Lap-by-Lap: Talladega

4:30 p.m. -- Clint Bowyer is officially given the race win. Kevin Harvick will end up second in a damaged vehicle. Denny Hamlin finished ninth and Jimmie Johnson seventh -- all unofficially.

4:29 p.m. -- Clint Bowyer does a burnout but has yet to be told he is the race winner. Kevin Harvick is sitting on the infield waiting to be told who won.

Lap 188 -- YELLOW FLAG/CHECKERED FLAG: The winner will be either Clint Bowyer or Kevin Harvick, but NASCAR is looking at tape to find out who was out front when A.J. Allmendinger got flipped and slammed the wall, bringing out the caution.

Lap 187 -- WHITE FLAG/LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick edged Clint Bowyer at the line to lead the final lap.

Lap 186 -- Kevin Harvick gets a push from David Reutimann as no one will help Jimmie Johnson. The field is four-wide.

Lap 185 -- Jimmie Johnson gets no help and drops. Clint Bowyer being pushed by Juan Montoya.

Lap 184 -- GREEN FLAG: Clint Bowyer brings the field to the green.
1. Clint Bowyer
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Juan Montoya
4. Sam Hornish Jr.
5. Matt Kenseth

Lap 183 -- Jeff Gordon stayed out and is 19th. He didn't lose his engine and he hopes to get back to the front.

Lap 182 -- Pit road is open. Kasey Kahne in 25th the highest-running car to pit.

Lap 181 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: There is debris all over Turns 3 and 4 from Joe Nemechek's No. 87 bringing out the caution. Tony Stewart comes back from two laps down and gets the free pass to return to the lead lap.

Lap 180 -- Michael Waltrip is pushing Sam Hornish Jr. on the inside. Jeff Gordon still on the track but falling.

Lap 179 -- LEAD CHANGE: Clint Bowyer passes Jimmie Johnson for the lead. Kevin Harvick on the inside getting pushed by David Ragan.

Lap 178 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson leads but lost his draft partner in Jeff Gordon.

Lap 177 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon leads with Jimmie Johnson second but as Gordon leads his engine has issues and he is losing ground quick.

Lap 176 -- LEAD CHANGE: Paul Menard out front. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson in the top five.

Lap 175 -- Paul Menard and Greg Biffle push their way to the front.

Lap 174 -- Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski drop to the inside as Talladega brings together some interesting draft partners.

Lap 173 -- Chad Knaus told Jimmie Johnson to go and Jeff Gordon and Johnson drop to the inside.

Lap 172 -- Still a train of cars as Kyle Busch leads.

Lap 171 -- The field remains single-file from the front all the way to the back. Kyle Busch leads with Denny Hamlin second.

Lap 170 -- Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle fell back to Jimmie Johnson and Gordon and Johnson are back together.

Lap 169 -- Kevin Harvick is in ninth but he is losing some of the bearbond used to repair his car. He needs a caution to help repair some front end damage.

Lap 168 -- Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle remain the only two on the inside, outside of the lead draft pack.

Lap 167 -- Jeff Gordon has left Jimmie Johnson behind and partnered with Greg Biffle to move to the front.

Lap 166 -- There is debris on the track but it's out of the racing groove and the race remains green.

Lap 165 -- Kyle Busch still leads with Denny Hamlin second. The field is riding things out right now knowing moves will be made soon.

Lap 164 -- Jamie McMurray back on pit road and will go multiple laps down. Robert Richardson Jr. has damage and is being black flagged.

Lap 163 -- Thirty-three cars are on the lead lap and all together in the lead draft.

Lap 162 -- The field is single-file with 26 laps remaining.

Lap 161 -- Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are running together in 27th and 28th and planning their push to the front.

Lap 160 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin swap positions.

Lap 159 -- LEAD CHANGE: After being a lap down, Denny Hamlin is out front and leading.

Lap 158 -- Clint Bowyer got shuffled to the back. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch have created an inside line and will take the lead. Dale Earnhardt Jr. back on the track.

