2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup

The 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup was the ten-race playoff that determined the champion of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, contested among the top twelve drivers following the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 on September 12 at Richmond International Raceway. The entire chase was broadcast on ABC in the USA and TSN 2 in Canada.

Format

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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

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This year's changes were where the ten races will be. Atlanta Motor Speedway's fall date, the Pep Boys Auto 500, was switched to the Labor Day weekend, and Auto Club Speedway, which hosts the Pepsi 500, took the space in the race schedule. Talladega Superspeedway's date, the AMP Energy 500 was in return, moved to Atlanta's date with Auto Club moving into Talladega's original position.

Races

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Date Race Site Time
(US ET)
2008 Winner 2009 Winner
9/20 2009 Sylvania 300 New Hampshire Motor Speedway 1 PM Greg Biffle Mark Martin
9/27 2009 AAA 400 Dover International Speedway 1 PM Greg Biffle Jimmie Johnson
10/4 2009 Price Chopper 400 Kansas Speedway 1 PM Jimmie Johnson Tony Stewart
10/11 2009 Pepsi 500 Auto Club Speedway 2:30 PM Jimmie Johnson § Jimmie Johnson
10/17 2009 NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America Lowe's Motor Speedway 7 PM Jeff Burton Jimmie Johnson
10/25 2009 TUMS Fast Relief 500 Martinsville Speedway 1 PM Jimmie Johnson Denny Hamlin
11/1 2009 AMP Energy 500 Talladega Superspeedway 1 PM Tony Stewart Jamie McMurray
11/8 2009 Dickies 500 Texas Motor Speedway 2:30 PM Carl Edwards Kurt Busch
11/15 2009 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 Phoenix International Raceway 2:30 PM Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson
11/22 2009 Ford 400 Homestead Miami Speedway 2:30 PM Carl Edwards Denny Hamlin

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

Qualified Drivers

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The 12 drivers who have qualified for the chase after the Chevy Rock and Roll 400

Standings

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Rank
Current/Pre-Chase
Driver Points/(Behind) Poles Wins
Pre-Chase/Overall
Top 5 Top 10
1 1 Mark Martin 5040 Leader 6 4 4 9 14
2 2 Tony Stewart 5030 (−10) 0 3 3 13 18
3 3 Jimmie Johnson 5030 (−10) 1 3 3 9 15
4 4 Denny Hamlin 5020 (−20) 0 2 2 9 14
5 5 Kasey Kahne 5020 (−20) 0 2 2 5 10
6 6 Jeff Gordon 5010 (−30) 0 1 1 12 18
7 7 Kurt Busch 5010 (−30) 0 1 1 7 14
8 8 Brian Vickers 5010 (−30) 6 1 1 4 13
9 9 Carl Edwards 5000 (−40) 0 0 0 7 11
10 10 Ryan Newman 5000 (−40) 1 0 0 5 12
11 11 Juan Pablo Montoya 5000 (−40) 1 0 0 2 12
12 12 Greg Biffle 5000 (−40) 0 0 0 8 12

Results

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

Preceded by NASCAR seasons
2009
Succeeded by