Lap-by-Lap: Darlington

CHECKERED FLAG: Mark Martin wins his second race of the season by taking the Southern 500. The win puts him into the top 12 in points. Four of Hendrick Motorsports' cars finish in the top seven.

Lap 366 -- WHITE FLAG: Mark Martin takes the green flag and is 1.366 miles away from victory.

Lap 364 -- This is Mark Martin's race to lose as we come up on the white flag.

Lap 360 -- There is some concern in Mark Martin's pit that he might not have enough fuel.

Lap 358 -- Jimmie Johnson tells Chad Knaus they don't have anything for Mark Martin so Knaus tells him to back off and protect the car.

Lap 356 -- Jeff Gordon challenging Ryan Newman for fourth.

Lap 354 -- Jimmie Johnson has caught the bumper of Mark Martin and will try for the lead again.

Lap 350 -- Greg Biffle passes Joey Logano for eighth.

Lap 348 -- Jimmie Johnson is trying to get a nose under Mark Martin for the lead but he can't complete the pass.

Lap 346 -- GREEN FLAG: Mark Martin brings the field to the green.
1. Mark Martin
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Tony Stewart
4. Ryan Newman
5. Jeff Gordon

Lap 342 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 17: Dale Earnhardt Jr. spins and hits the wall after contact with Reed Sorenson.

Lap 339 -- Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart are nose-to-tail.

Lap 338 -- GREEN FLAG: Mark Martin brings the field to the green.
1. Mark Martin
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Tony Stewart
4. Ryan Newman
5. Brad Keselowski

Lap 336 -- Denny Hamlin in sixth is the highest-running car to pit. Elliott Sadler, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also pit.

Lap 335 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 16: Jamie McMurray and Brian Vickers get together bringing out the caution. A.J. Allmendinger gets the free pass.

Lap 333 -- Tony Stewart passes Ryan Newman for third. Jimmie Johnson is on the bumper of Mark Martin.

Lap 331 -- Tony Stewart passes Brad Keselowski for fourth.

Lap 330 -- Martin Truex Jr. up to eighth. Joey Logano up to ninth. Greg Biffle up to 10th.

Lap 328 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets into the wall but the race stays green. Brian Vickers also into the wall and he slows on the track.

Lap 327 -- Tony Stewart up to fifth in just two laps.

Lap 326 -- Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson are side-by-side for second.

Lap 325 -- GREEN FLAG: Mark Martin brings the field to the green.
1. Mark Martin
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Ryan Newman
4. Brad Keselowski
5. Denny Hamlin

Lap 322 -- LEAD CHANGE: Seven cars stay out led by Mark Martin. Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Elliott Sadler and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all stay out.

Lap 321 -- LEAD CHANGE: Tony Stewart passes Martin Truex Jr. on pit road to get credit for the lap.
• Martin Truex Jr. with two tires and fuel
• Joey Logano with two tires and a wedge adjustment
• Tony Stewart with two tires
• Jeff Gordon with two tires

Lap 319 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 15: Record-tying caution is for debris. Bobby Labonte gets the free pass.

Lap 317 -- Sam Hornish Jr. gets loose and hits the wall in the backstretch damaging the No. 77. The race stays green.

Lap 316 -- Jeff Gordon gets around Matt Kenseth for third.

Lap 314 -- Kevin Harvick has fallen to eighth as Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson pass him.

Lap 309 -- Joey Logano passes Kevin Harvick for fifth.

Lap 307 -- Martin Truex Jr. leads by 2.2 seconds.

Lap 306 -- Jimmie Johnson passes Brian Vickers for eighth.

Lap 304 -- Joey Logano passes Mark Martin for sixth.

Lap 301 -- Tony Stewart passes Matt Kenseth for second.

Lap 300 -- GREEN FLAG: Martin Truex Jr. brings the field to the green.
1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Tony Stewart
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Jeff Gordon

Lap 297 -- LEAD CHANGE: Martin Truex Jr. stays out and leads as everyone else hits pit road. Matt Kenseth also stays out.
• Joey Logano with two tires and fuel
• Ryan Newman with two tires
• Tony Stewart with two tires and fuel
• A.J. Allmendinger pits sideways after contact with Kurt Busch

Lap 295 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 14: Greg Biffle spins and hits the wall in Turn 4. Jeff Burton gets the free pass.

