Lap-by-Lap: Richmond

Lap 400 -- CHECKERED FLAG: Denny Hamlin held off Kyle Busch and will go into the Chase as the top seed after scoring his series-leading sixth victory of the season at Richmond. Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer round out the 12-driver field for the Cup Series championship.

Lap 399 -- WHITE FLAG: Denny Hamlin leads Kyle Busch by 1.2 seconds.

Lap 397 -- Joey Logano is mounting a charge toward Jimmie Johnson and the third spot. Kyle Busch has nothing left for Denny Hamlin.

Lap 396 -- Denny Hamlin continues to lead.

Lap 394 -- Denny Hamlin moves under Brad Keselowski. Keselowski gives Hamlin plenty of room to pass.

Lap 392 -- Kyle Busch has dropped off the bumper of Denny Hamlin. with hot tires, rotors.

Lap 390 -- Marcos Ambrose moves into fifth after passing Clint Bowyer.

Lap 389 -- Kyle Busch slides the car through Turn 2 but holds on.

Lap 387 -- Denny Hamlin's rotors are glowing red.

Lap 384 -- Kyle Busch takes a peak at Denny Hamlin but can't get it done. Tony Stewart gets out of the way and goes a lap down.

Lap 383 -- Kyle Busch started the race in 32nd and maintains his spot in second.

Lap 380 -- Jimmie Johnson remains in third, 2.5 seconds behind the front.

Lap 377 -- All of the attention remains up front and on Joe Gibbs teammates Denny Hamlin, in the lead, and Kyle Busch, who continues to wait for the perfect time to mount a charge to the front.

Lap 376 -- Jamie McMurray goes a lap down.

Lap 374 -- Clint Bowyer remains in fourth. Ryan Newman is holding onto 11th.

Lap 372 -- No such luck for Kurt Busch as Denny Hamlin makes the pass and puts Busch a lap down.

Lap 371 -- Kurt Busch is in danger of going a lap down and is doing his best to hold off Denny Hamlin.

Lap 370 -- Joey Logano rounds out the top five, passing Juan Montoya.

Lap 368 -- Kyle Busch is making a charge but can't pass Denny our of the turns.

Lap 366 -- Joey Logano continues to do battle with Juan Montoya for fifth.

Lap 364 -- Mark Martin goes two laps down.

Lap 362 -- Kyle Busch has now closed in on Denny Hamlin and is on the bumper of the No. 11.

Lap 359 -- Eighteen cars remain on the lead lap. Kurt Busch is in 18th.

Lap 356 -- Denny Hamlin does another good job of polishing off lapped traffic and finding some clean air. Kyle Busch can't get any closer and is three car lengths behind.

Lap 353 -- Martin Truex Jr. goes two laps down as Denny Hamlin makes the pass.

Lap 350 -- Juan Montoya holds onto fourth. Joey Logano's speed is picking up as he runs in sixth.

Lap 348 -- Clint Bowyer rounds out the top five.

Lap 346 -- Kyle Busch is closing on the lead after Denny Hamlin is forced to slow, weave through lapped traffic.

Lap 345 -- Joey Logano moves into sixth.

Lap 341 -- Bobby Labonte reports that he is in good condition after a fire under the hood on pit road. Just five cars are out of the race.

Lap 339 -- Kyle Busch is running strong in second and beginning to make a charge toward Denny Hamlin. Carl Edwards rounds out the top 10. Ryan Newman is in 11th.

Lap 337 -- Greg Biffle goes four laps down.

Lap 336 -- Juan Montoya drops to third.

Lap 332 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin takes the lead, passing Juan Montoya. Clint Bowyer was beat off of pit road by Kyle Busch and slides behind Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 330 -- Juan Montoya is looking for his first win on the oval. Denny Hamlin is on fresher tires, though. Kyle Busch is in third.

Lap 328 -- LEAD CHANGE: Juan Montoya passes Denny Hamlin for the lead.

Lap 327 -- Juan Montoya is all over Denny Hamlin.

Lap 325 -- Carl Edwards takes tires. Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch pit. Bowyer is loose, gets a track bar adjustment. Busch gets another air pressure adjustment. Denny Hamlin gives up the lead to pit, gets an air adjustment, tires.

Lap 324 -- More cars head to pit road. Kevin Harvick calls the car terrible, gets four tires and fuel.

Lap 322 -- Jamie McMurray is on pit road, takes four tires and fuel. Brad Keselowski is in with a tight car, gets an air adjustment and is back out.

