After spending ten minutes thinking about what strategy to adopt, everyone save for Johnson, Martin, Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle chose to pit leaving those four at the head of the field when racing resumed. With their hand forced Johnson and Co. had no choice but to pit a mere ten laps later when the caution flag came out again for Sorenson's second encounter with the concrete.
This left Earnhardt Jr in the lead for the lap 152 restart with a still-to-pit Biffle in second, Martin Truex Jr third, front row starter Elliott Sadler fourth and Clint Bowyer in fifth. Mark Martin and Johnson would restart 13th and 14th with Edwards still a lap down but now up to 23rd.
The order was shuffled again on lap 166 when Sadler's engine failed and it was now the turn of Martin, Jamie McMurray and Kurt Busch to stay out and assume the leading positions before another round of stops on lap 199 brought everybody back onto the same fuel strategy.
It would be Earnhardt Jr who would lead the field to the green flag on lap 203 having wrested the lead away from Martin on pit road. Martin was still there in second with his DEI teammate Truex Jr third, Johnson still mired back in 14th and Edwards now 17th after receiving the lucky dog free pass.
Earnhardt Jr and Martin pulled away from their pursuers as the race entered its final 100 laps with the irony of the #88 Hendrick car battling with the #8 DEI entry lost on nobody. The gap between the two ebbed and flowed for more than 20 laps until, critically, the final caution flag of the day waved on lap 228 when Kahne's fine run ended with a puncture and a trip to the SAFER barrier in turn four.
Everybody headed to pit road for fuel and tyres but with the green flag waving on lap 232 it was largely felt that 80 laps would be too far to try and stretch a single tank of gas. Everyone save for Johnson that is.
![Jimmie Johnson. [Pic Credit image.net]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/386116.jpg)
