2009 1000 Guineas, The contenders
The race attracted a field of fourteen runners, ten trained in the United Kingdom and four in Ireland: there were no challengers from continental Europe. The odds-on favourite was the John Gosden-trained Rainbow View an undefeated, American-bred filly who was making her seasonal debut after winning the Sweet Solera Stakes, May Hill Stakes and the Fillies' Mile in 2008. Her most dangerous challenger appeared to be Cheveley Park Stakes winner Serious Attitude whilst the most-fancied of the other British-trained fillies Lahaleeb Lahaleeb, who had won the Rockfel Stakes and the Fred Darling Stakes.


2009 1000 Guineas, The contenders
The Irish runners were Cuis Ghaire (Albany Stakes), Pursuit of Glory, Heart Shaped, the runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Shimah, who had finished second to Again in the Moyglare Stud Stakes. Special Duty headed the betting at odds of 8/11 ahead of Serious Attitude (8/1) and Cuis Ghaire (12/1) with Heart Shaped and Lahaleeb on 14/1. Ghanaati, the six-length winner of a Kempton maiden race, started at 20/1.


2009 1000 Guineas, The race
The 66/1 outsider Penny's Gift took the early lead and set the pace for the first quarter-mile until she was headed by the Godolphin runner Devotee. Cuis Ghaire and Ghanaati were close behind, with Heart Shaped, Rainbow View and Serious Attitude all in touch with the leaders. The field clustered into a single group in the centre of the wide, straight course. Cuis Ghaire moved into the lead at half way, at which point the outsider Aspen Darlin was pulled up with an injury.


2009 1000 Guineas, The race
With two furlongs left to run, Ghanaati accelerated past Cuis Ghaire to take the lead as Rainbow View and Serious Attitude began to struggle. In the final furlong, Ghanaati established a clear advantage and won by one and a half lengths from Cuis Ghaire, with the outsider Super Sleuth finishing strongly to take third by a nose from Heart Shaped. Rainbow View came next ahead of Penny's Gift and Serious Attitude. The winning time of 1:34.22 was a record for the race and was 1.66 seconds faster than that recorded by Sea The Stars in the 2000 Guineas over the same course and distance the previous day.


2009 1000 km of Algarve
The 2009 1000 km of Algarve (1000 km do Algarve) was the third round of the 2009 Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Portugal, and was held over the night starting on 1 August 2009 and ending in the early morning of 2 August.


2009 1000 km of Algarve, Race Report, Qualifying, Qualifying result
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.


2009 1000 km of Algarve, Race Report, Race report, Race results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2009 1000 km of Catalunya
The 2009 1000 km of Catalunya was the opening round of the 2009 Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló, Spain on 5 April 2009. Aston Martin Racing won overall on their debut of the Lola-Aston Martin B09/60, while Lola also secured the LMP2 win with Racing Box. The GT1 category was won by the IPB Spartak Racing Lamborghini, while Team Felbermayr-Proton's Porsche led GT2.


2009 1000 km of Catalunya, Report, Qualifying, Qualifying result
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.


2009 1000 km of Catalunya, Report, Race, Race results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2009 1000 km of Nürburgring
The 2009 ADAC 1000 km-Rennen Nürburgring was the fourth round of the 2009 Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Nürburgring GP-Strecke, Nürburg, Germany, on 23 August 2009. Aston Martin Racing, with third entry AMR Eastern Europe, swept the overall podium for this race, led by the No. 007 of Jan Charouz, Tomáš Enge, and Stefan Mücke. Quifel ASM Team led the LMP2 category for the second straight race, while the Larbre Compétition Saleen outlasted its only competition in GT1. The No. 77 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche won their third race of the season.


2009 1000 km of Nürburgring, Report, Qualifying, Qualifying result
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.


2009 1000 km of Nürburgring, Report, Race, Race results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2009 1000 km of Okayama
The 2009 1000 km of Okayama was the inaugural event of Automobile Club de l'Ouest's (ACO) Asian Le Mans Series. It was held at the Okayama International Circuit, Japan and feature two 500 km races held on 30 October and 1 November 2009. The winning teams in each of the four categories earned an automatic invitation to the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans. A second Asian Le Mans Series event, scheduled for the Shanghai International Circuit, China, on 7 and 8 November was cancelled by the ACO due to economic circumstances. The race weekend is being shared with the World Touring Car Championship's Race of Japan.


2009 1000 km of Okayama, Entries
The ACO's initial plans for the debut event of the Asian Le Mans Series was for a minimum of 30 entries. On 9 May 2009 the ACO announced an initial entry of 31 teams which would consist of competitors from the Le Mans Series, American Le Mans Series, FIA GT Championship, Super GT, as well as other local Japanese and Chinese teams. The ACO agreed to supply applying teams with freight transport in an attempt to lure further entries.


2009 1000 km of Okayama, Entries
A second entry list was published on 1 September and included 23 cars. The final entry list is led by Europeans in the LMP1 category featuring Pescarolo Sport entered under the Sora Racing title, two Kolles Audis, an Le Mans Series-champion Aston Martin, one Oreca, and the new Drayson Lola. The sole Japanese entrant in the category was from Tōkai University/YGK Power, who last competed at the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans. LMP2 features a mere two entries, both from the Le Mans Series. OAK Racing enters their Mazda-powered Pescarolo while Ibañez Racing Service enters their Courage-AER for a shot at a Le Mans invitation.


2009 1000 km of Okayama, Entries
Entries in the GT1 category were predominantly Japanese, all of which are teams currently entered in the Super GT series. Hitotsuyama Team Nova's Aston Martin was joined by the experienced JLOC Lamborghinis. The sole European entry was the Larbre Compétition Saleen. In GT2 there were a variety of entries and cars, led by the first entries from the American Le Mans Series: Rahal Letterman Racing brought one of their new BMW M3s while Robertson Racing represents Ford.


2009 1000 km of Okayama, Entries
Felbermayr-Proton's two Porsches and Team Farnbacher's Hankook-shod Ferrari were entered from the Le Mans Series, while Hankook-KTR, Team Daishin, and JimGainer came from Super GT. Scuderia Forme also entered their Porsche 996 which had previously competed in the Japan Le Mans Challenge. A lone Chinese entry came in the form of an Aston Martin for Team Hong Kong Racing.


2009 1000 km of Okayama, Entries
The top two teams from the 2009 Formula Le Mans Cup series were to also receive free entries for the event, but a scheduling conflict with the new Formula Le Mans Winter Series prevented teams from participating.


2009 1000 km of Okayama, Qualifying
Jonny Cocker led the field in the Drayson Lola-Judd, earning the first pole position for himself and the team. A tenth of a second behind was Christophe Tinseau in the Sora Pescarolo 01, while Nicolas Lapierre was a further three tenths of a second behind for Oreca. Mathieu Laheye was the victor amongst the two LMP2 cars, beating the Ibañez Courage by three seconds.


2009 1000 km of Okayama, Qualifying
GT1 was led by the local Hitotsuyama Team Nova Aston Martin of Takeshi Tsuchiya, but the car was later disqualified for a rear wing violation. This gave the Larbre Saleen pole position in the category, ahead of the two JLOC Lamborghinis. A similar story in GT2 featured the Team Hong Kong Aston Martin initially setting the fastest time but later being disqualified for the same rule violation. Marc Lieb's Felbermayr-Proton Porsche thus was promoted to pole position, leading the JimGainer Ferrari and the second Felbermayr-Proton entry. The two disqualified Aston Martins will be required to start from the back of the grid.


2009 1000 km of Okayama, Qualifying, Qualifying result
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold. The qualifying positions will set the starting grid for both races.


2009 1000 km of Okayama, Race One
The first 500 km race was led early by Jonny Cocker in the Drayson Lola-Judd before Cocker was forced to pit for headlight repairs, dropping him several laps behind the leaders. The Aston Martin Racing entry led for much of the three hours before being forced to make an extra pit stop for fuel in the closing minutes, allowing the Sora Pescarolo to win the first race of the weekend. Drivers Christophe Tinseau and Shinji Nakano led the second place Oreca by a margin of 6.9 seconds at the finish, while the third place No. 15 Kolles Audi was two laps behind in third. OAK Racing won the LMP2 category by 22 seconds over their only other competitor.


2009 1000 km of Okayama, Race One
In the GT1 class it was the Japanese teams which dominated as JLOC's No. 69 Lamborghini won the category by fifteen seconds over the Hitotsuyama Team Nova Aston Martin. The Larbre Saleen and second JLOC Lamborghini failed to finish the race. GT2 was led by the American entry from Rahal Letterman BMW, finishing three tenths of a second ahead of European Felbermayr-Proton Porsche and Farnbacher Ferrari.


2009 1000 km of Okayama, Race One, Race result
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance are marked as Not Classified (NC).


2009 1000 km of Okayama, Race Two
The second race started with the same grid as the first race, which allowed Jonny Cocker to once again lead the opening laps in Drayson Lola. Stefan Mücke in the Aston Martin was able to catch Cocker and take the lead several laps in, which it maintained for the rest of the event and took the second of the weekend's checkered flags. Race one winners Sora Racing finished in second but over a minute behind the Aston Martin. Oreca once again finished on the podium with third. In LMP2, early damage to the Ibañez Courage allowed OAK Racing to win the second race unchallenged.


2009 1000 km of Okayama, Race Two
In the GT1 category the class was again dominated by the Hitotsuyama Aston Martin and the No. 68 JLOC Lamborghini, although it was Hitotsuyama who were the victors in this round, winning by over a lap. The Larbre Compétition Saleen was third in class, just losing out to the Lamborghini by less than two tenths of a second. In the GT2 category the race one-winning No. 77 Felbermayr-Proton Porsche suffered an engine failure early in the event, allowing the second team car and the Robertson Ford to fight for the class lead. Engine problems set the Ford back but Felbermayr-Proton were still not able to secure victory as the Hankook Farnbacher Ferrari was able to make it into the top position at the end of the three hours. The Japanese Team Daishin Ferrari completed the podium in third.


2009 1000 km of Okayama, Race Two, Race result
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance are marked as Not Classified (NC).


2009 1000 km of Silverstone
The 2009 Autosport 1000 km of Silverstone was the fifth and final round of the 2009 Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Silverstone Circuit, England, on 13 September 2009. The race was won from pole position by Olivier Panis and Nicolas Lapierre for Team Oreca, while the third-place finishing Aston Martin of Jan Charouz, Tomáš Enge and Stefan Mücke won the LMP1 championship. Speedy Racing Team Sebah won their first race in the LMP2 category while the ASM Team failed to finish but were able to win their championship. First-time LMS entrant Gigawave Motorsport led the GT1 category while JMW Motorsport won in GT2. Team Felbermayr-Proton secured the GT2 class championship by finishing in seventh in their class.


