2007 Chevy Rock & Roll 400

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.

2007 Chevy Rock & Roll 400
Race details
Race 26 of 36 in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season
Richmond International Speedway
Richmond International Speedway
Date September 8, 2007 (2007-September-08)
Official name Chevy Rock & Roll 400
Location Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia
Course Permanent racing facility
0.75 mi (1.207 km)
Distance 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km)
Weather Temperatures reaching as low as 64.9 °F (18.3 °C); wind speeds up to 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h)[1]
Average speed 91.813 miles per hour (147.759 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 21.378
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 191
Winner
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network ABC
Announcers Jerry Punch, Andy Petree and Rusty Wallace

Following the race, the top twelve drivers in the point standings entered the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, and all drivers had their points reset to 5,000 points, with a ten-point bonus for each race they have won in the prior 26 races.

In the Chase

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Through September 2, these drivers have clinched a spot in the "post-season:"

  1. Jeff Gordon (#24)
  2. Denny Hamlin (#11)
  3. Matt Kenseth (#17)
  4. Carl Edwards (#99)
  5. Tony Stewart (#20)
  6. Jimmie Johnson (#48)
  7. Jeff Burton (#31)
  8. Kyle Busch (#5)

The following drivers clinched a spot in the chase by taking the green flag for this race:

The remaining spots were decided as well. Kurt Busch needed to finish 36th or better without leading a lap or 39th or better when leading a lap while Kevin Harvick needed to finish 32nd or better without leading a lap or 34th or better while leading a lap (worth five bonus points) to lock himself in. Dale Earnhardt Jr. needed help for a case of bad luck from either Kurt Busch or Harvick in order to make the Chase. Hypothetically, had the Chase started with this race, Johnson would have had a ten-point lead over Jeff Gordon, with Bowyer in last place, as he has not been to Victory Lane in his career.

Pre-race news

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Qualifying

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Going out early, Jimmie Johnson earned his 10th career pole award. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon will join him on the outside pole, with soon to be ex-teammate Kyle Busch in third. Of note, defending winner Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, both drivers "on the bubble" to make the chase, started alongside each other in row 7.

Failed to Qualify: #55-Michael Waltrip #36-Jeremy Mayfield #4-Ward Burton #37-Kevin Lepage

Race

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Jimmie Johnson took the race and the top seeding in the Chase by winning his season-high sixth race of the season, leading 104 laps. Tony Stewart finished second while David Ragan completed the "podium" with a then career best third. Jeff Gordon finished fourth and Johnny Sauter had his career best finish of fifth. The final Chase spots went to Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick while in a symbolic moment in his season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was knocked out of the chase when John Andretti blew an engine on lap 344, and then the race with six laps to go when his engine blew up, resulting in his sixth DNF of the year.

Points changes

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Jeff Gordon left the track with a 312-point lead on second-place Tony Stewart. However, points were reset after the race, with each qualifying driver receiving a base score of 5000 points. Additional points were awarded on the basis of 10 per driver win. As a result, Gordon (four wins) dropped to second behind Johnson.

Rank Driver Pre-Chase
1 Jimmie Johnson 4
2 Jeff Gordon 1
3 Tony Stewart 2
4 Carl Edwards 6
5 Kurt Busch 10
6 Denny Hamlin 3
7 Martin Truex Jr. 11
8 Matt Kenseth 5
9 Kyle Busch 8
10 Jeff Burton 7
11 Kevin Harvick 12
12 Clint Bowyer 9

Results

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Top Ten Results:[3]

Pos. No. Driver Car Team
1 #48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
2 #20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
3 #6 David Ragan (R) Ford Roush Fenway Racing
4 #24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
5 #70 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet Haas CNC Racing
6 #11 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
7 #29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
8 #9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Gillett Evernham Motorsports
9 #2 Kurt Busch Dodge Penske Racing
10 #18 J. J. Yeley Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing

References

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  1. ^ "2007 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2015-01-31.
  2. ^ http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/09/07/dstremme.cganassi.40.car/index.html Archived 2007-09-10 at the Wayback Machine Article on Stremme's departure from Ganassi
  3. ^ http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2007/26/data/results_unofficial.html Archived 2007-09-12 at the Wayback Machine Results
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Previous race:
2007 Sharp AQUOS 500
Nextel Cup Series
2007 season
Next race:
2007 Sylvania 300