# 2009 U.S. Cellular 250

The 2009 U.S. Cellular 250 was a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa on August 1, 2009. The race was the first ever Nationwide Series race to be held in Iowa. It was also the 21st race of the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., making his 6th career Nationwide Series start, won the pole for the race but it was Brad Keselowski who would dominate the race, leading the most laps and winning the first ever race in Iowa.

## Background

Iowa Speedway is a 7/8-mile (1.4 km) paved oval motor racing track in Newton, Iowa, approximately 30 miles (48 km) east of Des Moines. It has over 25,000 permanent seats as well as a unique multi-tiered RV viewing area along the backstretch. The premiere event of the track is the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend held yearly in July since its inaugural running in 2007.
The track opened in September 2006 with the Soy Biodiesel 250, won by Woody Howard, for the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Four Champions playoff. The Indy Racing League announced a race there on June 24, 2007, the Iowa Corn Indy 250, which was won by Dario Franchitti, who barely nipped Marco Andretti at the finish line. The track also secured a combined NASCAR Camping World East-West race where results counted towards both series' championships. That race delivered a dramatic battle between 17-year-old Joey Logano from the Busch East Series, who defeated Daytona 500 champion Kevin Harvick, 1998 West Series champion, who represented the West Series at the end of the race. The track was awarded a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and a NASCAR Xfinity Series race in 2009.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver
| # | Driver | Team | Make |
| 0 | Kertus Davis | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 01 | Danny O'Quinn Jr. | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Mike Bliss | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 05 | Casey Atwood | Day Enterprise Racing | Ford |
| 5 | Scott Wimmer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Erik Darnell (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 07 | Mike Harmon | SK Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 09 | John Wes Townley (R) | RAB Racing | Ford |
| 10 | Kelly Bires | Braun Racing | Toyota |
| 11 | Scott Lagasse Jr. (R) | CJM Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Justin Allgaier (R) | Penske Racing | Dodge |
| 15 | Michael Annett (R) | Germain Racing | Toyota |
| 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Jeremy Clements | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Brad Coleman | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 23 | Ken Butler III (R) | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 24 | Eric McClure | Rensi-Hamilton Racing | Ford |
| 26 | Michael McDowell (R) | Whitney Motorsports | Dodge |
| 27 | Jason Keller | Baker Curb Racing | Ford |
| 28 | Kenny Wallace | Jay Robinson Racing | Chevrolet |
| 29 | Stephen Leicht | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 32 | Brian Ickler | Braun Racing | Toyota |
| 33 | Cale Gale | Kevin Harvick Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Kevin Hamlin | Front Row Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 38 | Jason Leffler | Braun Racing | Toyota |
| 40 | Aric Almirola | Key Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 47 | Coleman Pressley | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota |
| 49 | Mark Green | Jay Robinson Racing | Chevrolet |
| 52 | Jack Smith | Means Racing | Chevrolet |
| 58 | Chris Horn | Horn Auto Racing | Chevrolet |
| 60 | Auggie Vidovich | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 61 | Matt Carter | Specialty Racing | Ford |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan (R) | Rusty Wallace Racing | Chevrolet |
| 66 | Steve Wallace | Rusty Wallace Racing | Chevrolet |
| 70 | Shelby Howard | ML Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 72 | Benny Gordon | VSI Racing | Ford |
| 73 | Kevin Lepage | Derrike Cope Inc. | Dodge |
| 75 | Kenny Hendrick | Bob Schact Racing | Chevrolet |
| 77 | Peyton Sellers | Cardinal Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Inc. | Dodge |
| 81 | Sean Murphy | MacDonald Motorsports | Dodge |
| 83 | Johnny Borneman III | Borneman Motorsports | Ford |
| 87 | Jeff Fuller | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 88 | Brad Keselowski | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Faith Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 90 | Johnny Chapman | MSRP Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 91 | Chase Miller | MSRP Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 96 | Andy Ponstein | Whitney Motorsports | Dodge |
| 99 | Trevor Bayne | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| Official Entry list ||||

