2007 Dodge Avenger 500

Last updated
2007 Dodge Avenger 500
Race details
Race 11 of 36 in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
2007 Dodge Avenger 500 program cover.png
2007 Dodge Avenger 500 program cover
Date May 13, 2007 (2007-May-13)
Official name Dodge Avenger 500
Location Darlington Raceway, Darlington County, South Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.366 mi (2.198 km)
Distance 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.799 km)
Weather Mild with temperatures approaching 75 °F (24 °C); wind speeds up to 17.1 miles per hour (27.5 km/h)
Average speed 124.372 miles per hour (200.157 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Richard Childress Racing
Time 29.806
Most laps led
Driver Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 179
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network Fox Broadcasting Company
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds

The 2007 Dodge Avenger 500, the 51st running of the race that traces its lineage to the 1957 Rebel 300, was the eleventh race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, a suburb of Florence.

Contents

The race was postponed by rain, and was run the following afternoon, May 13 (Mother's Day in the US), the second race in two weeks to be rained out. Coincidentally, the first running of this event in 1957 was postponed by rain and delayed a day later to May 12, exactly 50 years to the originally scheduled date of this race. Originally the third night race on the schedule, this also served as the fifth race to use the Car of Tomorrow template.

Chevrolet continued to dominate the NASCAR Cup Series like it did during the 1990s and through most of the 2000s. Michael Waltrip continued to have a negative number of points in this race due to his major penalty that was not mitigated until late into the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. Spanish-speaking NASCAR fans started to notice Jeff Gordon's dominance in this NASCAR event, making him a close second favorite to Juan Pablo Montoya.

Last chance for the All-Star Challenge

The race served as the final chance for teams and drivers who have not qualified for the Nextel All-Star Challenge to automatically enter that race by winning on the 1.366 mile egg-shaped oval known as "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough To Tame". If not, they would have to race in the NEXTEL Open race, as either one of the top two drivers or chosen in a fan vote.

Abrasive surface

The Darlington asphalt has been known to be one of the most abrasive in NASCAR, as the sandpaper-like surface shreds tires limiting their run on the track. This situation was rectified later in 2007 when the entire track was resurfaced. As a result, pit row became a concrete surface.

Qualifying

Clint Bowyer won the pole position, the first career pole in the Cup series for the driver of the #07 Chevrolet Impala. Greg Biffle, who had won the two previous Darlington races, sat on the outside of Bowyer. Michael Waltrip missed his 10th straight race, while Ken Schrader returned to the field after sitting out the two previous weeks.

