Lap-by-Lap: Richmond

CHECKERED FLAG: Jimmie Johnson wins to sweep Richmond and take the top spot when the Chase starts in New Hampshire.

Lap 400 -- WHITE FLAG: Jimmie Johnson is .75-miles away from his sixth victory.

Lap 396 -- David Ragan is challenging Tony Stewart for second.

Lap 395 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s engine blows ending his race five laps from the finish.

Lap 390 -- David Ragan in fourth is the fastest car on the track and gaining on Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 384 -- David Ragan is challenging Jeff Gordon for fourth.

Lap 378 -- Tony Stewart is now in control of second with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his bumper. Jeff Gordon is back a bit in fourth.

Lap 376 -- Dale Jarrett hits the wall but gets his car down to the apron allowing the race to stay green.

Lap 374 -- Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. continue to race side-by-side for second allowing Jimmie Johnson to pull away by 2.8 seconds.

Lap 371 -- Tony Stewart has caught Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the battle for second.

Lap 365 -- Jeff Gordon passes Dale Earnhardt Jr. for second. Now the big race on the track is who will lead going into New Hampshire next week.

Lap 361 -- Jimmie Johnson has opened up a 1.1 second lead on Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 353 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. passes Jeff Gordon for second.

Lap 351 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson brings the field to the green.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4. Tony Stewart
5. Johnny Sauter

Lap 344 -- With John Andretti pulling off the track, that's enough cars out that no matter what happens to Kevin Harvick, he is in the Chase.

Lap 343 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 12: John Andretti blows his engine on the restart bringing out the caution.

Lap 342 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson brings the field to the green.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4. Tony Stewart
5. Johnny Sauter

Lap 341 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Petty hits pit road giving the lead back to Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 338 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kyle Petty stays out and leads the race for five bonus points.

Lap 337 -- Lead lap cars on pit road.
• Jeff Gordon with an air pressure adjustment and four tires
• Jimmie Johnson takes four tires and no adjustments
• Casey Mears takes two tires
• Tony Stewart loses two spots on pit road

Lap 336 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 11: Robby Gordon hits the wall in Turns 3 and 4 after his right front tire explodes.

Lap 331 -- Matt Kenseth reporting his brakes are going down.

Lap 327 -- Kasey Kahne is up to sixth after passing Jeff Burton.

Lap 317 -- Kevin Harvick passes Ryan Newman for 13th but his brake rotors are really hot which could cause him issues.

Lap 305 -- Ninety-five laps to go and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in fourth with Kevin Harvick in 16th.

Lap 304 -- Jeff Burton up to fifth and Johnny Sauter up to sixth after both go around Kasey Kahne.

Lap 300 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson brings the field to the green.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Tony Stewart
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5. Kasey Kahne

Lap 298 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson wins the race off pit road and takes the lead.

Lap 297 -- All the lead lap cars hit pit road.
• Johnny Sauter no changes and four tires
• Matt Kenseth spring rubber and air pressure adjustment
• Jeff Gordon minor adjustments and four tires
• Tony Stewart no changes and four tires.
• Kasey Kahne gains four spots on pit road

Lap 296 -- YELLOW FLAG: Cars are started and are rolling again.

Lap 295 -- There are enough cars out of the race that no matter what happens, Kurt Busch is in the Chase.

Lap 295 -- RED FLAG NO. 2: There is a lot of fluid on the track so the race is stopped for a second time.

Lap 294 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 10: Jamie McMurray, Dale Jarrett, Dave Blaney, John Andretti and David Stremme in a big crash. Kenny Wallace will receive the free pass.

Lap 293 -- Jimmie Johnson passes Jeff Gordon for second.

Lap 291 -- Kevin Harvick passes Kyle Busch for 15th.

Lap 287 -- Tony Stewart has a 1.3 second lead on Jeff Gordon.

Lap 278 -- Johnny Sauter having a fantastic race as he is up to fifth after passing Jeff Burton.

Lap 271 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart completes the pass on Jeff Gordon for the lead.

Lap 270 -- Kevin Harvick is up to 22nd. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are side-by-side.

Lap 268 -- Tony Stewart is on the bumper of leader Jeff Gordon.

Lap 264 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon brings the field to the green.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Tony Stewart
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Matt Kenseth

Lap 259 -- Clint Boywer and J.J. Yeley on pit road as is Dave Blaney and David Reutimann.

Lap 258 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 9: Reed Sorenson spins after hitting David Gilliland. He is having trouble getting it restarted.

Lap 256 -- Clint Bowyer is going backwards as Johnny Sauter passes him for seventh.

Lap 253 -- After the incident, Kurt Busch is in 10th and Kevin Harvick is in 29th.

Lap 251 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon brings the field to the green.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Tony Stewart
4. Clint Bowyer
5. Jimmie Johnson

Lap 247 -- Kevin Harvick is in the pits getting his car taken care of. Dave Blaney and Reed Sorenson are also on pit road. Harvick will start at the tail end due to pitting too soon.