## Qualifying

Both Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Justin Allgaier tied for the pole position with a time of 23.310 and a speed of 135.135 but Stenhouse got the tiebreaker and Stenhouse won his first career Nationwide Series pole in just his 6th start.
| Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 23.310 | 135.135 |
| 2 | 12 | Justin Allgaier (R) | Penske Racing | Dodge | 23.310 | 135.135 |
| 3 | 6 | Erik Darnell (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 23.322 | 135.066 |
| 4 | 99 | Trevor Bayne | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 23.329 | 135.025 |
| 5 | 20 | Brad Coleman | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 23.384 | 134.707 |
| 6 | 29 | Stephen Leicht | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.400 | 134.615 |
| 7 | 5 | Scott Wimmer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.410 | 134.558 |
| 8 | 66 | Steve Wallace | Rusty Wallace Racing | Chevrolet | 23.426 | 134.466 |
| 9 | 26 | Michael McDowell (R) | Whitney Motorsports | Dodge | 23.426 | 134.466 |
| 10 | 1 | Mike Bliss | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 23.488 | 134.111 |
| 11 | 88 | Brad Keselowski | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.512 | 133.974 |
| 12 | 10 | Kelly Bires | Braun Racing | Toyota | 23.517 | 133.946 |
| 13 | 27 | Jason Keller | Baker Curb Racing | Ford | 23.518 | 133.940 |
| 14 | 90 | Johnny Chapman | MSRP Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.520 | 133.929 |
| 15 | 38 | Jason Leffler | Braun Racing | Toyota | 23.539 | 133.820 |
| 16 | 2 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.554 | 133.735 |
| 17 | 11 | Scott Lagasse Jr. (R) | CJM Racing | Toyota | 23.558 | 133.713 |
| 18 | 34 | Tony Raines** *** | Front Row Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.559 | 133.707 |
| 19 | 49 | Mark Green | Jay Robinson Racing | Chevrolet | 23.563 | 133.684 |
| 20 | 83 | Johnny Borneman III | Borneman Motorsports | Ford | 23.563 | 133.684 |
| 21 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan (R) | Rusty Wallace Racing | Chevrolet | 23.577 | 133.605 |
| 22 | 05 | Casey Atwood | Day Enterprise Racing | Ford | 23.583 | 133.571 |
| 23 | 23 | Ken Butler III (R) | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.613 | 133.401 |
| 24 | 28 | Kenny Wallace | Jay Robinson Racing | Chevrolet | 23.633 | 133.288 |
| 25 | 72 | Benny Gordon | VSI Racing | Ford | 23.641 | 133.243 |
| 26 | 47 | Coleman Pressley*** | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 23.659 | 133.142 |
| 27 | 18 | Kyle Busch** *** | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 23.674 | 133.057 |
| 28 | 40 | Aric Almirola | Key Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.677 | 133.041 |
| 29 | 32 | Brian Ickler | Braun Racing | Toyota | 23.683 | 133.007 |
| 30 | 09 | John Wes Townley (R) | RAB Racing | Ford | 23.731 | 132.738 |
| 31 | 0 | Kertus Davis | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.755 | 132.604 |
| 32 | 91 | Chase Miller | MSRP Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.759 | 132.581 |
| 33 | 01 | Danny O'Quinn Jr. | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.768 | 132.531 |
| 34 | 33 | Kevin Harvick** *** | Kevin Harvick Inc. | Chevrolet | 23.770 | 132.520 |
| 35 | 73 | Kevin Lepage | Derrike Cope Inc. | Dodge | 23.774 | 132.498 |
| 36 | 15 | Michael Annett (R) | Germain Racing | Toyota | 23.821 | 132.236 |
| 37 | 61 | Matt Carter | Specialty Racing | Ford | 23.917 | 131.705 |
| 38 | 81 | Sean Murphy | MacDonald Motorsports | Dodge | 23.948 | 131.535 |
| 39 | 24 | Eric McClure* | Rensi-Hamilton Racing | Ford | 24.155 | 130.408 |
| 40 | 60 | Carl Edwards* ** *** | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 24.286 | 129.704 |
| 41 | 87 | Jeff Fuller* | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.812 | 126.955 |
| 42 | 07 | Mike Harmon* *** | SK Motorsports | Chevrolet | 25.984 | 121.228 |
| 43 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Faith Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.860 | 132.020 |
| Failed to Qualify, withdrew, or driver changes |||||||
| 44 | 70 | Shelby Howard | ML Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.885 | 131.882 |
| 45 | 77 | Peyton Sellers | Cardinal Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.907 | 131.761 |
| 46 | 75 | Kenny Hendrick | Bob Schacht Racing | Chevrolet | 23.930 | 131.634 |
| 47 | 78 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Inc. | Dodge | 24.066 | 130.890 |
| 48 | 96 | Andy Ponstein | Whitney Motorsports | Dodge | 24.140 | 130.489 |
| 49 | 52 | Jack Smith | Means Racing | Chevrolet | 24.190 | 130.219 |
| 50 | 58 | Chris Horn | Horn Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 24.363 | 129.294 |
| DC | 18 | Jeremy Clements | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | — | — |
| DC | 33 | Cale Gale | Kevin Harvick Inc. | Chevrolet | — | — |
| DC | 34 | Kevin Hamlin | Front Row Motorsports | Chevrolet | — | — |
| DC | 60 | Auggie Vidovich | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | — | — |
| Official Starting grid |||||||
* – Made the field via owners points
** – There were 4 different driver changes by Raceday as there were drivers qualifying the cars for the Cup Series drivers. Jeremy Clements qualified for Kyle Busch, Cale Gale qualified for Kevin Harvick, Kevin Hamlin qualified for Tony Raines, and Auggie Vidovich qualified for Carl Edwards. This was during the peak of the Buschwhacker era where Cup Series drivers would drive in the Busch Series and would ask for other drivers to qualify their Busch Series car while they tried to qualify the Cup Series race which would be the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway.
*** – Tony Raines, Coleman Pressley, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, and Mike Harmon all had to start at the rear of the field. Harmon and Pressley had an unapproved impound adjustment while Busch, Harvick, Raines, and Edwards had driver changes.

