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2007 NASCAR Busch Series

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Carl Edwards celebrating his 2007 Busch Series championship.
David Reutimann finished second in points.
Jason Leffler, who finished third in points, was the highest-finishing series regular in the standings.
David Ragan, the 2007 Busch Series Rookie of the Year.
Chevy won their 5th straight manufacturer's championship.

The 2007 NASCAR Busch Series was the 26th season of the NASCAR Busch Series, the second-tier professional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. It began on February 17 with the Orbitz 300 at Daytona International Speedway and concluded on November 17 with the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Carl Edwards clinched the series championship on November 3 during the O'Reilly Challenge with 2 races remaining. The 2007 season was the final season of the series under Anheuser-Busch's sponsorship. In 2008, the Busch Series became the Nationwide Series sponsored by insurance company Nationwide Insurance with a $70 million contract for 7 years.

Top stories

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Buschwhackers

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The domination of the series by "Buschwhackers" continued in 2007. In the first 28 races, only two drivers not with regular Nextel Cup Series schedules drove their cars to victory from start to finish: Stephen Leicht (Meijer 300, Kentucky Speedway) and Jason Leffler (Kroger 200, O'Reilly Raceway Park). A third, Aric Almirola, was the official winner of the AT&T 250 at the Milwaukee Mile; Almirola qualified the car for Denny Hamlin who was racing at Sonoma in the Cup Series and was not scheduled to start, but was forced to as Hamlin was delayed in returning from Sonoma. Hamlin was placed in the car after arriving and drove nearly the entire race, winning, but he failed to receive credit because he failed to start. 32 of the 35 races were won by Cup Series drivers in 2007.

Meanwhile, Carl Edwards led Kevin Harvick by 733 points in the championship standings, a reversal from 2006 when Harvick beat Edwards by a record 824 points. At one time, Edwards' lead was 871 points prior to a stretch of five consecutive races outside the top 10 in the finishing order (in three of those races he finished 23rd or worse). There were more Busch only regulars near the top of the standings, but only because the Cup drivers ran fewer cumulative races than in 2006.

Owner's Championship

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The Owner's Championship went to the No. 29 car of Richard Childress Racing driven by Scott Wimmer and Jeff Burton. This is the second time in Busch Series history where the driver's and owner's points champions were different.[1] The previous instance also involved RCR and happened in 2003. Hendrick Motorsports driver Brian Vickers won the series points title as a driver, but RCR's No. 21 car earned more total points with Johnny Sauter and Kevin Harvick sharing the ride. It would happen several more times afterwards.

2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series

[edit]

After 26 years of Anheuser-Busch sponsoring the series with their Busch Beer brand they decided not to renew their sponsorship for the 2008 season. Rumored sponsorship deals for the series included Subway, KFC, Wal-Mart, And Culvers, however, those deals fell through. On October 10, 2007, chairman Brian France announced that insurance company Nationwide had signed a seven-year $60 million deal to sponsor the series. Nationwide also replaces Allstate as the official insurance company of NASCAR.[2]

Schedule

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Busch cars pacing at Texas during the 2007 O'Reilly 300

The official 2007 Busch Series schedule was announced on October 2, 2006. The only major schedule change was the addition of the first NASCAR race in Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which replaces last year's race at Martinsville. This marked the first time in Busch Series history that there are two consecutive road courses on the schedule. The order of races in July was also shuffled.[3]

No. Race Title Track Date
1 Orbitz 300 Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach February 17
2 Stater Brothers 300 California Speedway, Fontana February 24
3 Telcel-Motorola México 200 Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City March 4
4 Sam's Town 300 Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas March 10
5 Nicorette 300 Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton March 17
6 Sharpie Mini 300 Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol March 24
7 Pepsi 300 Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon April 7
8 O'Reilly 300 Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth April 14
9 Bashas' Supermarkets 200 Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale April 20
10 Aaron's 312 Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln April 28
11 Circuit City 250 Richmond International Raceway, Richmond May 4
12 Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Darlington Raceway, Darlington May 11
13 Carquest Auto Parts 300 Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord May 26
14 Dover 200 Dover International Speedway, Dover June 2
15 Federated Auto Parts 300 Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon June 9
16 Meijer 300 Kentucky Speedway, Sparta June 16
17 AT&T 250 Milwaukee Mile, West Allis June 23
18 Camping World 200 New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon June 30
19 Winn-Dixie 250 Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach July 6
20 USG Durock 300 Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet July 14
21 Gateway 250 Gateway International Raceway, Madison July 21
22 Kroger 200 O'Reilly Raceway Park, Brownsburg July 28
23 NAPA Auto Parts 200 Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal August 4
24 Zippo 200 Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen August 11
25 Carfax 250 Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn August 18
26 Food City 250 Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol August 24
27 Camping World 300 presented by RVs.com California Speedway, Fontana September 1
28 Emerson Radio 250 Richmond International Raceway, Richmond September 7
29 RoadLoans.com 200 Dover International Speedway, Dover September 22
30 Yellow Transportation 300 Kansas Speedway, Kansas City September 29
31 Dollar General 300 Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord October 12
32 Sam's Town 250 Memphis Motorsports Park, Millington October 27
33 O'Reilly Challenge Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth November 3
34 Arizona.Travel 200 Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale November 10
35 Ford 300 Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead November 17

ESPN2 covered the majority of the Busch Series in 2007 with ESPN on ABC covering six races as part of the new television package. The primary commentators for ESPN were Jerry Punch, Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree.

