2009 Daytona 500

none October 2021 NAS 2009 02 15 2009 1 36 2009Daytona500Logo.png 152 380 610 200 Temperatures reaching up to 73.9 F C; wind speeds up to 8.9 mph km/hWeather History for Daytona Beach, FL Almanac.com https://www.almanac.com/weather/history/FL/Daytona%20Beach/2009-02-15 2026-06-11 www.almanac.com 132.816 mi/h Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Martin Truex Jr. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 88 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Fox Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, and Larry McReynolds 9.2/19 (15.954 million viewers)Gorman Bill February 24, 2009 NASCAR Daytona 500 TV Ratings http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2009/02/24/nascar-daytona-500-tv-ratings/13371 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110118162528/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2009/02/24/nascar-daytona-500-tv-ratings/13371 January 18, 2011 February 20, 2011 Zap2it The 2009 Daytona 500, the 51st running of the event, was held on February 15, 2009, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida as the first points-paying race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and the last 500 of the 2000s decade. The race was won by Matt Kenseth, making a car numbered 17 winning the race for the first time in 20 years since Darrell Waltrip's win back in 1989 and the first Daytona 500 win for Roush Fenway Racing. The race was called off with 48 laps to go after a severe rainstorm that had been lingering throughout the area hit the track. thumb|The program for the 2009 Daytona 500.This marks the first Daytona 500 without The Petty family and the first without Dale Jarrett since 1990. Defending champions For the first time since 1981, the defending race champion driver and the team have been split. Ryan Newman, the champion driver, drove for Stewart–Haas Racing in the No. 39 Chevrolet Impala. The team that he won with, Penske Racing, fielded the No. 12 Dodge Charger with David Stremme behind the wheel. The last time a driver and team split was when Buddy Baker drove for Harry Ranier Racing in winning the 1980 event, but the next year was the driver of Hoss Ellington's No. 1. Former winners Kevin Harvick (2007), Michael Waltrip (2001, 2003), Jeff Gordon (1997, 1999, 2005), Bill Elliott (1985, 1987), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2004), Jimmie Johnson (2006), and Ryan Newman (2008) did race in the event finishing second, seventh, thirteenth, twenty-third, twenty-seventh, thirty-first, and thirty-sixth respectively. Derrike Cope (1990) and Geoff Bodine (1986), also former winners, failed to qualify. Entry list (W) denotes past 500 winner (R) denotes rookie driver No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer 00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 1 Martin Truex Jr. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2 Kurt Busch Penske Championship Racing Dodge 5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 07 Casey Mears Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Toyota 08 Boris Said Carter/Simo Racing Ford 8 Aric Almirola Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 09 Brad Keselowski Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 9 Kasey Kahne Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 12 David Stremme Penske Championship Racing Dodge 14 Tony Stewart Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19 Elliott Sadler Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 20 Joey Logano (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21 Bill Elliott (W) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 23 Mike Skinner R3 Motorsports Chevrolet 24 Jeff Gordon (W) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26 Jamie McMurray Roush Fenway Racing Ford 27 Kirk Shelmerdine Kirk Shelmerdine Racing Toyota 28 Travis Kvapil Yates Racing Ford 29 Kevin Harvick (W) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 34 John Andretti Front Row Motorsports Chevrolet 36 Scott Riggs Tommy Baldwin Racing Toyota 37 Tony Raines Front Row Motorsports Dodge 39 Ryan Newman (W) Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 41 Jeremy Mayfield Mayfield Motorsports Toyota 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 43 Reed Sorenson Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge 44 A. J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge 46 Carl Long Carl Long Racing Dodge 47 Marcos Ambrose (R) JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 48 Jimmie Johnson (W) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51 Kelly Bires (R) BlackJack Racing Dodge 55 Michael Waltrip (W) Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 57 Norm Benning Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet 60 James Hylton E&M Motorsports Dodge 64 Geoff Bodine (W) Gunselman Motorsports Toyota 66 Terry Labonte Prism Motorsports Toyota 71 Mike Wallace TRG Motorsports Chevrolet 73 Mike Garvey H&S Motorsports Dodge 75 Derrike Cope (W) Cope/Keller Racing Dodge 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Championship Racing Dodge 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 82 Scott Speed (R) Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (W) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 96 Bobby Labonte Hall of Fame Racing Ford 98 Paul Menard Yates Racing Ford 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing FordOfficial Entry list Qualifying The Daytona 500 is the only event with a unique qualifying system on the NASCAR circuit. In the primary qualifying, only the front row (the pole position and the second-fastest driver) are locked into the race positions. Since 2005, NASCAR's top 35 owners points standings from the previous season automatically qualify those teams (not the drivers) into the event. The top two teams that are not within the owners' Top 35 automatically qualify in the Gatorade Duels, a pair of 150 mi km races. This is followed by a combination of last years' owners' points, pole qualifying speed and if needed, a past champions' provisional fills out the field. Qualifying• One round of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series timed qualifying will be held. Each team may run two laps with the fast lap setting the qualifying time. The two fastest qualifiers set starting positions one and two and are the only guaranteed positions, filling the front row for the Daytona 500. • The Gatorade Duels, the 150-mile qualifying races, will determine starting positions for the Daytona 500 beyond the front row. In the event of cancellation, the field will be set according to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book. Gatorade Duel Assignment • The eligible highest ranked 35 in 2008 car owner points will be assigned to Gatorade Duel races based on their standing in the 2008 final car owner points. Odd-numbered owner points will compete in the first Gatorade Duel; even-numbered owners will compete in the second. The only exception is that the fastest qualifier will start on the pole in the first Gatorade Duel and the second-fastest will start on the pole in the second, regardless of 2008 car owner point standings. • Owners who failed to finish in the top 35 of the 2008 car owner points will be assigned to a Gatorade Duel based on qualifying times – the highest qualifying owner to the first Duel; the next to the second and alternating through the remaining entries. Starting positions for the Gatorade Duels are based on qualifying times. Daytona 500 Lineup • Finishing positions in the Gatorade Duels will determine starting positions in the Daytona 500 once the two fastest qualifiers will start on the front row of the Daytona 500 based on their qualifying times, regardless of their finish in the Duels. Based on their finish in the first Duel, the eligible highest ranked 35 in car owner points plus the two highest finishing non-top 35 teams will be lined up in the odd-number starting positions. Based on their finish in the second Duel, the eligible highest ranked 35 in car owner points plus the two highest finishing non-top 35 teams will be lined up in the even-number starting positions. • The remaining positions will be filled based on qualifying times beginning with the next available position. • The composition of the front row will reduce the above numbers. If there are top-35 teams on the front row, the number of guaranteed starters is reduced accordingly. If there are no top-35 teams on the front row, the number of cars that get in based on time is reduced accordingly. • The 43rd starting position will be assigned to any car owner who has the most recent eligible past NASCAR Sprint Cup champion as long as the past champion competed in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. If the 43rd position is not used by a past champion, it will be assigned to the next highest qualifying time. Recap The bottom line – for the 2009 Daytona 500 – is that the top-two qualifiers are in. The remaining top-35 guaranteed starters are in. Four drivers will make the field based on their performance in the duels and the remaining positions will be filled based on qualifying times or being a past champion. Race summary Pre-Race Country singer Keith Urban performed a concert on the infield singing "Days Go By", "Sweet Thing", and "Better Life". Urban tossed his guitar pick into the crowd at the end of his performance. The first episode of the miniseries "The Adventures of Digger and Friends" premiered during the FOX pre-race coverage; Keith Urban's "Little Digger," the theme song to "The Adventures of Digger and Friends," also premiered. However, from there on, Digger would draw much opposition, including sites, forums, and blogs warning FOX about his use. The Grand Marshal was the Florida Governor Charlie Crist.https://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=txdaytona500grandmarshall&prov=st&type=lgns Florida governor Crist named Grand Marshal for Daytona 500 January 26, 2009 Yahoo! February 16, 2009 RCA Records recording artist Gavin DeGraw sang the USA National Anthem, and actor Tom Cruise drove the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro pace car to the start of the race.http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/Tom_Cruise_to_drive_Daytona_500_pace_car.html Tom Cruise to drive Daytona 500 pace car February 13, 2009 SceneDaily.com February 16, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090219225751/http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/Tom_Cruise_to_drive_Daytona_500_pace_car.html February 19, 2009 live http://blog.al.com/engine-block/2009/02/2010_camaro_to_pace_daytona_50.html 2010 Camaro to pace Daytona 500 field February 13, 2009 Birmingham News February 16, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090217191802/http://blog.al.com/engine-block/2009/02/2010_camaro_to_pace_daytona_50.html February 17, 2009 live Race During the drivers' meeting, NASCAR announced there would be a competition caution on lap 25 because of overnight rain. Despite threatening weather, the race started at 3:30 pm, with the green flag at 3:41 pm, waved by three-time champion Bobby Allison as the "Martin and Martin" front row led the field to the start of the race. Martin Truex Jr. led the first lap and Mark Martin led the next one before being passed by Kyle Busch. The first caution came out on lap 9 when Aric Almirola got tapped from behind by David Ragan and spun near the entrance to pit road, nearly collecting Travis Kvapil. The race restarted on lap 11, with Busch still leading; Busch would remain there until lap 53 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. passed him for the lead. With the help of his Busch (his former teammate), Tony Stewart passed Earnhardt Jr. for the lead while entering turn 4. Shortly after, Travis Kvapil smacked the wall twice on lap 55, bringing out the third caution. Earnhardt Jr. missed his pit stall and lost a lap because he was forced to pit again. Tony Stewart came out of the pits with the lead, until being passed by Jeff Gordon on lap 70. On lap 72, Ryan Newman was in the pits changing tires under green flag conditions when somehow the car fell off the jack while changing the left-side tires. Newman's crew had to use two jacks to lift the car off the ground and complete the pit stop. On lap 80, Daytona 500 rookie Joey Logano avoided Scott Speed losing control out of turn 4 but made contact with the front of Greg Biffle's car, causing him to crash head-on into the inside retaining wall on the front stretch, ending his day. Busch won the race off pit road edging ahead of his teammate Denny Hamlin by over half a car length, while Hermie Sadler reported bad weather about 40 minutes away from the track. Green flag pit stops began on lap 113 when Gordon over tire wear concerns, and his crew changed tires on lap 113, with the rest of the field on lap 119. David Stremme blew a tire on pit road as soon as his teammates Reed Sorenson and Elliott Sadler exited. Sadler wound up in 2nd and Sorenson in 3rd while the entire field had to pit one lap later. Earnhardt Jr. mistakenly made his second pit stop in Lap 121 by completing his pit stop with his right front tire over the outside boundary line of his pit box, resulting in a one-lap penalty. On lap 124, the race for the beneficiary resulted in the "Big One". This began when Earnhardt Jr. spun Brian Vickers into traffic toward the end of the backstretch, collecting race dominator Busch and his brother Kurt, Robby Gordon, Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Scott Speed, and Earnhardt Jr.'s teammate Jimmie Johnson. R. Gordon's car slid in front of Earnhardt Jr. within a couple of feet of contact. Many of Earnhardt Jr.'s fans, the Daytona 500 participants, and the drivers believed that the contact was done intentionally; and many fans (including those of the No. 88 fans) and drivers (such as Vickers, Ku. and Ky. Busch, R. Gordon, Hamlin, and McMurray gave NASCAR requests and calls to black-flag Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt was penalized on two counts by NASCAR; first, he was sent to the tail end of the longest line for overaggressive driving, and the ensuing penalty meant he was not granted the beneficiary as a result. (A driver cannot cause the caution to be granted the