2009 1000 km of Silverstone, Report, Qualifying, Qualifying result
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.


2009 1000 km of Silverstone, Report, Race, Race result
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2009 1000 km of Spa
The 2009 1000 km of Spa was the second round of the 2009 Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on 10 May 2009. Several teams used Spa as a test prior to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including eventual winners Team Peugeot and Team Essex Porsche, as well as the Jetalliance Racing Aston Martin.


2009 1000 km of Spa, Report, Qualifying
The qualifying sessions for both the GT and Prototype categories were marked by several red flag periods which halted the sessions. These were caused by several accidents and car failures on circuit, which left five cars unable to complete a flying lap time. Peugeot was able to lock out the first row by margin of over a second from the leading Aston Martin, while the returning Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder secured pole position in LMP2. Jetalliance Racing gave Aston Martin a pole in GT1 and championship leaders Team Felbermayr-Proton led GT2.


2009 1000 km of Spa, Report, Qualifying, Qualifying result
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.


2009 1000 km of Spa, Report, Race, Race results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2009 12 Hours of Sebring
The 2009 Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring was the 57th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring and the opening round of the 2009 American Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Sebring International Raceway, Florida on March 21, 2009. Three new cars made their debut at Sebring: Audi's diesel R15 TDI, Acura's first LMP1 entry the ARX-02a, and the return of the BMW M3 to the GT2 category. It was also the last time GT1 category raced at the event.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring
Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish, and Rinaldo Capello won, Audi's ninth Sebring victory in eleven attempts, and set several event records in the process. Peugeot fell 22 seconds short of the winning Audi. While Acura's LMP1s failed to survive for twelve hours, their lone LMP2 entry was the sole finisher in the category and earned Fernández Racing their first ALMS victory. The GT1 category was fought amongst only the two Corvette Racing cars, while GT2's battle of manufacturers was won by Ferrari and the Risi Competizione team.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Entry
For the start of the American Le Mans Series season, 28 cars were officially entered, with the bulk of the entries in LMP1 and GT2. The 2008 race winners, Penske Racing Porsche, did not return to defend their title. Four manufacturers were represented in LMP1, including a duo of R15 TDIs, Audi's latest diesel prototype, being entered by Joest Racing. Peugeot returned once more with their 908 HDi FAP, entering two cars compared to last year's single Sebring entry.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Entry
Acura made their LMP1 debut with the new ARX-02a being run by de Ferran Motorsport and Highcroft Racing, while the remaining two entries were Lola-AERs entered by Intersport Racing and Autocon Motorsports. LMP2 consisted of two teams entering three cars, with Fernández Racing once again running an Acura and Dyson Racing partnering with Mazda for two Lola coupés.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Entry
GT1 was once again left to just Corvette Racing with two cars, while GT2 dominated the entry list with 15 cars. Porsche was represented by two cars each from Flying Lizard Motorsports and VICI Racing, as well as a single entry for Farnbacher-Loles Racing. Ferrari once again aligned with Risi Competizione for two cars, while the Italian-Argentinian Advanced Engineering PeCom team also represents the brand. BMW made their return to the series with two M3 E92s for Rahal Letterman Racing. The rest of the GT2 field was made of a mix of teams and automotive brands, including LG Motorsport's Chevrolet Corvette, PTG's Panoz, Primetime's Dodge Viper, Robertson's Ford GT, and Drayson's Aston Martin.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Report, Qualifying
Held on Thursday, March 19, two 15-minute qualifying sessions were held to determine the starting grid. The two GT categories qualified in the first session, led by the two GT1 Corvettes. Only setting a few laps, the #4 Corvette of Oliver Gavin out qualified his teammate, Jan Magnussen. In GT2 Porsche locked in the first two spots on the grid, led by Dirk Werner of Farnbacher-Loles. Advanced Engineering PeCom led Ferrari with a third place spot, while Robertson Racing's Ford GT earned fifth. BMW's debut was hampered by mechanical problems for the #92 car, while the #90 of Bill Auberlen qualified seventh.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Report, Qualifying
In the LMP qualifying session, Acura was able to upset both Audi and Peugeot by earning pole position in their LMP1 debut. De Ferran Motorsports' driver Scott Dixon outpaced Tom Kristensen's Audi by less than a tenth of a second, while Christian Klien led Peugeot to third. Acura earned a second pole position in the session as Fernández Racing led the LMP2 category, nearly two seconds ahead of the fastest Dyson Lola-Mazda.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Report, Qualifying
After qualifying the VICI team, who had one qualifier, withdrew from the event. This decreased the starting grid to 26 cars.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Report, Qualifying, Qualifying result
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Report, Race
The field crossed the starting line to begin the 12 Hours of Sebring at 10:30 am EST. Although the de Ferran Acura led from pole position, the lead of the race was quickly taken by Audi before the first turn, followed by Peugeot. The #08 Peugeot started at the tail of the field due to power steering problems forcing it to begin from pit lane. One of the two Rahal Letterman BMW's also suffered problems on the grid and had to be taken to the garage, finally starting the race nearly an hour late. An early on track incident was a collision between the #40 Robertson Ford and the #45 Flying Lizard Porsche, with the Porsche requiring extensive repairs.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Report, Race
During pit stops in the first few hours of the race, Audi changed their Michelin tires at every opportunity while Peugeot opted to change tires at every other pit stop. This allowed Peugeot to take the lead. The Highcroft Acura suffered a spin in the hands of David Brabham, forcing the Robertson Ford to evade the Acura and hit the wall outside Sunset Bend, bringing out the first full-course caution. A second caution was required an hour later to retrieve the Intersport Lola-AER after its engine failed while on the circuit.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Report, Race
While Sébastien Bourdais led the race in Peugeot #08, he suffered a spin on Sunset Bend while diminished his lead by 20 seconds, but he was able to continue. The #07 Peugeot however came to the pits for a lengthy stop to repair an air conditioning fan in the cockpit, dropping it from contention. Meanwhile, the Dyson Racing Team retired their two cars from the event, as did the remaining Rahal Letterman BMW, all due to engine failures.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Report, Race
A third caution period came out when David Brabham once again spun his Highcroft Acura, this time making light contact with a wall. While Peugeot still led in the eighth hour of the race, Audi began to double stint their tires for the first time when Lucas Luhr brought the third place Audi in for a scheduled stop but did not change tires. This aided Audi in retaking the lead from Peugeot during the race's ninth hour. Peugeot #08 then suffered a small leak in a rear tire, requiring the team to make an unscheduled pit stop to replace it. The two LMP1 Acuras meanwhile suffered mechanical problems, eventually leading to the retirement of both de Ferran and Highcroft.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Report, Race
In the closing hours, the #45 Porsche, having rebounded from its incident early in the race, was attempting to pass the PTG Panoz for third place in GT2 when the two came into contact at the exit of Sunset Bend. The Porsche, driven by Marc Lieb, was spun into the concrete wall and required extensive repairs while the Panoz continued on. In the closing hours, Peugeot and Audi traded the lead as each team made their respective pit stops.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Report, Race
Peugeot #08 led as it came to the pits for its final stop, but Audi needed only a short refuel on their final stop several laps later. This allowed Audi driver Allan McNish to exit the pits after his final stop ahead of Peugeot with only fifteen minutes remaining. By the race finish the margin of victory between the #2 Audi and #08 Peugeot was 22 seconds.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Report, Race
Tom Kristensen earned his record fifth overall win. The #2 Audi covered a distance of 1,417 mi (2,280 km) at an average speed of 117.986 mph (189.880 km/h), both of which were new event records. The Lowe's Fernández Racing Acura was the sole survivor in LMP2, finishing in fourth overall, while Corvette Racing #3 outperformed its teammate in GT1. The GT2 class was won by the Ferrari of Risi Competizione, while the European Advanced Engineering PeCom Ferrari was second. Panoz completed the GT2 class podium. In the Michelin Green X Challenge, the race winning #2 Audi was the most efficient LMP, while the #3 Corvette lead GTs.


2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Report, Race, Race result
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2009 2. deild karla
The 2009 season of 2. deild karla is the 44th season of second-tier football in Iceland.


2009 2. deild karla, Results
Each team play every opponent once home and away for a total of 22 matches.


2009 2. divisjon
The 2009 2. divisjon season was the third highest football (soccer) league for men in Norway.


2009 2. divisjon
26 games were played in 4 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Strømmen, Follo, Sandnes Ulf and Ranheim were promoted to the 2010 Norwegian First Division. Number twelve, thirteen and fourteen were relegated to the 3. divisjon, except for the two number twelve teams with the most points. The winning teams from each of the 24 groups in the 3. divisjon each faced a winning team from another group in a playoff match, resulting in 12 playoff winners which were promoted to the 2. divisjon.


