The 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup was the ten-race playoff that determined the champion of the

2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, the 38th modern-era Cup series, and the last Cup season of the 21st century's first decade, the 2000s. The season included 36 races an ...

, contested among the top twelve drivers following the

Chevy Rock and Roll 400 The Federated Auto Parts 400 is an annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia, being the second of two races at the track with the first one being the Toyota Owners 400 in the spring. As of 2020 ...

on September 12 at

Richmond International Raceway Richmond Raceway (RR) is a , ''D''-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Known as ...

. The entire chase was broadcast on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

in the USA and TSN 2 in Canada.

Format

For the second year, the twelve drivers who qualified for the Chase had their point totals reset to 5,000 points, with a ten-point bonus for each race they won prior to the Chase. The driver who earns the most points at the end of the Chase will be declared the 2009 series champion.

Changes

This year's changes were where the ten races will be.

Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series ...

's fall date, the Pep Boys Auto 500, was switched to the

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

weekend, and

Auto Club Speedway Auto Club Speedway, originally opened as California Speedway, is a , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California, near Fontana. It has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. It was also previ ...

, which hosts the

Pepsi 500 The Pepsi Max 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held annually at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. It was the second of two Sprint Cup Series races held at the Auto Club Speedway (the other being the Auto Club 500) a ...

, took the space in the race schedule.

Talladega Superspeedway Talladega Superspeedway, nicknamed “'Dega”, and formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) from 1969 to 1989, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base ...

's date, the

AMP Energy 500 The YellaWood 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama, hosting an event in the NASCAR playoffs. The race is one of four NASCAR Cup Series races currently run with tapered spacers, the others ...

was in return, moved to Atlanta's date with Auto Club moving into Talladega's original position.

Races

‡ – Ineligible for the Chase as he did not finish in Top 12.

Qualified Drivers

The 12 drivers who have qualified for the chase after the

Tony Stewart Anthony Wayne Stewart (born May 20, 1971), nicknamed Smoke, is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, current NASCAR team co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, and current co-owner of the Superstar Racing Experience. He is a ...

( Stewart Haas Racing #14

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

) *

Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, he competes part-time in the series driving for Petty GMS Motorsports. Johnson's seven Cup championships, ...

(

Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 1984 as All Star Racing by Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports has won a NASCAR-record 291 Cup Seri ...

#48 Chevrolet) *

Jeff Gordon Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, who is the Vice Chairman for Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick M ...

(Hendrick Motorsports #24 Chevrolet) *

Denny Hamlin James Dennis Alan Hamlin (born November 18, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver and NASCAR team owner. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. He co-owns and oper ...

(

Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is an American professional stock car racing organization owned and operated by former Washington Redskins (today the Washington Commanders) coach Joe Gibbs, which first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991. His s ...

#11

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

) *

Carl Edwards Carl Michael Edwards II (born August 15, 1979) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Prior to that, he drove the No. 9 ...

(

Roush Fenway Racing Roush is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Politics *Glenn Roush (1934–2020), American politician in Montana *J. Edward Roush (1920–2004), United States Representative for Indiana, namesake of: ** J. Edward Roush Lake, a rese ...

#99

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

) *

Kasey Kahne Kasey Kenneth Kahne (; born April 10, 1980) is an American dirt track racing driver and former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2018, driving the No. 95 Dumont Jets/Procore, Procore ...

(

Richard Petty Motorsports Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded as a result of the merger between Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM) and Petty Enterprises, with ...

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

) *

Kurt Busch Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the ...

(

Penske Racing Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona, the organiza ...

#2 Dodge) *

Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán (; born September 20, 1975) is a Colombian racing driver. He won the International F3000 championship in 1998, the CART FedEx Championship Series in 1999 in his debut year in the series, and the IMSA WeatherTech S ...

(

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing, LLC (CGR), also sometimes branded as Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, is an American auto racing organization with teams competing in the NTT IndyCar Series, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, FIA World Endurance Championshi ...