Pos [1] Car #DriverMakeSpeedTimeBehind
17Clint BowyerChevrolet164.98729.8060.000
216Greg BiffleFord164.87629.826-0.020
326Jamie McMurrayFord164.43029.907-0.101
499Carl EdwardsFord164.31429.928-0.122
59Kasey KahneDodge164.07329.972-0.166
678Kenny WallaceChevrolet163.87630.008-0.202
711Denny HamlinChevrolet163.83830.015-0.209
821Ken SchraderFord163.72330.036-0.230
929Kevin HarvickChevrolet163.71330.038-0.232
1024Jeff GordonChevrolet163.68030.044-0.238
1125Casey MearsChevrolet163.29930.114-0.308
1248Jimmie JohnsonChevrolet163.28930.116-0.310
1343Bobby LabonteDodge163.18630.135-0.329
1400David ReutimannToyota163.17530.137-0.331
1583Brian VickersToyota163.15330.141-0.335
1641Reed SorensonDodge163.10530.150-0.344
1719Elliott SadlerDodge163.04530.161-0.355
182Kurt BuschDodge163.00230.169-0.363
1970Johnny SauterChevrolet162.94830.179-0.373
2084A. J. AllmendingerToyota162.91530.185-0.379
218Dale Earnhardt Jr.Chevrolet162.80730.205-0.399
2218J. J. YeleyChevrolet162.79130.208-0.402
2315Paul MenardChevrolet162.78630.209-0.403
246David RaganFord162.63030.238-0.432
251Martin Truex Jr.Chevrolet162.61930.240-0.434
2620Tony StewartChevrolet162.55530.252-0.446
2722Dave BlaneyToyota162.45230.271-0.465
2814Sterling MarlinChevrolet162.35630.289-0.483
2912Ryan NewmanDodge162.27630.304-0.498
3040David StremmeDodge162.26030.307-0.501
3117Matt KensethFord161.93430.368-0.562
3296Tony RainesChevrolet161.86430.381-0.575
337Robby GordonFord161.74230.404-0.598
3431Jeff BurtonChevrolet161.54530.441-0.635
3513Joe NemechekChevrolet161.50330.449-0.643
365Kyle BuschChevrolet161.32830.482-0.676
371Mark MartinChevrolet161.31730.484-0.678
3838David GillilandFord161.00630.543-0.737
3966Jeff GreenChevrolet160.86930.569-0.763
4088Ricky RuddFord160.38130.662-0.856
4142Juan MontoyaDodge160.05730.724-0.918
4245Kyle PettyDodge159.54830.822-1.016
4337Kevin LepageDodge162.32930.294-0.488
Failed to qualify
4436Jeremy MayfieldToyota30.301
454Ward BurtonChevrolet30.359
4649Mike BlissDodge30.370
4755Michael WaltripToyota30.446
4844Dale JarrettToyota30.480
4910Scott RiggsDodge30.529

Race recap

Jeff Gordon overcame a radiator problem to win the Dodge Avenger 500. The win was his third in the last four races, his sixth win in the Southern 500, and his 78th overall career. Because of the failure, his car emitted steam for the last 50 laps or so of the race. The race was arguably decided most in the pits. Gordon's crew chief, Steve Letarte, kept the #24 Chevy on the track during what would be the final caution of the race, while all other leaders came in for service. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin was in position for a weekend sweep (he had won on Friday night in the Busch Series Diamond Hill Plywood 200), but a failure to apply lug nuts correctly on the first attempt led to a long pit stop, after which he never regained the lead. Hamlin still led the most laps on this day and finished second.

The remaining top drivers were in this order: Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bowyer, and Jeff Burton.

After this race, Gordon led Jimmie Johnson by 231 points for the lead. Earnhardt Jr. led Jamie McMurray by 46 points for the 12th and final position in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. However, because of illegal bolts supporting the wing that was discovered in a pre-race inspection, Earnhardt was docked 100 driver points, the team lost 100 owner points and slapped with a $100,000 (US) fine and crew chief Tony Eury, Sr. was suspended until July 4. Because of the penalties, McMurray was elevated to the final Chase position as a result.

Race results

(*) denotes Rookie of the Year candidate.