2009 24 Hours of Daytona
The 2009 Rolex 24 at Daytona Presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 is the first round of the 2009 Rolex Sports Car Series season. It took place at Daytona International Speedway between January 24–25, 2009. David Donohue won the race 40 years after his father won by holding off a furious charge from NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya in the closest finish in race history.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: 24 Heures du Mans 2009) was the 77th Grand Prix of Endurance, an endurance auto race run over 24 hours. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, and was organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) over 13–14 June  2009 and was started by Fiat and Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo at 15:00 local time (13:00 UTC). A test day was initially scheduled for 31 May that year, but was canceled by the ACO due to economic concerns. The race was attended by 234,800 spectators.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans
Peugeot succeeded in winning the race in the third year of the 908 HDi FAP program with drivers David Brabham, Marc Gené, and Alexander Wurz driving the No. 9 car for 382 laps; an all-French driving squad secured second place for Peugeot as well. Audi, who had won eight of the last ten Le Mans, finished third in their new R15 TDI. Team Essex gave Porsche their second LMP2 victory in a row, while the American Corvette Racing team earned their first GT1 win since 2006. Risi Competizione Ferrari led the GT2 category for their second straight victory in the class.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Schedule
Events for the 24 Hours of Le Mans began on 8 June with technical inspections, before initial practice began on 10 June. Due to the cancellation of the May test session, the Wednesday track session has been altered to free practice only, with no qualification times being recorded in the mostly wet session. Qualifying therefore only took place on Thursday, which remained dry.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Automatic invitations
Automatic entry to the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans was granted to teams that had performed well in the previous year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as the 2008 seasons of the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, FIA GT Championship, and the Petit Le Mans. New for 2009 was an automatic invitation awarded to the team which accumulated the most points in the Michelin Energy Endurance Challenge, as part of the Le Mans Series. The award was based on fuel economy of competitors during each event.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Automatic invitations
On 20 January 2009, the ACO announced that 15 of the 29 automatic invitations had been accepted by their recipients. Entries with a blue background were granted entries, but did not accept their invitations.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Applications
Prior to the deadline for applications, 82 separate entries by teams representing 17 countries were received by the ACO. This amount is only six less than the total of applications received for the previous running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The ACO Selection Committee decided on which teams were invited to fill the remaining 40 positions alongside those teams who had already received automatic invitations, along with ten reserve entries.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Entry list
On 26 February, the ACO announced their list of 55 entries which will be invited to take part in the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans. 21 cars within the LMP1 category include Audi, Peugeot, and Aston Martin with three cars each, as well as private entries for the Kolles Audis, Pescarolo Peugeot, and Speedy-Sebah Aston Martin. This also made a total of nine cars which would be using diesel fuel. LMP2 featured previous race winners Team Goh in a previous winning car, the Porsche RS Spyder, joined by last year's runner-up Team Essex. Mazda supplied engines for four entries, split amongst the Lola and Pescarolo chassis.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Entry list
The GT1 category was fought amongst three manufacturers, as Corvette Racing and Luc Alphand Aventures attempted to overcome the two private Aston Martin and Lamborghini entries. GT2 was once again dominated by the Ferrari and Porsche battle, although Ferrari had the power of numbers with its ten entries compared to Porsche's five. Sole entries from Spyker and the Drayson Aston Martin completed the GT2 field.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Entry list, Reserve entries
Ten entries are granted a reserve entry, in case an entry from the list of 55 withdraws prior to the event. These ten entries will be allowed to join the race entry list in the order they are listed here, regardless of their class.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Entry list, Reserve entries
On 31 March, Gigawave Motorsport withdrew their Aston Martin from the GT1 category of the entry list in order to concentrate on their development of the Nissan GT-R program. This promoted Advanced Engineering/Team Seattle from the reserve list to the entry list. Three days later Epsilon Euskadi withdrew their LMP1 entry which was replaced by the Endurance China Team. Epsilon Euskadi also withdrew their second entry from the reserve list. On 29 April, it was announced that Vitaphone Racing withdrew their LMP2 entry and was replaced by a second IMSA Performance Matmut GT2 entry. Racing Box also announced that they withdrew their LMP2 reserve entry. IPB Spartak Racing announced their withdrawal from the event on 15 May because one of their drivers, Peter Kox, was unable to participate in the race. It was replaced by the Barazi-Epsilon LMP2 entry.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Entry list, Reserve entries
On 22 May, reserve entries were no longer able to be accepted into the race, regardless of further withdrawals. The entries of Gerard Welter's WR-Zytek LMP2, Team Felbermayr-Proton's Porsche GT2, Snoras Spyker Squadron's Spyker GT2, and Larbre Compétition's Saleen GT1 were the only remaining reserves at the time of the entry list closure.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Free practice
After the cancellation of the test session, Wednesday's schedule was changed from a qualifying session to a six-hour free practice. Track conditions varied as rain arrived several times during the practice, limiting the amount of time available with a dry circuit. Audi led the session with Allan McNish setting a fastest lap of 3:30.708 in the No. 1 car, followed immediately by the No. 2 Audi. The best Peugeot was the No. 9 car, followed immediately by the privately entered Pescarolo Sport Peugeot. The fastest LMP1 not running a diesel engine was the second Pescarolo entry with a time of 3:35.868, followed by the No. 008 and No. 007 Aston Martins.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Free practice
The LMP2 category was led by the Porsche RS Spyders, with Team Essex's 3:46.426 ahead of the Navi Team Goh entry. Quifel ASM Team's Ginetta-Zytek was a distant third, ten seconds behind Team Essex. Corvette Racing were at the front of GT1, with the No. 63's 3:57.876 lap time ahead of the No. 64 car. Jetalliance Racing were third while the two Luc Alphand Corvettes did few laps after fixing an incorrectly installed rollcage and the JLOC Lamborghini did not complete a lap after breaking a driveshaft. Porsche were ahead of Ferrari in the GT2 category, with Felbermayr-Proton ahead of the Risi Competizione. Spyker Squadron were able to reach third in the class.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Free practice
The only major incident of the practice session was an accident by KSM's driver Jean de Pourtales. The driver spun approaching the Dunlop Chicane, impacting a concrete barrier before sliding into a tire barrier. The second impact ripped much of the rear of the car off.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
Stéphane Sarrazin claimed his third consecutive pole position at Le Mans, planting the No. 8 Peugeot at the front of the field with a lap time of 3:22.888. He set the lap on the third of his flying laps during a run near the end of the four-hour qualifying session, bettering Allan McNish's lap time by 0.8 seconds. McNish's lap was set on the final lap of the first two-hour qualifying session, beating the Peugeot of Franck Montagny who led much of the first session. McNish's lap remained at the top of the charts for much of the second session until Sarrazin's performance. Peugeot planned to practice race setups during the entire qualifying session, and were not seeking to obtain the pole position.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
At the end of qualifying Peugeots filled the next three places on the grid behind the front row with the car of Pescarolo Sport settling in at fourth fastest. Aston Martin were able to secure the fastest lap for a petrol-powered car, with the No. 007 entry on a few thousandths of a second behind the No. 3 Audi and followed by the No. 008 Aston Martin and No. 13 Speedy Racing Team Sebah Aston Martin.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
The Porsche RS Spyders continued their dominance in the LMP2 category, with Casper Elgaard of Team Essex ahead of Team Goh with a lap time of 3:37.720. Third in the category was the No. 33 Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola-Judd which was over three seconds behind the Porsches. Corvette Racing secured the front row in the GT1 category, with Jan Magnussen's No. 63 entry half a second ahead of the No. 64 sister car. Jetalliance Racing's privately entered Aston Martin was under two seconds behind, and followed immediately by the two Luc Alphand Corvettes. The JLOC Lamborghini struggled with mechanical issues and was never able to lift itself from last place on grid.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
The GT2 category was led by Porsche who bested their rivals Ferrari with two cars. Pole winner Flying Lizard Motorsports' 4:03.202 was less than a tenth of a second ahead of the No. 77 Felbermayr-Proton car. Risi Competizione led the Ferrari fight with a third place qualifying time, joined by JMB Racing and BMS Scuderia Italia. The Aston Martin of Drayson Racing was ninth in the category, while the Spyker was eleventh.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
Several incidents occurred during the qualifying session. The Pescarolo Peugeot drive by Jean-Christophe Boullion spun at the Tetre Rouge corner and ripped the left front fender off the car after impacting the wall. The Peugeot was able to return to the pits and be repaired. The No. 007 Aston Martin also hit a wall after losing control during braking for the second chicane on the Mulsanne Straight. Jan Charouz was traveling at 270 km/h (170 mph) at the time of the incident. The incident occurred in the closing minutes of qualifying, but the car was repaired.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
New rules have caused the diesels to become considerably slower than the previous year. Peugeot qualified 4 seconds slower than 2008 but still maintained the speed advantage over the new Audi R15. Audi's lack of testing meant that the cars struggled to get any sort of a good setup. All works drivers complained about understeer in the Le Mans aero package on the R15. Tom Kristensen commented that the high-downforce package like the one used at Sebring were much better. The R15 also struggled to get beyond a double-stint.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
The race began at 15:00 local time (UTC+2) 13 June 2009, with Franck Montagny in the pole position Peugeot 908 HDi FAP leading the field. The race was started by the waving of the French tricolour by Fiat and Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, honoring the 60th anniversary of Ferrari's first victory at Le Mans.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
In the LMP1 class, the Peugeots showed they could maintain a pace that the Audis struggled to maintain over the full run. The #7 Peugeot was released too early and hit from the side by the Pescarolo Peugeot. The initial damage was a small puncture but the resulting damage destroyed the whole left rear end of the car. Two of the three Audis had off-track excursions in the first 12 hours; one resulting in the #2 car being out of the race on lap 104. During the early evening, the #1 Audi lost a lap to the leading Peugeot.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
Further technical issues would see it lose another seven laps in total to the winner. In LMP2, the Navi Team Goh Porsche RS Spyder qualified 2nd overall and maintained a solid pace until crashing heavily with one hour to go, allowing the pole-sitting #31 Team Essex Porsche to carry on to the win.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
In GT1, the final outing of the Chevrolet Corvette C6.R as a factory team at Le Mans ended well, with the #63 car driven by O'Connell, Magnussen and García sitting on the pole and finishing first in class. Magnussen was sick early on, which left O'Connell and Garcia to finish the race as a two-driver team. Several other teams were stricken with the loss of a driver, most notable being the LMP1 #009 Lola-Aston, whose driver Stuart Hall was excluded when he collided with the LMP2 #26 Radical, and the stewards determined his fault to be substantial. Another team with a driver that was excluded was Kolles' Narain Karthikeyan as he dislocated his shoulder going over the pitwall before the race, leaving Charles Zwolsman, Jr. and André Lotterer to do the whole 24 hours, yet they finished a respectable 7th in P1 and 7th overall.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
In GT2, Ferrari celebrated their 60th Anniversary win with Ferraris taking the first 4 spots, the Risi Competizione #82 Ferrari F430 heading the class.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
New rules requiring only one man with one airgun in the pits were aimed to lower the overall costs of the event by causing teams to double or triple stint tires due to the time needed to replace them.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Race results
Class winners are marked in bold. Cars running at the finish but failing to complete 70% of the winner's distance are marked as Not Classified.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Peugeot protest
On Monday, 8 June, following scrutineering and approval of the Audi R15 TDI by the ACO, Peugeot Sport director Olivier Quesnel stated that the team may file a protest over the legality of certain elements of the R15 TDI's design. This protest was officially filed two days later, immediately before the start of practice. Peugeot believes that the R15 features aerodynamic elements on the front of the car which violate the ACO's regulations about devices which may increase the amount of front downforce. Peugeot, as well as fellow competitors Aston Martin Racing and Oreca, initially questioned these aerodynamic elements at the 2009 12 Hours of Sebring in March, but were assured that the ACO would evaluate them prior to Le Mans.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Peugeot protest
Later that night, Peugeot received a response from the ACO stating that it would not uphold the protest. The ACO stated that they have the ability through their own regulations to determine if an aerodynamic element's sole purpose is to create downforce. Peugeot responded within an hour by appealing this decision. A decision on this appeal however would not be made until after the race had taken place, thus allowing Audi to continue to compete. Audi stated that they believed the matter was between Peugeot and the ACO, and that their car was legal.