Lap 291 -- Greg Biffle up to fifth after passing Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 290 -- Sam Hornish Jr. goes for a spin after contact with Mark Martin on the frontstretch but he is able to save it and the race stays green.

Lap 289 -- Greg Biffle passes Elliott Sadler for sixth.

Lap 287 -- GREEN FLAG: Joey Logano brings the field to the green.
1. Joey Logano
2. Ryan Newman
3. Tony Stewart
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 285 -- None of the lead lap cars make a pit stop. Carl Edwards takes his car to the garage.

Lap 283 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 13: Carl Edwards hits the wall again after contact with Greg Biffle and can't get to pit road so the caution flies. Paul Menard gets the free pass. Edwards will be held a lap for pulling a U-turn on the track to get to pit road.

Lap 282 -- Carl Edwards hard into the wall but the race stays green.

Lap 281 -- GREEN FLAG: Joey Logano brings the field to the green.
1. Joey Logano
2. Ryan Newman
3. Tony Stewart
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 279 -- Jamie McMurray with a very long pit stop trying to fix their issues.

Lap 278 -- LEAD CHANGE: Joey Logano wins the race off pit road and leads for the first time tonight.

Lap 277 -- LEAD CHANGE: Ryan Newman passes Greg Biffle on pit road to inherit the lead as all the leaders hit pit road.
• Martin Truex Jr. with two tires
• Greg Biffle with four tires
• Ryan Newman with two tires and adjustments
• Joey Logano with two tires

Lap 275 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 12: Jamie McMurray blows a tire and he says he has no brakes. McMurray leaves a trail of debris as he goes around the track. Denny Hamlin is back on the lead lap with the free pass.

Lap 273 -- Kyle Busch slams the Turn 1 wall after cutting a tire but he is able to get to pit road and the race stays green. Busch is taking his car to the garage as the No. 18 has no brakes.

Lap 272 -- Greg Biffle leads by 2.6 seconds on Joey Logano.

Lap 266 -- Kyle Busch has fallen to ninth.

Lap 264 -- David Reutimann is dragging his rear lid and gets black-flagged.

Lap 259 -- Jamie McMurray in 11th could have a tire rub on the left side.

Lap 257 -- David Reutimann has dropped something off his car and he slows but he can't get down to pit road because the field has caught him. There were numerous close calls but no one hit him and the No. 00 is on pit road.

Lap 255 -- Kyle Busch passes Martin Truex Jr. for seventh.

Lap 253 -- GREEN FLAG: Greg Biffle brings the field to the green.
1. Greg Biffle
2. Joey Logano
3. Ryan Newman
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Mark Martin

Lap 251 -- LEAD CHANGE: Greg Biffle wins the race off pit road and retakes the lead.

Lap 250 -- All the leaders hit pit road.
• Martin Truex Jr. with four tires
• Jamie McMurray with four tires
• Kyle Busch with four tires
• Tony Stewart with four tires
• Joey Logano with a two-tire stop
• Matt Kenseth with a two-tire stop
• Kevin Harvick with a two-tire stop

Lap 249 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 11: Debris in Turn 4 brings out the caution. Sam Hornish Jr. gets the free pass.

Lap 247 -- Greg Biffle is closing on Tony Stewart for fourth.

Lap 244 -- Jeff Gordon passes Jimmie Johnson for 13th.

Lap 242 -- Jeff Gordon is up to 14th. Carl Edwards moves to 12th after passing Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 238 -- Greg Biffle continues to climb to the top as he passes Elliott Sadler for fifth.

Lap 236 -- David Reutimann has plummeted and is close to going a lap down.

Lap 234 -- Greg Biffle passes Brian Vickers for sixth.

Lap 228 -- David Reutimann slid up into the wall causing a bumper-car effect throughout the field but every one is able to save their cars. Reutimann is dragging something after the contact.

Lap 226 -- GREEN FLAG: Martin Truex Jr. brings the field to the green.
1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Kyle Busch
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Tony Stewart
5. Elliott Sadler

Lap 225 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. will move to the rear of the field because a tire escaped his pit box.

Lap 224 -- Jeff Burton remains on pit road and goes a lap down.

Lap 223 -- Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. among the lead lap cars to pit.

