Tools Ultimate Tradesman Challenge winner Delwyn Thorton gave the command for drivers to start their engines. Jimmie Johnson held the lead going through the first corner with Carl Edwards behind him. After starting fourth, Tony Stewart passed Edwards for the second position. David Reutimann's fourth position was filled by Ryan Newman on lap 4. By lap seventeen, Johnson and Stewart were ahead of Edwards by 1.8 seconds. On lap 22, Paul Menard moved into the tenth position, after passing Matt Kenseth. Juan Pablo Montoya moved into the sixth position by lap 27. After twenty-nine laps, Robby Gordon and Michael McDowell had driven to the garage as start-and-parks. Two laps later, Menard had moved into the ninth position. On lap 38, Montoya moved into the fifth position, after passing Reutimann. After starting twentieth, Kurt Busch had moved up to the twelfth position by lap 51. Seven laps later, the first caution came out because David Gilliland collided with the wall. After the drivers had finished their pit stops, Johnson led to the green flag. Stewart moved into the first position one lap later, but he could not maintain it for the second consecutive lap. On lap 65, Kasey Kahne received a drive-through penalty after driving too fast on pit lane. Nine laps later, Kyle Busch moved into the eighth position, as his brother Kurt followed. Afterward, Montoya moved into the sixth position. By lap 81, Johnson had a 0.60 second lead over Stewart. Two laps later, Jamie McMurray passed Kenseth for the tenth position. On lap 96, Kyle Busch passed Montoya for sixth, as Stewart was gaining ground on Johnson. Two laps later, Edwards caught Stewart for the second position. After 107 laps, Johnson had a 0.65 second lead over Stewart. On lap 127, David Ragan had spun sideways, which prompted the second caution to come out. During the accident, Tony Raines collided in the back of Stewart's race car. Following the caution, Johnson led to the green flag on lap 130. One lap later, the third caution was given because Regan Smith collided with the wall. On lap 140, Johnson led the drivers to the green flag. After starting twenty-first, Greg Biffle had moved into the eleventh position by lap 142. On lap 153, Kevin Harvick said, "We don't know what we're doing. Leave the air alone.", after being frustrated that his crew could not fix the car handling. On