Jimmie Johnson celebrates in victory lane after winning the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway. (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images Photo)
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The second caution came on Lap 97, when Johnny Sauter blew a right-front tire in Turn 2 and hit the wall. That brought the leaders down pit road. Earnhardt held the lead on pit road, ahead of Hamlin, Harvick, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart.
The green flew on Lap 101, and Michael Waltrip immediately got turned around in Turn 2 to bring the yellow out again. Following a brief yellow, Earnhardt broke free as Hamlin and Harvick scuffled for second place.
Greg Biffle brought out caution No. 4 when he backed his Roush Fenway Racing Ford into the Turn 1 wall on Lap 116 while running 11th. Earnhardt led Harvick and Hamlin as the race restarted on Lap 120.
Then, more calamity for Roush Fenway, as teammates David Ragan and Matt Kenseth crashed in Turn 1 on Lap 122. Ragan got loose and lost it, with Kenseth, who was right behind him, spinning trying to miss him.
Again, Earnhardt led on the Lap 128 restart, but it took just six laps for Harvick to reassume the point. Hamlin held sway
in third, ahead of teammate Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer. At Lap 150, Harvick’s lead was 0.648 seconds over Earnhardt and 1.518 seconds over Hamlin.
Juan Pablo Montoya hit the Turn 1 wall on Lap 163, his Dodge hitting the wall while at the same time Elliott Sadler had a flat tire. Under the ensuing caution, Ragan got the Lucky Dog to go back on the lead lap. Earnhardt re-took the lead on pit road, followed by Harvick, Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Johnson and Stewart.
Just after the restart on Lap 169, Kenseth was black-flagged for a loose crush panel in the right rear, while Harvick reclaimed the lead on Lap 173.
On Lap 187, it was Busch who put his Toyota into the lead, and at Lap 200, he had a margin of 1.344 seconds over Earnhardt, Harvick, Hamlin and Stewart, three Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas among the five.
Sam Hornish Jr. add Martin Truex Jr. spun together in Turn 1 to bring out the seventh caution of the afternoon on Lap 203. Off pit road, the order was Kyle Busch, Earnhardt, Stewart, Johnson and Harvick.