Lap 222 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 10: A.J. Allmendinger and Clint Bowyer get together causing Bowyer to spin and slam into the inside wall and then up the track into the outside wall. David Stremme gets the free pass.

Lap 220 -- Kevin Harvick falls from sixth to eighth in one lap after his fuel-only stop.

Lap 219 -- GREEN FLAG: Martin Truex Jr. brings the field to the green.
1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Kyle Busch
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Elliott Sadler
5. Tony Stewart

Lap 217 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth pits giving the lead to Martin Truex Jr., who won the race off pit road.

Lap 216 -- LEAD CHANGE: Matt Kenseth stays out to lead as all the leaders hit pit road.
• Martin Truex Jr. with two tires
• Greg Biffle with four tires
• Mark Martin with four tires and no changes
• Tony Stewart with two tires
• Jimmie Johnson gets spun by Kevin Harvick on pit road

Lap 214 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 9: Kurt Busch spins in Turn 4 after rubbing the wall but the field avoids him and there is no contact with anyone. Jeff Gordon gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.

Lap 212 -- Jeff Gordon is challenging Bobby Labonte for the first car one lap down.

Lap 208 -- Joey Logano and David Reutimann are battling for fifth.

Lap 205 -- After contact with David Stremme, Kasey Kahne has a tire going down and he makes a green-flag pit stop.

Lap 201 -- GREEN FLAG: Greg Biffle brings the field to the green.
1. Greg Biffle
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Kyle Busch
5. David Reutimann

Lap 199 -- After getting the free pass, David Stremme will be black-flagged and held a lap for speeding.

Lap 197 -- Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Juan Montoya among the lead lap cars to pit.

Lap 196 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 8: David Ragan has a tire go down and he slams into the wall in Turn 3. David Stremme gets the free pass.

Lap 193 -- Jimmie Johnson gets loose but saves it.

Lap 190 -- The top 13 are all on two new tires. Ryan Newman in 14th is the first car with four tires.

Lap 189 -- GREEN FLAG: Greg Biffle brings the field to the green.
1. Greg Biffle
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Kyle Busch
5. David Reutimann

Lap 186 -- All the lead lap cars hit pit road.
• Martin Truex Jr. with a two-tire stop
• Greg Biffle with a two-tire stop
• Tony Stewart with a four-tire stop and a track bar adjustment

Lap 185 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 7: David Ragan spins in Turn 2 and slams the wall bringing out the caution. Brian Vickers gets the free pass.

Lap 179 -- Greg Biffle has opened up a 3.9-second lead on Kasey Kahne.

Lap 173 -- Some notables as we come up on half way: Kevin Harvick is 11th; Brad Keselowski is 12th; Clint Bowyer is 16th; Jimmie Johnson 19th; Matt Kenseth 22nd; Jeff Gordon is 26th.

Lap 167 -- Ryan Newman up to fifth after passing Jamie McMurray.

Lap 166 -- On the restart Paul Menard gets loose in Turn 2 but saves it.

Lap 165 -- GREEN FLAG: Greg Biffle brings the field to the green.
1. Greg Biffle
2. Tony Stewart
3. Kasey Kahne
4. Martin Truex Jr.
5. Jamie McMurray

Lap 163 -- LEAD CHANGE: Greg Biffle wins the race off pit road and retakes the lead. Mark Martin has a missing lug nut and has to come back to pit road.

Lap 162 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kasey Kahne passes Greg Biffle on pit road for the lead. All of the lead lap cars hit pit road.
• Martin Truex Jr. with a wedge adjustment
• Greg Biffle with four tires and no adjustments
• Kasey Kahne with a track bar adjustment

Lap 160 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 6: Denny Hamlin and David Ragan get together when Ragan tries to pass Hamlin sending Hamlin around. Elliott Sadler gets the free pass.

Lap 158 -- Greg Biffle puts Bobby Labonte and Elliott Sadler a lap down.

Lap 152 -- After being a lap down, Jimmie Johnson has worked his way up to 17th.

Lap 150 -- David Reutimann passes Mark Martin for sixth.

Lap 146 -- Kasey Kahne passes Tony Stewart for second.

Lap 138 -- Greg Biffle leads by 6.2 seconds.

Lap 132 -- Carl Edwards has worked his way up to 13th. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has made it up to 16th.

Lap 125 -- Greg Biffle explodes out to the lead and is out front by one second. Kyle Busch, David Reutimann and Matt Kenseth are three-wide for eighth.

