All is good for Jeff Gordon, as the seven-time Martinsville winner has thoroughly dominated the first half of the Goody's Fast Relief 500 since taking the lead at lap 22. He briefly lost the lead to Dale Earnhardt Jr. just prior to a cycle of green-flag pit stops, but reclaimed the lead after pitting.
While teammates Gordon and Earnhardt are on a Sunday drive and appear to be making a run at winning today's race, fellow Hendrick driver and polesitter Kasey Kahne is in the garage after the engine on his Chevrolet began to expire. Kahne had pulled behind the wall just before Dave Blaney wrecked in turn two to draw just the second caution flag in the race's first 250 circuits.
Another driver who has endured a day of misery is Kurt Busch. Two right-front tire failures have sent his James Finch-owned Chevrolet into the outer groove. He didn't touch the wall the second time, but both sent him to pit road under green. He now runs a dismal 36th, 13 laps down to Gordon.