Lap-by-Lap: Atlanta

Lap 341 -- CHECKERED FLAG: Kurt Busch holds off Matt Kenseth to win his second consecutive spring race at Atlanta. Juan Montoya third, Kasey Kahne fourth and Paul Menard finishes fifth.

Lap 340 -- WHITE FLAG: Juan Montoya has a bad start and Kurt Busch drives away to lead.

Lap 339 -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch brings the field to the green on the second green-white-checkered.
1. Kurt Busch
2. Juan Montoya
3. Paul Menard
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Matt Kenseth

Lap 335 -- About a dozen cars, including Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr., pit.

Lap 332 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 10/LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch takes the middle line and passes Paul Menard but caution comes out as Jamie McMurray gets loose and hits Clint Bowyer collecting Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin.

Lap 331 -- GREEN FLAG: Clint Bowyer brings the field to the green.
1. Clint Bowyer
2. Paul Menard
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Kurt Busch
5. Juan Montoya

Lap 329 -- Numerous cars take advantage of the wave-around rule.

Lap 328 -- LEAD CHANGE: Clint Bowyer wins the race off pit road and takes the lead.

Lap 327 -- All the lead-lap cars hit pit road.
• Kasey Kahne with four tires and a track bar adjustment
• Kurt Busch with four tires and an air pressure adjustment
• Clint Bowyer with two tires
• Paul Menard with two tires
• Jamie McMurray with two tires

Lap 325 -- NASCAR has parked the No. 99 for the remainder of the race and Carl Edwards has been called to the NASCAR hauler.

Lap 323 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 9: Carl Edwards gets revenge on Brad Keselowski for the earlier crash and sends Keselowski into the wall and airborne, hard into the wall and onto his roof ending Keselowski's top-six run.

Lap 322 -- Kurt Busch leads by just 0.5 seconds with three to go.

Lap 321 -- Juan Montoya continues to close on Kurt Busch as the lead is now 0.7 seconds.

Lap 319 -- Juan Montoya has cut Kurt Busch's lead to one second.

Lap 316 -- Great three-way battle between Matt Kenseth, A.J. Allmendinger and Brad Keselowski for fourth.

Lap 314 -- Brad Keselowski passes Matt Kenseth for fourth.

Lap 313 -- Kevin Harvick has worked his way up to 11th.

Lap 310 -- With 15 to go, Kurt Busch leads by 1.5 seconds.

Lap 309 -- Kasey Kahne passes Matt Kenseth on the backstretch for third.

Lap 308 -- Juan Montoya has a great run in Turns 1 and 2 and passes Matt Kenseth for second.

Lap 306 -- Tony Stewart on pit road with more possible tire problems. Stewart was running 14th when he went to the pits.

Lap 303 -- Kurt Busch leads by 0.8 seconds.

Lap 300 -- The top-six have put some distance between them and the rest of the field.

Lap 298 -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch brings the field to the green.
1. Kurt Busch
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Juan Montoya
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Brad Keselowski

Lap 295 -- Jimmie Johnson and Marcos Ambrose back on pit road.

Lap 294 -- Jimmie Johnson in sixth the highest-running car to pit. Johnson, Marcos Ambrose, Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick the lead-lap cars to pit.

Lap 293 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 9: Max Papis and Elliott Sadler get into the wall and each other. Mark Martin gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.

Lap 292 -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch brings the field to the green.
1. Kurt Busch
2. Kasey Kahne
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Brad Keselowski
5. Clint Bowyer

Lap 291 -- Twelve cars are going to take advantage of the wave-around rule. Marcos Ambrose pitted outside his box and will start at the tail-end of the field.

Lap 290 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch wins the race off pit road and takes the lead.

Lap 289 -- The lead-lap cars hit pit road.
• Kasey Kahne with four tires
• Jimmie Johnson with four tires and loses three spots
• Kurt Busch with four tires and he wins the race off pit road

Lap 288 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 8: The caution is out for Denny Hamlin and his blown tire. David Gilliland gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.

Lap 287 -- Denny Hamlin has a problem as he slows on the backstretch.

Lap 286 -- Ryan Newman on pit road for a tire rub.

Lap 284 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kasey Kahne cruises by Denny Hamlin and takes the lead.

Lap 283 -- Kasey Kahne passes Kurt Busch for second and closes on Denny Hamlin for the lead.

Lap 282 -- Sam Hornish Jr. back on pit road.

Lap 281 -- Kurt Busch challenging Denny Hamlin for the lead.