Lap 123 -- GREEN FLAG: Greg Biffle brings the field to the green.
1. Greg Biffle
2. Tony Stewart
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Kasey Kahne

Lap 122 -- LEAD CHANGE: Greg Biffle wins the race off pit road and takes the lead when Bobby Labonte pits.

Lap 121 -- LEAD CHANGE: Bobby Labonte stays out to lead a lap and collect five bonus points.

Lap 120 -- All the lead lap cars hit pit road.
• Martin Truex Jr. with four tires and no adjustments
• Greg Biffle with four tires and he's happy with his car
• Mark Martin with a chassis adjustment
• Kasey Kahne with a track bar adjustment

Lap 118 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Sam Hornish Jr. gets loose and spins but doesn't hit anything. Jimmie Johnson gets the free pass.

Lap 117 -- Greg Biffle passes Tony Stewart for third.

Lap 116 -- LEAD CHANGE: Martin Truex Jr. passes Kasey Kahne for the lead.

Lap 112 -- Kasey Kahne puts David Stremme a lap down as Martin Truex Jr. has caught Kahne's bumper and is challenging for the lead.

Lap 110 -- Kasey Kahne and Martin Truex Jr. lead third-place Tony Stewart by six seconds.

Lap 108 -- Greg Biffle passes Matt Kenseth for fourth.

Lap 106 -- After the tire change Jeff Gordon is still reporting a vibration.

Lap 105 -- Jeff Gordon had a loose wheel and had to pit under green to get it fixed.

Lap 100 -- Tony Stewart passes Matt Kenseth for third.

Lap 97 -- Ryan Newman falls to eighth after getting passed by Mark Martin.

Lap 96 -- Kyle Busch and the No. 18 team think they might have a flat tire. Busch is currently 13th.

Lap 94 -- The battle on the track right now is for sixth through ninth. Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Mark Martin and Greg Biffle are in a pack.

Lap 90 -- Tony Stewart moves up to fourth.

Lap 89 -- Kasey Kahne passes Jimmie Johnson putting him one lap down.

Lap 86 -- Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers didn't pit under caution and restart in front of the leaders.

Lap 85 -- GREEN FLAG: Kasey Kahne brings the field to the green.
1. Kasey Kahne
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Ryan Newman

Lap 84 -- LEAD CHANGE: Elliott Sadler pits giving the lead to Kasey Kahne, who won the race off pit road.

Lap 83: LEAD CHANGE: Elliott Sadler stays out and leads a lap.

Lap 82: Most of the lead lap cars hit pit road.
• Martin Truex Jr. with a track bar adjustment
• Greg Biffle loses a spring rubber
• Ryan Newman with four tires and a small adjustment
• Kasey Kahne with four tires

Lap 81 -- Denny Hamlin hits pit road while it is still closed.

Lap 76 -- Jimmie Johnson is a lap down after being trapped on pit road.

Lap 75 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: Michael Waltrip is on fire and hits the wall after something exploded on the car. He gets his car onto pit road and looks to be OK as he exits the car. Paul Menard gets the free pass.

Lap 74 -- Jimmie Johnson drops to pit road to make a green flag pit stop. Four tires and a chassis adjustment for Johnson.

Lap 71 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kasey Kahne passes Ryan Newman at the start/finish line to take the lead.

Lap 68 -- Jeff Gordon gets back around Greg Biffle for fifth.

Lap 67 -- Martin Truex Jr. and Greg Biffle pass Jeff Gordon for fourth and fifth.

Lap 64 -- Brian Vickers is heading to pit road with a flat tire.

Lap 61 -- Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne have opened up a two-second lead.

Lap 57 -- Jeff Gordon has caught the bumper of third-place Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 52 -- Brian Vickers is up to 14th after starting 35th. Martin Truex Jr. passes Greg Biffle for fifth.

Lap 49 -- Dave Blaney takes his car to the garage.

Lap 47 -- Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne are battling for the lead.

Lap 46 -- Jeff Gordon passes Greg Biffle for fourth.

Lap 41 -- Sterling Marlin's No. 09 is being pushed to the garage.

Lap 40 -- Jeff Gordon passes Matt Kenseth for fifth.

Lap 39 -- Sterling Marlin is on pit road.