Lap 246 -- YELLOW FLAG: The cars have been fired up and the race is back under caution.

Lap 245 -- RED FLAG: The race has been stopped to allow clean up on the track. No work can be done on the cars.

Lap 245 -- Kevin Harvick has grass all in the front of his car forcing his car to run hot after he ran through the infield to avoid the crash. His car is spewing water out of the top of the hood.

Lap 242 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 8: Ryan Newman spins and collects Kurt Busch and Juan Montoya. Montoya's No. 42 is on fire in the infield. Busch has damage to the rear of his car. A.J. Allmendinger gets the free pass.

Lap 240 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon passes Clint Bowyer for the lead. Dale Earnhardt Jr. also passes Bowyer for second.

Lap 239 -- GREEN FLAG: Clint Bowyer brings the field to the green.
1. Clint Bowyer
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Tony Stewart
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5. Jimmie Johnson

Lap 238 -- David Gilliland now on pit road.

Lap 236 -- LEAD CHANGE: Clint Bowyer stays out and takes the lead. David Gilliland also stays out.

Lap 235 -- The lead lap cars hit pit road.
• Matt Kenseth needs major adjustments and takes four tires
• Jeff Gordon with a track bar adjustment and four tires
• Tony Stewart with four tires and an adjustment
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a good stop and gains a spot
• Juan Montoya gains three spots on pit road with a fast stop

Lap 234 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 7: Kenny Wallace spins but doesn't hit anything after David Stremme gets in the rear of his car bringing out the caution.

Lap 233 -- Jeff Gordon has a 0.9 second lead on Tony Stewart.

Lap 219 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on the move as he passes Jimmie Johnson for fourth.

Lap 215 -- Tony Stewart passes Denny Hamlin for second.

Lap 212 -- Chase Update: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is sixth, Kevin Harvick is eighth and Kurt Busch is 10th.

Lap 211 -- Tony Stewart passes Jimmie Johnson for third.

Lap 207 -- Jeff Gordon brings the field to the green.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Tony Stewart
5. Ryan Newman

Lap 202 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon passes Denny Hamlin after the contact with Clint Bowyer for the lead.

Lap 201 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 6: Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin were giving it everything they could for the lead and Bowyer spun but didn't hit anything. John Andretti will get the free pass.

Lap 200 -- Clint Bowyer passes Jeff Gordon for second.

Lap 197 -- Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer are battling for the lead.

Lap 193 -- Greg Biffle is back on the track scored 114 laps down.

Lap 190 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin brings the field to the green.
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Clint Bowyer
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Ryan Newman

Lap 184 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin wins the race off pit road and takes the lead.

Lap 183: LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson takes the lead when Carl Edwards loses his engine. All the lead lap cars hit pit road.
• Clint Bowyer with four tires
• Jeff Gordon with an air pressure adjustment and four tires
• Jimmie Johnson has trouble on the left rear and he loses the lead

Lap 182 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Leader Carl Edwards loses his engine bringing out the caution. Kenny Wallace gets the free pass.

Lap 176 -- Clint Bowyer passes Kurt Busch for sixth.

Lap 174 -- Carl Edwards leads Jeff Gordon by 1.1 seconds.

Lap 168 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards passes Jeff Gordon for the lead but he still thinks something is wrong with his car.

Lap 165 -- Carl Edwards is having issues in the car. He's trying to switch everything in the car and says it feels like its vapor-locked. He's on the inside of leader Jeff Gordon challenging for the lead.

Lap 164 -- Ryan Newman passes Kurt Busch for fifth.

Lap 159 -- Carl Edwards passes Jimmie Johnson for second.

Lap 152 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. passes Kevin Harvick for 10th.

Lap 149 -- Kyle Busch is up to 17th after restarting 23rd.

Lap 146 -- David Ragan has a tire rub and will have to pit soon after contact with Casey Mears.

Lap 142 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. up to 11th after restarting 17th.

Lap 138 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon brings the field to the green.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Carl Edwards
5. Kurt Busch

Lap 133 -- All the leaders hit pit road.
• Carl Edwards with a chassis adjustment and four tires
• Kurt Busch with a track bar adjustment and four tires
• Jeff Gordon with a wedge adjustment and four tires
• Jimmie Johnson with an air pressure and track bar adjustment and four tires

Lap 132 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: Joe Nemechek into the wall after his right front tire went down bringing out the caution. Kenny Wallace gets the free pass.

Lap 126 -- Kyle Busch is falling fast as he is down to 18th.

Lap 124 -- Kurt Busch continues to fall as Denny Hamlin passes him for fourth.

Lap 122 -- Carl Edwards passes Kurt Busch for third.

Lap 120 -- Tony Raines is back out on the track and scored 52 laps down.

Lap 108 -- Jeff Gordon has stretched his lead and now leads by 1.1 seconds in front of Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 100 -- Chase Update: Kurt Busch is third, Kevin Harvick is seventh and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 13th.

