The 2009 season marked the start of a new era in NASCAR. After an off- season of unprecedented change in the Cup ranks, and with preseason testing cancelled, the first Cup race was the first chance for many teams to test their metal. The 2009 race started on pace to become the fastest 500 in Daytona history. Many of the sport"s biggest names, including Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Junior, Kyle Busch, and Tony Stewart, swapped the lead. But as wrecks and reckless pit stops took their toll on the field, The Great American Race became a battle of attrition. For only the second time in history, the name of Petty did not line up in the Daytona 500 field. But it would be Elliot Sadler of the newly-founded Richard Petty Motorsports who held the front as the laps wound down, and storm clouds rolled in. Fighting to overtake Sadler was 2007 Daytona 500 champion Kevin Harvick, and Matt Kenseth, the 2003 Cup champion in search of his first victory in NASCAR s biggest race. The ultimate outcome would be determined by passion, perseverance, precipitation, a punishing wreck that precipitated an early end to the race, and a last-lap pass into racing legend.