Teams and drivers

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Complete schedule

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Manufacturer Team No. Driver Crew chief
Chevrolet D.D.L. Motorsports 0 Eric McClure 32 Steve Jenkins 17
Tyler Roach 5
Mike Tichenor 13
J. R. Fitzpatrick 2
Kevin Lepage 1
Jay Robinson Racing 28 Robert Richardson Jr. 16 Steve Plattenberger 17
Jay Robinson 1
Wayne Carroll Jr. 11
Kenneth Campbell 6
Jeff Green 3
Germán Quiroga 1
Johnny Sauter 6
Derrike Cope 5
Niclas Jönsson 1
Blake Bjorklund 3
Joe Gibbs Racing 18 Aric Almirola 8 Jason Ratcliff
Tony Stewart 3
Brad Coleman (R) 17
Kevin Conway 7
20 Denny Hamlin 22 Dave Rogers
Tony Stewart 1
Aric Almirola 10
Travis Kittleson 1
J. J. Yeley 1
JR Motorsports 88 Shane Huffman 18 Wes Ward 31
Tony Eury Sr. 4
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1
Brad Keselowski (R) 14
Andy Pilgrim 2
Kevin Harvick, Inc. 33 Tony Stewart 8 Dan Stillman
Kevin Harvick 8
Ron Fellows 3
Tony Raines 9
Cale Gale 7
77 Bobby Labonte 19 Wally Rogers
Kertus Davis 5
Kevin Harvick 4
Ron Hornaday Jr. 5
Scott Wimmer 1
Brandon Miller 1
McGill Motorsports 36 Brent Sherman 30 Ricky Pearson
Jeremy Clements 5
Phoenix Racing 1 J. J. Yeley 30 Marc Reno 6
Chuck Meyers 29
Johnny Benson 1
Max Papis 2
Sterling Marlin 2
7 Mike Wallace Fred Wanke 29
Gere Kennon Jr. 6
Richard Childress Racing 21 Kevin Harvick 14 Shane Wilson
Timothy Peters 7
P. J. Jones 1
Scott Wimmer 6
Tim McCreadie 6
Clint Bowyer 1
29 Scott Wimmer 16 Pat Smith
Jeff Burton 19
Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 41 Reed Sorenson 18 Brian Pattie 18
Brad Parrott 17
Scott Pruett 3
David Stremme 5
Scott Lagasse Jr. 2
Bryan Clauson 5
A. J. Allmendinger 2
42 Juan Pablo Montoya 17 Brad Parrott 18
Brian Pattie 14
Eddie Buffington 3
Kevin Hamlin 7
Michael Valiante 1
David Stremme 1
A. J. Allmendinger 5
Dario Franchitti 4
Fitz Racing 22 David Stremme 8 Paul Wolfe
Carlos Contreras 1
Mike Bliss 22
Josh Wise 1
Patrick Carpentier 2
Robby Gordon 1
Gillett Evernham Motorsports 9 Kasey Kahne 18 Mike Shiplett
Scott Riggs 4
Boris Said 4
Elliott Sadler 2
Chase Miller 6
Deac McCaskill 1
Rusty Wallace, Inc. 66 Steve Wallace 34 Bryant Frazier 20
Steve Darne 9
Gio Edward Liberati 2
Shane Huffman 4
Reed Sorenson 1
Ford Brewco Motorsports 26
Baker Curb Racing 9
27 Ward Burton 16 Stewart Cooper 31
Newt Moore 3
Shawn Parker 1
Jorge Goeters 3
Jason Keller 6
Bobby East 3
Johnny Sauter 1
Robby Gordon 2
Casey Atwood 2
Brad Baker 2
37 Jamie McMurray 10 Newt Moore 31
Stewart Cooper 4
Greg Biffle 11
Johnny Sauter 1
Bobby East 6
John Graham 4
Casey Atwood 2
Brad Baker 1
Carl A. Haas Motorsports 14 Kyle Krisiloff (R) Todd Gordon 6
Travis Carter 23
Bryant Frazier 6
Robert Yates Racing 90 Stephen Leicht Cully Barraclough
Roush Racing 6 David Ragan (R) Mike Kelley
16 Todd Kluever 14 Eddie Pardue
Greg Biffle 19
Travis Kvapil 1
Colin Braun 1
60 Carl Edwards Pierre Kuettel
Team Rensi Motorsports 25 David Gilliland 19 Todd Brewer
Kenny Wallace 1
Richard Johns 15
35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Chris Wright
Wood Brothers/JTG Racing 47 Jon Wood 13 Scott Zipadelli
Travis Kvapil 1
Kelly Bires 19
Andy Lally 2
59 Marcos Ambrose (R) Greg Conner 21
Ernie Cope 14
Toyota Braun Racing 10 John Andretti 1 Trent Owens
Dave Blaney 22
Todd Bodine 1
Mike Bliss 1
John Graham 2
Brian Vickers 6
Brent Sherman 2
38 Jason Leffler Todd Lohse
Michael Waltrip Racing 99 David Reutimann Jerry Baxter

Part-time schedule

[edit]
Manufacturer Team No. Driver Crew chief Rounds
Chevrolet Brian Carter Racing 61 Josh Krug Brian Carter 1
Travis Kittleson 1
CJM Racing 12 Marc Mitchell Matthew Gimbel 1
11 Todd Gordon 1
Jason Keller 15
Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Martin Truex Jr. Kevin Manion 2
8 1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Tony Eury Jr. 4
15 Paul Menard Mike Greci 11
D.D.L. Motorsports 00 Mike Potter Michael Walters 2
01 Morgan Shepherd William Technier 8
Mike Tichenor 7
Michael Walters 10
5
Kevin Lepage 2
Shelby Howard 2
Danny Efland 4
Joe Fox 2
Kertus Davis 9
Frank Cicci Racing 34 Steve Grissom James Daly 1
Jay Sauter 5
Brian Simo 1
Ginn Racing 4 Regan Smith Doug Randolph 17
Henderson Motorsports 75 Caleb Holman Darrell Holman 1
Hendrick Motorsports 5 Kyle Busch Mike Bumgarner 19
Adrián Fernández 1
Mark Martin 3
Casey Mears 1
Landon Cassill 2
24 Casey Mears Chad Walter 19
Landon Cassill 4
48 Jimmie Johnson Chad Knaus 1
Chad Walter 2
3
Horn Automotive 58 Chris Horn Fred Horn 4
Jay Robinson Racing 49 Derrike Cope Randy Huffman 1
Mark Fordham 3
4
Jeff Spraker Racing 63 Kerry Earnhardt Jeff Spraker 1
Mike MacKenzie 1
Keith Coleman Racing 23 Brad Keselowski (R) Ronnie Griffin 14
MacDonald Motorsports 71 Randy MacDonald James Daly 1
Trevor Boys 2
Eddie MacDonald 1
RB1 Motorsports Ron Young Greg Tester 4
Mac Hill Motorsports 56 Danny O'Quinn Jr. Tony Lambert 6
Dange Hanniford 1
A. J. Frank 1
Frank Kreyer 4
Larry Foyt 1
Mike Harmon Racing 44 Mike Harmon Steve Kuykendall 9
Donnie Richardson 4
Mike Harmon 1
8
Johnny Borneman III 1
Jennifer Jo Cobb 3
48 Mike Harmon 2
ML Motorsports 70 Justin Diercks Tom Sokoloski 8
Mark Green 10
Premier Motorsport 85 Brett Rowe Dan Kinney 1
NEMCO Motorsports 87 Joe Nemechek Mike Boerschinger 3
Richard Childress Racing 2 Clint Bowyer Dan Deeringhoff 21
Kenny Wallace 1
Richardson Racing 80 Robert Richardson Jr. Jay Robinson 1[N 1]
SKI Motorsports 30 Stanton Barrett Mike Dayton 16
Danny O'Quinn Jr. 1
31 Jeff Fuller Doug Hodge 1
Team Johnson Racing 76 Jerick Johnson Gene Allnut 6
Central Coast Racing 13 Todd Souza Michael Muñoz 2
Transnet Racing 98 Alex García Jason Roche 4
Dodge Fitz Racing 44 Rubén Pardo Randy Nelson
Jerry Kelly
2
Mike Bliss 1
Carlos Contreras 1
Mark Green 1
Gillett Evernham Motorsports 19 Patrick Carpentier Kevin Kidd 1
Whitney Motorsports Brian Keselowski Bob Keselowski 1
49 3
MacDonald Motorsports 72 D. J. Kennington Robbie Wethington 11
James Daly 6
14
Kevin Lepage 1
Randy MacDonald 1
Marc Mitchell 1
Pennington Motorsports 08 Jason White Barry Dodson 2
Penske Racing 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Matthew Gimbel 9
Kurt Busch 3
Ryan Newman 8
39 Kurt Busch Troy Raker 1
Rusty Wallace, Inc. 64 Chase Austin Steve Darne 1
Sadler Brothers Racing 95 Blake Feese Joey Jones 1
Tom Eriksen Racing 67 Rogelio López Tom Eriksen 1
68 Antonio Pérez Troy Williams 1
Ford AFR Motorsports 34 Brian Pannone Bob Farmer 1
50 Jeff Barrister 1
Brewco Motorsports 43 Bobby East Newt Moore 1
John Young Racing 46 John Young Ed Ash 1
Means Racing 52 Brad Teague Jimmy Means 7
Kevin Lepage 5
Donnie Neuenberger 4
Jamie Mosley 1
Ian Henderson 2
Scott Gaylord 2
Chris Lawson 1
Robby Gordon Motorsports 55 Robby Gordon Eddie Buffington 7
Dana Brugman 1
8
Roush Racing 06 Mark Martin ??? 1
Chad Norris 1
2
17 Matt Kenseth Drew Blickensderfer 24
Michel Jourdain Jr. 2
Danny O'Quinn Jr. 2
26 Greg Biffle Chad Norris 1
Jamie McMurray 12
Todd Kluever 2
Danny O'Quinn Jr. 1
Specialty Racing 40 Matt Carter Doug Taylor 1
Toyota Braun Racing 32 Dave Blaney ??? 2
Michael Waltrip 1
Bill Elliott 1
Brian Vickers 1
Germain Racing 03 Todd Bodine Doug Chouinard 5
Michael Waltrip Racing 00 Michael McDowell Randy Goss 3
Butch Hylton 1
3
44 Dale Jarrett 1
Riley-D'Hondt Motorsports 91 Bobby Santos III Gene Nead 2
Jerry Pitts 3
2
David Green 3
92 Bobby Santos III Lance Dieters 2
Chevrolet
Ford
Day Enterprise Racing 05 Brett Rowe Tom Perkins 6
Justin Ashburn 4
Brad Teague 1
Chevrolet
Dodge
Fridel-Carter Motorsports 54 Brad Teague Robert Larkins 1
Carl Long Jon Sykes 2
Dom Turse 1
3
Chevrolet
Ford
Revelocity Racing 73 Brett Rowe Tom Perkins 3
Dodge
Ford
Faith Motorsports 89 Morgan Shepherd Walter Tollett 15
James Graham 6
20
Brad Teague 1[N 2]