2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, Peugeot protest
Following the race, Peugeot announced that they were withdrawing their appeal of the scrutineer's decision. Peugeot cited a planned increase in communication between manufacturers and the ACO as their reasoning for the withdrawal.


2009 24 Hours of Nürburgring
The 2009 ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring is the 37th running of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. It took place over May 23–24, 2009. Manthey Racing's #1 Porsche claimed honours in the SP7 class and was the overall victor, completing 155 laps over the 24 hours. Team Abt Sportsline and their #97 Audi claimed second overall and finished as top runner in the SP9 GT3 class. 118 of the 170 starters were classified.


2009 24 Hours of Nürburgring, Intro
For 2009, the organizers announced that they wanted to reduce the gap in speeds, by not accepting small capacity cars any more, and by slowing down the fastest classes, SP7 and SP8. Also, the new FIA GT3 and FIA GT4 classes were adopted, called SP9 and SP10. Some of the new rules are controversial, especially the fact that instead of the regular fuel pumps as used in any public station, the top teams have to use expensive equipment designed to equal the times needed to refill, meaning that an economic car is punished compared to a thirsty car. Due to the various rule changes, some teams have declined to take part, namely Zakspeed with their Viper.


2009 24 Hours of Nürburgring, Intro
Probably also due to the economic crisis, the number of entries is much lower than in previous years, with only 170 cars starting the race. Surprisingly, the pole was set by a Ford GT, followed closely by the four factory-entered Audi R8 LMS and two Porsche GT3 of the Manthey team. They have decided to enter their well-known RSR, which is basically a GT2 car, but now has about 70 hp less due to new air restrictors, and also a 997 GT3 Cup S, the version Porsche homologated for FIA GT3.


2009 24 Hours of Nürburgring, Intro
For the first 19 hours, two of the Audis and the two Manthey Porsche battled for the lead within a lap, the pace likely to result in a new distance record. The Manthey #1 had been punished for approaching an accident site too quickly and had to wait 3 minutes in the box, but the decision was reverted later based on data logging evidence, with the lost time deducted from the results. Around 11:30, the #99 Audi which had a narrow lead was stopped by suspension problems. Following repairs this car finished in 5th position. This left the #97 Audi in second, and with the win in its class, 5 minutes behind the overall winner.


2009 24 Hours of Spa
The 2009 Total 24 Hours of Spa was the 62nd running of the Spa 24 Hours and the fourth round of the 2009 FIA GT Championship season. The race took place at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps between 25 and 26 July 2009. Joining the FIA GT Championship competitors were cars from numerous national GT series as well as competitors from the FIA GT3 European Championship. This was the last time GT1 machinery was eligible for the race, as well as the last Spa 24 Hours that was part of the FIA GT Championship.


2009 24 Hours of Spa
PK Carsport's Anthony Kumpen, Mike Hezemans, Kurt Mollekens, and Jos Menten won the race for the second time for Corvette, leading a Vitaphone Racing Maserati and a Phoenix Racing Audi for the overall podium. The GT2 category was won by AF Corse Ferrari, while the Ford GT of Matech GT Racing won amongst G3 entries.


2009 24 Hours of Spa, Report, Qualifying
Qualifying's three sessions were hampered by rain, with the only dry track time coming in the early minutes of the first session. The three Vitaphone Maseratis were able to quickly grab the top positions before the rains came, locking them into that position as no improvements were able to be made in any of the latter wet sessions.


2009 24 Hours of Spa, Report, Qualifying
The No. 120 Rossa Corsa Ferrari and No. 11 Full Speed Racing Saleen were required to start from pit lane after they both changed engines following qualifying. The two PMB Motorsports Porsches did not participate in any of the three qualifying sessions and also had to start from pit lane.


2009 24 Hours of Spa, Report, Qualifying, Qualifying results
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.


2009 24 Hours of Spa, Report, Race
Victory in the race went to the number 4 PK Carsport Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT1, which finished 11 laps ahead of the second placed Maserati MC12 GT1 of Vitaphone Racing Team DHL. Phoenix Racing, AF Corse and Matech GT Racing took class victories.


2009 24 Hours of Spa, Report, Race
Following the race, Porsche revealed that all of their cars participating in the GT2 category had used steel sleeves which did not match the homologation papers for the 997 GT3-RSR. The FIA later disqualified all Porsches from the GT2 category for this violation, amending the final race results.


2009 24 Hours of Spa, Report, Race, Race result
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 75% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2009 3. divisjon
The 2009 season of the 3. divisjon, the fourth highest association football league for men in Norway.


2009 3. divisjon
Between 22 and 26 games (depending on group size) were played in 24 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Twelve teams were promoted to the 2. divisjon through playoff.


2009 4 Nations Cup
The 2009 4 Nations Cup was the 14th playing of the annual women's ice hockey tournament. It was held in cities around Finland, from November 3–7, 2009.


2009 76 Classic
The 2009 76 Classic was a 3-day, 8-team, 12-game men’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I exempt basketball event held on November 26, 27, & 29, 2009. The tournament was sponsored by ConocoPhillips-owned brand 76. All 12 games were played at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. The 76 Classic was an ESPN Regional TV owned and operated event, hosted by ESPN and the Big West Conference. All games were televised on the ESPN family of networks.


2009 76 Classic
Butler, with 6'9" Gordon Hayward, was rated No. 9 by ESPN The Magazine in its pre-season rankings, followed by No. 11 West Virginia, No. 23 Minnesota, No. 27 Texas A&M, and No. 30 UCLA.


2009 76 Classic
The West Virginia Mountaineers won the tournament by defeating Long Beach State, Texas A&M, and upstart Portland in the finals to capture the 76 Classic title in 2009.


2009 A Championship
The 2009 A Championship was the second season of the A Championship in Ireland. The season was sponsored by Newstalk. The league featured 18 teams. Shamrock Rovers A were the champions while the runners up, Salthill Devon, were promoted to the First Division.


2009 A Championship, Overview
18 teams participated in the 2009 A Championship. 12 of these were the reserve teams of League of Ireland clubs. The 2008 champions UCD A and Limerick 37 A did not enter teams for the 2009 season. They were replaced by Sporting Fingal A and Dundalk A. The six non-reserve teams included Salthill Devon and Tullamore Town, both of whom played in the 2008 season. Cobh Ramblers had been relegated from the 2008 Premier Division but were demoted directly to the A Championship after being refused a First Division licence. Castlebar Celtic, F.C. Carlow and Tralee Dynamos were making their debut at senior national level. They were the first clubs from their respective counties of Mayo, Carlow and Kerry to play at this level.


2009 A Championship, Overview
The regular season started on 4 April and was completed by early November. The format saw the 18 teams split into two groups of nine, divided roughly into southern and northern  groups. The two groups used a traditional round-robin format. The two group winners, Shamrock Rovers A and Salthill Devon, then played off in a final. Shamrock Rovers emerged as champions. As the highest placed non-reserve team, Salthill Devon also qualified for a promotion/relegation play-off. However they were subsequently promoted directly to the 2010 First Division after their opponents, Kildare County, withdrew from the League of Ireland before the play-off could be played.


2009 A Lyga
The Lithuanian A Lyga 2009 was the 20th season of top-tier football in Lithuania. The season started on 4 April 2009 and ended on 31 October 2009. Ekranas successfully defended their title.


2009 A Lyga, Promotion and relegation
Šilutė were relegated to the I Lyga after finishing the 2008 season in last place. They were replaced by I Lyga champions Tauras.


2009 A Lyga, Pre-season controversy
The Lithuanian top football division was shaken to its core after FBK Kaunas and Atlantas withdrew their participation on 20 March 2009. Both teams cited serious differences with the Lithuanian Football Federation over the way the league has been led in the past as a reason. This was the second blow to the league within two weeks after Žalgiris were denied a license for this season because of excessive financial problems on 6 March 2009.


2009 A Lyga, Pre-season controversy
As a consequence, the chairman of the National Football Clubs' Association (NFKA), Gintaras Ugianskis, resigned from his post. Further, the organization of the league was put into the hands of the LFF.


2009 A Lyga, Pre-season controversy
The 2009 A Lyga consists of eight teams chosen from all teams of both A Lyga and I Lyga. Teams with a higher 2008 season rank had a preference to enter. Clubs being interested in a participation could submit their application until 26 March 2009.


2009 A Lyga, Pre-season controversy
On 27 March 2009, the LFF announced the three replacement teams. Banga Gargždai, LKKA ir Teledema Kaunas and Kruoja Pakruojis were appointed to the league. Further, the LFF classified FBK Kaunas and Atlantas to play in the third-tier II Lyga because of "unethical conduct and other irregularities" while Žalgiris were granted a license for the second-level I Lyga.


2009 A Lyga, Results
Every team will play each other four times, twice at home and twice on the road, for a total of 28 games.


2009 A-League Grand Final
The 2009 A-League Grand Final took place at Telstra Dome in Melbourne, Australia on 28 February 2009.


2009 A-League Grand Final
It was the final match in the A-League 2008–09 season, and was played between premiers Melbourne Victory and runners-up Adelaide United. Melbourne Victory won the match 1–0 and became the winners of the 2008–09 Championship, thus becoming the first team to win the A-League domestic treble, after also claiming the 2008 Pre-Season Challenge Cup, and the 2008–09 Premiership.


2009 A-League Grand Final
The match will always be marred by the 10th minute sending off of Cristiano which ultimately contributed to the loss. Similarly Daniel Allsopp was sent off in the 65th minute for an alleged headbutt. The decision infuriated Former Australia international Robbie Slater who was commentating the game "Did the blood coming from Roddy's ear sway it? I thought it was a disgraceful decision and the grand final was ruined."


2009 A-League Grand Final
The Grand Final was the last event to be held at the Telstra Dome, the former name of Melbourne's Docklands Stadium. Due to a change in sponsorship, the stadium is now known as Etihad Stadium.


2009 A-League Grand Final, Match, Summary
With both teams down to ten men for the last 25 minutes, Adelaide were left scoreless with Melbourne taking their second A-League championship medal. Pondeljak's goal earned him the prestigious Joe Marston Medal.