Lap 157 -- Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch have hooked up and are working their way to the front.

Lap 156 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya gets a great push from Joey Logano but it's Matt Kenseth on the inside who leads.

Lap 155 -- GREEN FLAG: Martin Truex Jr. brings the field to the green.
1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Juan Montoya
3. Joey Logano
4. Kurt Busch
5. Matt Kenseth

Lap 154 -- Mark Martin with an extended stop but remains on the lead lap.

Lap 153 -- Pit road is open. The top-15 stay out. Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson among those to pit. Kevin Harvick stayed out.

Lap 152 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: Debris on the track has brought out the caution. A.J. Allmendinger gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.

Lap 151 -- Sam Hornish Jr. up to ninth after starting at the rear of the field with a speeding penalty.

Lap 150 -- LEAD CHANGE: Martin Truex Jr. gets pushed by Juan Montoya to the lead. Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick have used the two-car draft to get up front.

Lap 149 -- Kevin Harvick runs 12th. Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin at the tail end of the pack running 28th and 30th, respectively.

Lap 148 -- Jamie McMurray goes a lap down.

Lap 147 -- Juan Montoya pushes Martin Truex Jr. on the outside. Joey Logano getting help from Kyle Busch on the inside.

Lap 146 -- Jamie McMurray on pit road on the restart. Joey Logano leads as the rest of the field is three-wide behind him.

Lap 145 -- GREEN FLAG: Joey Logano brings the field to the green.
1. Joey Logano
2. Kurt Busch
3. Paul Menard
4. Kyle Busch
5. Regan Smith

Lap 144 -- LEAD CHANGE: Sam Hornish Jr. was too fast exiting pit road and will serve a pass-through penalty. Joey Logano inherits the lead. Aric Almirola will move to the rear with a fuel penalty.

Lap 143 -- Pit road is open.
• Joey Logano with fuel only
• Regan Smith with fuel only
• Jimmie Johnson with four tires and repair work
• Sam Hornish Jr. with fuel only
• Denny Hamlin with four tires
• Clint Bowyer with four tires
• Jamie McMurray with four tires
• Kurt Busch with fuel only

Lap 142 -- LEAD CHANGE: Pit road is closed. Sam Hornish Jr. was the leader when the caution came out. Replays show Denny Hamlin was not involved in the crash and he will get the free pass and is back on the lead lap.

Lap 141 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Kevin Harvick gets some front end damage as Clint Bowyer bumps Marcos Ambrose in Turn 2 sending the No. 47 spinning in front of Harvick. Bill Elliott also involved. Elliott with major damage. No free pass is given with the report that Denny Hamlin was involved.

Lap 140 -- LEAD CHANGE: Joey Logano gets out front as he passes David Reutimann.

Lap 139 -- LEAD CHANGE: Joey Logano pushes David Reutimann to the lead.

Lap 138 -- GREEN FLAG: Juan Montoya brings the field to the green.
1. Juan Montoya
2. David Reutimann
3. Paul Menard
4. Joey Logano
5. Robby Gordon

Lap 137 -- Bobby Labonte, David Ragan, Matt Kenseth and Bill Elliott the wave-around cars getting back on the lead lap. Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Jamie McMurray back on pit road.

Lap 136 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya leads as Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and a few others hit pit road.

Lap 135 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson stays out and leads collecting five bonus points as the lead-lap cars hit pit road.
• Clint Bowyer with four tires
• Kevin Harvick has some damage and needs some repairs
• Jamie McMurray had contact with Jeff Burton and needs repairs

Lap 134 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Jeff Burton slams the wall hard after contact with Dale Earnhardt Jr. bringing out the caution. Ryan Newman gets the free pass. Burton's day is done and Earnhardt Jr. takes his car to the garage.

Lap 133 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya back out front.

Lap 132 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jamie McMurray leads. Ryan Newman now a lap down. Denny Hamlin trails just David Ragan for the free pass.

Lap 131 -- Juan Montoya still leads as the racing intensifies as the laps wind down.