Lap 320 -- Juan Montoya is on pit road, takes new tires and is back on the track.

Lap 317 -- Clint Bowyer falls 2.21 seconds behind Denny Hamlin.

Lap 309 -- Kasey Kahne goes four laps down. Denny Hamlin's lead grown to 1.3 seconds over Clint Bowyer.

Lap 306 -- Jeff Gordon remains the last car on the lead lap. Dale Earnhardt Jr -- four laps down -- is on pit road for tires and another adjustment. He says it feels like the tires are on the wrong side of the car.

Lap 304 -- Kyle Busch, in fourth, is putting up faster speeds than Denny Hamlin, who continues to lead. Busch still can't get around Jimmie Johnson, though.

Lap 302 -- Greg Biffle goes four laps down. Kasey Kahne is now three laps down.

Lap 300 -- Joey Logano moves into seventh.

Lap 298 -- A.J. Allmendinger reports his car is tight but continues to hold his on in the sixth spot.

Lap 296 -- Kyle Busch is closing the gap on Jimmie Johnson and the third spot.

Lap 293 -- Denny Hamlin remains the man and increases his lead over Clint Bowyer after getting though lapped traffic.

Lap 291 -- Clint Bowyer won't go away; Denny Hamlin holds the lead through Turn 4.

Lap 290 -- Denny Hamlin waves through lapped traffic as Clint Bowyer closes for the lead.

Lap 288 -- Joe Gibbs Racing currently has three cars in the top eight.

Lap 285 -- Ryan Newman is starting to challenge A.J. Allmendinger for sixth.

Lap 284 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. goes another lap down.

Lap 283 -- Another round of pit stops are coming up.

Lap 281 -- Joey Logano charges into ninth, passing Tony Stewart.

Lap 275 -- Denny Hamlin holds onto a 1.2 second lead over Clint Bowyer. Carl Edwards remains in 10th but appears to be struggling after big adjustments on pit road.

Lap 273 -- Matt Kenseth appears to be fighting some grip issues as he slides, but holds onto the race car in Turn 3.

Lap 270 -- A.J. Allmendinger drops to sixth. Joey Logano gets past Marcos Ambrose for 12th.

Lap 268 -- Carl Edwards is in 10th after starting from the pole.

Lap 266 -- Brad Keselowski is running in the 14th spot and looking for a top-10 finish. Jeff Gordon is running in 18th and has made a ton of changes to the car throughout the race but can't seem to make any progress.

Lap 265 -- A few drivers are reporting some light rain on the track.

Lap 263 -- The drivers currently in the top four have won the past seven races at Richmond: Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch.

Lap 261 -- Jimmie Johnson is now in third and reports his brakes weren't re-set after leaving pit road.

Lap 258 -- Kyle Busch is back into fourth and closing on Jimmie Johnson, in third.

Lap 255 -- Jeff Gordon -- in 18th -- remains the last car on the lead lap.

Lap 253 -- Matt Kenseth isn't ready to give up seventh to Ryan Newman and holds on through Turn 4.

Lap 251 -- Clint Bowyer is closing on the lead and Denny Hamlin. Jimmie Johnson is holding onto third.

Lap 249 -- Ryan Newman is one the move, passing Tony Stewart for eighth.

Lap 247 -- Joey Logano is loose through Turn 2 but saves the car. Marcos Ambrose has run in the top 15 for most of the race and claims the 12th spot.

Lap 245 -- Kevin Harvick rounds out the top 10. Carl Edwards is in 11th.

Lap 243 -- Clint Bowyer moves into second.

Lap 241 -- Denny Hamlin stays out front and leads the lap.

Lap 240 -- GREEN FLAG: LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin leads the field to green, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Juan Montoya.

Lap 238 -- Jet dryers continue to dry the track. Jeff Burton pits, gives up the lead. Jamie McMurray pits.

Lap 234 -- If things stay the same, Jeff Burton will lead the field to green, followed by Jamie McMurray, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer. Carl Edwards thinks other cars may be set up better for the long haul and says if it continues to rain, Jeff Burton will look like a genius. Four cars are out of the race.

Lap 229 -- Jamie McMurray elects to stay out and moves into second.

Lap 228 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Burton stays out, takes the lead. A steady, light shower continues to fall. Denny Hamlin pits, followed by Jimmie Johnson. Johnson is tight in the center and calls for a chassis adjustment. Clint Bowyer is too tight. Kyle Busch likes his car, takes tires, air adjustment. Denny Hamlin gets a wedge adjustment and wins the race off pit road. Juan Montoya picks up one spot.