FinStDriverCar #MakePointsBonusLapsWinnings
110 Jeff Gordon 24 Chevrolet 1905367$323,286
27 Denny Hamlin 11 Chevrolet 18010367$211,550
312 Jimmie Johnson 48 Chevrolet 1705367$197,761
429 Ryan Newman 12 Dodge 1655367$159,875
54 Carl Edwards 99 Ford 1605367$125,475
626 Tony Stewart 20 Chevrolet 150367$145,961
731 Matt Kenseth 17 Ford 1515367$143,516
821 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 8 Chevrolet 142367$133,033
91 Clint Bowyer 7 Chevrolet 1435367$114,575
1034 Jeff Burton 31 Chevrolet 134367$127,541
1125 Martin Truex Jr. 1 Chevrolet 130367$112,320
1218 Kurt Busch 2 Dodge 127367$119,108
1328 Sterling Marlin 14 Chevrolet 124367$104,433
1437 Mark Martin 1 Chevrolet 121367$108,308
152 Greg Biffle 16 Ford 118367$97,700
163 Jamie McMurray 26 Ford 115367$89,850
179 Kevin Harvick 29 Chevrolet 112367$125,886
1822 J. J. Yeley 18 Chevrolet 109367$108,183
1913 Bobby Labonte 43 Dodge 106367$117,036
205 Kasey Kahne 9 Dodge 103367$124,616
2117 Elliott Sadler 19 Dodge 1055367$96,370
2239 Jeff Green 66 Chevrolet 97365$100,008
2341 Juan Montoya *42 Dodge 94365$113,575
246 Kenny Wallace 78 Chevrolet 91365$75,775
2542 Kyle Petty 45 Dodge 88364$87,233
2640 Ricky Rudd 88 Ford 85364$105,333
2724 David Ragan *6 Ford 82363$109,425
2835 Joe Nemechek 13 Chevrolet 79363$69,950
2919 Johnny Sauter 70 Chevrolet 76361$69,750
3038 David Gilliland 38 Ford 73361$100,289
3123 Paul Menard *15 Chevrolet 70358$69,325
3227 Dave Blaney 22 Toyota 725355$89,197
3314 David Reutimann *0 Toyota 64351$69,925
3430 David Stremme 40 Dodge 61349$68,850
3511 Casey Mears 25 Chevrolet 58345$76,600
3620 A. J. Allmendinger *84 Toyota 55344$68,450
3736 Kyle Busch 5 Chevrolet 52338$86,250
3833 Robby Gordon 7 Ford 49317$68,025
3932 Tony Raines 96 Chevrolet 46310$78,400
4016 Reed Sorenson 41 Dodge 43310$75,750
418 Ken Schrader 21 Ford 455254$87,839
4243 Kevin Lepage 37 Dodge 37127$68,280
4315 Brian Vickers 83 Toyota 34122$67,382

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series</span> 57th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 57th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 34th modern-era Cup series. The season began on Saturday, February 12. The ten-race Chase for the Nextel Cup started with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 18, and ended on Sunday, November 20, with the Ford 400.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M&M's Fan Appreciation 400</span> NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway

The Pocono 400 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Starting in 2022, it is the only Cup Series race at the track after the other Cup Series race at Pocono, the Pocono Organics CBD 325, was removed from the Cup Series schedule in favor of a race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. The race has been held sometime in mid-to-late July or early August each year except for 1971 when it was held in September, 1974 when it was held in April, and 2020 and 2021 when it was held in June a doubleheader with the other Cup Series race at Pocono. Chase Elliott is the defending winner of the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clint Bowyer</span> American racecar driver

Clinton Edward Bowyer is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and commentator for NASCAR on Fox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series</span> 58th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 58th season of professional Stock car racing in the United States and the 35th modern-era NASCAR Cup series season. It was started at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 12 with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on Monday, November 20, with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Chase for the Nextel Cup began with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 17, at New Hampshire International Speedway. This was the last full-time season with the Gen 4 car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series</span> 56th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 56th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 33rd modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Saturday, February 7, and ended on Sunday, November 21. Kurt Busch, who drove a Ford for Roush Racing, was the Nextel Cup champion. It would be the last time until 2012 that the championship would be won by someone other than Tony Stewart or Jimmie Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series</span> 59th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 59th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 36th modern-era Cup series. Beginning on February 10 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout, the season ended on November 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. The Chase for the Nextel Cup started with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway and was contested over the final ten races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Food City 500</span> Motor car race

The 2006 Food City 500 was an event held at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 26, 2006, as the fifth race in the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Autism Speaks 400</span> Motor car race

The 2007 Autism Speaks 400 presented by Visa was the thirteenth race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. It was scheduled to be run on Sunday, June 3, 2007 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware, but was postponed due to rain as a result of the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry and was run on Monday, June 4. The race marked the halfway point to the 2007 Chase for the Nextel Cup, the sixth race to use the Car of Tomorrow template, and the final race to be telecast on Fox for the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series</span> 60th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 60th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 37th modern-era Cup season. It was contested over thirty-six races, and began on February 9 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout exhibition race, followed by the 50th Daytona 500 on February 17. The season continued with the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup beginning on September 14 with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and concluded with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 3M Performance 400</span> Motor car race