Lap 130 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya out front as the field remains three- and four-wide.

Lap 129 -- LEAD CHANGE: Clint Bowyer back out front.

Lap 128 -- Aside from Brad Keselowski and Michael McDowell, the 39 other cars are in one draft.

Lap 127 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer swap again. Ryan Newman remains at the tail end of the lead lap. Matt Kenseth is the first car one lap down.

Lap 126 -- LEAD CHANGE: Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton swap positions.

Lap 125 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton gets the lead with help from Clint Bowyer.

Lap 124 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jamie McMurray leads the lap as the field is three- and four-wide all throughout.

Lap 123 -- Brad Keselowski has lost the draft and is fading fast.

Lap 122 -- Ryan Newman leads the draft, but he is at the tail end of the lead lap.

Lap 121 -- LEAD CHANGE: Paul Menard pushes Kevin Harvick to the front and Harvick back out front.

Lap 120 -- LEAD CHANGE: Marcos Ambrose edges Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the line to lead. With 68 laps to go, things should start to get interesting.

Lap 119 -- LEAD CHANGE: Elliott Sadler works his way to the top spot. Denny Hamlin now the fifth car one lap down, despite taking just two tires on his pit stop.

Lap 118 -- Jimmie Johnson gets shuffled out of the top spot and drops to 13th.

Lap 117 -- LEAD CHANGE: Aric Almirola leads the outside line and the race. Jimmie Johnson the first car on the inside lane.

Lap 116 -- LEAD CHANGE: David Reutimann wins the race off pit road among the final cars to pit and he leads.

Lap 115 -- Clint Bowyer, David Reutimann, Paul Menard, Marcos Ambrose and Kevin Harvick on pit road.

Lap 114 -- LEAD CHANGE: Clint Bowyer leads as a majority of the field hits pit road, including leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. Matt Kenseth too fast on pit road and will serve a pass-through penalty.

Lap 113 -- Regan Smith, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth on pit road.

Lap 112 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads and we almost had a huge crash as Jamie McMurray gets loose but saves it. Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Sam Hornish Jr. and Kurt Busch pit.

Lap 111 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya takes the lead. Michael Waltrip hits pit road along with Tony Stewart.

Lap 110 -- LEAD CHANGE: Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick swap spots and Bowyer is out front.

Lap 109 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick back out front as he tries to lead the most laps today.

Lap 108 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton pushes Matt Kenseth to the lead.

Lap 107 -- Juan Montoya leads but says he is feeling a little bit of a vibration. Jimmie Johnson still in 28th running with Jeff Gordon.

Lap 106 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jamie McMurray pushes Juan Montoya back to the front.

Lap 105 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick wanted to put Denny Hamlin a lap down so Clint Bowyer pushed Harvick to the front, putting Hamlin a lap down.

Lap 104 -- Denny Hamlin and David Reutimann remain together and Hamlin leads the pack so Hamlin is back on the lead lap.

Lap 103 -- LEAD CHANGE: David Reutimann is rewarded for his kind deed to Denny Hamlin and Reutimann rockets from ninth to the lead.

Lap 102 -- Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth get together for a two-car draft and Edwards leads for the first time today.

Lap 101 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. continues to lead as the field runs single-file. Green-flag stops should be coming in the next 10-15 laps.

Lap 100 -- David Reutimann allowed Denny Hamlin to get in line, ensuring Hamlin was in front of David Ragan.

Lap 99 -- Denny Hamlin goes a lap down and he has to make sure he stays ahead of David Ragan, who is the first car a lap down.

Lap 98 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. has caught Denny Hamlin.

Lap 97 -- Jimmie Johnson remains at the tail end of the lead pack, currently 28th and running with Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon.

Lap 96 -- The pack has closed in on Denny Hamlin but Mike Ford and Hamlin remain calm.

Lap 95 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. still out front as the field is basically single-file throughout the field.

Lap 94 -- Denny Hamlin and the lead pack are now on the backstretch together and Hamlin is very near going a lap down.

