2007 Brickyard 400

2007 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Race details
Race 20 of 36 in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season
2007 Brickyard 400 program cover
2007 Brickyard 400 program cover
Date July 29, 2007 (2007-July-29)
Official name Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Location Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.023 km)
Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Weather Temperatures up to 86 °F (30 °C); wind speeds up to 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)[1]
Average speed 117.379 miles per hour (188.903 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Chip Ganassi Racing
Time 48.858
Most laps led
Driver Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 65
Winner
No. 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Jerry Punch, Andy Petree and Dale Jarrett

The 2007 Allstate 400 at The Brickyard, the 14th running of the event, was the twentieth race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the first of the season that was televised by NASCAR on ESPN. It was held on July 29, 2007 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.

Pre-race

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the race track where the race was held.

Two Nextel Cup Series teams announced changes in their ownership just before this race:

  • Dale Earnhardt Inc. merged with Ginn Racing, taking over the No. 01 team of Mark Martin and Aric Almirola, and closing the Nos. 13 and 14 teams after Ginn had released Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin because of sponsorship difficulties. The No. 14 and No. 15 teams switched positions in the standings, guaranteeing Paul Menard, the driver of the No. 15, a starting spot. Regan Smith, who had shared driving duties with Martin, was reassigned to the Craftsman Truck Series.
  • Terry Labonte filled in for Michael Waltrip in the No. 55 Toyota which originally made Bill Elliott, winner of the 2002 race, and his No. 21 Wood Brothers/JTG Racing team ineligible for the past champion's provisional since Labonte's championship is more recent than Elliott's. However, with the closing of the Nos. 13 and 14 teams from Ginn, Elliott was assured of racing in this event.
  • Originally, there were 51 cars on the initial entry list, including the No. 13 team, which was left without a driver and sponsor. The No. 14 team was entered with Smith as the driver, but because of the merger between DEI and Ginn Racing, the final entry list only included 49 cars.

Qualifying

RANK DRIVER NBR CAR TIME SPEED
1  Reed Sorenson 41 Dodge 48.858   184.207  
2  Juan Pablo Montoya 42 Dodge 49.048   183.494  
3  Ryan Newman 12 Dodge 49.053   183.475  
4  Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 8 Chevrolet 49.068   183.419  
5  Kasey Kahne 9 Dodge 49.080   183.374  
6  Kurt Busch 2 Dodge 49.159   183.079  
7  Jeff Burton 31 Chevrolet 49.167   183.050  
8  Greg Biffle 16 Ford 49.174   183.024  
9  Casey Mears 25 Chevrolet 49.177   183.012  
10  Denny Hamlin 11 Chevrolet 49.233   182.804  
11  Tony Raines 96 Chevrolet 49.246   182.756  
12  David Stremme 40 Dodge 49.259   182.708  
13  Mark Martin 01 Chevrolet 49.273   182.656  
14  Tony Stewart 20 Chevrolet 49.275   182.648  
15  Jamie McMurray 26 Ford 49.287   182.604  
16  Scott Riggs 10 Dodge 49.333   182.434   *
17  Elliott Sadler 19 Dodge 49.342   182.400  
18  Kyle Busch 5 Chevrolet 49.396   182.201  
19  Jimmie Johnson 48 Chevrolet 49.498   181.826  
20  Kevin Harvick 29 Chevrolet 49.519   181.748  
21  Jeff Gordon 24 Chevrolet 49.526   181.723  
22  Scott Wimmer 33 Chevrolet 49.558   181.605   *
23  J.J. Yeley 18 Chevrolet 49.559   181.602  
24  Jeff Green 66 Chevrolet 49.676   181.174  
25  Brian Vickers 83 Toyota 49.689   181.127   *
26  Clint Bowyer 07 Chevrolet 49.692   181.116  
27  Dave Blaney 22 Toyota 49.708   181.057   *
28  Paul Menard 15 Chevrolet 49.711   181.046  
29  Bobby Labonte 43 Dodge 49.753   180.894  
30  David Ragan 6 Ford 49.757   180.879  
31  Matt Kenseth 17 Ford 49.764   180.854  
32  Bill Elliott 21 Ford 49.783   180.785  
33  Martin Truex, Jr. 1 Chevrolet 49.797   180.734  
34  David Reutimann 00 Toyota 49.827   180.625   *
35  Carl Edwards 99 Ford 49.829   180.618  
36  Ken Schrader 49 Dodge 49.862   180.498   *
37  Ricky Rudd 88 Ford 49.998   180.007  
38  David Gilliland 38 Ford 50.033   179.881  
39  Johnny Sauter 70 Chevrolet 50.080   179.712  
40  Ward Burton 4 Chevrolet 50.096   179.655   *
41  Joe Nemechek 08 Dodge 50.184   179.340   *
42  Terry Labonte 55 Toyota 50.189   179.322   PC
43  Kyle Petty 45 Dodge 50.227   179.186  
44  A.J. Allmendinger 84 Toyota 50.300   178.926   *
45  Kevin Lepage 37 Dodge 50.340   178.784   *
46  Dale Jarrett 44 Toyota 50.366   178.692   *
47  Jeremy Mayfield 36 Toyota 50.411   178.532   *
48  Kenny Wallace 78 Chevrolet 50.814   177.117   *
49  Robby Gordon 7 Ford 50.879   176.890   OP