Lap 226 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: A light rain is falling on the track. Denny Hamlin leads, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch. Jeff Gordon gets the free pass.

Lap 223 -- A.J. Allmendinger continues to impress and rounds out the top five.

Lap 220 -- Kyle Busch is closing the gap on Clint Bowyer and the third spot.

Lap 217 -- Denny Hamlin improves his lead over Jimmie Johnson, in second. Ryan Newman has found the ninth spot.

Lap 216 -- Kevin Harvick has moved into eighth, up 12 spots since the start of the race.

Lap 214 -- Seventeen cars remain on the lead lap.

Lap 213 -- Jimmie Johnson is 1.2 seconds behind Denny Hamlin.

Lap 208 -- Tony Stewart moves into 10th.

Lap 205 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. goes three laps down.

Lap 203 -- Clint Bowyer loses another spot and moves into third. Jimmie Johnson claims the second spot.

Lap 200 -- A.J. Allmendinger reports he is pleased with the car after his most recent trip down pit road.

Lap 199 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin gets around Clint Bowyer for the lead.

Lap 197 -- Kyle Busch is challenging Jimmie Johnson for third.

Lap 192 -- Denny Hamlin is on the bumper of Clint Bowyer.

Lap 190 -- Kyle Busch holds onto the fifth spot.

Lap 187 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. continues to struggle at Richmond, dropping to 34th and going two laps down.

Lap 185 -- Seventeen cars remain on the lead lap.

Lap 184 -- Jeff Burton rounds out the top 10.

Lap 183 -- LEAD CHANGE: Clint Bowyer takes the lead.

Lap 181 -- Carl Edwards, in sixth, is running strong after a wedge adjustment, but the front tires are chattering.

Lap 180 -- Kyle Busch cracks the top five and continues his march forward.

Lap 179 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin comes back to life and takes the lead from Clint Bowyer.

Lap 178 -- Kyle Busch moves into sixth, passing Juan Montoya.

Lap 176 -- Jimmie Johnson continues to hold onto third, followed by A.J. Allmendinger in fourth.

Lap 174 -- LEAD CHANGE: Clint Bowyer gets around Denny Hamlin.

Lap 172 -- Kyle Busch claims another spot, passing Matt Kenseth for seventh.

Lap 170 -- Clint Bowyer maintains his place on Denny Hamlin's bumper and is challenging for the lead through Turn 3.

Lap 168 -- Kyle Busch continues his charge toward the front and claims the eighth spot.

Lap 165 -- Jeff Gordon is a lap down in 19th. Mark Martin is a lap down in 22nd. Tony Stewart reports the left rear tire doesn't feel right.

Lap 163 -- Clint Bowyer reports he doesn't like the changes since leaving pit road and wants the car freed up. Despite that fact, he passes Jimmie Johnson for second.

Lap 162 -- Clint Bowyer is closing down on Jimmie Johnson, but Johnson holds through Turn 4.

Lap 161 -- Kyle Busch rounds out the top 10, up 22 spots since the race began.

Lap 158 -- A.J. Allmendinger gives up third to Clint Bowyer.

Lap 157 -- LEAD CHANGE: With bonus points there for the taking, Denny Hamlin reclaims the lead with Jimmie Johnson on his bumper.

Lap 155 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson gets around Denny Hamlin and takes the lead.

Lap 154 -- Jimmie Johnson charges to the low side but Denny Hamlin drives way off into Turn 1 to hold the lead. Greg Biffle is on pit road with a flat tire.

Lap 153 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin leads the field to green, followed by Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson Matt Kenseth and A.J. Allmendinger.

Lap 147 -- Denny Hamlin leads the cars down pit road. Jimmie Johnson gets a chassis adjustment. A.J. Allmendinger reports he's tight, takes four tires and fuel. Jamie McMurray is tight in the middle and gets an air pressure adjustment. Clint Bowyer is loose, gets adjustments, tires. Denny Hamlin gets wedge, air adjustment and wins the race off pit road. Carl Edwards drops to eighth.

Lap 146 -- Joey Logano gets the free pass. Pit road is closed.

Lap 145 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Terry Labonte is into the wall with a flat tire. Denny Hamlin puts Joey Logano a lap down.

Lap 144 -- Joey Logano is the last car on the lead lap, running in 17th.

Lap 142 -- Denny Hamlin now has a 5.74 second lead over Clint Bowyer.