Lap 93 -- Michael Waltrip has lost the draft.

Lap 92 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton pushes Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the lead.

Lap 91 -- Denny Hamlin about 10 laps away from going a lap down. The pack is gaining about two seconds a lap on the No. 11.

Lap 90 -- Field still running single-file with Juan Montoya out front.

Lap 89 -- Denny Hamlin now behind 32 seconds and if the race stays green, he could go a lap down.

Lap 88 -- Juan Montoya still out front.

Lap 87 -- The field is running single-file, for now. Kyle Busch asking if he needs to drop back and pick up Denny Hamlin, who is 26-plus seconds back.

Lap 86 -- Juan Montoya still leads. Chad McCumbee on pit road.

Lap 85 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya back out front with a push from teammate Jamie McMurray.

Lap 84 -- LEAD CHANGE: Sam Hornish Jr. edges Martin Truex Jr. at the line to lead. Jimmie Johnson at the rear of the lead pack in 29th.

Lap 83 -- LEAD CHANGE: Martin Truex Jr. gets the lead thanks to a push from Sam Hornish Jr.

Lap 82 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya gets a push from Jamie McMurray in the middle lane and leads.

Lap 81 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. back out front with help from Kevin Harvick.

Lap 80 -- Denny Hamlin has lost the draft and runs by himself in 32nd position.

Lap 79 -- LEAD CHANGE: The field goes back to being four-wide. Kasey Kahne leads the lap.

Lap 78 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Busch and David Reutimann swap spots.

Lap 77 -- Kasey Kahne leads the lead pack as it is currently single-file and catching David Reutimann and Kyle Busch.

Lap 76 -- LEAD CHANGE: David Reutimann swaps spots with Kyle Busch and leads. Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray also working together.

Lap 75 -- The field is four-wide behind the leaders. Tony Stewart and Michael Waltrip used the wave-around but Stewart is still two laps down.

Lap 74 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Busch gets a push from David Reutimann and leads.

Lap 73 -- GREEN FLAG: Matt Kenseth brings the field to the green.
1. Matt Kenseth
2. Kyle Busch
3. Jamie McMurray
4. David Reutimann
5. Joey Logano

Lap 72 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth won the race off pit road as Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Paul Menard and Denny Hamlin pit.

Lap 71 -- All but four lead-lap cars hit pit road.
• Kyle Busch with four tires
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. with four tires
• Jamie McMurray with four tires
• Matt Kenseth with two tires
• Kasey Kahne with two tires
• Kurt Busch with two tires

Lap 70 -- Pit road is closed.

Lap 69 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1/LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick leads. A.J. Allmendinger gets sideways after getting bumped by Brad Keselowski but keeps it off the wall. Robby Gordon gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.

Lap 68 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick pushes David Reutimann to the lead.

Lap 67 -- The field is two-wide throughout. Kurt Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. the top two.

Lap 66 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kurt Busch leads. Tony Stewart and Michael Waltrip pit. Stewart goes three laps down. Waltrip goes a lap down.

Lap 65 -- LEAD CHANGE: The field has caught Kevin Harvick and David Reutimann and Kyle Busch leads.

Lap 64 -- Kevin Harvick and David Reutimann have opened up a two-second lead. Jimmie Johnson is the only one of the three Chase contenders to not a lead a lap.

Lap 63 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick gets a push from David Reutimann and leads. A.J. Allmendinger and Robby Gordon go a lap down.

Lap 62 -- LEAD CHANGE: Four wide for the lead and Jamie McMurray leads. Jeff Burton leaves Casey Mears and Mears drops.

Lap 61 -- Casey Mears getting some help from Jeff Burton on the outside.

Lap 60 -- Kyle Busch leads the outside lane. Dale Earnhardt Jr. still out front.

Lap 59 -- We are now three-wide throughout the field.

Lap 58 -- The single-file was short lived as Marcos Ambrose and David Reutimann form a two-car draft on the outside.