Notes

  1. ^ Entry was fielded in a collaboration with Jay Robinson Racing.
  2. ^ Entry was fielded in a collaboration with Means Racing.

Races

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Orbitz 300

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The Orbitz 300 was held February 16 at Daytona International Speedway. Aric Almirola won the pole. Kevin Harvick won a relatively quick race from the 31st starting position. There were two early cautions: the first one on lap 4 for a three-car incident and the second one for "the Big One" on lap 16 involving 12 cars. The race was clean afterward. This was the first race televised on ESPN2 as part of the 2007 television package that lasted until 2014.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
2 32 Dave Blaney Toyota Braun Racing
3 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
4 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
5 06 Mark Martin Ford Roush Fenway Racing
6 11 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
7 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
8 33 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
9 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
10 26 Greg Biffle Ford Roush Fenway Racing

Did not qualify: Casey Mears (#24), David Stremme (#22), Justin Diercks (#70), J. J. Yeley (#1), Brad Keselowski (#23), Brad Teague (#52)

Stater Brothers 300

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The Stater Brothers 300 was held February 24 at California Speedway. Dave Blaney won the pole, the first pole for Toyota in the Busch Series. The race had a short field of only 41 cars.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
2 24 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
3 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
4 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
5 16 Greg Biffle Ford Roush Fenway Racing
6 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
7 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
8 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
9 4 Regan Smith Chevrolet Ginn Racing
10 10 Dave Blaney Toyota Braun Racing

Did not qualify: None.

Telcel-Motorola México 200

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The Telcel-Motorola México 200 was held March 4 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The race was broadcast on ESPN2 in English and en español on ESPN Deportes. Scott Pruett won the pole. Juan Pablo Montoya made contact with his leading teammate Scott Pruett on a restart after coming back from a fuel-filler problem, spinning Pruett and going on to win the race, becoming the first non-American to win a NASCAR race since Ron Fellows in 2001.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 42 Juan Pablo Montoya (R) Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
2 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
3 9 Boris Said Dodge Evernham Motorsports
4 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
5 41 Scott Pruett Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
6 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Braun Racing
7 27 Jorge Goeters Ford Brewco Motorsports
8 59 Marcos Ambrose (R) Ford Wood Brothers/JTG Racing
9 5 Adrián Fernández Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
10 47 Jon Wood Ford Wood Brothers/JTG Racing

Did not qualify: None

Sam's Town 300

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The Sam's Town 300 was held March 10 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kevin Harvick won the pole. In a challenging race that was held on a newly banked racetrack, many teams, especially cup teams with drivers racing on Sunday, tried to find a setup that would work with their cars. Grip and aerodynamics became major issues as the race set a record for number of caution flags with 12 for 58 laps. This included a red flag with 10 laps to go for a hard crash into the wall by Reed Sorenson. Las Vegas natives, Kyle and Kurt Busch dominated the race, leading 123 of 200 laps, with 81 and 42 led respectively. However, Jeff Burton had been consistently quicker than the younger Busch and had taken the lead for 31 laps. Coming to the checkers, two-time Las Vegas winner Jeff Burton took his No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevy to the outside and banged fenders with Kyle who got loose under Burton and spun down on the apron and hit the outside wall after taking the second position. Out of respect for Busch leaving him room to pass, Jeff Burton pulled alongside Kyle's wrecked car to shake hands with him before going to victory lane and receive his checkered flag. This was the first NASCAR race broadcast on ABC since the 2000 Brickyard 400 seven years earlier.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
2 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
3 33 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
4 12 Kurt Busch Dodge Penske Racing South
5 22 David Stremme Dodge Fitz Motorsports
6 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
7 21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
8 77 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
9 88 Shane Huffman Chevrolet JR Motorsports
10 59 Marcos Ambrose (R) Ford Wood Brothers/JTG Racing

Did not qualify: None.

Note: No. 52-Kevin Lepage withdrew from the race prior to qualifying.

Nicorette 300

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The Nicorette 300 was held March 17 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch won the pole. From the drop of the green flag, it appeared as though Kyle Busch would walk away with an easy victory. He proved his dominance by leading 143 of 195 laps. However, a loose lugnut after the final pit stop forced Busch to go to the tail end of the longest line, handing the lead to Jeff Burton. Burton would hold off RCR teammate Kevin Harvick for the win while Kyle Busch rallied to third after his penalty.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Car Team
1 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
2 21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
3 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
4 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
5 24 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
6 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
7 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Evernham Motorsports
8 42 Juan Pablo Montoya (R) Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
9 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
10 20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing

Did not qualify: Jay Sauter (#34)

Sharpie Mini 300

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The Sharpie Mini 300 was held March 24 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Steve Wallace won his first career pole. This would be the last Busch Series race before Bristol would be repaved with new concrete and progressive banking. For the second consecutive week, Kyle Busch again proved he had the car to beat. He and series points leader Carl Edwards proved they had the cars to beat. The biggest controversy of the race came after a crash at lap 182 by David Reutimann. At the point of the crash, some of the leaders elected to come down pit road for tires and some gas on lap 188. Although the electronic light was green, signaling that pit road was open, the flagman near the light was still waving the pit road closed flag. The pit crews of Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. argued with NASCAR officials about the call. Eventually, NASCAR controversially decided to let all of the cars pit and maintain their position in the field. After the confusion was sorted out, Busch took off with Edwards in pursuit. However, Mike Wallace, running on the tail end of the lead lap (Mike was in front of the leader), jumbled up the 9th restart. Mike's mistake forced Edwards into the rear bumper of Kyle Busch. Edwards would inherit the lead and would hold off teammate Matt Kenseth for his first win since Gateway in 2006.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
2 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
3 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
4 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Penske Racing
5 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
6 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
7 37 Greg Biffle Ford Brewco Motorsports
8 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
9 29 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
10 22 Mike Bliss Dodge Fitz Motorsports

Did not qualify: None only 43 entries.