2009 A-League Grand Final, Match, Summary
A contentious early red card given to the lone Adelaide striker Cristiano by referee Matthew Breeze saw the Reds go down to ten men by the tenth minute. However, Adelaide managed to hold back Melbourne from scoring until Tom Pondeljak scored 23 metres out from goal in the 60th minute to allow Melbourne to take the lead.


2009 A-League Grand Final, Match, Summary
Five minutes later, Melbourne striker Daniel Allsopp was also sent off for allegedly headbutting Adelaide's Robert Cornthwaite in an incident in the Melbourne penalty box.


2009 A-League Grand Final, Match, Summary
Both Cristiano and Allsopp's red cards were revoked by the Football Federation Australia in a post-match conference.


2009 A-League Grand Final, Controversy
The red card to Adelaide talisman Cristiano after just 10 minutes in the championship decider against Melbourne Victory created a lot of controversy post match. The Brazilian starlet had been warned before that referee Matthew Breeze would send him off if he suspected anything untoward about his heading with flailing arms. He felt as though he was a marked man all season by referee Matthew Breeze " I couldn't sleep after the game."


2009 A-League Grand Final, Controversy
Fox Sports analyst and Former Australia international Robbie Slater claimed the referee made the wrong call, "ruined" the Grand Final and argued that the A-League should hire an elite overseas official to handle its championship game.


2009 AAA 400
The 2009 AAA 400 was the twenty-eighth stock car race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the second in the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup. It was held on September 27, 2009 at Dover International Speedway, in Dover, Delaware before a crowd of 110,000 people. The 400-lap race was won by Jimmie Johnson of the Hendrick Motorsports team after he started from pole position. His teammate Mark Martin finished second and Matt Kenseth came in third.


2009 AAA 400
Johnson won the pole position and maintained his lead on the first lap to begin the race. After a competition caution on lap 25, Ryan Newman became the leader of the race. Chase for the Sprint Cup participants Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon were in the top ten for most of the race. Johnson reclaimed the lead, after passing Kurt Busch. Johnson maintained the first position to lead the most laps of 271, and to win his fourth race of the season. There were nine cautions and six lead changes among four different drivers during the course of the race.


2009 AAA 400
The race was Johnson's fourth win of the 2009 season, as well as the forty-fourth of his career. The result kept Martin in the lead in the Drivers' Championship, ten points ahead of Johnson, and sixty-five in front of Juan Pablo Montoya. Chevrolet maintained its lead in the Manufacturers' Championship, forty-five ahead of Toyota and seventy-five in front of Ford, who bumped Dodge, with one-hundred and twenty-two points, to fourth place. The race attracted 5.08 million television viewers.


2009 AAA 400, Background
The 2009 AAA 400 was the twenty-eighth of thirty-six scheduled stock car races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the second in the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup. It took place on September 27, 2009, in Dover, Delaware, at Dover International Speedway, a short track that holds NASCAR races. The NASCAR race makes use of the track's standard configuration, a four-turn short track oval that is 1 mile (1.6 km) long. The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, and both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the backstretch are banked at nine degrees.


2009 AAA 400, Background
Before the race, Mark Martin led the Drivers' Championship with 5,230 points; Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin were tied for second with 5,195 points each, 35 points behind Martin. Juan Pablo Montoya was fourth with 5,175 points, ten ahead of Kurt Busch and nineteen ahead of Tony Stewart in fifth and sixth respectively. Ryan Newman with 5,151 was eleven points ahead of Brian Vickers, as Greg Biffle with 5,138 points, was ten ahead of Jeff Gordon. Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top twelve positions in the Chase for the Sprint Cup with 5,117 and 5,069 points respectively. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 199 points, thirty-nine points ahead of their rivals Toyota in second place. Dodge, with 118 points, were one point ahead of Ford in the battle for third place. Johnson was the race's defending champion.


2009 AAA 400, Practice and qualifying
Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race—one on Friday, and two on Saturday. The first session lasted 90 minutes, and the second 45 minutes. The final session lasted 60 minutes. In the first practice session, Johnson was fastest, placing ahead of Newman in second and Montoya in third. Biffle took fourth position and Kurt Busch placed fifth. A. J. Allmendinger, David Reutimann, Kevin Harvick, Martin and David Gilliland rounded out the top ten fastest drivers in the session. During the session, Bowyer broke a rocker arm, and his team changed engines as a consequence.


2009 AAA 400, Practice and qualifying
Forty-four drivers were entered in the qualifier on Friday afternoon; according to NASCAR's qualifying procedure, forty-three were allowed to race. Each driver ran two laps, with the starting order determined by the competitor's fastest times. Johnson clinched his third pole position of the season, with a time of 22.878. He was joined on the grid's front row by Montoya. Newman qualified third, Biffle took fourth and Reutimann started fifth. Kahne, Gordon, Bowyer, Sam Hornish, Jr. and Paul Menard completed the top ten positions. The driver that failed to qualify was Scott Wimmer.


2009 AAA 400, Practice and qualifying
During qualifying, Elliott Sadler's changed his car's engine, after one failed during the session. After the qualifier Johnson said, "A pole today will make the start of the weekend much better and give us a lot of direction and momentum moving into tomorrow, It does carry you, and there is an aspect of momentum. But at the same time, you've got to go out and perform."


2009 AAA 400, Practice and qualifying
On Saturday morning, Kurt Busch was fastest in the second practice session, ahead of Montoya in second, and Newman in third. Johnson was fourth quickest, and Bowyer took fifth. Kyle Busch managed sixth. Stewart, Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Gilliland followed in the top ten. Of the other drivers in the Chase, Biffle finished with the eleventh fastest time, while Kahne set the fourteenth fastest time. Kahne set the fastest time in the final practice session, while Montoya and Joey Logano followed in second and third respectively. Martin was fourth quickest, ahead of Biffle and Johnson. Kurt Busch was seventh fastest, Jamie McMurray eighth, Gilliland ninth and Martin Truex, Jr. tenth. Other chase drivers included Newman in eleventh and Hamlin in eighteenth.


2009 AAA 400, Race
The race, the twenty-eighth of a total of thirty-six in the 2009 season, began at 2:00 p.m. and was televised live in the United States on ESPN. Around the start of the race, weather conditions were cloudy with the air temperature 71 °F (22 °C); a moderate chance of rain was forecast. Pastor Dan Schafer began pre-race ceremonies by giving the invocation. Country music group and Show Dog-Universal Music recording artists Trailer Choir performed the national anthem, and Sergeant Major John Jones of the Pennsylvania National Guard gave the command for drivers to start their engines. During the pace laps, Bowyer, Sadler and Tony Raines all had to move to the rear of the grid because of them changing their engines. NASCAR announced that a competition caution would take place on lap 25, meaning drivers would make mandatory pit stops.


2009 AAA 400, Race
Johnson maintained his pole position lead into the first corner. One lap later, Newman passed Montoya for the second position. After starting the race in twelfth, Martin had lost four positions to run eighteenth by lap 4. By the 10th lap, Johnson had built up a 1.2 second lead over Newman. Bowyer, who began the race at the rear of the grid, had moved up thirteen positions to twenty-ninth by lap 15. Two laps later, Raines drove to his garage. On lap 18, Kurt Busch passed Vickers for ninth, as Kahne claimed fourth position from Biffle, two laps later. On lap 25, the competition caution came out. During the caution, all of the leaders made pit stops; Gilliland became the new leader on lap 28. After pit stops, Newman claimed the first position and held it at the restart.


2009 AAA 400, Race
On lap 31, a multi-car collision occurred in turn 3 as Logano was bumped by Stewart, causing him to flip sideways, which collected Truex, Robby Gordon and Reed Sorenson, prompting the second caution. On the same lap, the red flag was shown to allow race officials to clear the track of debris. The race was restarted 24 minutes later under caution. Newman maintained his lead at the restart, followed by Kurt Busch and Menard. Three laps later, Montoya and Gordon passed Menard for fifth and sixth respectively. On lap 43, Jeff Burton fell to ninth after being passed by Hamlin and Martin. Four laps later, Martin passed Hamlin for the thirteenth position.


2009 AAA 400, Race
By lap 50, Johnson passed Reutimann to move back into the top ten. On lap 58, Kurt Busch passed Newman to claim the lead. Three laps later, Jeff Gordon claimed fifth position off Kahne, while Menard was passed by Johnson for eighth. On lap 63, Montoya moved into the third position after passing Biffle, while Gilliland went to his garage to retire from the race. Two laps later, Kyle Busch claimed seventh position off Kahne, as Montoya passed Newman for second on lap 66. On lap 67, Gordon and Biffle passed Newman for third and fourth positions. Four laps later, Johnson claimed seventh from Kahne. On lap 80, Reutimann ran out of fuel, forcing him to make a pit stop.


2009 AAA 400, Race
On lap 83, Biffle was passed by Johnson for the fourth position. One lap later, Michael Waltrip lost his car's right-front tire and collided with the wall, causing the third caution. All of the leaders elected to make pit stops. Kurt Busch remained the leader at the restart, ahead of Biffle and Kyle Busch. On lap 93, Kyle Busch passed Biffle for second position, while McMurray was passed by Kahne for ninth on lap 96. Three laps later, Biffle dropped to sixth after being passed by Jeff Gordon, as Montoya passed Kyle Busch for the third position on lap 113.


2009 AAA 400, Race
Sixteen laps later, Kahne passed Jeff Gordon for sixth, while Stewart moved into the eighteenth position on lap 137. On the 147th lap, Kurt Busch was blocked by Bobby Labonte, allowing Johnson to claim the lead. By the 150th lap, Kyle Busch dropped three positions to sixth after being passed by Martin, Kahne and Jeff Gordon.


2009 AAA 400, Race
Green flag pit stops began on lap 152, when Hornish made a pit stop. Eleven laps later, the fourth caution came out. During the caution, which was caused by liquid on the track, all of the leaders made pit stops. Kurt Busch reclaimed the lead for the lap 168 restart. Stewart moved into the eleventh position on lap 170. Six laps later, Johnson reclaimed the lead off Kurt Busch. By the 183rd lap, Johnson opened out a 1.6 second lead over Kurt Busch. Twenty-four laps later, Kyle Busch collided with the wall in turn 3 and turn 4, prompting the fifth caution. All of the leaders chose to make pit stops during the caution. The race resumed on lap 211, with Johnson leading from Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch.