Lap 96 -- Jimmie Johnson has caught leader and teammate Jeff Gordon

Lap 93 -- Kurt Busch passes teammate Ryan Newman for third.

Lap 86 -- Kyle Busch is down to 10th as he is off the pace driving the high line.

Lap 82 -- Kevin Harvick up to seventh after passing Kyle Busch.

Lap 80 -- Johnny Sauter having a good run as he is up to 13th after starting 36th.

Lap 77 -- Kevin Harvick back in ninth after passing Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 74 -- Jeff Green was penalized for a fueling issue on pit road. When serving his penalty he sped off pit road so he will be penalized again.

Lap 73 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. passes Kevin Harvick for ninth.

Lap 71 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon brings the field to the green.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Ryan Newman
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Kurt Busch

Lap 67 -- LEAD CHANGE: Paul Menard pits and Jeff Gordon takes the lead.

Lap 65 -- LEAD CHANGE: Paul Menard stays out to lead a lap and get five bonus points.

Lap 64 -- The lead lap cars hit pit road.
• Carl Edwards with an air pressure adjustment and four tires
• Jeff Gordon with four tires and a small adjustment
• Jimmie Johnson with a track bar adjustment and four tires
• Ryan Newman has a slow stop and he loses two spots in the race off pit road

Lap 63 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Scott Riggs has his right front tire blow forcing him into the wall. Joe Nemechek gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.

Lap 57 -- Kevin Harvick is down to fifth after Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards get around him.

Lap 54 -- Jeff Gordon has a clutch issue and getting off pit road could be a problem.

Lap 50 -- Chase Update: Kevin Harvick is third, Kurt Busch is ninth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 15th.

Lap 47 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is making up ground after trouble in the pits. He is up to 16th after restarting 21st.

Lap 45 -- Ryan Newman has a 1.1 second lead on Jeff Gordon.

Lap 43 -- Kevin Harvick passes Jimmie Johnson for third.

Lap 37 -- Not pitting is not working out for Casey Mears as he is down to fifth after Kevin Harvick gets around him.

Lap 36 -- Jeff Gordon is up to second and Jimmie Johnson is up to third.

Lap 33 -- LEAD CHANGE: Ryan Newman passes Casey Mears for the lead.

Lap 30 -- GREEN FLAG: Casey Mears brings the field to the green.
1. Casey Mears
2. David Gilliland
3. Ryan Newman
4. Juan Montoya
5. Jeff Gordon

Lap 26 -- LEAD CHANGE: Casey Mears stays out and inherits the lead. David Gilliland also stays out.

Lap 25 -- Most of the lead lap cars hit pit road.
• Carl Edwards is concerned about his brakes although nothing can be done
• Jeff Gordon with four tires and no adjustments
• Denny Hamlin with a spring rubber adjustment and four tires
• Juan Montoya takes two tires
• Elliott Sadler takes two tires
• Ryan Newman takes two tires

Lap 24 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Paul Menard spins but doesn't hit anything bringing out the caution. Jeff Green will get the free pass and will be back on the lead lap.

Lap 23 -- Ryan Newman gets around Denny Hamlin for second.

Lap 22 -- Kevin Harvick is up to seventh; Dale Earnhardt Jr. is up to 18th.

Lap 19 -- Greg Biffle is currently off the track.

Lap 14 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon brings the field to the green.
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Tony Stewart
4. Ryan Newman
5. Kyle Busch

Lap 9 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Jeff Green and Tony Raines collide bringing out the first caution. Dale Jarrett was also involved. Greg Biffle earns the free pass and is back on the lead lap.

Lap 4 -- Jimmie Johnson falls all the way to sixth. Denny Hamlin is second.

Lap 1 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson has to slam on his brakes and Jeff Gordon leads the first lap.

7:49 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson brings the field to the green and the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 is under way.

7:44 p.m. -- The cars are off of pit road and on the track warming up.

7:40 p.m. -- Grand Marshall Duane Paddock delivers the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines!"

7:34 p.m. -- Jolie Holiday performs the national anthem.

7:33 p.m. -- Rev. Joe Ellison delivers the Invocation.

7:32 p.m. -- Pledge of Allegiance delivered on the track, shakily.

7:03 p.m. -- NASCAR Countdown started a little late following the Oregon Ducks destruction of Michigan 39-7, but is under way on ABC.

6:10 p.m. -- We are about two hours away from the green flag dropping for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway. The weather is absolutely beautiful at the track, 86 degrees under sunny skies. In a few hours we will know the 12 drivers who have a shot at the Nextel Cup championship.

RICHMOND HEADLINES
Stremme unlikely to return to 40 Dodge next season
Caraviello: Amid sport's safest period, the risk never goes away
Yates to retire, hand team to son at end of season
Richmond '07 reminiscent of Busch's 2004 title run
Toyota excited about what future brings in '08 season
AT&T logos go back on RCR's No. 31 at Richmond
Notes: Martin, Almirola to split DEI's No. 8 car in '08