## Race

Pole sitter Ricky Stenhouse Jr. led the first lap of the race. The first caution flew on lap 3 when John Wes Townley crashed off of turn 2 after his rear track bar broke. The race restarted on lap 8. On the restart, Justin Allgaier took the lead from Stenhouse. On lap 11, the second caution flew when Sean Murphy, making his Nationwide Series debut, crashed in turn 2. The race restarted on lap 16. On lap 39, the third caution flew when Casey Atwood crashed in turns 1 and 2. Brad Keselowski won the race off of pit road and led the field to the restart on lap 45. On lap 74, the 4th caution flew when Aric Almirola blew a front right tire and hit the outside wall in turn 3. Erik Darnell won the race off of pit road. Mike Bliss and Austin Dillon did not pit and Bliss led the field to a restart on lap 79. On lap 80, Kyle Busch took the lead. On lap 93, the 5th caution flew when Michael McDowell spun down the front-stretch after getting bumped by Tony Raines. The race restarted on lap 98. On lap 105, Brad Keselowski took the lead from Kyle Busch. On lap 108, Brendan Gaughan cut a tire off on turn 4 after he had contact with Brian Ickler. Gaughan went into turn 1 and spun where he collected Ken Butler III that caused Butler to spin while the wreck also collected Austin Dillon, Stephen Leicht, and Matt Carter, bringing the 6th caution of the race. The race restarted on lap 114.

### Final laps

On lap 145, the 7th caution flew for debris in turn 1. Kyle Busch won the race off of pit road and led the field to the restart on lap 150. On lap 153, the 8th caution flew when Mike Bliss and Trevor Bayne crashed off of turn 4. The race restarted on lap 158. On lap 166, the 9th caution flew when Brad Coleman and Brian Ickler crashed in turn 2. The race restarted on lap 173. On lap 179, Brad Keselowski attempted to take the lead from Kyle Busch but failed to get in front of him. Keselowski tried again, on lap 186, and battled with Busch until lap 189, when Keselowski was able to get past him. On lap 211, the 10th caution flew when Austin Dillon cut a front left tire and hit the outside wall in turn 2. The race restarted on lap 219. On lap 224, Kyle Busch took the lead from Keselowski. On lap 229, the 11th caution flew when Morgan Shepherd spun down the front-stretch. The race restarted on lap 234. On the restart, the 12th and final caution flew when Justin Allgaier slid up into Erik Darnell and pinned Darnell and Steve Wallace into the outside wall down the back-stretch. The race restarted on lap 240. On lap 241, Brad Keselowski passed Kyle Busch for the lead. Busch tried to pass him in the closing laps but was unsuccessful. Keselowski took the first checkered flag at Iowa in Nationwide Series history and Busch finished in second. This would be Keselowski's 2nd win of the season and the 4th of his career since 2008. Jason Leffler, Carl Edwards, and Kelly Bires rounded out the top 5 while Jason Keller, Kenny Wallace, Michael McDowell, Scott Lagasse Jr, and Stephen Leicht rounded out the top 10.

