Going into the event, Jimmie Johnson was leading his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin in the Drivers' Championship by 184 points.

Jeff Gordon won the pole position with the quickest recorded lap time in the qualifying session, although he was almost immediately passed by Kasey Kahne at the start of the race.

Many Chase for the Sprint Cup participants, including Johnson and Carl Edwards encountered problems during the race.

The race saw Kurt Busch achieve his second win of the 2009 season, his first at Texas Motor Speedway, and the 20th of his career.

The result advanced Busch from sixth to fourth in the Drivers' Championship, 171 points behind the leader Johnson and seven ahead of third-placed Tony Stewart.

Penske Championship Racing driver David Stremme (who was unable to secure a top-ten finish) was replaced by the 2009 Aaron's 499 winner Brad Keselowski for the final three races of the 2009 season, to allow Keselowski to gain experience before driving full-time with the team the following season.

Juan Pablo Montoya and Tony Stewart were fourth and fifth, and Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Brian Vickers rounded out the top twelve drivers competing for the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup.

"[15] Jeff Gordon had won the Samsung 500 at the circuit earlier in the season but acknowledged his team had to "take another step forward", saying, "If we showed up this weekend with the same setup we used in April, we'd run 15th.

Kurt Busch, David Ragan, Jeff Burton, Keselowski and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top ten fastest drivers in the session.

[2] Gordon clinched his first pole position of the season, and the 68th of his career,[19] with a time of 28.255 seconds, which was a record in qualifying for the Car of Tomorrow specification at the circuit.

[19][21] He was joined on the grid's front row by Kahne who held pole position until Jeff Gordon's lap.

Edwards qualified sixth after sliding sideways leaving the final turn, while Martin set the seventh fastest time.

Robby Gordon was seventh fastest, Earnhardt eighth, Reutimann ninth, and Martin Truex Jr. tenth.

[23] Harvick collided with the turn two wall; he sustained minor damage, allowing his team to repair his car.

[2] The race began at 3:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and was televised live in the United States on ABC.

[1] Commentary was provided by play-by-play announcer Jerry Punch, with analysis given by Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree.

[25] Exiting the second turn on the third lap, Reutimann made contact with Hornish on the inside lane,[27][28] who was sent up the track and into the left-hand side door on Johnson's car.

[3] None of the leaders elected to make pit stops during the caution,[25] and Johnson drove to his garage for multiple car components to be replaced.

[25] Although Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus told the driver that his vehicle was damaged beyond repair due to the heavy damage it sustained,[29][31] Johnson rejoined the race on lap 115 after repairs took 68 minutes to complete,[32] albeit without his car's rear bumper.

Keselowski was caught up in the crash, and Jeff Gordon was forced to spin sideways but he avoided damaging his car.

[25] On lap 206, Reed Sorenson damaged his car, after colliding with the turn two walls due to a right-front tire failure, which caused the fifth and final caution.

Green flag pit stops began on lap 265; Kyle Busch maintained the lead at the end of the cycle, ahead of Reutimann and Kenseth.

[25] He and his crew chief Dave Rogers made the decision on the 320th lap not to make a pit stop for additional fuel and remained on the circuit.

[25] This prevented Kyle Busch from becoming the first driver to win all three events in NASCAR's three major touring series at the same track on the same weekend.

[32] One lap later, Ambrose ran out of fuel,[25] as Kurt Busch held the lead to achieve his second victory of the 2009 season and the 20th of his career.

[34] Hamlin conserved enough fuel to finish second; he had collided with the barrier earlier in the race while attempting to recover positions from being delayed by slow stops on pit road.

"[38] Hamlin, who finished second, said "Hats off to Mike (Ford, crew chief) and this whole FedEx Office Camry team.

"[40] Johnson initially blamed the third-lap accident that saw him place 38th and his Drivers' Championship lead reduced to 73 points on Hornish losing control of his car.

Hornish attributed blame for the accident on Reutimann making contact with his car and him having no time to correct his vehicle.

[42] The car and power plant of race winner Kurt Busch, the vehicle and power unit of second-place finisher Hamlin, Martin's fourth-place entry and Jeff Gordon's engine were transported to the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, North Carolina for inspection.