Lap 57 -- For now things have settled down as the field is running single-file.

Lap 56 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. still leads as 36 cars are in the lead draft.

Lap 55 -- Robby Gordon and A.J. Allmendinger also on the lead lap and working together to try and stay on the lead lap as they have lost the draft.

Lap 54 -- Paul Menard, Carl Edwards and David Gilliland are a three-car pack still on the lead lap but behind the lead pack.

Lap 53 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. back out front. Bobby Labonte, David Ragan and Bill Elliott are a lap down.

Lap 52 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin has David Reutimann push him to the lead as Sam Hornish Jr. loses Hamlin and falls to 14th.

Lap 51 -- LEAD CHANGE: Mark Martin gets a push from Clint Bowyer on the outside and leads. Denny Hamlin and Sam Hornish Jr. still together on the inside.

Lap 50 -- Denny Hamlin and Sam Hornish Jr. take the two-car draft and pull away from the pack.

Lap 49 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin gets five important bonus points as he gets a push on the inside from Sam Hornish Jr. Mark Martin remains the lead car in the outside lane.

Lap 48 -- LEAD CHANGE: Mark Martin gets a push on the inside and leads.

Lap 47 -- The lead pack is now 27 cars deep.

Lap 46 -- Bobby Labonte and David Ragan have teamed with Tony Stewart as they try to out-run the lead pack, closing in fast.

Lap 45 -- David Reutimann continues to be pushed by Marcos Ambrose out front.

Lap 44 -- Following the pit stops, the lead pack is now 25 cars, including eight of 10 Chase drivers.

Lap 43 -- Ryan Newman went a lap down during the pit stops. Tony Stewart has gained one of his laps back. Jeff Gordon the highest-running Chase driver in seventh.

Lap 42 -- LEAD CHANGE: The pack drives past the last cars to pit giving David Reutimann the lead.

Lap 41 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler and Martin Truex Jr. on pit road. Martin Truex Jr. wins the race off pit road and is scored as the race leader.

Lap 40 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick grabs the lead as Clint Bowyer pits along with Greg Biffle, Marcos Ambrose, Paul Menard and many others.

Lap 39 -- Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson among the cars to pit. Johnson takes two tires. Joe Nemechek to fast exiting on pit road.

Lap 38 -- Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch, Regan Smith, Denny Hamlin and Joe Nemechek on pit road.

Lap 37 -- Brad Keselowski, Sam Hornish Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr. and David Gilliland on pit road.

Lap 36 -- LEAD CHANGE: Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton partner up to pass the field and Bowyer leads.

Lap 35 -- The field is running single-file as everyone prepares to pit.

Lap 34 -- The second pack, led by Mark Martin, is now behind by just four seconds. Green-flag stops are upcoming.

Lap 33 -- David Ragan has lost the draft and is running alone in 36th place.

Lap 32 -- LEAD CHANGE: Brad Keselowski back out front. The front pack is 23 cars and leads the second pack by six seconds.

Lap 31 -- LEAD CHANGE: Michael Waltrip gets help from David Reutimann and they are out front. Michael McDowell goes a lap down.

Lap 30 -- Regan Smith and Tony Stewart have fallen back to the second pack. The second pack has cut some of the gap from the first pack.

Lap 29 -- LEAD CHANGE: The lead pack has caught and passed Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton. Brad Keselowski leads.

Lap 28 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton now out front. The lead pack is closing on the two leaders.

Lap 27 -- Chad McCumbee goes a lap down. Regan Smith has partnered up with Tony Stewart in between the two packs.

Lap 26 -- David Ragan has dropped back to the second pack and is back in a draft. Ryan Newman has lost the second pack and is in danger of being left behind.

Lap 25 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth back out front as Jeff Burton gives him the lead. David Ragan without any help as he runs between the two packs.

Lap 24 -- Tony Stewart now two laps down as Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth rocket past him.

Lap 23 -- Jeff Burton still out front and closing on Tony Stewart to put him two laps down. Clint Bowyer leads the main pack, 1.7 seconds back.