## Race results

| Pos | Car | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps Run | Laps Led | Status | Points |
| 1 | 88 | Brad Keselowski | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 121 | running | 195 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 250 | 84 | running | 175 |
| 3 | 38 | Jason Leffler | Braun Racing | Toyota | 250 | 0 | running | 165 |
| 4 | 60 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 250 | 0 | running | 160 |
| 5 | 10 | Kelly Bires | Braun Racing | Toyota | 250 | 0 | running | 155 |
| 6 | 27 | Jason Keller | Baker Curb Racing | Ford | 250 | 0 | running | 150 |
| 7 | 28 | Kenny Wallace | Jay Robinson Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 146 |
| 8 | 26 | Michael McDowell (R) | Whitney Motorsports | Dodge | 250 | 0 | running | 142 |
| 9 | 11 | Scott Lagasse Jr. (R) | CJM Racing | Toyota | 250 | 0 | running | 138 |
| 10 | 29 | Stephen Leicht | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 134 |
| 11 | 15 | Michael Annett (R) | Germain Racing | Toyota | 250 | 0 | running | 130 |
| 12 | 72 | Benny Gordon | VSI Racing | Ford | 250 | 0 | running | 127 |
| 13 | 20 | Brad Coleman | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 250 | 0 | running | 124 |
| 14 | 1 | Mike Bliss | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 3 | running | 126 |
| 15 | 12 | Justin Allgaier (R) | Penske Racing | Dodge | 250 | 35 | running | 123 |
| 16 | 83 | Johnny Borneman III | Borneman Motorsports | Ford | 250 | 0 | running | 115 |
| 17 | 66 | Steve Wallace | Rusty Wallace Racing | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 | running | 112 |
| 18 | 34 | Tony Raines | Front Row Motorsports | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 | running | 109 |
| 19 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Faith Motorsports | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 | running | 106 |
| 20 | 24 | Eric McClure | Rensi-Hamilton Racing | Ford | 249 | 0 | running | 103 |
| 21 | 61 | Matt Carter | Specialty Racing | Ford | 248 | 0 | running | 100 |
| 22 | 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 248 | 7 | running | 102 |
| 23 | 6 | Erik Darnell (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 247 | 0 | running | 94 |
| 24 | 01 | Danny O'Quinn Jr. | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 245 | 0 | running | 91 |
| 25 | 62 | Brandan Gaughan (R) | Rusty Wallace Racing | Chevrolet | 244 | 0 | running | 88 |
| 26 | 99 | Trevor Bayne | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 244 | 0 | running | 85 |
| 27 | 81 | Sean Murphy | MacDonald Motorsports | Dodge | 222 | 0 | running | 82 |
| 28 | 2 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 211 | 0 | crash | 79 |
| 29 | 09 | John Wes Townley (R) | RAB Racing | Ford | 205 | 0 | running | 76 |
| 30 | 33 | Kevin Harvick | Kevin Harvick Inc. | Chevrolet | 195 | 0 | running | 73 |
| 31 | 5 | Scott Wimmer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 168 | 0 | engine | 70 |
| 32 | 32 | Brian Ickler | Braun Racing | Toyota | 165 | 0 | crash | 67 |
| 33 | 23 | Ken Butler III (R) | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 108 | 0 | crash | 64 |
| 34 | 40 | Aric Almirola | Key Motorsports | Chevrolet | 74 | 0 | crash | 61 |
| 35 | 05 | Casey Atwood | Day Enterprise Racing | Ford | 37 | 0 | crash | 58 |
| 36 | 87 | Jeff Fuller | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31 | 0 | overheating | 55 |
| 37 | 0 | Kertus Davis | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26 | 0 | brakes | 52 |
| 38 | 49 | Mark Green | Jay Robinson Racing | Chevrolet | 21 | 0 | brakes | 49 |
| 39 | 73 | Kevin Lepage | Derrike Cope Inc. | Dodge | 19 | 0 | rear end | 46 |
| 40 | 91 | Chase Miller | MSRP Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 | 0 | brakes | 43 |
| 41 | 47 | Coleman Pressley | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 8 | 0 | engine | 40 |
| 42 | 90 | Johnny Chapman | MSRP Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 | 0 | overheating | 37 |
| 43 | 07 | Mike Harmon | SK Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 | 0 | brakes | 34 |
| Official Race results |||||||||