beneficiary.) Brian Vickers was angry and said when interviewed "To wreck somebody intentionally like that in front of the entire field is really kind of dangerous. That's my biggest problem with it. But, apparently, (Earnhardt Jr.) wanted a caution pretty bad." Both Vickers and Earnhardt Jr. were a lap down before the wreck occurred, and Earnhardt Jr. was unaware that he was battling Vickers for the position. At this time, Kevin Harvick pushed Matt Kenseth into a battle for first between Kenseth and Sadler. On lap 138, Jeff Burton smacked the wall, collecting Paul Menard. Burton was then black-flagged for having a piece of sheetmetal hanging from his bumper. On lap 146, Matt Kenseth took the lead from Sadler a lap after the action resumed. Almirola was then spun by Kasey Kahne after Almirola made contact with Sam Hornish Jr. on the backstretch. At this time, rain began to fall on the track under the yellow. On lap 152, the cars came into pit road under the red flag. Some drivers exited their cars while others, including Kenseth, remained in theirs. During the red flag period, asked what happened with Brian Vickers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, "I got a run on him and he (Vickers) saw me coming. I had a big old run on him and I went to the inside. I didn't try to make any late move and make some kind of surprise or anything. I just kind of ease on over and he went to block me and hit me in the fender sending us both off, sent me down into the grass and I tried to recover my car. I got back into him coming back into the racetrack." When asked what happened was accidental, Earnhardt Jr. was unrepentant and said, "Yeah, it was accidental. I didn't want to wreck the field." Later that week, Earnhardt Jr. gave a public apology for the incident and decided that he should have thought before he made his move that obviously would have crashed Vickers. At 6:49 pm. EST, sixteen minutes after the start of the red flag, NASCAR officials decided to call the race declaring Kenseth as the winner. "It's going to be really wet out here because I'm crying like a baby," said Kenseth moments after the race was called. "I tell you what, after last year, winning a race means a lot to me," Kenseth later said who was winless in 2008.http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CAR_NASCAR_DAYTONA_500?SITE=AZTUC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Rain brings Daytona 500 to a halt with Matt Kenseth out front February 16, 2009 AP February 18, 2009 Harvick, winner of the Bud Shootout, was second. Richard Petty Motorsports drivers A. J. Allmendinger (#44), Sadler (#19), and Reed Sorenson (#43) finished 3rd, 5th, and 9th respectively. Michael Waltrip had the best finishing Toyota in the 7th. Stewart was 8th in his first race as a driver and team owner. Truex Jr. finished 11th, J. Gordon (Gatorade Duel No. 1 winner) finished 13th, Marcos Ambrose (in his first 500 starts) finished 17th, Johnson (the defending Series champion) finished 31st, Speed (the high-finishing rookie) finished 35th, Ryan Newman (the defending 500 winners) finished 36th, Ky. Busch (who led the most laps at 88 and won Gatorade Duel #2) finished 41st because of him being involved in the lap 124 multi-car crash, and Logano (also in his first Daytona 500 start also) finished 43rd. Starting lineup Pos No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer 1 1Martin Truex Jr.Earnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet 2 5Mark MartinHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet 3 24Jeff Gordon (W)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet 4 18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota 5 14*Tony StewartStewart–Haas RacingChevrolet 6 83Brian VickersRed Bull Racing TeamToyota 7 48Jimmie Johnson (W)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet 8 42Juan Pablo MontoyaEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet 9 20Joey Logano (R)Joe Gibbs RacingToyota 10 11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota 11 8Aric AlmirolaEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet 12 96Bobby LabonteHall of Fame RacingFord 13 2Kurt BuschPenske Championship RacingDodge 14 88Dale Earnhardt Jr. (W)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet 15 9Kasey KahneRichard Petty MotorsportsDodge 16 99Carl EdwardsRoush Fenway RacingFord 17 36Scott RiggsTommy Baldwin RacingToyota 18 41Jeremy MayfieldMayfield MotorsportsToyota 19 98Paul MenardYates RacingFord 20 44A. J. AllmendingerRichard Petty MotorsportsDodge 21 26Jamie McMurrayRoush Fenway RacingFord 22 33Clint BowyerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet 23 47Marcos Ambrose (R)JTG Daugherty RacingToyota 24 12David StremmePenske Championship RacingDodge 25 07Casey MearsRichard Childress RacingChevrolet 