Aric Almirola had led more laps than anyone at the Kansas Speedway, but his right front tire blew on the 121st lap and put the No. 43 Ford into the wall. Almirola had just assumed the lead when Jimmie Johnson made his scheduled green-flag pit stop and was due to pit on the subsequent lap when the tire deflated. The same malady - a blown right front tire - also ruined the days for Casey Mears and A.J. Allmendinger early in the going.
Almirola had led 69 laps and looked like a potential winner, but his car will likely require extensive attention from his crew in order to continue, ruining his shot to win.
The yellow was a bad break for Johnson, who was trapped a lap down after pitting and now sits 24th. He'll take the wave around to get back onto the lead lap.
Clint Bowyer had assumed the lead when Almirola wrecked and shows the way at his home track. The native of Emporia, KS, entered the day fourth in points, 28 points off the lead. A second-straight win would help his championship aspirations, but the idea of winning at home would probably trump all of that in the short term.
Matt Kenseth runs second, followed by Paul Menard, Jeff Gordon, and Greg Biffle.