2009 AAA 400, Race
By the 223rd lap, Johnson had a lead of 1.6 seconds. Twenty-seven laps later, Sorenson rejoined the race track. On lap 252, Stewart passed Allmendinger for the ninth position. Seven laps later, Stewart moved into eighth after passing Newman, and passed Bowyer for seventh on the 262nd lap. On lap 272, Johnson's lead of 3.5 seconds was reduced to nothing when the pace car moved on track. During the caution, which was caused by David Stremme making contact with the wall at turn 4, all of the leaders made pit stops. Johnson remained the leader at the restart.


2009 AAA 400, Race
On lap 286, Kahne was passed  by Newman for ninth. By lap 290, Johnson built up a lead of two seconds. Seventeen laps later, Martin passed Kenseth for the fourth position. Johnson's lead had increased to 2.2 seconds by lap 319. Five laps later, debris was spotted on the track and the seventh caution was prompted. All of the leaders elected to make pit stops during the caution.


2009 AAA 400, Race
Johnson maintained his lead at the restart, followed by Martin and Kenseth. One lap later, Montoya moved into the second position, as Martin fell to fifth. On lap 336, Martin moved into fourth after passing Kurt Busch, and passed Kenseth for third two laps later. On lap 341, the eighth caution came out when Regan Smith spun off, collecting Stremme, Truex and Sadler. Johnson kept the lead at the lap 347 restart. One lap later, Kenseth moved into the second position, as Stewart and Gordon moved into fourth and tenth respectively.


2009 AAA 400, Race
On lap 349, Gordon passed Newman for ninth, before falling to eleventh position after contact with Newman one lap later. On the 354th lap, Stewart was passed by Martin for the fourth position, as Johnson had built a 2.2 second lead by lap 357. One lap later, Jeff Gordon moved into the ninth position after passing Newman.


2009 AAA 400, Race
On the 368th lap, Hornish, spun on the backstraightaway, prompting the ninth and final caution of the race. During the caution, some of the leaders made pit stops. Johnson maintained the lead on the lap 373. Four laps later, Newman passed Mears for eighth, as Edwards was passed by Stewart for twelfth. On the 383rd lap, Kahne, Allemndinger and Stewart passed Newman for seventh, eighth and ninth respectively. On the next lap, Kenseth was passed by Martin for second position. On the 391st lap, Kahne was passed by Allmendinger for the second position. Two laps later, Johnson's lead had increased to 2.2 seconds and held it to win the race. Martin finished second, ahead of Kenseth in third, Montoya fourth, and Kurt Busch fifth. Gordon, Allmendinger, Kahne, Stewart and Newman rounded out the top ten finishers.


2009 AAA 400, Race, Post-race
As far as sending a message, I hope it does. I hope people are worried."


2009 AAA 400, Race, Post-race
Johnson appeared in victory lane to celebrate his fourth victory of the season in front of 110,000 people who attended the race. Johnson also earned $276,076 in race winnings. Afterward, he said, "I woke up (on Sunday) morning very optimistic. By about lap two or three I knew we had a very balanced car and we'd be competitive all day long, get a solid finish. ", he continued, "I see guys get so worried about what other people think, what other people say and spend a lot of time in those areas. That's not what works for me. (I) don't watch television; don't watch or read any of the trade papers or magazines. Just ignore, ignore, ignore and focus on my world and what's going on with my race car. That's what I'll do through the rest of the Chase."


2009 AAA 400, Race, Post-race
Martin, who finished second, was candid about the result, "We did really well to finish second. I just don't think we were in [Johnson's] league today." In the post-race press conference, Kenseth said of his result, "We didn't qualify very good, but we were really happy with our car. When the race started, I didn't think we were quite as good as we were yesterday (in practice), but we were able to have really good pit stops."


2009 AAA 400, Race, Post-race
Logano, who was involved in the biggest accident of the race, "The biggest thing was, I was fine the whole time, [but] I'm not really sure what happened. The spotter was clearing me low. When I got down there, they checked up going into the corner and I got tagged from behind."


2009 AAA 400, Race, Post-race
The race result kept Martin in the lead of the Drivers' Championship with 5,400 points. Johnson, who won the race, stood in second, ten points behind Martin, and sixty-five ahead of Montoya. Kurt Busch moved into fourth position with 5,325 points. Stewart with fifth, Hamlin sixth, and Newman, Jeff Gordon, Biffle and Vickers followed in the top-ten positions. The final two positions available in the Chase for the Sprint Cup were occupied by Edwards in eleventh and Kahne in twelfth. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet maintained their lead with 208. Toyota remained second with 163. Ford followed with 123 points, one point ahead of Dodge in fourth. 5.08 million people watched the race on television. The race took three hours, twenty-two minutes and eleven seconds to complete, and the margin of victory was 1.970 seconds.


2009 AAMI Classic – Draw
Andy Roddick was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year.


2009 AAMI Classic – Draw
Roger Federer won in the final 6–1, 6–3, against Stanislas Wawrinka.


2009 ABC Supply Company A.J. Foyt 225
The 2009 ABC Supply Company A.J. Foyt 225 was the fifth round of the 2009 IndyCar Series season, held on May 31, 2009 at the 1.015-mile (1.633 km) Milwaukee Mile, in West Allis, Wisconsin.


2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
The 2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 37th edition of the event known as the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, and is part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour. It took place at the Rotterdam Ahoy indoor sporting arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands, from 9 February through 15 February 2009. Second-seeded Andy Murray won the singles final beating first-seeded Rafael Nadal in the final.


2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Players
The list of original seeded players was headlined by world number 1 Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Nikolay Davydenko. Also lined up are Gilles Simon, Gaël Monfils, David Ferrer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Robin Söderling.


2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Players
Robin Söderling was forced to withdraw from the tournament on the second day, before he was due to face Russia's Evgeny Korolev on day three. He was replaced by Frenchman Marc Gicquel who entered the tournament as a lucky loser.


2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Finals, Doubles
Daniel Nestor /  Nenad Zimonjić defeated  Lukáš Dlouhý /  Leander Paes 6–2, 7–5


2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Seeds
Robin Söderling was the eighth seed, but had to withdraw.


2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Events, Singles
In the first ATP World 500 Series tournament of the year, all the seeded players reached the second round. World number 1 Rafael Nadal needed three sets to beat Simone Bolelli and David Ferrer equally took three sets to advance against Jürgen Melzer. Thiemo de Bakker, who was ranked at #242 in the world rankings and one of only two Dutchmen in the competition, lost his first round tie against Andreas Seppi. The other home player, Jesse Huta Galung, gave seventh seed Jo Wilfried Tsonga a real game but lost out on two tie-breaks. Andy Murray beat former top three player Ivan Ljubičić while Gaël Monfils took the first set against Swiss player Stéphane Bohli before his opponent had to retire injured.


2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Events, Singles
Seeds began to fall in the second round: Nikolay Davydenko, Gilles Simon and David Ferrer exited the competition with defeats to Julien Benneteau, Mario Ančić and Mikhail Youzhny respectively. Nadal overcame the loss of the second set against the 2008 junior champion Grigor Dimitrov to win 7–5, 3–6, 6–2. Murray defeated Seppi 7–6, 7–6 and Monfils beat fellow Frenchman Michaël Llodra. The quarter-final line-up was completed by Marc Gicquel (who had the opportunity to play after Soderling's withdrawal) and Tsonga who defeated Dmitry Tursunov.


2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Events, Singles
In the quarter-finals Rafael Nadal beat Frenchman Tsonga 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 to set up a match with Monfils in the semi-finals, who beat Julien Benneteau 7-6, 6-1. Mario Ančić continued his good form from the Zagreb tournament the previous week by beating Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 6-2 in their quarter-final match. Marc Gicquel was forced to retire from his quarter-final against Murray when Murray was leading 7-6, 4-6, 3-0.


2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Events, Singles
In the first semi-final match, despite initial fears that he would not be able to play due to an ankle injury, Murray beat Ančić 6-1, 6-2.


2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Events, Doubles
The #1, #2 and #4 seeded doubles pairs all progressed through the first two rounds to reach the semi-finals. Top seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić recorded identical scorelines of 7–6(2), 6–4 in their opening two matches, defeating singles players Dmitry Tursunov (the champion the previous year with Tomáš Berdych) and Gilles Simon in the first round before beating Italians Andreas Seppi and Simone Bolelli.


2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Events, Doubles
The #2 seeded pair of Lukáš Dlouhý and Leander Paes won on a final-set champions tiebreak against Christopher Kas and Philipp Kohlschreiber, then proceeded to win 6–2, 6–1 against Igor Andreev and Marcin Matkowski in the quarterfinals. The Julian Knowle and Andy Ram partnerships also reached the semi-finals after a straight sets victory over Andy Murray and James Auckland in the first round and victory over the French pair of Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra in the second round. The #3 pair of Jeff Coetzee - Wesley Moodie were defeated in the quarter-finals by Tomáš Berdych and Jürgen Melzer 4-6, 66-7.


2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament – Doubles
Tomáš Berdych and Dmitry Tursunov are the defending champions. They are both present but do not compete together. Berdych partners with Jürgen Melzer, but lost in the semifinals to Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić. Tursunov partnered with Gilles Simon, but lost in the first round to Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić.


2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament – Singles
Michaël Llodra was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Gaël Monfils.


2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament – Wheelchair Singles
This was the first edition of the doubles tournament. The top two seeds Robin Ammerlaan and Stéphane Houdet met in the final. Ammerlaan won the first tournament with a three set win to seal the championship.


2009 ACB Playoffs
The 2009 ACB Playoffs was the final phase of the 2008–09 ACB season. It started on Saturday, May 16, 2009 and run until Thursday, June 18, 2009.


2009 ACC Championship Game
The 2009 ACC Championship Game was a college football game between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Clemson Tigers. The game, sponsored by Dr. Pepper, was the final regular-season contest of the 2009 college football season for the Atlantic Coast Conference. Georgia Tech defeated Clemson, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference football championship, 39–34. However, Georgia Tech was forced to vacate the game victory and the conference title in 2011 due to sanctions stemming from an NCAA investigation.


2009 ACC Championship Game
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were selected to represent the Coastal Division by virtue of a 7–1 record in conference play and a 10–2 record overall. Representing the Atlantic Division was Clemson, which had an 8–4 record (6–2 ACC). The game was a rematch of a contest played September 10 in Atlanta. In that first game, Georgia Tech won a close 30–27 matchup.


