Photos

CHECKERED FLAG - KURT BUSCH WINS!

WHITE FLAG - Kurt Busch leads

Lap 339: BIG BOTTLENECK up front allows Kurt Busch to pull away.

RESTART - Lap 339: Kurt Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya, Paul Menard, Kasey KAhne, Matt Kenseth are your top five. Allmendinger, True, Vicekrs, Biffle and Harvick are your top 10. This is the second of three possible green/white/checkered finishes.

CAUTION 11 - Lap 331: Just before Kurt Busch took the white flag, a big wreck takes place behind him! Wreck started when Jamie McMurray got loose and wrecked into Clint Bowyer - mayhem ensued behind him.

Lap 331: THREE WIDE FOR THE LEAD!

RESTART - Lap 330: Clint Bowyer leads. Menard, McMurray, Kurt Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya are your top five.

This will be the first of three attempts at a green, white, checkered finish.

Lap 325: Everybody pits once pit road opens up. A few cars - 33, 98, 1 - took two tires and are now leading.

NASCAR parks Carl Edwards for the day after that.

Radio chatter: No. 99 crew chief Bob Osborne: "(Keselowski's) walking, He’s a little jelly-legging but he’s good." | Edwards: "Alright good."

CAUTION 10 - Lap 233: WHOA! Carl Edwards makes contact with Brad Keslowski and Keselowski goes airborne! Edwards hit Keselowski in the left rear, sending him out of control on the frontstretch and getting him airborne.

5 LAPS LEFT - Juan Pablo Montoya is catching leader Kurt Busch!

Lee Spencer says: Best Hendrick car right now is Mark Martin - despite spinning out on Lap 116 -- Martin is currently 16th

Lap 309: And here comes Kasey Kahne - he's battling Kenseth for third.

Lap 308: Juan Pablo Montoya got a great run off Turn 4 and takes over second place. He's 1.869 seconds behind race leader Kurt Busch.

Lap 306: Tony Stewart pitting from 13th - tough luck day for Smoke.

Lap 305: Juan Pablo Montoya catching up to second-place Matt Kenseth.

Lap 302: Kurt Busch has a 0.753 second lead on Matt Kenseth.

RESTART - Lap 297: Kurt Busch leads. Matt Kenseth, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski round out the top five. AJ Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Paul Menard and Greg Biffle are the remainder of the top 10.

Lee Spencer says on Lap 295: Jimmie Johnson had a problem with the right front wheel well...entered the pits before the last caution 4th...is currently being scored in 20th

David Reutimann, who blew up after 167 laps: “It’s just a real frustrating deal. We had a good Mitsubishi Electric/Aaron’s Dream Machine and we were starting to have a pretty good day. The car wasn’t where we wanted it at the start of the race, but Rodney Childers and the crew kept working on it and got it up into the top-10 and we were closing in on the top-five. It turned what could have been a great day into a very disappointing day.”

Lap 294: A few of the lead lap cars pit - most notably seventh-place Jimmie Johnson.

CAUTION 9 - Lap 293: Right at the restart, Elliott Sadler gets turned and he goes into the wall. Max Papis also gets into the wall.

RESTART - Lap 292: Kurt Busch is your leader. Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski and Juan Pablo Montoya are your top five. Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., AJ Allmendinger and Greg Biffle are the rest of the top 10.

Lap 289: Leaders pit. Denny Hamlin has a VERY long pit stop, but that's to be expected since he had the tire problem that brought out the caution.

CAUTION 8 - Lap 288: Denny Hamlin cuts a left front tire. Debris on the track.

Lap 285: Brad Keselowski goes inside Jimmie Johnson to take fourth place.

Lap 284: Kasey Kahne's tires are a few laps fresher, and they are showing - he breezed past Kurt Busch and now takes the lead from Denny Hamlin - who short pitted due to a tire issue.

Lap 279: Denny Hamlin is your race leader as the pit cycle completes. He is on the edge though, not sure if he can make it all the way without stopping again.

Lap 278: Race leader Kasey Kahne pits, had over a 12 second lead. Because of where the pits are situated, Paul Menard, who was pitting at the same time, leads a lap.

Lap 276: Matt Kenseth pits from P2

Lap 275: Kurt Busch pits from second.

Lap 273: Jimmie Johnson pits from third.

Lap 270: A few more lead lap cars are coming in.