Lap 22 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton back out front. From 28th on back, they have lost the lead pack and are more than 11 seconds behind.

Lap 21 -- Tony Stewart on pit road for an unexpected stop due to a flat tire. He goes a lap down.

Lap 20 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth is back out front as he and Jeff Burton switch positions again. The field has caught the duo, though.

Lap 19 -- Sam Hornish Jr. lost the bumper of Kurt Busch and was swallowed up by the field. Kurt Busch is falling fast as he has no help.

Lap 18 -- Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish Jr. get together and catch the draft team of Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth.

Lap 17 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth switch positions but keep their two-car draft going.

Lap 16 -- Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton have broken away and lead by 1.8 seconds.

Lap 15 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth gets a push from Jeff Burton and overtakes Sam Hornish Jr. and Michael Waltrip. Kevin Harvick falls to the rear concerned about overheating.

Lap 14 -- LEAD CHANGE: Sam Hornish Jr. back out front as he and Michael Waltrip have a two-second lead on the rest of the field. Dave Blaney to the garage.

Lap 13 -- Michael Waltrip and Sam Hornish Jr. have put some distance between them and the rest of the field.

Lap 12 -- LEAD CHANGE: Michael Waltrip got around Sam Hornish Jr. to lead for the first time today. There is some separation between the main pack and a couple secondary packs.

Lap 11 -- The two-car draft is working as Sam Hornish Jr. is still out front. The current top four are non-Chase drivers.

Lap 10 -- LEAD CHANGE: Sam Hornish Jr. and Michael Waltrip break away from the field giving Hornish the lead.

Lap 9 -- LEAD CHANGE: Brad Keselowski gets help from the outside line and takes the lead.

Lap 8 -- LEAD CHANGE: Clint Bowyer gets the lead as the field remains three-wide. Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin are in 37th and 39th, respectively.

Lap 7 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton has used the draft to his advantage and is out front for the first time. Robby Gordon is on the move thanks to draft help.

Lap 6 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. back out front. Juan Montoya has dropped to the rear. He said he wanted to lead a lap to get the bonus points and go back to the rear of the field, where it's safer.

Lap 5 -- LEAD CHANGE: We are now three-wide and Kasey Kahne leads from the outside. Jeff Fuller has taken the No. 97 to the garage.

Lap 4 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya edges Clint Bowyer on the inside to lead.

Lap 3 -- LEAD CHANGE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the inside leads the lap. Clint Bowyer out front of the inside line.

Lap 2 -- LEAD CHANGE: Joe Nemechek goes to the outside and drops back in the pack. Kevin Harvick on the outside line edges Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the inside line for the lead.

Lap 1 -- LEAD CHANGE: Clint Bowyer got in front of Juan Montoya to lead the inside line but it's Joe Nemechek on the outside who leads the first lap.

1:23 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Juan Montoya brings the field to the green and the Amp Energy Juice 500 is under way from Talladega.

1:17 p.m. -- Where they qualified is where they'll run as no one will move to the rear of the field.

1:12 p.m. -- The cars are rolling off of pit road for three warm-up laps.

1:09 p.m. -- The Amp Energy grand marshal contest winners give the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines"

1:03 p.m. -- Country music star and former American Idol Josh Gracin performs the national anthem.

1:02 p.m. -- Randy Norris from Alabama Raceway Ministries delivers the Invocation.

1:01 p.m. -- A moment of silence for Jim Hunter and Ed Shull, who both passed away this week.

Noon -- NASCAR Countdown is under way on ESPN2. The race will move to ESPN at 1 p.m. ET.

11:36 a.m. ET -- It's a gorgeous day in Alabama. The sun is shining and NASCAR is ready for 500 miles at Talladega Superspeedway. It's currently 64 degrees with temperatures expected to reach the upper 70's this afternoon. Juan Montoya is on the pole in the seventh race of the Chase. Green scheduled to drop at 1:16 p.m. ET.