2009 ACC Championship Game
The game was held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on December 5, 2009. Tampa had been chosen to host the game after poor attendance at the game's previous location, Jacksonville, Florida, led conference officials to seek an alternative. The 2009 championship was the last to be hosted in Tampa, as the game moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2010.


2009 ACC Championship Game
From the start of the game, the 2009 ACC championship had a large amount of offense. Throughout the contest, neither team punted: Every offensive drive ended in a score or a turnover. Clemson scored first, a touchdown on its opening drive, and held a 7–3 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Georgia Tech scored 13 points to Clemson's six, and the Yellow Jackets entered halftime with a 16–13 lead. They extended that lead in the third quarter, scoring 17 points to Clemson's lone touchdown and extra point.


2009 ACC Championship Game
In the fourth quarter, Clemson closed the gap and took a 34–33 lead with 6:11 remaining, but Georgia Tech drove down the field and scored a touchdown with 1:20 remaining, giving the Yellow Jackets a 39–34 lead that was the game's final margin. In recognition of his significant performance despite the loss, Clemson running back C. J. Spiller was named the game's most valuable player.


2009 ACC Championship Game
By winning, Georgia Tech earned a spot in the 2010 Orange Bowl football game, and Clemson was selected for the 2009 Music City Bowl. Several players that participated in the ACC championship later played in postseason all-star games and were later selected in the 2010 NFL Draft.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Selection process
The ACC Championship Game features the winners of the Coastal and Atlantic divisions of the Atlantic Coast Conference. In the early 2000s, the conference underwent an expansion to add three former Big East members: the University of Miami and Virginia Tech in 2004, and Boston College in 2005. With the addition of a twelfth team, the ACC was allowed to hold a conference championship game under National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Selection process
The inaugural 2005 game featured a Florida State win over Virginia Tech, 27–22. In 2006, two different teams made their first appearances in the game, which was held in Jacksonville, Florida. Wake Forest defeated Georgia Tech, 9–6. In 2007, one team new to the championship game and championship-game veteran featured in the contest as Virginia Tech faced off against Boston College. The game resulted in a 30–16 Virginia Tech victory. In 2008, Virginia Tech and Boston College again played in the championship game. Virginia Tech won the rematch, 30–12.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Site selection
Before the 2007 game, cities other than Jacksonville (site of the 2007 ACC Championship Game) presented their plans to be the site of the 2008 ACC Championship Game. After poor attendance in the ACC Championship Game at Jacksonville for the second straight year, ACC officials and representatives of the conference's member schools elected not to extend the Gator Bowl Association's contract to manage and host the game for another year. On December 12, less than two weeks after Jacksonville had hosted the 2007 ACC Championship Game, the ACC announced that Tampa, Florida would host the game in 2008 and 2009 and Charlotte, North Carolina would host the game in 2010 and 2011.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Site selection
The cities were chosen based on bids presented to the ACC and its member schools. Each city requested and was granted a two-year contract. Tampa was chosen as the site of the 2008 game because Charlotte was scheduled to hold the annual convention of the Association for Career and Technical Education at the same time as the game, and adequate hotel space would not be ready in time for the two events. As a result, Charlotte's two-year span of hosting the game was pushed back to 2010.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection
Before the beginning of the 2009 college football season, the annual poll by media members who cover ACC football predicted Virginia Tech to win the Coastal Division and Florida State to win the Atlantic Division. Virginia Tech received 78 of a possible 87 first-place votes in its division, while Florida State received 56 in the other division. In regards to predicting the championship game's outcome, 69 of the 87 voters chose Virginia Tech to win. Georgia Tech and Clemson were predicted to finish second in the Coastal and Atlantic divisions, respectively.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Georgia Tech
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets entered the 2009 season after a 2008 campaign that saw them finish 9–4, including a season-ending 38–3 loss to the LSU Tigers in the 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl. Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson, entering his second season as head of the Yellow Jackets, had high hopes that Georgia Tech would be able to improve upon its 2008 performance. Others agreed with Johnson's assumption, as the Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 15 in the preseason Associated Press and USA Today coaches' polls.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Georgia Tech
In Georgia Tech's first game, the Yellow Jackets defeated lightly regarded Jacksonville State, 37–17. Five days later, in Tech's first competitive game of the season, the Yellow Jackets narrowly defeated Clemson, 30–27, on the basis of a fake field goal for a touchdown and a late field goal. One week after the Clemson win, Tech—by then raised to No. 14 in the national polls—suffered its first loss of the season, to No. 20 Miami.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Georgia Tech
That loss turned out to be Georgia Tech's last to a conference opponent during the 2009 regular season. Nine days after the Miami loss, Georgia Tech defeated No. 22 North Carolina, then followed that with a win over Southeastern Conference foe Mississippi State. Wins over Florida State and No. 4 Virginia Tech followed in subsequent weeks. The latter victory was the Yellow Jackets' first win over a top-five team since 1962 and gave Georgia Tech a lead in the divisional standings. Following the Virginia Tech win, Georgia Tech defeated Virginia, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest (in overtime) and Duke.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Georgia Tech
The Duke victory raised Georgia Tech to 10 wins, the school's first time at that mark since 1990, and the Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 7, their highest position in the national polls since that year. But following the Duke game, the Yellow Jackets faced Georgia in the rivalry known as Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. During that game, the unranked Georgia Bulldogs upset Tech, 30–24. Though Georgia Tech had clinched its ACC Championship Game slot with the win over Duke, the loss was nevertheless a "huge letdown" for the team.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Clemson
The Clemson Tigers began the 2009 season after finishing 7–6 in 2008, including a season-ending loss in the 2009 Gator Bowl to Nebraska. Heading into 2010, Clemson returned many of its 2009 players, but faced questions about whether those players would perform better with another year of experience. Also under question was head coach Dabo Swinney, who was beginning his first full season as head coach of the Tigers after assuming control in the seventh game of 2008. Clemson attempted to answer some of the questions about the team's potential in the first game of the season, a 37–14 win against Middle Tennessee State.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Clemson
Clemson lost its first real test, a conference game at 15th-ranked Georgia Tech, but recovered to win the following week against Boston College. The Boston College win was Clemson's last for almost a month, however, as Clemson lost to nonconference opponent Texas Christian on September 26, then was defeated by ACC divisional foe Maryland.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Clemson
The two losses, piled upon the loss to Georgia Tech, left Clemson with a 2–3 record. An anonymous report said coach Swinney became involved in a shouting match with a position coach, while players called a private meeting in an effort to turn the team's season around. On October 17, The Tigers rallied from their losing streak by defeating Wake Forest, 38–3, and moved back into the middle of the competition for the Atlantic Division championship. One week after defeating Wake Forest, the Tigers traveled to Miami, Florida, to play the Miami Hurricanes, who were ranked No. 10 in the Bowl Championship Series Poll. The Tigers played the Hurricanes into overtime, then upset Miami with a touchdown, 40–37.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Clemson
The Miami win tied Clemson for the lead in the division standings with Boston College, whom the Tigers had already defeated and held a head-to-head tiebreaker over. After the Miami game, Clemson defeated nonconference Coastal Carolina, then reeled off three wins over ACC teams. Clemson beat Florida State on November 7, NC State on November 14, and Virginia on November 21. On the same day Clemson defeated Virginia, Boston College was defeated in an ACC game, giving Clemson the Atlantic Division championship outright. After the Virginia game, Clemson faced longtime in-state rival South Carolina. In that game, South Carolina defeated Clemson, ending the Tigers' winning streak just before the ACC Championship Game.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Pregame buildup
Following the last week of regularly scheduled conference games, both teams fell in the national college football polls because of their rivalry losses. Georgia Tech, which had been No. 7 in the Bowl Championship Series Poll, No. 7 in the Associated Press Poll, and No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll, dropped to No. 10 in the BCS Poll, No. 12 in the AP Poll, and No. 12 in the coaches' poll.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Pregame buildup
Clemson, which had been No. 18 in the BCS, No. 15 in the AP, and No. 16 according to the coaches, dropped out of the BCS and coaches' polls and was No. 25 according to the AP. Spread bettors predicted Georgia Tech would win the game. Various betting organizations favored the Yellow Jackets by one point.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Pregame buildup
The game was a rematch of an early regular-season contest, but even though Georgia Tech won that game, there were questions about whether the victory would be repeated. Twice before, the two teams matched in the ACC Championship Game had played earlier that season. Both times, the loser of the first matchup won the second. There also were questions about each team's quality because of their losses in rivalry games against Southeastern Conference foes.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary
The 2009 ACC Championship Game kicked off at 8:06 pm EST on December 5, 2009, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The weather at kickoff was cloudy, with 88 percent humidity, an air temperature of 53 °F (12 °C) and a north wind of 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h). Approximately 42,815 people were in the stands, according to turnstile attendance figures, out of 57,227 tickets sold. The game also was seen by approximately 2.541 million viewers on ESPN, which broadcast the game with Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, and Erin Andrews. The 2.5 million viewers  brought the lowest-ever TV rating for an ACC Championship Game, even though the broadcast was the first ACC Championship Game to be played in prime time since 2005. The game's referee was Jeff Flanagan, its umpire was Keith Roden, and its linesman was Mike Owens.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, First quarter
The Clemson Tigers began the game with first possession. After Georgia Tech's kickoff and a short return, the Tigers' offense began work at their 33-yard line. Three short plays advanced the ball to the Clemson 41-yard line and gained the Tigers a first down. On the next play, Clemson running back C. J. Spiller broke free for a 40-yard rush to the Georgia Tech 19-yard line. Two plays later, Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker completed a 15-yard pass to Jacoby Ford. On the next play, Spiller ran forward three yards, across the goal line for a touchdown and the game's first points.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, First quarter
Clemson's post-score kickoff was returned to the Georgia Tech 15-yard line, where the Yellow Jackets began their first offensive possession. On the first two plays of the game, Georgia Tech running back Roddy Jones escaped the Clemson defense for gains of 21 yards and 22 yards, respectively. Those plays advanced the Yellow Jackets to the Clemson 42-yard line, where Georgia Tech began advancing by small gains. In three plays, Georgia Tech gained a first down, but two subsequent plays lost yardage before kicker Scott Blair came onto the field to attempt—and convert—a 48-yard field goal. The score narrowed Clemson's lead to 7–3 with the quarter exactly half elapsed.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, First quarter
