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2007 Auto Club 500

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2007 Auto Club 500
Race details
Race 2 of 36 in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
The 2007 Auto Club 500 program cover.
The 2007 Auto Club 500 program cover.
Date February 25, 2007
Official name 11th Annual Auto Club 500
Location Fontana, California, California Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.41 km)
Distance 250 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Scheduled Distance 250 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Average speed 138.451 miles per hour (222.815 km/h)
Attendance 87,000
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 38.765
Most laps led
Driver Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing
Laps 133
Winner
No. 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing
Television in the United States
Network FOX
Announcers Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 2007 Auto Club 500 was the second stock car race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the 11th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 25, 2007, before an audience of 87,000 in Fontana, California, at California Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 250 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Fenway Racing driver Matt Kenseth would manage to dominate a majority of the race to take his 15th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, both drivers for Hendrick Motorsports, would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

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The layout of Auto Club Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Auto Club Speedway (previously California Speedway) was a two-mile (3.2 km), low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which hosted NASCAR racing annually from 1997 to 2023. It was also used for open wheel racing events. The racetrack was located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and Riverside International Raceway. The track was owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and was the only track owned by ISC to have its naming rights sold. The speedway was served by the nearby Interstate 10 and Interstate 15 freeways as well as a Metrolink station located behind the backstretch.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
00 David Reutimann (R) Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota Domino's
1 Martin Truex Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats
01 Mark Martin Ginn Racing Chevrolet U.S. Army
2 Kurt Busch Penske Racing South Dodge Miller Lite
4 Ward Burton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet State Water Heaters
5 Kyle Busch Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's, Carquest
6 David Ragan (R) Roush Fenway Racing Ford AAA
7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Ford Jim Bean
07 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Jack Daniel's
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Budweiser
9 Kasey Kahne Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge
10 Scott Riggs Evernham Motorsports Dodge Stanley Tools
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet FedEx Freight
12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge Mobil 1
13 Joe Nemechek Ginn Racing Chevrolet CertainTeed
14 Sterling Marlin Ginn Racing Chevrolet Panasonic
15 Paul Menard (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Menards, Quaker State
16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford Ameriquest Mortgage
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford Carhartt
18 J. J. Yeley Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet Interstate Batteries
19 Elliott Sadler Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge
20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet The Home Depot
21 Ken Schrader Wood Brothers Racing Ford Little Debbie
22 Dave Blaney Bill Davis Racing Toyota Caterpillar
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont Cromax Pro
25 Casey Mears Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet National Guard, GMAC
26 Jamie McMurray Roush Fenway Racing Ford Crown Royal
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Shell, Pennzoil
31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Cingular Wireless
34 Kevin Lepage Front Row Motorsports Dodge Front Row Motorsports
36 Jeremy Mayfield Bill Davis Racing Toyota 360 OTC
37 John Andretti Front Row Motorsports Dodge Camping World
38 David Gilliland Robert Yates Racing Ford M&M's
40 David Stremme Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Coors Light
41 Reed Sorenson Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Energizer
42 Juan Pablo Montoya (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Texaco, Havoline
43 Bobby Labonte Petty Enterprises Dodge Cheerios
44 Dale Jarrett Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota UPS
45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge Wells Fargo
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's
49 Mike Bliss BAM Racing Dodge Zone Loans
55 Michael Waltrip Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota NAPA Auto Parts
66 Jeff Green Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet Yellow Transportation
70 Johnny Sauter Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet Best Buy
72 Brandon Whitt CJM Racing Chevrolet Dutch Quality Stone
78 Kenny Wallace Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet Furniture Row
83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Team Toyota Red Bull
84 A. J. Allmendinger (R) Red Bull Racing Team Toyota Red Bull
88 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford Snickers
96 Tony Raines Hall of Fame Racing Chevrolet DLP HDTV, Texas Instruments
99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford Office Depot

Practice

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First practice

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The first practice session was held on Friday, February 23, at 2:30 PM EST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes. Joe Nemechek, driving for Ginn Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 38.873 and an average speed of 185.219 miles per hour (298.081 km/h).[3]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 13 Joe Nemechek Ginn Racing Chevrolet 38.873 185.219
2 07 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 38.965 184.781
3 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.980 184.710
Full first practice results