Lap 279 -- Jeff Burton and Bill Elliott both penalized during pit stops.

Lap 278 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin inherits the lead during green-flag stops.

Lap 277 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kasey Kahne and Paul Menard pit. Menard's pit box is past the start/finish line so he leads the lap.

Lap 276 -- Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Martin Truex Jr. and A.J. Allmendinger pit.

Lap 275 -- Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Juan Montoya and Greg Biffle on pit road.

Lap 274 -- Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch all on pit road.

Lap 273 -- Marcos Ambrose on pit road for four tires and a wedge adjustment.

Lap 272 -- Elliott Sadler and Bill Elliott on pit road.

Lap 271 -- Tony Stewart gives up ninth and pits. Stewart with four tires and a chassis adjustment.

Lap 269 -- Travis Kvapil and Kevin Conway on pit road.

Lap 266 -- Denny Hamlin gives up fourth and pits due to a tire problem.

Lap 264 -- Twenty cars are on the lead lap with Bill Elliott currently in 20th. Everyone will have to make one more stop.

Lap 262 -- Sam Hornish Jr. goes a lap down as he continues to struggle with a power problem.

Lap 260 -- Jimmie Johnson is challenging Kurt Busch for second.

Lap 258 -- All four manufacturers are currently running in the top four.

Lap 257 -- Tony Stewart has survived his tire issue and has worked his way up to ninth.

Lap 256 -- Ryan Newman is on pit road.

Lap 253 -- Max Papis on pit road.

Lap 251 -- Kasey Kahne has opened up a 1.7-second lead on Kurt Busch.

Lap 249 -- Sam Hornish Jr. down to 20th after being in the top 10. Hornish complaining of a power problem and the crew has a battery on stand-by in the pits.

Lap 244 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kasey Kahne finally gets in front of Kurt Busch and is back out front.

Lap 243 -- Kyle Busch on the move as he climbs to 14th. Clint Bowyer currently 13th after being a lap down twice.

Lap 241 -- Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne still side-by-side for the lead.

Lap 239 -- Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne are side-by-side for the lead.

Lap 235 -- Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin and Ryan Newman are all a lap down. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are two laps down.

Lap 232 -- Kurt Busch has already opened up a one-second lead.

Lap 230 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch passes Kasey Kahne on the restart and takes the lead.

Lap 229 -- GREEN FLAG: Kasey Kahne brings the field to the green.
1. Kasey Kahne
2. Kurt Busch
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Brad Keselowski

Lap 228 -- Ryan Newman, Bill Elliott, Max Papis, Travis Kvapil and Kevin Conway the wave-around cars. Elliott the only one to get back on the lead lap.

Lap 227 -- Mark Martin on pit road for a second time.

Lap 226 -- The lead-lap cars hit pit road.
• Kasey Kahne with no changes
• Jimmie Johnson with a track bar adjustment
• Brad Keselowski with a chassis adjustment
• Kurt Busch with an air pressure adjustment

Lap 224 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 7: Debris on the frontstretch brings out the caution. Jamie McMurray gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.

Lap 223 -- Kasey Kahne's lead is up to 7.8 seconds.

Lap 221 -- Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Newman all two laps down.

Lap 219 -- The top five after green-flag stops:
1. Kasey Kahne
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Kurt Busch
4. Tony Stewart
5. Brad Keselowski

Lap 216 -- LEAD CHANGE: Bill Elliott pits giving the lead to Kasey Kahne as green-flag stops cycle through. Jeff Burton was too fast entering pits and he will serve a pass-through penalty.

Lap 215 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton pits giving the lead to Bill Elliott. Burton with four tires and fuel.

Lap 214 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton inherits the lead during green-flag stops.

Lap 213 -- Denny Hamlin on pit road for four tires.

Lap 212 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kasey Kahne pits giving the lead to Denny Hamlin. Kyle Busch also pits.

Lap 211 -- Brain Vickers, Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr. on pit road.

Lap 210 -- Greg Biffle and Paul Menard on pit road.

Lap 209 -- Kurt Busch, Sam Hornish Jr. and Juan Montoya pit.

Lap 208 -- Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray and Elliott Sadler on pit road for green-flag stops.

Lap 206 -- Mark Martin on pit road for four tires.

Lap 204 -- Brad Keselowski on pit road, giving up sixth. Jeff Gordon two laps down with a possible tire issue is back on pit road.

Lap 203 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on pit road again with a possible tire issue.

Lap 201 -- The vibration has put Jimmie Johnson on pit road for four tires and a track bar adjustment.