Pepsi 300

[edit]

The Pepsi 300 was held April 7 at Nashville Superspeedway. David Stremme won the pole. From the drop of the green flag, it appeared as though new manufacturer Toyota would steal the show and walk off with its first Busch Series win. However, Carl Edwards spoiled the party, coming back from a loose wheel penalty to pass Busch regular Jason Leffler with 25 laps to go to win his second consecutive race and extend his points lead.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
2 99 David Reutimann Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
3 10 Dave Blaney Toyota Braun Racing
4 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Braun Racing
5 4 Regan Smith Chevrolet Ginn Racing
6 88 Shane Huffman Chevrolet JR Motorsports
7 29 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
8 90 Stephen Leicht Ford Robert Yates Racing
9 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Ford Team Rensi Motorsports
10 22 Mike Bliss Dodge Fitz Motorsports

Did not qualify: None only 43 entries.

O'Reilly 300

[edit]

The O'Reilly 300 was held April 14 at Texas Motor Speedway. David Ragan won his first career Busch Pole Award. The race, for the third time of the season, was dominated again by Kyle Busch, who hoped to turn his strong runs into a win. However, that day would not come as an unlucky caution during a green flag pit stop would again cost Kyle the victory. Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya appeared to have his second Busch Series win in the bag until he hit the clutch during a pit stop, leaving him with a loose lugnut. Juan would tangle with fellow rookie Marcos Ambrose and finish 30th. Denny Hamlin would hold the lead until Matt Kenseth, who had recovered from an early spin, took the lead with 11 laps left and would go on to win in Texas.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
2 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
3 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
4 24 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
5 6 David Ragan Ford Roush Fenway Racing
6 99 David Reutimann Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
7 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
8 12 Kurt Busch Dodge Penske Racing
9 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
10 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing

Did not qualify: Robert Richardson Jr. (#80)

Bashas' Supermarkets 200

[edit]

The Bashas' Supermarkets 200 was held April 20 at Phoenix International Raceway. Kyle Busch won the pole. The early portion of the race was dominated again by Busch. However, lady luck would, for the fourth time this season, deal Busch a bad hand. While running fifth after a restart, Busch attempted to pass Ryan Newman and thought he had cleared him. However, Busch came back down on Ryan's front bumper and they both ended up crashing. Running a partial schedule, Clint Bowyer would dominate the race, leading 120 of the 200 laps. His only contender seemed to be Matt Kenseth, who had previously passed Bowyer with 33 to go but Bowyer passed him back with 14 to go and held on to win his first race since Dover last fall.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
2 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
3 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
5 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
6 37 Greg Biffle Ford Brewco Motorsports
7 24 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
8 4 Regan Smith Chevrolet Ginn Racing
9 77 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
10 10 Dave Blaney Toyota Braun Racing

Did not qualify: Brian Pannone (#50)

Aaron's 312

[edit]

The Aaron's 312 was held on April 28 at Talladega Superspeedway. The race is tagged as 312 miles (502 km) to pay homage to the title sponsor, Aaron's custom of letting customers rent an item for 12 months. Brad Coleman captured his first NASCAR pole. The race itself was an exciting one to watch. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the dominant car of the day until his transmission broke on a lap 95 restart. Kyle Busch's streak of bad luck would continue as on lap 26, Tony Stewart made contact with Kyle Busch's left rear fender sending Kyle into the wall on the backstretch. Busch took a wild ride as the car slid across the track into the grass and flipped several times. From there, many cars, including surprises Kyle Krisiloff, and Juan Pablo Montoya were in contention for the win. But Tony Stewart, who was aiming to avenge his spectacular flip from one year ago, took the lead from Casey Mears with help from Kevin Harvick, Inc. teammate Bobby Labonte. However, Labonte pulled aside Stewart coming to the checkered flag in the trial to win his first Busch Series race since 1998.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 77 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
2 33 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
3 24 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
4 6 David Ragan Ford Roush Fenway Racing
5 14 Kyle Krisiloff Ford Carl A. Haas Motorsports
6 21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
7 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
8 27 Ward Burton Ford Brewco Motorsports
9 18 Brad Coleman Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
10 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing

Did not qualify: None only 42 entries.

Circuit City 250

[edit]

The Circuit City 250 presented by Funai was held on May 4 at Richmond International Raceway. Denny Hamlin won the pole. In the Busch Series' first Friday night shootout of the season, Kevin Harvick aimed to make it a four-peat of consecutive wins at RIR. From the outset, pole-sitter Denny Hamlin dominated but was taken out early by Matt Kenseth. From there, Kenseth, Jeff Burton, and Clint Bowyer established themselves as the frontrunners. Matt Kenseth looked to have the race locked up until J. J. Yeley spun on lap 222 and cut Kenseth's 2-second lead. During the final pit stop of the night, Kenseth had a mishap with the jack and came out behind Bowyer and Burton. On the last restart of the night, Bowyer pulled away from Kenseth and Buron to snap Harvick's win streak but give owner Richard Childress his fourth consecutive victory at RIR.

Top ten results:

Pos No. Driver Make Team
1 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
2 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
3 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 77 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
5 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
6 16 Greg Biffle Ford Roush Fenway Racing
7 24 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
8 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
9 99 David Reutimann Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
10 21 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing

Did not qualify: Eric McClure (#0)

Diamond Hill Plywood 200

[edit]

The Diamond Hill Plywood 200 was held May 11 at Darlington Raceway. Denny Hamlin captured his first win of the season from the pole.

Top ten results:

Pos No. Driver Make Team
1 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
2 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
3 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Racing
4 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
5 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
6 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Braun Racing
7 33 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
8 37 Greg Biffle Ford Brewco Motorsports
9 24 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
10 21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing

Did not qualify: Kevin Lepage (#52)

Carquest Auto Parts 300

[edit]

The Carquest Auto Parts 300 was held May 26 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Matt Kenseth won the pole. From the drop of the green, pit strategy played into the race. Although he was not running on fresh tires, Kurt Busch amazingly made his tires last for most of the race en route to leading the most laps. However, Busch's day would end as he would end up hitting the wall on lap 148. This accident gave the top 2 positions to Casey Mears and Kasey Kahne. Both drivers needed to rebound heavily from a struggling Nextel Cup season, and both wanted to carry any momentum from this race over into the 600. However, it was the latter Kasey who held off the competition to win his first NASCAR race since October.