Lap 269: Tony Stewart pits. He should be able to go the rest of the way without stopping again.

Lap 267: Fourth-place Denny Hamlin pits. He was experiencing tire issues.

Lap 260: 20 laps until race leader Kasey Kahne pits, says crew chief Kenny Francis.

Lap 259: Jimmie Johnson right on Kurt Busch's bumper.

Lap 244: Kahne goes to the inside in Turn 2 and takes the lead!

Lap 241: In the battle of the beers up front, Busch (Miller Lite) is better in Turns 3 and 4 than Kahne. Kahne (Budweiser) picks up through 1 and 2

Lap 238: Kasey Kahne is right behind leader Kurt Busch.

Lap 235: Kurt Busch opens up a one second lead up front.

Lap 230: Kurt Busch is your new race leader.

RESTART - Lap 229: Kasey Kahne is your leader, Kurt Busch second, Jimmie Johnson third.

Radio chatter: No. 24 crew chief Steve Letarte: "We have to pit, if we stay out we'll blow a tire and wreck the car"

Jorge Mondaca: Oh by the way, with this pit stop Jimmie Johnson is back on pit sequence with everybody else and that earlier tire vibration is long forgotten. Guess he still has that Lucky horseshoe?

Radio chatter: Jeff Gordon: "ah, how many laps are we down now?"

CAUTION 7 - Lap 225: Debris on the frontstretch.

Lee Spencer: Last time Bill Elliott led a lap was at Pocono in August of 2008

Lap 218: Oh by the way, Jimmie Johnson is up to second.

Lap 216: Jeff Burton, who is having brake issues, gets a pass through penalty for being too fast entering pit road

Lap 216: Race leader Bill Elliott pits, ending the pit cycle. Kasey Kahne reclaims the top spot.

Lap 215: Race leader Jeff Burton pits.

Lap 213: Race leader Denny Hamlin pits.

Lap 211: Race leader Kasey kahne pits. Denny Hamlin in the lead.

Lap 210: Juan Pablo Montoya, Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish Jr. - all top 10 cars - are in the pits for service.

Lap 207: Jeff Gordon: "We need to be in survival mode right now. Forget about trying to win this (freakin') race"

Lap 205: Brad Keselowski pits -- this might be a scheduled pit stop.

Lap 203: Dale Jr. pits under green for the third time today for tire issues.

Lap 200: Jimmie Johnson is pitting for a likely tire vibration. All four Hendrick drivers have had tire woes today.

Lap 194: Jimmie Johnson: "I'm picking up a bit of a vibration, I dont know what it is." | Chad Knaus: "Just keep us posted on it."

Lap 190: Jeff Gordon: "I'm (freakin) dead loose. I've been pushing forever"

Lee Spencer says on Lap 188: All three Penske Dodges in the top 10...no, not an error

Lap 183: Denny Hamlin passes JPM for second.

Lap 180: Juan Pablo Montoya telling his team that he is really loose.

Engine issues have sent David Reutimann to the garage - tough luck for Reuti, he was running great so far today.

Lap 175: Kasey Kahne makes it look easy! He takes the lead.

Lap 172: Montoya takes the lead! But Kahne and Hamlin are right there ready to put up a fight for the top spot.

Lap 170: Four-way fight for first between Hamlin, Montoya, Busch and Kahne

RESTART - Lap 164: Denny Hamlin is your leader.

Lap 159: Leaders pit.

CAUTION 6 - Lap 157: Joey Logano has a tire blow and tears into the right side of his car, dropping debris on track to bring out the caution. Regan Smith gets the lucky dog free pass.

Radio chatter: "My bad guys, damn it," said Jeff Gordon. Letarte says don't worry, the tire wasnt going to make it

Lap 154: Jeff Gordon gets a pass through penalty for entering too fast onto pit road.

Lap 152: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon pit. Gordon was having a tire issue.

Lap 150: No. 11 crew chief MIke Ford - "We have over 20 laps before we pit"

Lap 148: Denny Hamlin takes the lead on the backstretch! Be careful though, the battle for the lead allowed third-place Juan Pablo Montoya to catch up and now he's hunting for the top spot.

Lap 146: Side-by-side for the lead!

Lap 145: Denny Hamlin is right behind Kurt Busch and battling for the lead.