Lap 200 -- Sam Hornish Jr. up to sixth. Paul Menard currently running 11th. Mark Martin has worked his way up to 15th after an earlier spin.

Lap 195 -- Jimmie Johnson says he might have a vibration. It's been a bad day for Hendrick teams and tires as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman have all pitted early due to tire problems.

Lap 193 -- Kasey Kahne out front by 1.8 seconds.

Lap 190 -- Tony Stewart on pit road with what he thinks is a left tire going down. He was in sixth when he pitted. Carl Edwards back in the race scored 149 laps down.

Lap 186 -- Brad Keselowski has scraped the wall a couple times but has worked his way up to seventh. Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr. also in the top 10 running eighth.

Lap 181 -- In the battle for the free pass, Jeff Gordon currently the first car one lap down with Ryan Newman second Dale Earnhardt Jr. third.

Lap 177 -- The crew of the No. 88 is confused as to why Dale Earnhardt Jr. keeps feeling a vibration. They have ruled out the tires and the rear axle but are unable to pinpoint the problem.

Lap 175 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya's lead is short-lived as Kasey Kahne drives past him in Turn 3 for the lead.

Lap 172 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya has a ton of speed and Denny Hamlin moves over to give Montoya the lead.

Lap 171 -- Juan Montoya with an aggressive move to move into second in front of Kurt Busch.

Lap 170 -- David Reutimann has to take his No. 00 to the garage.

Lap 169 -- The top five are in a great battle for the lead.

Lap 168 -- David Reutimann gives up seventh and pits as he has smoke coming out of the tailpipes and engine.

Lap 164 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin brings the field to the green on the inside.
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kurt Busch
3. Juan Montoya
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Kasey Kahne

Lap 163 -- David Ragan back in the race scored 128 laps down.

Lap 162 -- Bobby Labonte on pit road a second time.

Lap 161 -- LEAD CHANGE: Mike Bliss pits giving the lead to Denny Hamlin. Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Newman the wave-around cars. All three are now scored one lap down.

Lap 160 -- LEAD CHANGE: Mike Bliss stays out to lead a lap and collect five bonus points.

Lap 159 -- The lead-lap cars hit pit road.
• Kasey Kahne with a spring-rubber adjustment
• Denny Hamlin with four tires
• Kurt Busch with an air pressure and wedge adjustment

Lap 158 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 6: Joey Logano has a tire go down that tears up his race car bringing out the caution. Regan Smith gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.

Lap 157 -- Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are both two laps down.

Lap 155 -- Jeff Gordon back on pit road for a pass-through penalty for speeding on pit road.

Lap 154 -- Ryan Newman on pit road with tire issues.

Lap 152 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. on pit road for an unexpected pit stop. Jeff Gordon also pits with the handling of his car very loose.

Lap 148 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin finally completes the pass of Kurt Busch for the lead. Juan Montoya closing in on the two in third.

Lap 147 -- Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin are side-by-side for the lead.

Lap 145 -- Joe Nemechek back in the garage for the third time today.

Lap 142 -- Denny Hamlin has caught Kurt Busch and is challenging for the lead.

Lap 141 -- Matt Kenseth is closing on Kasey Kahne for fourth.

Lap 139 -- Kevin Harvick in 21st says the car is getting better, but it's not there yet.

Lap 137 -- Tony Stewart says he's "lost his forward bite" as he runs 11th.

Lap 133 -- Jeff Gordon down to eighth and in danger of falling out of the top 10.

Lap 132 -- Kurt Busch not able to drive away this time. Denny Hamlin trails by 0.9 seconds.

Lap 130 -- Jimmie Johnson passes Jeff Gordon for sixth.

Lap 127 -- Martin Truex Jr. currently 15th, Paul Menard running 17th and Scott Speed currently 18th.

Lap 126 -- Marcos Ambrose having a good, quiet day running 14th.

Lap 124 -- Joe Nemechek back in the race scored 31 laps down.

Lap 122 -- A.J. Allmendinger works his way to 10th and is in the top 10 for the first time today.

Lap 119 -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch brings the field to the green.
1. Kurt Busch
2. Juan Montoya
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Jimmie Johnson

Lap 118 -- LEAD CHANGE: David Gilliland pits giving the lead to Kurt Busch. Dale Earnhardt Jr. the wave-around car and he returns to the lead lap.

Lap 117 -- LEAD CHANGE: David Gilliland stays out and leads for the first time collecting five bonus points.