Lap 141 -- Jeff Gordon goes a lap down.

Lap 139 -- Twenty-one cars remain on the lead lap. Dale Earnhardt Jr. drops to 32nd.

Lap 137 -- Kyle Busch is the biggest mover of the race, up 22 spots into 10th.

Lap 135 -- Jeff Burton moves into 10th. Denny Hamlin increases his lead to 3.3 seconds.

Lap 134 -- Greg Biffle goes two laps down.

Lap 132 -- Matt Kenseth is charging toward the front and has found the sixth spot.

Lap 131 -- Juan Montoya is running in sixth but reports a need for more forward bite.

Lap 130 -- Mark Martin gives way to Denny Hamlin and goes a lap down.

Lap 128 -- Jeff Burton moves into 11th.

Lap 127 -- Mark Martin is in danger of going a lap down and is the last car on the lead lap.

Lap 125 -- Jimmie Johnson is back into third and holding off Carl Edwards for the spot.

Lap 123 -- Denny Hamlin weaves in and out of lapped traffic. Kevin Harvick is posting the fastest speed around the track. Marcos Ambrose rounds out the top 10.

Lap 121 -- Denny Hamlin has opened up a 2.1 second lead over Clint Bowyer.

Lap 119 -- Kurt Busch moves into ninth.

Lap 116 -- Denny Hamlin has led over 900 laps at Richmond in just 10 starts.

Lap 114 -- Greg Biffle goes a lap down.

Lap 112 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in danger of going a lap down.

Lap 110 -- LEAD CHANGE: Denny Hamlin passes Clint Bowyer for the lead.

Lap 107 -- Carl Edwards has dropped back to third and Denny Hamlin earns the second spot.

Lap 106 -- Denny Hamlin takes a look underneath and almost clears Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 103 -- Jimmie Johnson has settled into third and holds off Denny Hamlin through the turns.

Lap 102 -- Carl Edwards isn't going to stay away long and is on the bumper of Clint Bowyer.

Lap 100 -- LEAD CHANGE: Clint Bowyer passes Carl Edwards and takes the lead.

Lap 98 -- Clint Bowyer has closed the gap on Carl Edwards and is challenging for the lead.

Lap 96 -- Jeff Gordon hasn't gained or lost a spot since the race began and is still in 22nd.

Lap 95 -- Jeff Burton moves into 12th after starting 25th.

Lap 93 -- Denny Hamlin has moved into fifth after starting in 14th.

Lap 91 -- Thirty-four cars remain on the lead lap. Carl Edwards has a 1.1 second lead over Clint Bowyer.

Lap 88 -- Despite clinching a spit in the Chase, Greg Biffle continues to give a laundry list of things he doesn't like about his car as he and the team communicate over the radio.

Lap 86 -- Kevin Harvick passes Joey Logano for 17th.

Lap 84 -- Denny Hamlin is pressing on Tony Stewart for seventh.

Lap 82 -- Juan Montoya has fallen back to fifth.

Lap 81 -- Jamie McMurray is up 21 spots and into 13th after passing Paul Menard.

Lap 80 -- Jimmie Johnson is back into third as Brad Keselowski rounds out the top 10.

Lap 77 -- Carl Edwards opens up a small lead out front and is 1.11 second ahead of Clint Bowyer.

Lap 76 -- Kurt Busch moves into seventh.

Lap 73 -- Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer are separating themselves from the field -- running 1-2.

Lap 72 -- Denny Hamlin is slowly making his way toward the top 10, up four spots since the start of the race and into 11th.

Lap 70 -- Jeff Burton has gained 12 spots since the start of the race.

Lap 69 -- Marcos Ambrose rounds out the top 10.

Lap 65 -- Tony Stewart wants to run up front and passes Jimmie Johnson for third. Johnson's car is still loose after a trip to pit road.

Lap 64 -- Tony Stewart had found the fourth spot. Clint Bowyer gets ahead of Jimmie Johnson for second.

Lap 63 -- Clint Bowyer challenges Jimmie Johnson for second as Carl Edwards increases his lead.

Lap 62 -- GREEN FLAG: Carl Edwards leads the field to green, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Juan Montoya and Tony Stewart.

Lap 60 -- Jamie McMurray loves his car and has moved up 17 spots and into 17th.

Lap 59 -- LEAD CHANGE: Carl Edwards will lead the field to green.

Lap 58 -- Jimmie Johnson is on pit road and takes tires and an air pressure adjustment. Clint Bowyer gets fresh tires. Carl Edwards wins the race off pit road.