The 2007 3M Performance 400 was the 23rd race in the 2007 NASCAR season was scheduled to be held on Sunday, August 19, 2007 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. However, a day-long rain postponed the race until August 20, but another rainstorm postponed the race until the following day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Chevy Rock & Roll 400</span> Motor car race

The 2007 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 was the twenty-sixth and final "regular season" race in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The race was run on Saturday night, September 8, 2007 at Richmond International Raceway in Henrico County, Virginia, just outside Virginia's state capital. The race was the eleventh to use NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow template, and also the first race to be telecast on ABC since the 2000 Brickyard 400.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Dodge Dealers 400</span> 28th race of 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup series

The 2007 Dodge Dealers 400 was the twenty-eighth stock car race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the second in the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on September 23, 2007 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware before a crowd of 137,000. Roush Fenway Racing driver Carl Edwards won the 400-lap race starting from fifteenth position. His teammate Greg Biffle finished second and Dale Earnhardt Jr. took third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 UAW-Ford 500</span> 30th race of 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup series

The 2007 UAW-Ford 500 was the 30th stock car race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the fourth in the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on October 7, 2007 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, before a crowd of 155,000. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the 188-lap race starting from 34th position. His teammate Jimmie Johnson finished second and Dave Blaney was third.

The 2008 Budweiser Shootout was the first official, non-points paying event of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The race was run on Saturday, February 9, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida and was restricted to those who were the fastest qualifiers in the 2007 season as well as past winners of the event. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the event, his second shootout, and his first win with Hendrick Motorsports. Fox televised the race starting at 8 PM US EST.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series</span> 61st season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, the 38th modern-era Cup series, and the last Cup season of the 21st century's first decade, the 2000s. The season included 36 races and two exhibition races with the regular season beginning with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The final ten races were known as 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Rick Hendrick won the Owners' Championship, while Jimmie Johnson won the Drivers' Championship with a fifth-place finish at the final race of the season. Chevrolet won the Manufacturers' Championship with 248 points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series</span> 65th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 65th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 42nd modern-era Cup season. The season began on February 16, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway, with the Sprint Unlimited, followed by the Daytona 500 on February 24. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Bank of America 500</span> Motor car race

The 2012 Bank of America 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on October 13, 2012, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 334 laps on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) asphalt quad-oval, it was the thirty-first race of the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season, as well as the fifth race in the ten-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, which ends the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 UAW-Ford 500</span> Stock car race

The 2006 UAW-Ford 500 was a stock car race that took place on October 8, 2006. The 38th annual running of the event, it was held at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, before 160,000 spectators; the 188-lap race was the 30th in the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the fourth in the ten-race, season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup. Brian Vickers of Hendrick Motorsports won the race; Kasey Kahne finished second, and Kurt Busch came in third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Subway 500</span> NASCAR stock car race

The 2006 Subway 500 was the 32nd stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the sixth in the ten-race Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on October 22, 2006, before a crowd of 65,000, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia, a short track that holds NASCAR races. Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson won the 500‑lap race starting from the ninth position; Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing finished second, and Petty Enterprises' Bobby Labonte was third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Bank of America 500</span> 31st stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series

The 2006 Bank of America 500 was the 31st stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the fifth in the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on October 14, 2006, before a crowd of 175,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The circuit is an intermediate that holds NASCAR races. The 334-lap race was won by Kasey Kahne of the Evernham Motorsports team, who started from second position. Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson finished second and Richard Childress Racing driver Jeff Burton was third.

References

  1. "Qualifying times: Dodge Avenger 500". Crash. 2007-05-12. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
Previous race:
2007 Crown Royal Presents The Jim Stewart 400
Nextel Cup Series
2007 season
Next race:
2007 Coca-Cola 600