Checkered Countdown: Top-Five Dover Finishes

No. 2 Johnson works his way through the field on four new tires, takes the lead with just three laps to go (2009).

After leading for most of the day, during the final pit stop Chad Knaus called for four new tires on the #48 car. This gave Johnson a grip advantage on the rest of the field but shuffled him back in the middle of the pack. In the meantime, once the race restarted Biffle and Stewart stretched out and started battling for the lead. But Johnson was already running them down and the battle between the two front-runners made things even easier for the at-the-time champion.

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When Biffle finally gave the top spot to Stewart, the driver of the #48 quickly followed and the battle was on. Johnson had an advantage when running the higher line, but Stewart would always take it to protect himself. It was only with three laps to go that the pass was performed: after receiving a bump on the frontstretch Stewart finally chose the bottom lane. It was an easy move for Johnson, who won after passing half of the pack during the last stint.