Lap 57 -- David Reutimann has new tires and is back on the track. Jason Leffler is out of the race, meaning Greg Biffle has clinched the 11th spot in the Chase.

Lap 55 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: David Reutimann has blown a tire and spins through the track. It appears Kurt Busch may have connected with Reutimann.

Lap 54 -- LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson finds Carl Edwards and makes the pass.

Lap 53 -- Clint Bowyer takes away third from Juan Montoya. Jimmie Johnson is charging.

Lap 50 -- Jimmie Johnson passes Juan Montoya for second and is on the bumper of Carl Edwards.

Lap 49 -- Brad Keselowski has dropped into 10th as Juan Montoya takes the high side to challenge Carl Edwards for the lead.

Lap 48 -- Jimmie Johnson finds the third spot and is less than a second behind Juan Montoya and Carl Edwards.

Lap 46 -- Jimmie Johnson is running well in fourth and making a charge for third.

Lap 44 -- Clint Bowyer works the traffic and passes A.J. Allmendinger for third.

Lap 41 -- Clint Bowyer hasn't budged from fourth and says the car is running well.

Lap 39 -- A.J. Allmendinger says he plans to be more aggressive at Richmond and is holding onto third.

Lap 37 -- Carl Edwards finds lapped traffic as the field continues to spread out. Juan Montoya is trying to use the traffic to his advantage and begins to make an attempt at the pass.

Lap 35 -- Kurt Busch is charging toward the front and is challenging Paul Menard for 10th. Busch started the race in 21st.

Lap 33 -- Tony Stewart gets past Paul Menard for ninth; Joey Logano drop a spot and settles into seventh.

Lap 31 -- Kevin Harvick is still having issues with the handling of the car.

Lap 29 -- Carl Edwards continues to set the pace but Juan Montoya has closed the gap and is challenging.

Lap 27 -- Jamie McMurray goes around Mark Martin and has picked up 15 spots. McMurray is currently in 19th.

Lap 25 -- Kyle Busch is running in 25th after starting 30th. The No. 18 and team are concerned with using up the car early, in order to get to the front.

Lap 23 -- Tony Stewart has gained five spots and is challenging Paul Menard for the ninth spot.

Lap 22 -- Kevin Harvick says the car is too loose.

Lap 21 -- Matt Kenseth rounds out the top 10 after starting the race in 12th.

Lap 20 -- Carl Edwards runs out front, 1.2 seconds ahead of Juan Montoya.

Lap 19 -- Clint Bowyer is told to go easy on the brakes.

Lap 18 -- Clint Bowyer has settled into fourth and holding off Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 16 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. has dropped to 15th.

Lap 14 -- The field is starting to spread out and run single file. Jimmie Johnson has found the fifth spot after passing David Reutimann.

Lap 12 -- Carl Edwards increases his lead over the field by 1.31 seconds.

Lap 11 -- Tony Stewart moves up to 11th after starting in 15th.

Lap 9 -- Jimmie Johnson has already moved up four spots and into seventh.

Lap 7 -- Juan Montoya earns back the second spot. Carl Edwards continues to run out front.

Lap 6 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. drops a spot to round out the top 10.

Lap 4 -- A.J. Allmendinger passes Juan Montoya for second.

Lap 3 -- Juan Montoya holds on to second.

Lap 2 -- Brad Keselowski moves up two spots and into sixth.

Lap 1 -- Carl Edwards gets off to a good start and leads the first lap.

7:49 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Carl Edwards brings the field to the green and the Air Guard 400 is under way.

7:42 p.m. -- The cars are rolling off pit road for warm-up laps.

7:38 p.m. -- Harry Wyatt III gives the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines!"

7:34 p.m. -- Synthia Seymour performs the national anthem.

7:32 p.m. -- Chaplain Rick Jenkins delivers the Invocation.

7:30 p.m. -- Night Ranger performs God Bless America.

7:27 p.m. -- Mattias Ekstrom will go to the rear due to an engine change and the No. 55 (Terry Labonte) will start from the rear because of a driver change.

7:20 p.m. -- NASCAR Countdown is under way on ABC.

4:45 p.m. ET -- It is a picture-perfect day in Richmond. It's currently 82 degrees under blue skies. Temperatures should be in the upper 70s when the green drops at 7:43 p.m. ET, and fall into the low 70s as the sun goes down. Carl Edwards is on the pole for race No. 26 on the Cup schedule.