Top ten results:

Pos No. Driver Make Team
1 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Evernham Motorsports
2 24 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
3 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
5 4 Regan Smith Chevrolet Ginn Racing
6 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
7 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
8 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
9 21 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
10 90 Stephen Leicht Ford Yates Racing

Did not qualify: Eric McClure (#0), Kevin Lepage (#72), Bill Elliott (#32), Blake Feese (#95)

Dover 200

[edit]

The Dover 200 was held June 2 at Dover International Speedway. Denny Hamlin won the pole. The race would end up being dominated by Carl Edwards, whom many had dubbed the "Concrete Carl" for his victories on concrete. True to his nickname, Edwards dominated the race, leading for 122 of the 200 laps.

Top ten results:

Pos No. Driver Make Team
1 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Racing
2 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
3 21 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 24 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
5 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
6 59 Marcos Ambrose Ford Wood Brothers/JTG Racing
7 77 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
8 33 Tony Raines Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
9 22 Mike Bliss Dodge Fitz Motorsports
10 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Ford Team Rensi Motorsports

Did not qualify: None only 43 entries.

Federated Auto Parts 300

[edit]

The Federated Auto Parts 300 presented by Dollar General was held June 9 at Nashville Superspeedway. Steve Wallace won the pole. This race was seen as an opportunity for Busch Series regulars to upset the Cup drivers who had to fly from Pocono to Nashville. Although Carl Edwards had no seat time in a car practiced by Matt McCall, he laid down the 7th quickest lap time. From the drop of the green, the race was a good mix of contending Busch regulars and Cup stars. Although Clint Bowyer seemed to have the car to beat, it was Edwards who had the upper hand and recorded his second consecutive win.

Top ten results:

Pos No. Driver Make Team
1 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush-Fenway Racing
2 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
3 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Braun Racing
4 29 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
5 4 Regan Smith Chevrolet Ginn Racing
6 11 Jason Keller Chevrolet CJM Racing
7 6 David Ragan Ford Roush-Fenway Racing
8 16 Todd Kluever Ford Roush-Fenway Racing
9 99 David Reutimann Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
10 20 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing

Did not qualify: Justin Ashburn (#05)

Meijer 300

[edit]

The Meijer 300 presented by Oreo was held June 16 at Kentucky Speedway. Regan Smith won his first career pole (even after hitting a seagull on his second qualifying lap), making it seven different pole winners in seven races. Many Busch regulars, including Smith, were aspiring to end the Cup drivers' parade by pulling out a victory. From the drop of the green, it looked as though Smith would be the class of the field. However, a refiring problem during a pit stop cost him 2 laps, but amazingly rallied back. The race, unfortunately for the Busch regulars, would be handed to Carl Edwards. Edwards again dominated the race and looked to have it in hand until he was tagged by Steve Wallace on a restart. It was Stephen Leicht who downed the Buschwhackers and fulfilled that dream to earn his 1st career Busch Series victory.

Top ten results:

Pos No. Driver Make Team
1 90 Stephen Leicht Ford Robert Yates Racing
2 18 Brad Coleman Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
3 29 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 41 David Stremme Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
5 88 Shane Huffman Chevrolet JR Motorsports
6 20 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
7 47 Kelly Bires Ford Wood Brothers/JTG Racing
8 16 David Ragan Ford Roush-Fenway Racing
9 22 Mike Bliss Dodge Fitz Motorsports
10 37 Greg Biffle Ford Brewco Motorsports

Did not qualify: Jerick Johnson (#76)

AT&T 250

[edit]

The AT&T 250 took place on June 23 at The Milwaukee Mile. Aric Almirola won the pole, but in an interesting twist, the No. 20's regular driver, Denny Hamlin, was late getting back from Sonoma, so Almirola took the green flag. The race would be again dominated by Carl Edwards, who was looking to bounce back from his worst finish of the year (33rd at Kentucky). Edwards had the field covered, leading for 123 laps until an unscheduled pit stop forced Edwards down pit road and pinned him a lap down. A tough decision had to be made by Dave Rogers, crew chief on the 20. Hamlin had arrived on the track at lap 43, and Almirola was still running in third. Rogers decided to put Hamlin in the car at lap 59 instead of leaving Almirola in it. The decision, although tough, paid off as Hamlin held off Wisconsin native Scott Wimmer to cross the start/finish line in first, but Almirola was credited with his first career NASCAR Busch Series victory. Hamlin also became the first relief driver to finish first since Jack Ingram handed his car over to Harry Gant at Darlington Raceway and finished first.

Top ten results:

Pos No. Driver Make Team
1 20 Aric Almirola* Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
2 29 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
3 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Braun Racing
4 18 Brad Coleman Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
5 27 Jason Keller Ford CJM Racing
6 10 Todd Bodine Toyota Braun Racing
7 99 David Reutimann Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
8 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
9 1 Johnny Benson Chevrolet Phoenix Racing
10 88 Shane Huffman Chevrolet JR Motorsports

Did not qualify: Danny Efland (#01)

Note: Denny Hamlin came in for Almirola on lap 60 and finished first. The win, points, and earnings were given to Almirola.

Camping World 200 presented by RVs.com

[edit]

The Camping World 200 presented by RVs.com was held June 30 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Kevin Harvick won the pole. Harvick established that he had the car to beat throughout the race. This domination was highlighted by the fact that he led 166 of 200 laps. The race included a short red flag for a crash involving J. J. Yeley and Marcos Ambrose. Juan Pablo Montoya, coming off his first ever Cup victory and with a new crew chief in Brian Pattie, was taken out by Clint Bowyer on lap 165, setting up the run to the finish. Although points leader Carl Edwards tried many times to pass Harvick, he would settle for second. In an ironic twist, Harvick, driving the No. 21 Chevy, became the 21st different winner in 21 Busch Series races at NHIS. After the race Carl Edwards suffered a 25-point penalty for the use of illegal shocks found after the race.

Top ten results:

Pos No. Driver Make Team
1 21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
2 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
3 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
4 33 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
5 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
6 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
7 37 Greg Biffle Ford Brewco Motorsports
8 99 David Reutimann Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
9 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
10 24 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports

Did not qualify: Ian Henderson (#52)

Note: An accident in practice sent No. 52-Ian Henderson home as he did not have a backup car and was unable to make repairs.

