Although the younger of the Busch brothers led more than 150 laps in total there were plenty of drivers who showed a potentially victorious turn of speed at varying points of the race, not least Bud Pole winner Martin Truex Jr, who led the field away from the green flag at the start of the day.
Sadly for Truex Jr a pair of early caution periods, one for Paul Menard's spin and another shortly after for AJ Allmendinger's first of several trips into the wall never gave the driver of the #1 DEI Chevrolet a chance to properly stretch his legs. Third place qualifier Juan Montoya led for a short while before his #42 Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge lapsed onto seven cylinders and some early pit strategy handed the lead to points leader Jeff Gordon even though the driver of the #24 Hendrick Chevrolet was battling a car that was by no means perfect.
Truex Jr managed to claw back his lead by the lap 30 mark but was then thwarted again by a pair of debris cautions before lap 50, which once again shuffled the order as several drivers, Gordon included, chose to stay out on old tyres. Gordon once again regained the lead but as the race settled into its first extended green flag run it was the #5 Hendrick entry of Busch who took control. Busch continued to lead through the first round of green flag pitstops and was five seconds clear of the pack when the yellow flags came out again on lap 118 for JJ Yeley's spin.
At the time of the fifth caution Dale Earnhardt Jr was the driver closest to Busch, the #8 DEI Chevrolet running just inches away from the outside SAFER barriers all the way around the Texas oval and while such daredevil driving pleased Dale Jr's fans even more than usual it was masking the fact that the #8 Chevrolet was not handling the way its driver wanted it to, almost forcing such lurid tactics from the cockpit. Having briefly grabbed the lead by virtue not pitting under the Yeley caution Earnhardt Jr gradually fell back although for a time he was the only non-Chase driver in the top as the race moved towards its half way point.
![Jimmie Johnson - Kobalt/Lowe's Chevrolet [pic credit: image.net]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/300249.jpg)