Lap 116 -- The lead-lap cars hit pit road.
• Kasey Kahne with an air pressure adjustment
• Juan Montoya with four tires
• Denny Hamlin with a track bar adjustment
• Kurt Busch with an air pressure adjustment

Lap 114 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Mark Martin has a rear tire go down and he spins on the frontstretch bringing out the caution. Bobby Labonte gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.

Lap 112 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. gives up sixth and pits due to a loose wheel. The No. 88 will also make a chassis adjustment as he goes a lap down.

Lap 111 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart are separated by one second in a four-way battle for sixth.

Lap 110 -- Kasey Kahne passes Jeff Gordon for third.

Lap 109 -- Joe Nemechek takes his No. 87 back to the garage.

Lap 104 -- Juan Montoya has cut Kurt Busch's lead to less than a second.

Lap 103 -- Points leader Kevin Harvick is 24th with a tight race car.

Lap 100 -- Jeff Gordon in third and Kasey Kahne in fourth are with Juan Montoya and closing on Kurt Busch.

Lap 98 -- Juan Montoya has cut Kurt Busch's lead to 1.5 seconds.

Lap 94 -- Matt Kenseth up to seventh as he finds himself in the top 10 for the first time today.

Lap 93 -- Juan Montoya is closing the gap between him and leader Kurt Busch.

Lap 91 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. drops to fourth as Jeff Gordon passes him.

Lap 90 -- Juan Montoya passes Dale Earnhardt Jr. for second.

Lap 89 -- Kasey Kahne up to fifth after passing Tony Stewart.

Lap 87 -- Denny Hamlin down to seventh. Kyle Busch up to 27th.

Lap 86 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a great restart and jumps to second. Juan Montoya and Tony Stewart battling for third.

Lap 85 -- Kurt Busch checks out and is already out front by 1.5 seconds.

Lap 83 -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch brings the field to the green.
1. Kurt Busch
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Tony Stewart
5. Greg Biffle

Lap 82 -- LEAD CHANGE: Elliott Sadler pits giving the lead to Kurt Busch, who won the race off pit road. Kasey Kahne lost six spots on pit road and will restart seventh. Kyle Busch is the wave-around car and he will return to the lead lap.

Lap 81 -- LEAD CHANGE: Elliott Sadler stays out and leads to collect five bonus points.

Lap 80 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin passes Kasey Kahne on pit road to take the lead. The lead-lap cars hit pit road.
• Kasey Kahne with an air pressure adjustment
• Juan Montoya with a chassis adjustment
• Denny Hamlin with an air pressure adjustment
• Kurt Busch with an air pressure adjustment

Lap 78 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: Debris in Turn 2 brings out the caution. Clint Bowyer gets the free pass and is back on pit road. Joe Nemechek is back in the race scored 17 laps down.

Lap 76 -- Kyle Busch on pit road and will go a lap down.

Lap 75 -- Kasey Kahne leads by 6.7 seconds on Denny Hamlin.

Lap 73 -- Kyle Busch going backward as he drops to 10th after Jimmie Johnson passes him. Greg Biffle also closing on Busch.

Lap 72 -- Joey Logano back on pit road.

Lap 71 -- Tony Stewart passes Kyle Busch for seventh. Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin side-by-side for second.

Lap 68 -- Kasey Kahne puts Travis Kvapil a lap down.

Lap 66 -- Kurt Busch drives away from Jeff Gordon for third.

Lap 65 -- The sun is coming back out as the clouds burn off affecting the handling on some of the cars.

Lap 64 -- Denny Hamlin passes Kyle Busch for fifth.

Lap 62 -- Joe Nemechek takes the No. 87 to the garage.

Lap 61 -- Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch in a good battle for third.

Lap 59 -- Kasey Kahne has opened up a 3.1-second lead on Juan Montoya.

Lap 57 -- Joey Logano back on the track scored seven laps down.

Lap 56 -- Greg Biffle has worked his way to 13th. Ryan Newman right behind Biffle in 14th.

Lap 55 -- After moving to the rear, Tony Stewart up to ninth.

Lap 51 -- Juan Montoya passes Kyle Busch for second.

Lap 50 -- Joey Logano and Dave Blaney on pit road. Blaney takes his car to the garage. Logano on pit road with the hood up.

Lap 48 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kasey Kahne back out front after he passes Kyle Busch.

Lap 47 -- Michael McDowell takes his car to the garage.

Lap 45 -- Juan Montoya passes Dale Earnhardt Jr. for third. Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch side-by-side for fifth.

Lap 44 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne side-by-side for second.

