 Kahne moved up into second place by lap 132 after passing Jeff Gordon, Earnhardt, and Robby Gordon. Johnson got ahead of Robby Gordon for fourth place one lap later. Kahne moved back into the lead after passing Raines on the backstretch on lap 138, while Johnson moved into second one lap later. The second round of green-flag pit stops commenced on lap 143, when Robby Gordon made a pit stop for right-side tires and car adjustments. Kahne stopped on lap 154 with Riggs. Jeff Gordon and Johnson made similar stops over the next three laps. After the pit stops, Kahne reclaimed the lead after battling with Raines. A seventh caution was given three laps later when Gilliland spun in turn two and contacted the inside wall heavily, and then drove to his garage to retire. Most of the leaders, including Kahne, made pit stops. Sterling Marlin stayed out and led at the lap-168 restart, ahead of Johnson. That same lap, Marlin lost the lead when Johnson passed him on the backstretch, and Marlin was passed by Kahne for second on lap 169. Martin got ahead of Earnhardt for fifth position ten laps later. By lap 180, Johnson held a 1.4-second lead over Kahne. Gordon passed Martin for third on lap 182, while Edwards got ahead of Kyle Busch for seventh two laps later. Upfront, Kahne closed the gap with Johnson to 0.6 seconds by the 188th lap. The third round of green-flag pit stops began on lap 199; Johnson stopped on lap 203, while Earnhardt made a pit stop on the following lap. After the pit stops, Kahne retook the lead.