Lap 134: Four Fords in the top 10 -- two Roush (17, 16) and two RPM (9, 43) cars

Lap 131: Jeff Gordon dropping - down to eighth. "We have to take care of our stuff and pray that it comes back to us and the others fall off"

Lap 129: Denny Hamlin goes low and passes Juan Pablo Montoya for second.

Lee Spencer says: Seems strange to see the Valvoline paint scheme on the 17...couldn't Roush had put the red, white and blue on the No. 6 for old time's sake?

Lap 120: Juan Pablo got past Kurt Busch briefly, but cannot hang on to lead a lap. Kurt Busch looks good up front.

RESTART - Lap 119: Kurt Busch is your leader.

Radio chatter: Junior: "I can't count on one hand how many (freaking) loose wheels I've had around Atlanta." | Crew chief Lance McGrew: "A lot of load, a lot of load here."

Lap 116: Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not pit again, allowing him to become a wave around car -- putting him back on the lead lap.

Lap 116: Pits are open this time by. Leaders come in for service. Kyle Busch takes two tires and comes out first, brother Kurt takes four tires and is second.

CAUTION 5 - Lap 114: Mark Martin spun coming off Turn 4 but manages to keep control and has little damage. Bobby Labonte gets the free pass.

Lap 112: Dale Jr. feels like he has a loose wheel and pits.

Lap 110: Kurt Busch just extended his lead ... Montoya can get to the No. 2, but hasnt gained the momentum to pass yet

Lap 107: Kurt Busch's lead is down to 0.392 seconds. Montoya has his sights fixed on taking the lead and gaining five bonus points

Lap 102: 42 spotter Tab Boyd tells Montoya that Busch is running a line up by the wall but 42 is the fastest car

Darrell Waltrip: One of the things we wanted Dale Jr. to do today is be up front, be competive & not fall back through the field. So far so good.

Lap 95: Kasey Kahne passes Dale Jr. for fourth. Kasey Kahne has the fastest car on track again and is marching up front.

Lap 94: A little further back, Mark Martin breaks back into the top 20. He's been struggling with his race car all afternoon, but this may be a sign that he's getting the handle on it again.

Lap 92: ... and now teammate Jeff Gordon passes Junebug for third.

Lap 91: Juan Pablo Montoya takes over second place from Dale Jr. ...

Lap 89: Fastest car on the racetrack right now is fourth-place Jeff Gordon.

Lap 87: He's back .... Dale Earnhardt Jr. passes Juan Pablo Montoya and moves up to second place.

RESTART - Lap 83: Kurt Busch is your race leader. Denny Hamlin restarts second.

Lap 80: Leaders pit. Kurt Busch wins the race off pit road! Former leader Kasey Kahne loses a handful of spots. Brad Keselowski has an extended pit stop thanks to damage on the right side.

Clint Bowyer gets the lucky dog free pass again and will go back on the lead lap.

Radio chatter: Kyle Busch - "(shoot), now we're two laps down"

CAUTION 4 - Lap 78: Debris in Turn 2.

Lap 77: Kasey Kahne puts Clint Bowyer a lap down.

Lap 75: Kyle Busch pitting - he thinks his right front tire is going down.

Lap 74: Kyle Busch falls out of the top 10 after losing spots to Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle.

Radio chatter on Lap 74: Kyle Busch - "Loose in, tight turning center, loose off"

Lap 73: Denny Hamlin passes Montoya for 2nd! Defending race winner Kurt Busch takes advantage and takes third. JPM 4th.

Lap 68: AJ Allmendinger passes Jamie McMurray and is back in the top 15.

Lee Spencer on Lap 64: Kyle Busch dropping like a rock. Missing it in the corners, Jeff Gordon, brother Kurt and Denny Hamlin just passed him and he is now down to sixth.

Lap 55: Kasey Kahne's lead is 1.876 over Juan Pablo Montoya. Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon round out the top five. Defending race winner Kurt Busch is up to sixth.

Lap 50: Dave Blaney to the garage

Lap 48: Kasey Kahne reclaims the lead from Kyle Busch in Turn 2.

Lap 45: Juan Pablo Montoya uses the high line to pass Dale Earnhardt Jr. for third.

Lap 44: Kyle Busch takes the lead.

Lap 43: Tony Stewart back up to eighth. He restarted 29th after the first caution.

GREEN FLAG - Lap 43: Kasey Kahne is your leader. Clint Bowyer is back on the lead lap thanks to the lucky dog free pass.