Second practice

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The second practice session was held on Saturday, February 24, at 2:00 PM EST. The session would last for 50 minutes. Clint Bowyer, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 39.686 and an average speed of 181.424 miles per hour (291.974 km/h).[3]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 07 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.686 181.424
2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.691 181.401
3 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 39.727 181.237
Full second practice results

Final practice

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The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, February 24, at 5:20 PM EST. The session would last for 50 minutes. Kevin Harvick, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 40.380 and an average speed of 178.306 miles per hour (286.956 km/h).[3]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 40.380 178.306
2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 40.398 178.227
3 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 40.441 178.037
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was held on Friday, February 23, at 1:30 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[3] While positions 1-42 would be determined by qualifying speed, the top 35 teams in owner's points would be assured that they would earn a spot in the field if they had managed to make an effort to qualify. The remaining seven positions from positions 36-42 would be assigned to those drivers with the fastest qualifying speeds whose car owners are not among the top 35. The final starting position, position 43, can be utilized by a car owner whose driver is a current or past NASCAR Nextel Cup champion who participated as a driver during the current of previous season and was entered in the event for that owner in that car prior to the entry deadline. In the case that iff there was more than one series champion vying for the position, it would be given to the most recent series champion. If the final provisional starting position is not filled by a current or past series champion, it will be assigned to the next eligible car owner according to qualifying results.[4]

Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 38.765 and an average speed of 185.735 miles per hour (298.912 km/h).[5]

Eight drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.765 185.735
2 9 Kasey Kahne Evernham Motorsports Dodge 38.810 185.519
3 01 Mark Martin Ginn Racing Chevrolet 38.814 185.500
4 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 38.830 185.424
5 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 38.834 185.404
6 07 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 38.960 184.805
7 1 Martin Truex Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 39.009 184.573
8 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.058 184.341
9 42 Juan Pablo Montoya (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 39.084 184.219
10 25 Casey Mears Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.098 184.153
11 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 39.099 184.148
12 5 Kyle Busch Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.101 184.139
13 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 39.145 183.932
14 22 Dave Blaney Bill Davis Racing Toyota 39.146 183.927
15 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 39.162 183.852
16 66 Jeff Green Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet 39.184 183.749
17 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 39.205 183.650
18 2 Kurt Busch Penske Racing South Dodge 39.210 183.627
19 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 39.230 183.533
20 41 Reed Sorenson Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 39.244 183.467
21 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 39.266 183.365
22 15 Paul Menard (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 39.275 183.323
23 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.280 183.299
24 40 David Stremme Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 39.315 183.136
25 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 39.359 182.932
26 13 Joe Nemechek Ginn Racing Chevrolet 39.372 182.871
27 14 Sterling Marlin Ginn Racing Chevrolet 39.375 182.857
28 43 Bobby Labonte Petty Enterprises Dodge 39.404 182.723
29 18 J. J. Yeley Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 39.422 182.639
30 10 Scott Riggs Evernham Motorsports Dodge 39.428 182.611
31 70 Johnny Sauter Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet 39.432 182.593
32 37 John Andretti Front Row Motorsports Dodge 39.452 182.500
33 00 David Reutimann (R) Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 39.467 182.431
34 88 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 39.541 182.089
35 26 Jamie McMurray Roush Fenway Racing Ford 39.572 181.947
36 21 Ken Schrader Wood Brothers Racing Ford 39.629 181.685
37 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 39.630 181.680
38 19 Elliott Sadler Evernham Motorsports Dodge 39.647 181.603
39 6 David Ragan (R) Roush Fenway Racing Ford 39.664 181.525
Qualified by owner's points
40 38 David Gilliland Robert Yates Racing Ford 39.687 181.420
41 96 Tony Raines Hall of Fame Racing Chevrolet 39.697 181.374
42 7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Ford 39.953 180.212
Champion's Provisional
43 44 Dale Jarrett Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota - -
Failed to qualify
44 55 Michael Waltrip Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 39.500 182.279
45 4 Ward Burton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 39.555 182.025
46 36 Jeremy Mayfield Bill Davis Racing Toyota 39.555 182.025
47 84 A. J. Allmendinger (R) Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 39.561 181.997
48 72 Brandon Whitt CJM Racing Chevrolet 39.801 180.900
49 49 Mike Bliss BAM Racing Dodge 39.849 180.682
50 78 Kenny Wallace Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 40.200 179.105
51 34 Kevin Lepage Front Row Motorsports Dodge - -
Official qualifying results

