2009 Carfax 400

Race details[1]
Race 23 of 36 in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2009 Carfax 400 program cover
Date	August 16, 2009 (2009-August-16)
Location	Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.0 mi (3.218 km)
Distance	200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Weather	Temperatures reaching up to 89.6 °F (32.0 °C); wind speeds up to 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h)
Average speed	131.531 miles per hour (211.679 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Brian Vickers	Red Bull Racing Team
Time	38.453
Most laps led
Driver	Jimmie Johnson	Hendrick Motorsports
Laps	133
Winner
No. 83	Brian Vickers	Red Bull Racing Team
Television in the United States
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Jerry Punch, Andy Petree and Dale Jarrett

The 2009 Carfax 400 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race that took place on August 16, 2009, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Actual start time of the race was 2:10PM Eastern Daylight Time;^[2] meaning that the race ended at exactly 5:12 PM EDT.

Background

Michigan International Speedway's front stretch and infield.

Michigan International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2 miles (3.2 km) long.^[3] Opened in 1968, the track's turns are banked at eighteen degrees, while the 3,600-foot-long front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at twelve degrees.^[3] The back stretch, has a five degree banking and is 2,242 feet long.^[3]

Summary

200 laps were run on a paved oval track spanning 2.000 miles (3.219 km).^[4] Out of the 43 race car drivers on the grid, there were 41 American-born driers and two foreigners (Marcos Ambrose from Australia and Juan Pablo Montoya from Colombia).^[4] There were seven cautions for 36 laps and the race lasted three hours and two minutes.^[4] Attendance was 103,000 strong and Brian Vickers (driving a Toyota Camry) won the race under a fuel mileage finish.^[4] The other contenders who finished in the top ten were: Jeff Gordon (lost by 1.409 seconds), Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Sam Hornish Jr., Casey Mears, Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer, David Reutimann, and Denny Hamlin.^[4] The pole speed was 187.242 miles per hour (301.337 km/h) while the average speed was 131.531 miles per hour (211.679 km/h).^[5] Jimmie Johnson had a dominant run during the closing laps until he ran out of fuel. He later admitted that his team was not good on fuel mileage during the race.^[5]

Tony Raines failed to qualify for the race due to lack of speed.^[4] There were two instances of rain during the race which eventually returned to fair weather.^[4]

Results

References