Lap 37 -- GREEN FLAG: Ryan Newman brings the field to the green.
1. Ryan Newman
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Kasey Kahne
4. Greg Biffle
5. Matt Kenseth

Lap 35 -- Carl Edwards back on pit road for more adjustments to his car. He remains on the lead lap.

Lap 34 -- Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Juan Montoya and Dale Earnhardt Jr. among the drivers to hit pit road. Major changes for Busch's No. 2 car.

Lap 32 -- Casey Mears has taken his car to the garage. Denny Hamlin and A.J. Allmendinger are still on the track. Carl Edwards has made two pit stops despite pit road being closed.

Lap 30 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Casey Mears bumps Brian Vickers and Mears slides up the track collecting Denny Hamlin and A.J. Allmendinger. Michael Waltrip gets the free pass.

Lap 29 -- David Gilliland has taken his car to the garage.

Lap 27 -- Marcos Ambrose slams into the wall but he saves it.

Lap 25 -- LEAD CHANGE: Ryan Newman passes Jimmie Johnson on the frontstretch to take the lead.

Lap 24 -- GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson brings the field to the green.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Ryan Newman
3. Kasey Kahne
4. Greg Biffle
5. Matt Kenseth

Lap 23 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson stays out and takes the lead.

Lap 22 -- Most of the lead lap cars hit pit road.
• Sam Hornish with a track bar adjustment
• Kyle Busch with a track bar and air pressure adjustment
• Kurt Busch with major adjustments
• Matt Kenseth with a track bar adjustment
• Kasey Kahne with a two-tire stop
• Ryan Newman with a two-tire stop
• Kevin Harvick with a fuel-only stop

Lap 21 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Michael Waltrip spins on the frontstraightaway bringing out the caution. No free pass will be given.

Lap 20 -- Kurt Busch continues to slide backward, now down to 16th.

Lap 18 -- Kurt Busch falls to 12th as Greg Biffle, Casey Mears and Tony Stewart pass him.

Lap 17 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon passes Matt Kenseth with ease in Turn 1 to take the lead.

Lap 15 -- Kyle Busch continues to climb -- now up to seventh.

Lap 14 -- Ryan Newman is challenging Sam Hornish Jr. for third.

Lap 12 -- Jeff Burton has dropped from sixth to 12th since the restart.

Lap 11 -- Kurt Busch is up to sixth. Kyle Busch is up to ninth.

Lap 9 -- Robby Gordon gets up into the wall but continues on.

Lap 7 -- GREEN FLAG: Matt Kenseth brings the field to the green.
1. Matt Kenseth
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Sam Hornish Jr.
4. Ryan Newman
5. Joey Logano

Lap 6 -- Max Papis takes his car to the garage.

Lap 5 -- Bobby Labonte, Reed Sorenson, David Stremme and Jimmie Johnson among the cars to pit. Johnson makes a small chassis adjustment.

Lap 4 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Scott Speed taps Max Papis sending both cars around in Turn 1. No free pass will be given.

Lap 3 -- Joey Logano gets loose and falls to fifth behind Ryan Newman.

Lap 1 -- Matt Kenseth gets a great start and leads the first lap.

7:36 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Matt Kenseth brings the field to the green and the Southern 500 is under way.

7:31 p.m. -- The cars are rolling off pit road.

7:27 p.m. -- The moms of the Cup Series drivers give the command: "Sons, start your engines!"

7:21 p.m. -- Country artist Billy Currington performs the national anthem.

7:20 p.m. -- Darlington race historian, Harold King, delivers the Invocation.

7 p.m. -- FOX's pre-race coverage of the Southern 500 is under way.

6:03 p.m. -- NASCAR announces Jeremy Mayfield and two crew members have been suspended indefinitely for violating the sport's substance abuse policy (read more).

5:52 p.m. -- Reed Sorenson will move to the rear of the field for an engine change and the No. 87 will also move to the rear due to a driver change. Scott Speed will drive the No. 87 for Joe Nemechek.

5:50 p.m. -- There is a news conference coming from NASCAR at 6 p.m. ET.

5:45 p.m. ET -- It's a beautiful day in Darlington for the return of the Southern 500. Right now it's 90 degrees at the track under sunny skies. Temperatures will drop into the upper 70s once the sun goes down and there is no rain in the forecast. Green is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. ET.