Radio chatter: Carl Edwards is concerned with where he was hit...another crew man radios "there's an oil leak"

CAUTION 3 – Lap 40: Carl Edwards gets clipped by Brad Keselowski in the turn, goes up the hill in Turn 1, hits Joey Logano and both hit the wall.

GREEN FLAG - Lap 39: Race leader Kasey Kahne uses the outside line on the restart. Max Papis is the lucky dog free pass winner and is now back on the lead lap.

Lap 36: Leaders pit.

Dale Jr.: “It wont roll in the center”

CAUTION 2 - Lap 34: David Ragan has a right front tire go down and hits the wall hard.

Lap 32: Denny Hamlin passes Jeff Gordon for fourth.

Lap 30: Denny Hamlin breaks into the top five. He's gota  pretty good car early today.

Lap 28: Pretty interesting mix in the top 10 - Ford leads, Chevrolet second, Toyota third.

Lap 27: Kasey Kahne is riding a rocket ship today - his lead over second-place Juan Pablo Montoya is 3.116 seconds.

Lap 24: Tony Stewart up to 17th after starting at teh rear of the field. Teammate Ryan Newman, also started from the back, is ahead of him in 16th.

Lee Spencer says: David Ragan, who is facing intense pressure from both owner Jack Roush and sponsor UPS, has jumped from 17th to 7th in the first 16 laps.

Lap 18: Clint Bowyer pits - flat right rear tire

Lap 16: Oh by the way, Denny Hamlin is up to eighth.

Per NASCAR: Robby Gordon evaluated and released from the infield care center.

Lap 15: Kasey Kahne already has a 0.920 second advantage - he is fast!

Lap 14: Kasey Kahne flexes his muscles and takes over the No. 1 spot.

Lap 12: Forget the low line, Juan Pablo Montoya uses the high line to get past Dale Jr. for third place.

Lap 11: Defending race winner Kurt Busch moves up to 10th place.

Lee Spencer says: Kasey Kahne moves up to second on Lap 9. Many crew chiefs claim the No. 9 will be the car to beat today.

Green flag - Lap 8: Kyle Busch leads at the restart.

Lee Spencer says: 48 car has already picked up six positions -- of course three spots were for 14, 39 and 16 going to the rear at the start of the race ---SHR cars for engines, 16 for back up car after happy hour wreck

Keep an eye out for the cars that pitted, they will be on a different pit sequence.

Early caution, but drivers at the rear of the field are coming in to make adjustments. Among the cars in are the No. 1 (Jamie McMurray), No. 14 (Tony Stewart), No. 16 (Greg Biffle), No. 20 (Joey Logano) ...

Crew chief Lance McGrew is asking Junior for his "pressures"...the numbers are the same as yesterday

CAUTION 1 - Lap 3: Robby Gordon spins out and hits the wall hard. Tough luck for Gordon, who was driving a new race car today.

Lee Spencer says: Spotters are also saying that the high line will be preferred today. The bumps that we've discussed are all on the inside lane.

Lap 1: Kyle Busch motored on the high line and took the lead from Dale Jr.

GREEN FLAG - Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the field to the green.

Lee Spencer reports that the problem with the 14 and 39 were the coatings on the valves. The Hendrick engine guys dissected the 14 engine yesterday, used a borescope (which videos the inside of just about anything on an engine) throughout the engine with particular focus on the cylinders. Hendrick engine tuners told other customers this morning that there was no need for concern. Just an isolated incident

Drivers going to the back of the field at the start: Ryan Newman (engine change), Tony Stewart (engine change), Greg Biffle (switched to backup car)

ENGINES FIRED

All the prerace pageantry is complete, we are minutes away from the command to start engines.

DW to Dale Jr: Today is your day. Get it done!

Mike Joy: Without a doubt, Atlanta Motor Speedway is NASCAR's fastest track.

Big news early this morning at Atlanta Motor Speedway as both Stewart Haas Racing cars, Tony Stewart's No. 14 and Ryan Newman's No. 39, changed engines and will start at the rear of the field this afternoon.

Welcome to FOXSports.com's coverage of the Kobalt Tools 500. Tune in to FOX beginning at Noon ET for live coverage from Atlanta Motor Speedway. Green Flag is scheduled for shortly after 1 p.m. ET.