#42 Chevrolet) * Ryan Newman (Stewart Haas Racing #39 Chevrolet) *

Mark Martin Mark Anthony Martin (born January 9, 1959) is a retired American stock car racing driver. He has the second most wins all time in what is now the Xfinity Series with 49. He scored 40 Cup Series wins. He finished second in the NASCAR Cup Series st ...

(Hendrick Motorsports #5 Chevrolet) *

Greg Biffle Gregory Jack Biffle (born December 23, 1969) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for NY Racing Team and full-time in the ...

(Roush Fenway Racing #16 Ford) *

Brian Vickers Brian Lee Vickers (born October 24, 1983) is an American professional stock car and sports car racing driver. He last drove the No. 14 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing as an interim driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the injured Tony ...

(

Red Bull Racing Team Red Bull Racing Team, also known as Team Red Bull, was a NASCAR team owned by Red Bull founders Dietrich Mateschitz and Chaleo Yoovidhya. The team was based in Mooresville, North Carolina, Mooresville, North Carolina in the United States and was ...

#83 Toyota)

Standings

Results

''NOTE: Standings in Cup points before the race in parentheses.''

Race One: 2009 Sylvania 300

Results: # Mark Martin (1) # Denny Hamlin (4) # Juan Pablo Montoya (11) # Jimmie Johnson (3) # Kyle Busch # Kurt Busch (6) # Ryan Newman (7) # Elliott Sadler # Greg Biffle (12) # Clint Bowyer Other Chase drivers: :11. Brian Vickers (8) :14. Tony Stewart (2) :15. Jeff Gordon (6) :17. Carl Edwards (9) :38. Kasey Kahne (5) Point Standings: # Mark Martin 5,230 points # Jimmie Johnson – 35 # Denny Hamlin – 35 (Third by tiebreaker) # Juan Pablo Montoya – 55 # Kurt Busch – 65 # Tony Stewart – 76 # Ryan Newman – 79 # Brian Vickers – 90 # Greg Biffle – 92 # Jeff Gordon – 102 # Carl Edwards – 113 # Kasey Kahne – 161

Race Two: 2009 AAA 400

Results: # Jimmie Johnson (2) # Mark Martin (1) # Matt Kenseth # Juan Pablo Montoya (4) # Kurt Busch (5) # Jeff Gordon (10) # A. J. Allmendinger # Kasey Kahne (12) # Tony Stewart (6) # Ryan Newman (7) Other Chase drivers: :11. Carl Edwards (11) :13. Greg Biffle (9) :18. Brian Vickers (8) :22. Denny Hamlin (3) Point Standings: # Mark Martin 5,400 points # Jimmie Johnson – 10 # Juan Pablo Montoya – 65 # Kurt Busch – 75 # Tony Stewart – 106 # Denny Hamlin – 108 # Ryan Newman – 110 # Jeff Gordon – 122 # Greg Biffle – 138 # Brian Vickers – 151 # Carl Edwards – 153 # Kasey Kahne – 189

Race Three: 2009 Price Chopper 400

Results: # Tony Stewart (5) # Jeff Gordon (8) # Greg Biffle (9) # Juan Pablo Montoya (4) # Denny Hamlin (6) # Kasey Kahne (12) # Mark Martin (1) # David Reutimann # Jimmie Johnson (2) # Carl Edwards (11) Other Chase drivers: :11. Kurt Busch (4) :22. Ryan Newman (7) :37. Brian Vickers (10) Point Standings: # Mark Martin 5,551 points # Jimmie Johnson – 18 # Juan Pablo Montoya – 51 # Tony Stewart – 67 # Kurt Busch – 91 # Denny Hamlin – 99 # Jeff Gordon – 103 # Greg Biffle – 114 # Ryan Newman – 164 # Carl Edwards – 165 # Kasey Kahne – 190 # Brian Vickers – 250