The Tigers began their second drive of the game from their 26-yard line and advanced the ball through short gains. The Tigers needed three plays to gain a first down, then running back Andre Ellington advanced 18 yards and into Georgia Tech territory. Clemson could not gain another first down, and kicker Richard Jackson missed a 52-yard field goal attempt. After the miss, Georgia Tech's offense resumed the field. From the Tech 35-yard line, the Yellow Jackets advanced to the Clemson 48-yard line before running back Jonathan Dwyer gained 20 yards to the 28-yard line. Two plays later, as the Yellow Jackets advanced to the 18-yard line, the quarter ended with Clemson leading, 7–3.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, Second quarter
The second quarter began with Georgia Tech facing first down, in possession of the ball at the Clemson 18-yard line. On the first play of the quarter, Dwyer gained 10 yards and a first down with a running play to the Clemson eight-yard line. Three plays later, Dwyer completed the Yellow Jackets' scoring drive with a run into the end zone. The touchdown and extra point gave Georgia Tech its first lead of the game, 10–7, with 13:30 remaining.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, Second quarter
Clemson returned Georgia Tech's kickoff to its 43-yard line, but despite the good field position, Clemson was unable to take advantage. On the first play of the drive, Clemson quarterback Parker threw an interception to Georgia Tech defender Dominique Reese, who went out of bounds at the Tech 45-yard line. Georgia Tech's offense returned to the field at that point and began driving down the field. In two plays, Tech passed the 50-yard line. In six more, it penetrated the Clemson 10-yard line. Once there, however, the Yellow Jackets' drive stalled.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, Second quarter
Three consecutive penalties against Georgia Tech pushed the Yellow Jackets back 20 yards, and Tech was unable to score a touchdown or gain a first down after that setback. Kicker Blair again returned to the field and scored a 49-yard field goal. With 5:35 remaining in the first half, Georgia Tech extended its lead to 13–7.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, Second quarter
Clemson's offense returned to the field at its 35-yard line after Georgia Tech's kickoff and a 30-yard return by C. J. Spiller. During the ensuing drive, Spiller was the key player for the Tigers. On five consecutive plays, he received the ball during rushing plays. He gained 3, 13, 6, 2, and 41 yards, respectively, on each of these plays en route to the end zone and a touchdown. Clemson attempted a two-point conversion, but the try failed and the Tigers simply tied the Yellow Jackets, 13–13.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, Second quarter
Georgia Tech's offense began the final drive of the first half with 2:55 remaining. The Yellow Jackets started from their 36-yard line and began slowly: Their first play gained no yards, and their second gained eight before a fumble that was recovered by a fellow Yellow Jacket. A short running play gained three yards, enough for a first down, and the drive continued. Consecutive rushing plays gained few yards at a time, and Georgia Tech used its timeouts to stop the game clock and prevent time from running out in the half. A 10-yard pass interference penalty pushed Georgia Tech inside the Clemson 20-yard line, and kicker Blair again converted a field goal. The successful kick gave Georgia Tech a 16–13 lead heading into halftime.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, Third quarter
Because Clemson received the ball to begin the game, Georgia Tech received the ball to begin the second half. Chris Tanner returned the kickoff to the Tech 29-yard line, and the Yellow Jackets began the first offensive drive of the half. Jones opened the drive with a 16-yard run, then the Yellow Jackets converted a fourth down to continue down the field. Six plays after the fourth-down conversion, Tech quarterback Nesbitt ran into the end zone for a touchdown. The following extra point gave Tech a 23–13 lead with 9:12 remaining.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, Third quarter
Clemson fielded the following kickoff, and its offense continued with the success it found in its final drive of the first half. As in that drive, C. J. Spiller was a key performer. Clemson's drive began at its 40-yard line, and it took just five plays for the Tigers to score a touchdown. Four of those plays, including the culminating one, came from Spiller, who covered 40 yards during them. Spiller's touchdown cut Georgia Tech's lead to 23–20. But as quickly as Clemson scored, Georgia Tech moved even more quickly. From its 30-yard line, the Yellow Jackets needed only three plays, the keystone coming on a 70-yard throw from Nesbitt to Thomas for a touchdown. With 5:10 remaining in the quarter, the Yellow Jackets restored the 10-point margin, 30–20.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, Third quarter
Beginning from their 26-yard line after a kickoff, Clemson attempted to again cut into Tech's lead. The Tigers, again guided by the running offense of Spiller and Jamie Harper, advanced to the 37-yard line, where Parker's passing attack took over. Parker completed two passes before Georgia Tech defender Jerrard Tarrant ran in front of a long throw downfield. He intercepted Parker's pass and returned it 50 yards to the Clemson 28, where Tech's offense began anew. Despite the good field position, Tech was unable to gain a first down but still was within range of a 40-yard field goal from Blair, who extended the Yellow Jackets' lead to 33–20.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, Third quarter
With time running out in the third quarter, Clemson's offense entered the field of play at its 28-yard line. After a five-yard penalty for delay of game, the Tigers' Andre Ellington gained 41 yards on two plays, pushing into Georgia Tech territory. Those plays all but exhausted the quarter's remaining moments, however, and the third quarter ended with Georgia Tech still leading, 33–20.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, Fourth quarter
The fourth quarter began with Clemson in possession of the ball and facing second and nine from the Georgia Tech 35-yard line. The Tigers' first two plays of the quarter failed to gain a first down, setting up a critical fourth-down conversion opportunity for them. Rather than attempt a field goal, the Tigers attempted to gain a first down and were successful as Parker completed a seven-yard throw. Though Georgia Tech sacked Parker on a subsequent play, the yardage loss was offset by a pass interference penalty against the Yellow Jackets. One play after the penalty, Spiller ran nine yards for a touchdown. It and the subsequent extra point cut Georgia Tech's lead to 33–27 with 12 minutes remaining in the game.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, Fourth quarter
With a solid lead and time running down in the game, Georgia Tech began a sequence of running plays intended to keep the game clock running while gaining ground. From their 25-yard line, the Yellow Jackets gained 38 yards on seven plays, advancing into Clemson territory in the process. Facing fourth down at the Clemson 37-yard line, the Yellow Jackets attempted to gain a first down rather than kick a long field goal. When they were stopped short of the first-down line, Clemson's offense returned to the field. Spiller again drove the Tigers down the field, opening the drive with a 54-yard run on its first play. Three plays later, Ellington capitalized the drive with a one-yard run for a tying touchdown. The following extra point gave Clemson a one-point lead, 34–33, with 6:11 remaining in the game.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Clemson's post-touchdown kickoff was returned to the Tech 14-yard line, where the Yellow Jackets began their game-winning drive. The offense began slowly; Georgia Tech gained only nine yards in three plays, setting up a crucial fourth-down conversion. A failed try would give Clemson the ball deep in Georgia Tech territory, with little time remaining in the game for Georgia Tech to reply to any score. Instead, the Yellow Jackets converted the fourth down, keeping their drive alive. On the first play after the fourth-down conversion, Nesbitt completed a 21-yard pass to Dwyer, pushing Tech to near midfield. Eight plays later, Dwyer breached the Clemson defense for a 15-yard gain and the go-ahead score. A false start penalty on Georgia Tech's two-point conversion try prevented any extra points, but the touchdown's six points were enough to give Georgia Tech a 39–34 lead.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Clemson received Georgia Tech's kickoff with 1:20 remaining in the game. On the Tigers' first play, they committed a 10-yard penalty. Two incomplete passes followed from Parker, who then completed an 18-yard throw to Xavier Dye. This set up a fourth-and-two for the Tigers, who needed to gain a first down to keep their potential game-winning drive going. Instead, Parker was stymied in his attempt to run for the needed yards, and Clemson turned the ball over on downs. Georgia Tech's offense ran out the remaining seconds on the clock and ensured their 39–34 victory.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Statistical summary
In recognition of his performance despite a losing effort, Clemson running back C. J. Spiller was named the game's most valuable player. Spiller set several ACC Championship game records: most yards, most yards per carry, most touchdowns, and longest run from scrimmage. Spiller finished the game with 233 rushing yards, more than Georgia Tech's two leading rushers combined. The Yellow Jackets' Jonathan Dwyer had 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Josh Nesbitt rushed for 103 yards and one touchdown.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Statistical summary
As quarterback, Georgia Tech's Josh Nesbitt was the top performer. In addition to his rushing performance, Nesbitt completed 9 of 16 pass attempts for 136 yards and one touchdown. On the opposite side of the field, Clemson's Kyle Parker was successful on 10 of his 17 pass attempts for 91 yards, but also had two interceptions, the game's only turnovers. Nesbitt set an ACC Championship Game record for longest pass play with his 70-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in the third quarter. The two teams also set records for total offense: Georgia Tech's 469 total yards and Clemson's 414 total yards each broke the previous record for total offense, as did each team's rushing total break the previous team rushing record.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Statistical summary
On defense, Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers led all defenders with 11 total tackles, including one for loss. Bowers' performance was a personal best for him and was the second-most in ACC Championship Game history. For Georgia Tech, Mario Edwards was the leading tackler with seven, including two assisted tackles. Tech's Jerrard Tarrant, who had five tackles, the second-most on the team, also had one interception and returned it 50 yards. The interception and return, Tarrant's first of the season, was the longest in ACC Championship Game history. Georgia Tech's other interception was fielded by Dominique Reese, for no return.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Postgame effects
Georgia Tech's win brought it to a record of 11–2, while Clemson's loss dropped it to 8–5. The win ensured Georgia Tech's first outright conference championship since 1990, and as a reward for winning the conference, Georgia Tech received a spot in the 2010 Orange Bowl, a Bowl Championship Series game. In that game, the Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Yellow Jackets, 24–14. Clemson also was selected to participate in a postseason bowl game. The Music City Bowl, played in Nashville, Tennessee, selected the Tigers to play against the Kentucky Wildcats. In that game, the Tigers defeated the Wildcats, 21–13.


2009 ACC Championship Game, Vacated
On July 14, 2011, Georgia Tech was forced to vacate the win due to an NCAA investigation. The NCAA accused Tech of fielding an ineligible player during the game, and although they were unable to obtain evidence that an ineligible player had been played, the NCAA concluded that the investigation had been hampered by Georgia Tech's administration. This was taken as evidence of wrongdoing, and penalties for playing an ineligible player were imposed.


2009 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament took place from March 12–15 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The tournament was broadcast on the ESPN family of networks, along with Raycom Sports in the ACC footprint.


2009 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament
The championship game matched Duke against Florida State, who made their first appearance in the ACC championship game since joining the league in 1992. Duke won 79–69 for their 8th conference title in 11 years.