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
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)
Average speed	117.379 miles per hour (188.903 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Reed Sorenson	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• Terry Labonte filled in for Michael Waltrip in the No. 55 Toyota which originally made Bill Elliott, winner of the 2002 race, and his No. 21 Wood Brothers/JTG Racing team ineligible for the past champion's provisional since Labonte's championship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.

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:

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.

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. 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.

External links

• Complete results
• Points standings