Winn-Dixie 250

[edit]

The Winn-Dixie 250 presented by PepsiCo was held July 6 at Daytona International Speedway. Jason Leffler won the pole. The race was postponed to July 7 due to a rainstorm that cancelled Bud Pole Qualifying for the Nextel Cup Series race to be held there. Throughout the season, Kyle Busch had been hampered by terrible luck, either through faulty pit stops, penalties, or crashes. However, on this day, it looked as though, again, Busch had the car to beat. But this time, he finished the deal in style, holding off Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick and Dave Blaney for his first win of the season.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
2 21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
3 10 Dave Blaney Toyota Braun Racing
4 18 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
5 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
6 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Evernham Motorsports
7 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
8 24 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
9 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Braun Racing
10 25 David Gilliland Ford Team Rensi Motorsports

Did not qualify: None

USG Durock 300

[edit]

The USG Durock 300 was held on July 14 at Chicagoland Speedway. Denny Hamlin won the pole. Fresh off of his first victory of the season, Kyle Busch would again take command of the race. However, this race featured many contending drivers, including the likes of Matt Kenseth, Busch Series points leader Carl Edwards, and the Richard Childress Racing trio of Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer. The race would feature many twists, including many of the above-mentioned drivers struggling to simply get onto pit road for a pit stop. For Burton, his problem was heavily documented by ABC as he was enduring 100-degree heat inside his car without a working AC system. Eventually, the moment of the race would be decided under a caution flag. As Kyle Busch, who was leading the race, ducked down pit road, it appeared as though all of the leaders would follow suit. However, the other leaders faked the dominant Busch onto pit road, forcing the frustrated driver to rally to 5th by the end. Up front, Kevin Harvick pulled away from Matt Kenseth to become the first Busch Series repeat winner at Chicagoland.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
2 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
3 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
5 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
6 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
7 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
8 33 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
9 10 Dave Blaney Toyota Braun Racing
10 90 Stephen Leicht Ford Robert Yates Racing

Did not qualify: Chris Horn (#58), Justin Ashburn (#05)

Gateway 250

[edit]

The Gateway 250 was held July 21 at Gateway International Raceway. Scott Wimmer won his first career pole. The race would feature many "young guns", or drivers who had a lot of talent but no experience. Featuring over 19 rookies, including the likes of Landon Cassill, development driver for Hendrick Motorsports, Travis Kittleson and Brad Coleman, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, Third-generation driver Brad Keselowski, among others. However, with a high number of young drivers in the field, mixed with a difficult racetrack would combine to form many caution flags. However, Reed Sorenson, who had won at GIR in 2005, was looking to snap his 61-race losing streak. He would do so, avoiding accidents, and even coming back from an unscheduled green flag pit stop to take his first victory of the season.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
2 29 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
3 99 David Reutimann Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
4 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Braun Racing
5 6 David Ragan Ford Roush Fenway Racing
6 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
7 42 Kevin Hamlin Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
8 77 Ron Hornaday Jr. Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
9 1 J. J. Yeley Chevrolet Phoenix Racing
10 03 Todd Bodine Toyota Germain Racing

Did not qualify: Mike Harmon (#44)

Kroger 200

[edit]

The Kroger 200 benefiting Riley Hospital for Children was held on July 28 at O'Reilly Raceway Park. Aric Almirola won the pole. Fresh from qualifying at the Brickyard, the Nextel Cup drivers converged with the Busch regulars at ORP. The race would be dominated by Greg Biffle, who is in the midst of a dismal year. Biffle showed the field that he had not lost any talent, leading 94 of the 200 laps. However, Busch regular Jason Leffler would trump the "Buschwhackers" with a pass on Biffle with 2 to go. Leffler would hold on the get his second career victory since 2004 and the historic first win for Toyota in a stock car.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Braun Racing
2 16 Greg Biffle Ford Roush Fenway Racing
3 99 David Reutimann Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
4 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
5 77 Ron Hornaday Jr. Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
6 20 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
7 29 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
8 42 Kevin Hamlin Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
9 10 Mike Bliss Toyota Braun Racing
10 88 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet JR Motorsports

Did not qualify: Mike Potter (#00)

Note: Following the race, Greg Biffle was fined $5,000 and place on probation until December 17 for failing to meet his post-race media obligations.

NAPA Auto Parts 200

[edit]

The inaugural NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge took place on August 4 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montréal, Quebec, Canada. This was the Busch Series second international road course and the first time that any of NASCAR's top three series has gone to Canada. Canadian native and ex-Champ Car driver Patrick Carpentier won his first career pole. The race would be dominated by former V8 Supercars champion and Busch Series rookie Marcos Ambrose. However, road course ringers such as Scott Pruett and Niclas Jönsson, "Buschwhackers" Carl Edwards, Robby Gordon, and Kevin Harvick, along with Canadian natives Ron Fellows and Carpentier. The race was predicted to be a wreckfest due to the many hard braking points along the circuit. However, there were only five caution flags, with three for blown engines. With the race winding down, many drivers tried desperate moves to get to the front. The excitement started when Harvick tangled with road course ringers Pruett and Fellows, causing a major pileup involving the likes of Jeff Burton, Brad Coleman, and Andy Pilgrim. However, Robby Gordon was thought to have made the winning pass of Ambrose in Turn 3 before Ambrose spun Gordon out. During the ensuing caution, Gordon had not maintained the minimum speed limit to maintain one's position, and was to be placed behind Ron Fellows. Gordon, however, could not find Fellows' car and was black-flagged. In an unsurprising move, Gordon bumped back Ambrose and spun him out, handing the race lead to Kevin Harvick. Going from last to first, and being on a shaky fuel mileage strategy, Harvick held off polesitter Carpentier to win the inaugural Busch Series race in Montreal. Gordon was disqualified from his position, and suspended for the Nextel Cup Pennsylvania 500 the following day. Two days later, Gordon was docked $35,000 (US), and was placed on probation for the rest of 2007. Once the caution came out on Lap 72 the field was frozen. Once the field is frozen, all cars must maintain cautious pace in order to be scored. At the time that the field was frozen, the 59 was in the lead. The 55 did not maintain cautious pace and by NASCAR rules, cars not maintaining cautious pace are scored only when they blend back into the continuous line. The 55 based on our scoring was ordered to blend back in behind the 33 [and] in front of the 7. The tower ordered the 55 multiple times to get into position. The directive was acknowledged by the crew chief of the 55 and the crew chief also communicated the order to the driver of the 55. The driver ignored NASCAR’s directive. He was warned that he would be black-flagged if he did not comply. Once the 55 crossed the start-finish line he was posted per the NASCAR rule book and at that time the directive to display the black flag was given. After contact with the 59 on Lap 73, NASCAR took emergency action per the rule book Section 12-2 thus parking the 55, which was also ignored. The black flag with the white cross was displayed to the 55 when it crossed the start-finish line on Lap 74. The 55 finished the race in the 18th position. Patrick Carpentier, who finished 2nd suffered a 25 point penalty for an unapproved adjustment on his car found during post-race inspection.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
2 22 Patrick Carpentier Dodge Fitz Motorsports
3 1 Max Papis Chevrolet Phoenix Racing
4 33 Ron Fellows Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
5 90 Stephen Leicht Ford Yates Racing
6 14 Kyle Krisiloff Ford Carl A. Haas Motorsports
7 59 Marcos Ambrose Ford Wood Brothers/JTG Racing
8 18 Brad Coleman Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
9 99 David Reutimann Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
10 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing

Did not qualify: None

Zippo 200 at The Glen

[edit]

The Zippo 200 at The Glen was held August 11 at Watkins Glen International. Kurt Busch won the pole. This is the final road course on the Busch Series schedule. Busch would dominate early, but the entire race changed when road course ringer Max Papis blew an engine on lap 2. Pit strategy was key at this point as many chose to pit for fresh tires. One of those was Montreal winner Kevin Harvick, who took command on lap 50 and never looked back as he won his second consecutive road course race, and tied Jack Ingram for second on the all-time wins list with 31.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
2 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
3 39 Kurt Busch Dodge Penske Racing
4 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
5 18 Brad Coleman Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
6 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
7 77 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
8 5 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
9 47 Andy Lally Ford Wood Brothers/JTG Racing
10 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Penske Racing

Did not qualify: None only 41 entries.

