap 16 -- Jimmie Johnson is complaining of a loose race car as Juan Montoya starts to peek inside for fourth.

Lap 15 -- Jeff Gordon is 26th. Robby Gordon currently 21st. P.J. Jones and John Andretti both head to the garage.

Lap 14 -- Matt Kenseth up to 34th after starting 42nd. John Andretti makes a pit stop and goes a lap down.

Lap 13 -- Dave Blaney takes his car to the garage. Kurt Busch leads by 3.4 seconds.

Lap 12 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. up 13 spots to 25th. Tony Stewart passes Max Papis for 12th.

Lap 11 -- Marcos Ambrose dips his nose inside Jimmie Johnson for fourth but can't make the pass. P.J. Jones on pit road and goes a lap down. Marcos Ambrose passes Jimmie Johnson in Turn 11 for third.

Lap 10 -- Juan Montoya passes Kyle Busch for fifth in Turn 2. Tony Ave takes his car to the garage.

Lap 9 -- Ryan Newman continues to fall as he drops to ninth after Greg Biffle passes him.

Lap 8 -- Bobby Labonte spins in Turn 1 after contact with Jeff Burton but is able to continue running as he doesn't hit anything.

Lap 7 -- Kurt Busch continues to lead by 2.5 seconds. Boris Said passes Ryan Newman for seventh.

Lap 6 -- Mark Martin is up to 28th. Jeff Gordon is up to 29th. Carl Edwards remains 33rd.

Lap 5 -- Juan Montoya passes Ryan Newman for sixth coming to the start/finish line. Tony Stewart up to 14th.

Lap 4 -- Kyle Busch tries to get inside of Marcos Ambrose in the busstop but is unable and remains fifth.

Lap 3 -- Kurt Busch has driven away from the field leading by 2.6 seconds.

Lap 2 -- David Stremme get shuffled out of line and falls from fifth to ninth. Denny Hamlin passes Jimmie Johnson in Turn 10 for second.

Lap 1 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch has a great run on the outside and passes Jimmie Johnson in Turn 1 for the lead.

12:25 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson brings the field to the green and the 90-lap Heluva Good! at The Glen is under way.

12:11 p.m. -- The cars are rolling off pit road and will make three practice laps. There will be no competition caution and no driver has to move to the rear.

12:07 p.m. -- Grand marshal Scott Blake delivers the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines!"

12:02 p.m. -- Lindsay Gerhardt performs the national anthem.

12:01 p.m. -- Rev. Dave Fife delivers the Invocation.

Noon -- ESPN's coverage of the race is under way.

11:19 a.m. ET-- The sun is shining at Watkins Glen and it looks like a beautiful day for racing. It's currently 82 degrees with sunshine forecast for the entire afternoon. There is a chance for some late thunderstorms but the race should be over by then. Green is scheduled for just after noon ET.

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4:05 p.m. -- The race has been postponed for a second consecutive week. Coverage of the Heluva Good! at The Glen will begin on ESPN at noon ET Monday.

3:17 p.m. -- The rain is now a drizzle as the storm looks to have moved past the track. Drying efforts continue as it will take a couple hours to get the track race-ready.

2:51 p.m. -- Track drying has started at Watkins Glen despite it still raining.

2:30 p.m. -- The rain has finally started falling and it is coming down hard.

2:10 p.m. -- The grandstands are being cleared as a severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for the track.

2:09 p.m. -- The spotters are being called off the roof, drivers are being pulled from the cars and the crews are covering up the cars.

2:08 p.m. -- Lightning off the horizon has delayed the command to start engines.

2:02 p.m. -- Telluride performs the national anthem.

2:01 p.m. -- Rev. Dave Fife delivers the Invocation.

1:55 p.m. -- The storms are moving closer and rain looks inevitable. The good news is the radar looks clear behind the storm, so they should be able to dry the track and still get all 90 laps in.

1 p.m. -- NASCAR Countdown is under way on ESPN.

12:45 p.m. ET -- After morning showers, the track at Watkins Glen is dry and it is currently a beautiful day at Watkins Glen International. It's 76 degrees but the area is under a severe thunderstorm watch for the afternoon with a 90 percent chance of rain in the afternoon.