After the second round of pit stops, Martin Truex, Jr. came out the leader after an excellent stop, dropping Carl Edwards, who had led the first 84 laps, into the second position.

But, 25 laps after he lost the lead, Edwards slowed and went to pit road after his engine went out on him. With Edwards out of the race, points leader Jimmie Johnson took over the second spot, with Ryan Newman, still running a strong race, in third.

While Johnson has been intent on chasing down Truex, Jeff Gordon has had to try to keep from losing spots, as he had to deal with traffic and now Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer. Busch just passed him for fourth, and he’s trying to hold off the #07.

The caution came out around lap 120 as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. followed Edwards to the garage after hitting the wall, and now it’s time to let strategy play its part just as much as racing. Gordon just came into the pits, but Truex and Johnson stayed out, so we’ll see if that move pays off for the #24, or if he’s going to be stuck trying to work his way back through the field like he has in the past couple of races. You’ve got to strategize a little (and sometimes get a little luck) to separate yourself from the field, and this is a bold move for Gordon, especially because it puts him in the middle of the pack, with a lot of traffic.

We’re a little less than 20 laps from the halfway point, so there’s plenty of racing to be done. Many of the leaders are making their pit stops now, so it’s time to see if Gordon will benefit.

I’ll be here with updates for much of the remainder of the race, so whether or not you’re watching, keep it locked here for updates and analysis.