CarFax 250

[edit]

The CarFax 250 was held August 18 at Michigan International Speedway. Greg Biffle won the pole. From the drop of the green flag, it was established that the two best cars belonged to Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin. Taking advantage of the multi-grooved racetrack, the two swapped lines almost every lap. However, the bigger story of the day was with Busch Series points leader Carl Edwards. Although his points lead in drivers standings was immense, that was not the case for owners points, as his two consecutive finishes of 30th or worse put the No. 29 car of Richard Childress Racing only 41 points behind. Edwards was hoping to get his season back on track. However, that was not to be as he got loose off of turn 2 and lost a lap, giving him another 30th or worse finish. While Edwards struggled, Hamlin dominated the race, leading 69 laps en route to his second win of the season.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
2 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
3 21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
5 16 Greg Biffle Ford Roush Fenway Racing
6 10 Brian Vickers Toyota Braun Racing
7 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
8 03 Todd Bodine Toyota Germain Racing
9 24 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
10 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing

Did not qualify: Ron Young (#71), Eric McClure (#0)

Food City 250

[edit]

The Food City 250 was held on August 24 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Jason Leffler won the pole. Based on the racing that the truck race provided, the Busch race was expected to be no different with the use of the outside lane and more two wide racing. From the green, it appeared as though Jeff Burton would have the car to beat. However, his night ended abruptly when Eric McClure blew a right front tire in front of Burton, handing the lead back to Leffler. Pit strategy and tires were key in this race, as the lead was traded between Kyle Busch, Leffler, David Reutimann, and Ryan Newman. One highlight of the race was when the red flag came out during the middle of this race for a hard crash between rookie Marcos Ambrose and Robert Richardson Jr. Busch's shot at victory would end with a controversial commitment line violation, although commentator Andy Petree noted that Busch did fake going onto pit road. Back at the front, the lead had been given to Ryan Newman, who was on 170 lap old tires. However, the cars of Kasey Kahne, Jason Leffler, and David Reutimann were all lurking in Newmans mirror. Finally, with 10 laps to go, Kahne made a daring three wide pass on Newman and Leffler going into turn one. The inevitable contact ruined Newman's right front tire, ending his night. Surprisingly, with 5 laps to go, NASCAR on ESPN lost its satellite feed, ruining the suspenseful finish for TV viewers. ESPN came back with Kahne taking the checkered flag and Leffler spinning across the line in second after a tap from Reutimann.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Gillett Evernham Motorsports
2 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Braun Racing
3 99 David Reutimann Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
4 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
5 21 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
6 6 David Ragan Ford Roush Fenway Racing
7 88 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet JR Motorsports
8 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
9 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Roush Fenway Racing
10 20 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing

Did not qualify: No. 54-Brad Teague (#54), Derrike Cope (#49), Jason White (#08)

NOTE: The No. 08 of Jason White withdrew his entry after a crash in practice.

Camping World 300 presented by RVs.com

[edit]

The Camping World 300 presented by RVs.com was held on September 1 at California Speedway. Denny Hamlin won the pole. At the start, the dominant cars of the race belonged to Jimmie Johnson, Brian Vickers, Hamlin, and Jeff Burton. Many felt that Vickers' No. 10 Toyota was the car to beat. However, late in the race, his tires wore out on him and Vickers was later involved in a late race crash, involving Stephen Leicht, spring race winner Matt Kenseth, and Busch Series points leader Carl Edwards. The race took a scary turn when the car of Brad Keselowski was involved in a fiery four-car incident involving A. J. Allmendinger, Eric McClure and J. J. Yeley. ESPN determined that Keselowski was heading for the Turn 1 wall at over 140 mph (230 km/h) and instantly decelerated on impact. Keselowski was later airlifted to the hospital for a bruised leg. Afterwards, the lead would be traded between Burton, Kyle Busch, and polesitter Denny Hamlin. On the fifth caution flag of the night, Burton, knowing he would be 3 laps short on fuel, decided to come down pit road and take on fresh tires while Busch stayed out and inherited the lead. Burton's strategy worked as he passed Busch with 8 laps to go and held on for his third win of the season.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
2 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
3 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
4 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
5 21 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
6 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Gillett Evernham Motorsports
7 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
8 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Roush Fenway Racing
9 22 Robby Gordon Dodge Fitz Motorsports
10 6 David Ragan Ford Roush Fenway Racing

Did not qualify: None only 42 entries.

Emerson Radio 250

[edit]

The Emerson Radio 250 was held September 7 at Richmond International Raceway. Kyle Busch won the pole. From the drop of the green, it was established that Busch had the car to beat. The only other car that could challenge the nearly unstoppable Busch was that of Matt Kenseth, who led for 17 laps before spinning late to avoid a spinning Paul Menard. The red flag was brought out late for a blown engine by Derrike Cope. Kyle Busch took command after the red flag and would lead a total of 225 laps en route to his second victory at RIR.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
2 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
3 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Penske Racing
4 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
5 22 Mike Bliss Dodge Fitz Motorsports
6 10 Brian Vickers Toyota Braun Racing
7 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
8 29 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
9 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Gillett Evernham Motorsports
10 11 Jason Keller Chevrolet CJM Racing

Did not qualify: Kertus Davis (#01), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Alex García (#98)

RoadLoans.com 200

[edit]

The RoadLoans.com 200 was held September 22 at Dover International Speedway. Greg Biffle won the pole. During NASCAR on ESPN's broadcast, it was documented that Denny Hamlin had a case of the flu and had future teammate Kyle Busch standing by. The other story of the day was the amount of so-called "young guns" such as Brad Keselowski, Steve Wallace, Danny Efland, Kyle Krisiloff, and development drivers Landon Cassill and Brad Keselowski. The high number of these young drivers combined with the tricky and physically demanding "Monster Mile" made into a crashfest, including 13 caution flags. The big highlight of the race was when Robby Gordon was attempting to block the No. 41 of Reed Sorenson. Tony Raines was clipped by Gordon. In a fit of rage, and due to the fact that Tony's sponsor, RoadLoans.com, was sponsoring the race, exited his car, and threw his helmet at Gordon. However, the helmet missed and bounced off another car. Raines received a 25-point penalty after the race. In the melee, many strong cars, such as those of polesitter Biffle and Mike Bliss had pit problems early on, but both rallied to finish fourth and ninth, respectively. However, making no mistakes at all was Denny Hamlin, who avoided the carnage to dominate, leading 138 of 200 laps, holding off hometown hero Martin Truex Jr. for his third win of the season.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
2 8 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
3 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
4 22 Mike Bliss Dodge Fitz Motorsports
5 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
6 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
7 88 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet JR Motorsports
8 11 Jason Keller Chevrolet CJM Racing
9 16 Greg Biffle Ford Roush Fenway Racing
10 99 David Reutimann Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing

Did not qualify: None only 43 entries.

