The 2009 Southern 500 presented by GoDaddy.com, the 53rd running of the race which its lineage dates to the 1957 Rebel 300 and was the first year the Rebel was given the name of the then-suspended fall race , was the eleventh race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, was held on Saturday, May 9, 2009 at Darlington Speedway in Darlington, South Carolina.

Quick Facts Race details, Date ...

2009 Southern 500

Race details[1][2]
Race 11 of 36 in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Layout of Darlington Raceway
Date	May 9, 2009 (2009-May-09)
Location	Darlington Raceway, Darlington County, South Carolina
Course	1.366 mi (2.198 km)
Distance	367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.799 km)
Weather	Chilly with temperatures plummeting as low as 69.1 °F (20.6 °C); wind speeds up to 16.9 miles per hour (27.2 km/h)
Average speed	119.687 miles per hour (192.618 km/h)
Attendance	70,000
Pole position
Driver	Matt Kenseth	Roush Fenway Racing
Time	27.394
Most laps led
Driver	Greg Biffle	Roush Fenway Racing
Laps	117
Winner
No. 5	Mark Martin	Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network	Fox Broadcasting Company
Announcers	Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds

Close

The race was televised in the USA on Fox starting at 7 PM US EDT with radio being handled on MRN on terrestrial radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.

Seventy-two thousand fans were eyewitnesses to four hours and eleven minutes of racing action. There were 23 changes to the lead position recorded during the race and 17 cautions were taken for a duration of 73 laps. Almost 20% of the race was held under the caution flag due to debris and accidents while the average green flag run was slightly more than 16 laps.^[1]

• Failed to Qualify: Jeremy Mayfield (#41), Scott Speed (#82)
• Note: Scott Speed's team paid Joe Nemechek to let Speed drive his car in this race.