OP: qualified via owners points

PC: qualified as past champion

PR: provisional

QR: via qualifying race

* - had to qualify on time

Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes:   Joe Nemechek (#08), A.J. Allmendinger (#84), Kevin Lepage (#37), Dale Jarrett (#44), Jeremy Mayfield (#36), Kenny Wallace (#78), Regan Smith (#14-WD), ? (#13-WD)

Race

Pole sitter Reed Sorenson lead the first lap of the race. The first caution flew on lap 15 when Jeff Green crashed in turn 3. Tony Stewart won the race off of pit road and lead the field to the restart on lap 20. Dale Earnhardt Jr. would take the lead from Stewart on the restart. The second caution would fly on the same lap when Ryan Newman crashed in turn 4. Dale Jr. lead the field on the restart on lap 25. On lap 39, the third caution flew when Tony Raines and Kasey Kahne crashed and turn 1. Robby Gordon also spun trying to avoid the wreck. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race off of pit road and lead the field to the restart on lap 44. On lap 46, a big wreck would occur in turn 1 that took out 8 cars. It started when Jamie McMurray got loose in turn 1 and slid up into Jimmie Johnson which caused a mini chain reaction crash that also collected Scott Riggs, Bill Elliott, Ricky Rudd, Carl Edwards, J. J. Yeley, and Kyle Petty. The race restarted on lap 53. On lap 54, Tony Stewart took the lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr. On the same lap, a multi-car crash would occur in turn three. It started when Johnny Sauter came down and got turned by Casey Mears which sent the two spinning while collecting Elliott Sadler and Kyle Petty. The race restarted on lap 60 with Stewart as the leader. On lap 61, the 6th caution of the race would occur when Jimmie Johnson blew a left front tire and hit the wall in turn 3 which ended up causing his car to catch on fire. Juan Pablo Montoya won the race off of pit road but Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr, and Scott Riggs did not pit and Busch lead the field to the restart on lap 68. On lap 76, the 7th caution flew for debris. During pit stops, Kurt Busch's rear bumper fell off after Scott Wimmer made contact with him. Tony Stewart lead the field to the restart on lap 80. On lap 90, the 8th caution flew for debris. Greg Biffle won the race off of pit road and lead the field to the restart on lap 98.

Final Laps

On lap 103, Kevin Harvick took the lead. With 50 laps to go, Tony Stewart took the lead from Harvick. With 34 to go, Kyle Busch took the lead as green flag pit stops began. Stewart would get the lead back with 32 to go. With 25 to go, the 9th and final caution flew when Dale Earnhardt Jr's engine blew. Stewart lead the field to the restart with 20 to go. Kevin Harvick would pass Stewart in turns 1 and 2. Harvick had built a manageable lead but Stewart closed in on him. Stewart on his radio as he was closing on Harvick said "Here kitty kitty kitty! Come get you some of this!" Stewart made a few attempts to pass Harvick but never could. Finally, with 10 to go, Stewart passed Harvick and took the lead. Harvick started to fall back after he and Stewart touched down the backstretch. Stewart would eventually take home his 2nd and last Brickyard 400 win of his career while also taking his 2nd win on the season and the 2nd in a row. Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, and Reed Sorenson rounded out the top 5 while Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick (who dropped from first to 7th), Jeff Burton, Dave Blaney, and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top 10.[2]