Race Four: 2009 Pepsi 500

Results: # Jimmie Johnson (2) # Jeff Gordon (7) # Juan Pablo Montoya (3) # Mark Martin (1) # Tony Stewart (4) # Carl Edwards (10) # David Ragan # Kurt Busch (5) # Clint Bowyer # Kevin Harvick Other Chase drivers: :13. Ryan Newman (9) :20. Greg Biffle (8) :29. Brian Vickers (12) :34. Kasey Kahne (11) :37. Denny Hamlin (6) Point Standings: # Jimmie Johnson 5728 points # Mark Martin – 12 # Juan Pablo Montoya – 58 # Tony Stewart – 84 # Jeff Gordon – 105 # Kurt Busch – 121 # Greg Biffle – 188 # Carl Edwards – 192 # Denny Hamlin – 219 # Ryan Newman – 223 # Kasey Kahne – 306 # Brian Vickers – 351

Race Five: 2009 NASCAR Banking 500 Only from Bank of America

Results: # Jimmie Johnson (1) # Matt Kenseth # Kasey Kahne (11) # Jeff Gordon (5) # Joey Logano # Clint Bowyer # Casey Mears # Kyle Busch # Martin Truex, Jr. # Kurt Busch (6) Other Chase drivers: :11. Ryan Newman (10) :13. Tony Stewart (4) :16. Greg Biffle (7) :17. Mark Martin (2) :34. Brian Vickers (12) :35. Juan Pablo Montoya (3) :39. Carl Edwards (8) :42. Denny Hamlin (9) Point Standings: # Jimmie Johnson 5933 points # Mark Martin – 90 # Jeff Gordon – 135 # Tony Stewart – 155 # Kurt Busch – 177 # Juan Pablo Montoya – 195 # Greg Biffle – 268 # Ryan Newman – 288 # Kasey Kahne – 331 # Carl Edwards – 341 # Denny Hamlin – 372 # Brian Vickers – 485

Race Six: 2009 TUMS Fast Relief 500

Results: # Denny Hamlin (11) # Jimmie Johnson (1) # Juan Pablo Montoya (6) # Kyle Busch # Jeff Gordon (3) # Jamie McMurray # Ryan Newman (8) # Mark Martin (2) # Tony Stewart (4) # Kevin Harvick Other Chase drivers: :11. Brian Vickers (12) :17. Kurt Busch (5) :20. Carl Edwards (10) :25. Greg Biffle (7) :32. Kasey Kahne (9) Point Standings: #Jimmie Johnson 6098 points #Mark Martin – 118 #Jeff Gordon – 150 #Tony Stewart – 192 #Juan Pablo Montoya – 200 #Kurt Busch – 240 #Ryan Newman – 312 #Greg Biffle – 350 #Denny Hamlin – 352 #Carl Edwards – 413 #Kasey Kahne – 439 #Brian Vickers – 530

Race Seven: 2009 AMP Energy 500

Results: # Jamie McMurray # Kasey Kahne (11) # Joey Logano # Greg Biffle (8) # Jeff Burton # Jimmie Johnson (1) # Michael Waltrip # Brad Keselowski # Elliott Sadler # Bobby Labonte Other Chase drivers: :13. Brian Vickers (12) :14. Carl Edwards (10) :19. Juan Pablo Montoya (5) :20. Jeff Gordon (3) :28. Mark Martin (2) :30. Kurt Busch (6) :35. Tony Stewart (4) :36. Ryan Newman (7) :38. Denny Hamlin (9) Point Standings: #Jimmie Johnson 6248 points #Mark Martin –184 #Jeff Gordon –192 #Juan Pablo Montoya –239 #Tony Stewart –279 #Kurt Busch –312 #Greg Biffle –340 #Ryan Newman –402 #Kasey Kahne –414 #Carl Edwards –437 #Denny Hamlin –448 #Brian Vickers –551 {{S-end *