26 31Jeff BurtonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet 27 55Michael Waltrip (W)Michael Waltrip RacingToyota 28 00David ReutimannMichael Waltrip RacingToyota 29 77*Sam Hornish Jr.Penske Championship RacingDodge 30 19Elliott SadlerRichard Petty MotorsportsDodge 31 7Robby GordonRobby Gordon MotorsportsToyota 32 29*Kevin Harvick (W)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet 33 6David RaganRoush Fenway RacingFord 34 43Reed SorensonRichard Petty MotorsportsDodge 35 16Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord 36 39*Ryan Newman (W)Stewart–Haas RacingChevrolet 37 34*John AndrettiFront Row MotorsportsChevrolet 38 82*Scott Speed (R)Red Bull Racing TeamToyota 39 17*Matt KensethRoush Fenway RacingFord 40 21Bill Elliott (W)Wood Brothers RacingFord 41 28Travis KvapilYates RacingFord 42 78Regan SmithFurniture Row RacingChevrolet 43 66Terry LabontePrism MotorsportsToyotaDid not qualify 87Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsToyota 08Boris SaidCarter/Simo RacingFord 09Brad KeselowskiPhoenix RacingChevrolet 27Kirk ShelmerdineKirk Shelmerdine RacingToyota 71Mike WallaceTRG MotorsportsChevrolet 37Tony RainesFront Row MotorsportsDodge 73Mike GarveyH&S MotorsportsDodge 75Derrike Cope (W)Cope/Keller RacingDodge 23Mike SkinnerR3 MotorsportsChevrolet 51Kelly Bires (R)BlackJack RacingDodge 46Carl LongCarl Long RacingDodge 64Geoffrey Bodine (W)Gunselman MotorsportsToyota 57Norm BenningNorm Benning RacingChevrolet WD 60James HyltonE&M MotorsportsDodge * – NASCAR rules state that if a car, engine, or transmission change is made by the team, that car starts the race in the back of the field. For the Daytona 500, the rule applies to a car if a crash takes place in the Gatorade Duel or in the Friday or Saturday practice. An engine or transmission change is permitted after the Gatorade Duel, so the engine and transmission used in Friday practice must be used in Saturday practice and the race. The penalty for an engine or transmission change applies only if a second engine change is made after the Gatorade Duel once Friday practice begins. Race results Pos Car No. Driver Make Laps Led Status 1 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 152 7 Running 2 29 Kevin Harvick (W) Chevrolet 152 0 Running 3 44 A. J. Allmendinger Dodge 152 0 Running 4 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 152 0 Running 5 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge 152 24 Running 6 6 David Ragan Ford 152 0 Running 7 55 Michael Waltrip (W) Toyota 152 0 Running 8 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 152 15 Running 9 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge 152 0 Running 10 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 152 0 Running 11 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 152 1 Running 12 00 David Reutimann Toyota 152 0 Running 13 24 Jeff Gordon (W) Chevrolet 152 14 Running 14 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet 152 0 Running 15 07 Casey Mears Chevrolet 152 0 Running 16 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 152 1 Running 17 47 Marcos Ambrose (R) Toyota 152 0 Running 18 99 Carl Edwards Ford 152 0 Running 19 34 John Andretti Chevrolet 152 0 Running 20 16 Greg Biffle Ford 152 0 Running 21 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 152 0 Running 22 96 Bobby Labonte Ford 152 1 Running 23 21 Bill Elliott (W) Ford 152 0 Running 24 66 Terry Labonte Toyota 152 0 Running 25 36 Scott Riggs Toyota 152 0 Running 26 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 152 0 Running 27 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (W) Chevrolet 152 1 Running 28 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 152 0 Running 29 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge 152 0 Running 30 8 Aric Almirola (R) Chevrolet 152 0 Running 31 48 Jimmie Johnson (W) Chevrolet 152 0 Running 32 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 151 0 Running 33 12 David Stremme Dodge 151 0 Running 34 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 151 0 Running 35 82 Scott Speed (R) Toyota 151 0 Running 36 39 Ryan Newman (W) Chevrolet 150 0 Running 37 26 Jamie McMurray Ford 139 0 Running 38 98 Paul Menard Ford 138 0 Accident 39 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 126 0 Accident 40 41 Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 126 0 Running 41 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 123 88 Accident 42 28 Travis Kvapil Ford 90 0 Running 43 20 Joey Logano (R) Toyota 79 0 Accident References External links Official Daytona 500 website 2009 Daytona 500 Information Page Sprint Cup Series 2009 2008 Ford 400 2009 Auto Club 500 collapsed Daytona 500 Daytona 500 Daytona 500 Daytona 500 Category:NASCAR races at Daytona International Speedway