Seven laps into today's Tums Fast Relief 500, Jeff Gordon appeared in trouble. The nose of his No. 24 Chevrolet was bashed in, and he reported overheating issues to his team.
Flash forward to the halfway point of the race, and Gordon has driven through the field to take the lead. The seven-time Martinsville winner overhauled Kyle Busch at lap 232 for the top spot. Busch then lost second place to teammate Denny Hamlin, who was involved in the same accident as Gordon but had rebounded to lead earlier in the race. Jimmie Johnson and April Martinsville winner Kevin Harvick round out the top-five.
Matt Kenseth is shown sixth, while teammate Carl Edwards is mired in 25th place, one lap down, after a pair of slow pit stops dropped his No. 99 Ford deep in the field and his ill-handling machine could not move back through the field. Tony Stewart is similarly struggling, which could bring an end to his title hopes.