Results

Pos. No. Driver Car Team
1. 20 Tony Stewart (W) Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
2. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya (R) Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
3. 24 Jeff Gordon (W) Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
4. 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
5. 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
6. 01 Mark Martin Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
7. 29 Kevin Harvick (W) Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
8. 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
9. 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Bill Davis Racing
10. 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
11. 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Penske Racing South
12. 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
13. 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
14. 4 Ward Burton Chevrolet Morgan-McClure Motorsports
15. 16 Greg Biffle Ford Roush Fenway Racing
16. 6 David Ragan (R) Ford Roush Fenway Racing
17. 38 David Gilliland (R) Ford Yates/Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
18. 99 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
19. 43 Bobby Labonte (W) Dodge Petty Enterprises
20. 15 Paul Menard (R) Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
21. 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Team Red Bull
22. 11 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
23. 21 Bill Elliott (W) Ford Wood Brothers/JTG Racing
24. 88 Ricky Rudd (W) Ford Yates/Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
25. 49 Ken Schrader Dodge BAM Racing
26. 40 David Stremme Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
27. 7 Robby Gordon Ford Robby Gordon Motorsports
28. 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Evernham Motorsports
29. 10 Scott Riggs Dodge Evernham Motorsports
30. 55 Terry Labonte Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
31. 33 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
32. 45 Kyle Petty Dodge Petty Enterprises
33. 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Roush Fenway Racing
34. 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
35. 25 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
36. 18 J. J. Yeley Chevorolet Joe Gibbs Racing
37. 70 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet Haas CNC Racing
38. 00 David Reutimann (R) Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
39. 48 Jimmie Johnson (W) Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
40. 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Evernham Motorsports
41. 96 Tony Raines Chevrolet Hall of Fame Racing
42. 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Penske Racing South
43. 66 Jeff Green Chevrolet Haas CNC Racing
Failed to Quality
Pos. No. Driver Car Team
08 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet EM Motorsports
84 A. J. Allmendinger (R) Toyota Team Red Bull
37 Kevin Lepage Dodge Front Row Motorsports
44 Dale Jarrett (W) Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
36 Jeremy Mayfield Toyota Bill Davis Racing
78 Kenny Wallace Chevrolet Furniture Row Racing
Source: [3]

Notes

  • For the first time in history, there was not a testing session before this race.
  • This race marked the second time an Indy NASCAR race was on cable television. Either ABC or NBC televised all 13 of the previous events except for 1995, when ESPN showed the race on one day's tape delay. This time, the 400 was originally scheduled to air on ESPN, while ABC would not takeover the broadcast until September. Additionally, this was the first NASCAR Cup race aired on ESPN since the 2000 season finale of what was then the Winston Cup Series.
  • Dale Jarrett's failure to qualify meant that only 4 drivers had started every Brickyard 400 since its inception in 1994: Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin, and Bill Elliott.
  • Kevin Harvick, who led part of the race until Stewart overtook him on lap 149, missed the victory by a close finish to become the 3rd driver to win the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same year.

Post-race

For the second time since 2004, a winning driver uttered an obscenity in a live post-race interview when Stewart said "This one's for every one of those fans in the stands who pull for me every week and take all the bullshit from everybody else" to then ESPN pit reporter Dave Burns. At first, it was perceived to be in response to critics who have gone after his blunt and abrasive personality, but it has since been reported that Stewart was the subject of statements made by Pardon the Interruption co-hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon on the show that aired the day after Stewart's win at the USG Sheetrock 400. After Stewart joked about celebrating the victory by drinking a case of Schlitz beer, the co-hosts concluded that the driver was a bad role model for children. Whether the comments were a form of revenge against the network is open for interpretation.[4][5]

On the Tuesday after the race, Stewart was fined US$25,000 by NASCAR, and lost 25 points in the driver's championship due to the infraction. His team, Joe Gibbs Racing, also was penalized 25 points in the owners' championship. However, his classification of fifth in the championship standings remained the same despite the penalty.[6] Dale Earnhardt Jr., who said the word "shit" after winning the 2004 EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway had been given the same penalty that year.

References

  1. ^ "2007 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard weather information". Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  2. ^ "Stewart all smiles after muscling to Brickyard victory". 31 July 2007.
  3. ^ 2007 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Results
  4. ^ Tony Stewart Punk'd ESPN...[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ Tony Stewart vs. ESPN: It Could Be a Long TV Season
  6. ^ ESPN - Stewart fined $25,000, docked 25 points for cursing on TV - Nascar
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