| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 29 of 36 in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | October 4, 2009 | ||
| Location | Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.414 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching a high of 64.9 °F (18.3 °C); wind speeds approaching 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)[3] | ||
| Average speed | 137.144 miles per hour (220.712 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 30.724 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | |
| Laps | 113 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart Haas Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC | ||
| Announcers | Jerry Punch, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
| ||
The 2009 Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods was the 29th of 36 scheduled stock car races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the third in the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup. It was held on October 4, 2009, in Kansas City, Kansas, at Kansas Speedway, before a crowd of 100,000 spectators. Stewart-Haas Racing driver and co-owner Tony Stewart won the 267-lap race, starting from the fifth position. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports finished in second, with Roush Fenway Racing's Greg Biffle in third.
Mark Martin won the 47th pole position of his career by posting the fastest lap in qualifying. He lost the lead to his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. who passed him on lap 12. Earnhardt kept it until his other teammate Jimmie Johnson emerged in the first position after the first round of green flag pit stops took place. Biffle took the lead for the first time on the 72nd lap, and he led six times for a total of 113 laps, more than any other driver. Stewart became the leader through strategy on lap 238 during a phase of pit stops under a caution period by taking only two tires, while Biffle chose to have four tires installed on his car. He held off the closing Gordon in the final laps to secure the victory. There were six cautions and a track-record 26 lead changes amongst 14 different drivers during the course of the event.
It was Stewart's second win at Kansas Speedway, his fourth of the season, and the 37th of his career. The result advanced him from fifth to fourth in the Drivers' Championship, and past his nearest rival, Penske Championship Racing driver Kurt Busch. He was 67 points behind Martin whose lead over his teammate Johnson was reduced to 18 because Martin finished seventh. Because of Stewart's victory, Chevrolet won its 33rd Manufacturers' Championship in NASCAR Cup Competition, as Toyota could not catch its points total with seven races left in the season. The race attracted 5.25 million television viewers.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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Jayski400was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Weather Information for Kansas City, Kansas". Old Farmer's Almanac. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- ^ "2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup TV Ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on September 9, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2015.