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 25 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 250 133 running 195 $342,316
2 1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 250 2 running 175 $249,011
3 23 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 250 31 running 170 $212,811
4 8 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 250 18 running 165 $173,441
5 3 01 Mark Martin Ginn Racing Chevrolet 250 1 running 160 $171,708
6 6 07 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 250 2 running 155 $119,875
7 18 2 Kurt Busch Penske Racing South Dodge 250 0 running 146 $140,583
8 11 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 250 28 running 147 $148,161
9 12 5 Kyle Busch Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 250 9 running 143 $109,525
10 15 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 250 0 running 134 $94,400
11 17 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 250 0 running 130 $116,800
12 19 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 250 0 running 127 $128,275
13 29 18 J. J. Yeley Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 250 0 running 124 $124,958
14 26 13 Joe Nemechek Ginn Racing Chevrolet 250 0 running 121 $90,450
15 13 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 250 2 running 123 $108,400
16 39 6 David Ragan (R) Roush Fenway Racing Ford 250 0 running 115 $130,075
17 4 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 250 3 running 117 $136,786
18 31 70 Johnny Sauter Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet 249 0 running 109 $87,450
19 24 40 David Stremme Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 249 0 running 106 $90,850
20 22 15 Paul Menard (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 249 0 running 103 $87,850
21 42 7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Ford 249 0 running 100 $90,700
22 37 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 249 1 running 102 $104,908
23 41 96 Tony Raines Hall of Fame Racing Chevrolet 249 0 running 94 $99,500
24 38 19 Elliott Sadler Evernham Motorsports Dodge 248 0 running 91 $105,670
25 40 38 David Gilliland Robert Yates Racing Ford 248 0 running 88 $114,314
26 9 42 Juan Pablo Montoya (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 248 0 running 85 $120,475
27 34 88 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 248 0 running 82 $116,233
28 28 43 Bobby Labonte Petty Enterprises Dodge 248 0 running 79 $121,436
29 21 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 247 0 running 76 $92,200
30 16 66 Jeff Green Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet 247 0 running 73 $106,608
31 10 25 Casey Mears Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 246 0 running 70 $91,275
32 43 44 Dale Jarrett Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 246 0 running 67 $80,575
33 33 00 David Reutimann (R) Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 239 0 accident 64 $92,958
34 32 37 John Andretti Front Row Motorsports Dodge 220 0 electrical 61 $80,150
35 27 14 Sterling Marlin Ginn Racing Chevrolet 198 0 electrical 58 $89,472
36 36 21 Ken Schrader Wood Brothers Racing Ford 160 0 engine 55 $98,989
37 35 26 Jamie McMurray Roush Fenway Racing Ford 134 0 running 52 $87,550
38 2 9 Kasey Kahne Evernham Motorsports Dodge 129 20 engine 54 $137,991
39 14 22 Dave Blaney Bill Davis Racing Toyota 112 0 engine 46 $87,180
40 5 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 74 0 engine 43 $124,433
41 30 10 Scott Riggs Evernham Motorsports Dodge 16 0 accident 40 $86,900
42 7 1 Martin Truex Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 14 0 engine 37 $105,155
43 20 41 Reed Sorenson Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 7 0 accident 34 $86,963
Failed to qualify
44 55 Michael Waltrip Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
45 4 Ward Burton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet
46 36 Jeremy Mayfield Bill Davis Racing Toyota
47 84 A. J. Allmendinger (R) Red Bull Racing Team Toyota
48 72 Brandon Whitt CJM Racing Chevrolet
49 49 Mike Bliss BAM Racing Dodge
50 78 Kenny Wallace Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
51 34 Kevin Lepage Front Row Motorsports Dodge
Official race results

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ Harris, Mike (February 25, 2007). "Kenseth puts Daytona behind him with win". NASCAR. Archived from the original on February 28, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  2. ^ "Kenseth Bounces Back With Auto Club Win". The Washington Post. February 25, 2007. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2007 California 1 Race Info / Rundown Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on November 7, 2007. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  4. ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2007 Past Champion Provisional Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  5. ^ Mejía, Diego (February 23, 2007). "Gordon on pole at California". Autosport. Retrieved March 3, 2023.


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2007 Daytona 500
NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
2007 season
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