Lap 43 -- GREEN FLAG: Kyle Busch brings the field to the green on the inside.
1. Kyle Busch
2. Kasey Kahne
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4. Juan Montoya
5. Denny Hamlin

Lap 42 -- Carl Edwards is taking his No. 99 to the garage.

Lap 41 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Busch was leading when the caution came out. Joey Logano remains on the lead lap while Carl Edwards stays on pit road for repairs and goes a lap down. Bill Elliott also pits.

Lap 40 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Carl Edwards gets tapped by Brad Keselowski on the restart sending Edwards up the track and into Joey Logano. Edwards and Logano both into the wall. Clint Bowyer gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.

Lap 39 -- GREEN FLAG: Kasey Kahne brings the field to the green.
1. Kasey Kahne
2. Kyle Busch
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4. Juan Montoya
5. Jeff Gordon

Lap 38 -- LEAD CHANGE: Joe Nemechek and Dave Blaney pit giving the lead to Kasey Kahne, who won the race off pit road. Michael McDowell the only wave-around car.

Lap 37 -- LEAD CHANGE: Joe Nemechek stays out to lead a lap and get five bonus points. Dave Blaney also stays out.

Lap 36 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin passes Kasey Kahne on pit road to get five bonus points. The lead-lap cars hit pit road.
• Kasey Kahne with four tires and no changes
• Juan Montoya with four tires
• Kyle Busch with four tires
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. with four tires and an air pressure adjustment
• Jimmie Johnson with a long stop after being blocked by Travis Kvapil

Lap 34 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: David Ragan has his right-front tire go down after that collision with the wall. Max Papis gets the free pass.

Lap 32 -- David Ragan slides along the wall but continues on.

Lap 31 -- Denny Hamlin passes Dale Earnhardt Jr. for fifth.

Lap 30 -- Kasey Kahne puts Kevin Conway a lap down.

Lap 28 -- Denny Hamlin putting some pressure on Jimmie Johnson for sixth.

Lap 24 -- Denny Hamlin says his car is "sexy" as he currently runs eighth.

Lap 23 -- Kasey Kahne out front by 2.3 seconds.

Lap 19 -- Juan Montoya passes Kyle Busch for second. Mark Martin struggling with the handling on his car and he has dropped to 31st after starting fourth.

Lap 18 -- Clint Bowyer on pit road for an unexpected pit stop. Bowyer has a flat right-rear tire.

Lap 16 -- Greg Biffle up to 26th. Marcos Ambrose strong after the restart running 13th.

Lap 14 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kasey Kahne with a strong run off Turn 3 and 4 and passes Kyle Busch for the lead.

Lap 13 -- Juan Montoya passes Dale Earnhardt Jr. for third. Earnhardt complaining of a tight race car.

Lap 11 -- Jamie McMurray up to 18th after restarting in the rear due to his pit stop.

Lap 10 -- Kasey Kahne with a good start on the outside and jumps to second.

Lap 9 -- Jimmie Johnson up to sixth on the restart.

Lap 8 -- GREEN FLAG: Kyle Busch brings the field to the green on the outside.
1. Kyle Busch
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Juan Montoya
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Mark Martin

Lap 7 -- Kevin Conway and Boris Said on pit road.

Lap 5 -- Jamie McMurray in 22nd the highest-running car to pit. Joey Logano, Scott Speed, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart also pit. Twelve cars in all hit pit road.

Lap 4 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Robby Gordon hard into the wall in Turn 2 after his tire comes apart bringing out the caution. No free pass is given.

Lap 3 -- Jimmie Johnson up to 11th after starting 16th. Kasey Kahne passes Mark Martin for fourth.

Lap 1 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Busch has a great start on the outside and leads the first lap.

1:16 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Dale Earnhardt Jr. brings the field to the green for the first of 325 laps in the Kobalt Tools 500.

1:11 p.m. -- The cars are rolling off pit road for three warm-up laps.

1:07 p.m. -- David Vaughn, VP of merchandising for Lowe's, gives the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines!"

1:01 p.m. -- Country star Mark Wills performs the national anthem.

1 p.m. -- Elliot Yancey of Raceway Ministries gives the Invocation.

12:01 p.m. -- Greg Biffle will start from the rear due to a practice crash forcing him to a backup car. Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman will also go to the rear with engine changes.

Noon -- FOX's pre-race coverage of the Kobalt Tools 500 is under way.

11:43 a.m. ET -- It's a beautiful day in Atlanta for 500 miles of Cup Series action at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It's currently 53 degrees under mostly sunny skies with highs expected to reach the mid-60s. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on the pole when the green flies at 1:16 p.m. ET.