Yellow Transportation 300

[edit]

The Yellow Transportation 300 was held on September 29 at Kansas Speedway. Matt Kenseth won the pole. This was a historic race for veteran Jason Keller because when he took the green flag for this race, it marked his 417th Busch Series start, tying Tommy Houston for 1st on the all time starts list. From the start, Kenseth established himself as the car to beat. While Kenseth led, other drivers had trouble. Seemingly out of his slump, points leader Carl Edwards experienced trouble again, in the form of a cut tire sending him into the wall with just under 50 laps to go. Kenseth's domination was short lived, however, as cars such as those of Emporia native Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch came to life. Busch was especially determined as he was forced to rally from an early speeding penalty. On the final restart with 14 to go, Kenseth and Busch would have a shootout to the checkered flag, with Busch prevailing by .085 thousandths of a second.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
2 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
3 24 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
4 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
5 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Roush Fenway Racing
6 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
7 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
8 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
9 10 Brian Vickers Toyota Braun Racing
10 16 Greg Biffle Ford Roush Fenway Racing

Did not qualify: Morgan Shepherd (#89), Jennifer Jo Cobb (#44), Josh Krug (#61)

Note: The No. 61 of Josh Krug did not make an attempt due to a crash in practice.

Dollar General 300

[edit]

The Dollar General 300 was held on October 12 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. By taking the green flag for the race, Jason Keller became the all time starts leader in the NASCAR Busch Series with 418. Greg Biffle won the pole. With the craziness of the previous year's race, much of the same was expected out of this year's race. The combination of a freshly paved racetrack, hard Goodyear tires, and a famously loose turn 4, the race became one of survival as driver after driver spun. Another top storyline was the "fight" for the drivers championship. Carl Edwards simply needed David Reutimann to struggle to wrap up the championship. To the surprise of ESPN analyst Andy Petree, most of the driver who caused the cautions were Cup drivers in the Chase. "The Big One" was surprisingly triggered by 2nd place in Nextel Cup points Jimmie Johnson, who spun alone in turn 2, collecting points leader Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Keller, and Kentucky winner Stephen Leicht. Other wrecks involved polesitter Biffle and Clint Bowyer, although the latter was able to rally for an eighth-place finish. While the wrecks were taking place, Jeff Burton, forced to the back because of an engine change, steadily worked his way through the field, taking the lead on lap 169. He would not look back as he held off Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for his third win at Lowe's.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
2 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
3 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
4 18 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
5 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
6 6 David Ragan Ford Roush Fenway Racing
7 55 Robby Gordon Ford Robby Gordon Motorsports
8 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
9 47 Kelly Bires Ford Wood Brothers/JTG Racing
10 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.

Did not qualify: Eric McClure (#0), D. J. Kennington (#72), Travis Kittleson (#61)

Sam's Town 250

[edit]

The Sam's Town 250 was held October 27 at Memphis Motorsports Park. Marcos Ambrose won his first NASCAR career pole. This race marked the Busch Series debut of 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2007 IndyCar season champion Dario Franchitti, as well as Rolex Sports Car Series driver Colin Braun. Also, 18-year-old Chase Austin became the first African-American to start a Busch Series race since Bill Lester in 1999. The race would be dominated by crashes, including one that thwarted Edwards' bid to lock up the championship. Through all the wrecks, a previously winless Reutimann dominated the race, holding off Mike Bliss and David Ragan on a green-white-checkered finish to win his first career Busch Series race and the second for Toyota on a short track. The race was slowed by 25 cautions, a record for the year and 1 caution short of the Series all-time record which occurred in 1992. Ron Young, who finished 17th, suffered a 50-point penalty after illegal shock absorbers were found during post-race inspection.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 99 David Reutimann Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
2 22 Mike Bliss Dodge Fitz Motorsports
3 6 David Ragan (R) Ford Roush Fenway Racing
4 59 Marcos Ambrose (R) Ford Wood Brothers/JTG Racing
5 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Braun Racing
6 29 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
7 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Roush Fenway Racing
8 11 Jason Keller Chevrolet CJM Racing
9 88 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet JR Motorsports
10 49 Brian Keselowski Chevrolet Jay Robinson Racing

Did not qualify: Kertus Davis (#01), Carl Long (#54), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Marc Mitchell (#12), Mike Harmon (#44), Chris Lawson (#52)

O'Reilly Challenge

[edit]

The O'Reilly Challenge was held November 3 at Texas Motor Speedway. Memphis winner David Reutimann earned his first career pole. Tony Stewart dominated the day, leading 144 laps. However, a collision with the lapped car of Kyle Krisiloff put him in 16th place after repairs to his car, later rallying to 7th. Greg Biffle would pass Denny Hamlin on lap 140 for the lead, it seemed he was on his way to his first Busch Series victory of the season but he pitted on lap 166 for what he thought was a flat tire but later it turned out that the tire was fine. Kevin Harvick would take over the top spot, easily holding off Kyle Busch for his third consecutive fall Texas win. Carl Edwards clinched the championship and finished 11th in the race.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
2 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
3 20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
4 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
5 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
6 88 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet JR Motorsports
7 20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
8 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
9 33 Tony Raines Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
10 90 Stephen Leicht Ford Robert Yates Racing

Did not qualify: Brett Rowe (#05), D. J. Kennington (#72), Mike Harmon (#44)

Arizona.Travel 200

[edit]

The Arizona.Travel 200 was held November 10 at Phoenix International Raceway. Clint Bowyer won his first pole of the season. The race was slowed by 11 cautions and 2 red flags. Kyle Busch dominated the race leading 132 laps and holding off Matt Kenseth (who had lost his power steering) on a green-white-checkered finish. This race marked the end of Kyle Busch's 4 year Busch Series career at Hendrick Motorsports as Mark Martin drove the No. 5 at the Homestead-Miami race.[4] Beginning in 2008 Kyle Busch will drive for Joe Gibbs Racing. Matt Kenseth suffered a 25-point penalty for unapproved adjustments found during post-race inspection.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
2 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
3 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 29 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
5 21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
6 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Gillett Evernham Motorsports
7 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
8 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Braun Racing
9 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Roush Fenway Racing
10 77 Ron Hornaday Jr. Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.

Did not qualify: Jennifer Jo Cobb (#44), Eric McClure (#0), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Brian Pannone (#34)

Ford 300

[edit]
No. 6-David Ragan leads No. 10-Dave Blaney to the first restart of the Ford 300.
No. 66-Steve Wallace's team works on his car after making contact with another car during the Ford 300.

The Ford 300 was held November 17 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. David Ragan won the pole (David chose to start the race in the outside lane rather than the inside lane; all pole winners are given this option in NASCAR races). This was the final race with Anheuser-Busch sponsorship, and Carl Edwards was officially crowned the 2007 and final Busch Series champion, as Nationwide Insurance takes over in 2008. Jeff Burton would take the final checkered flag of 2007 and with it, Richard Childress' third owner's championship.

Top ten results:

Pos. No. Driver Make Team
1 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
2 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
3 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing
4 60 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
5 90 Stephen Leicht Ford Yates Racing
6 16 Greg Biffle Ford Roush Fenway Racing
7 33 Tony Raines Chevrolet Kevin Harvick, Inc.
8 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Ford Team Rensi Motorsports
9 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
10 59 Marcos Ambrose Ford Wood Brothers/JTG Racing

Did not qualify: D. J. Kennington (#72), Kertus Davis (#01), Jennifer Jo Cobb (#44), Eric McClure (#0).

Final standings

[edit]

Full Drivers' Championship

[edit]

(keyBold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by owner's points. * – Most laps led.

Pos Driver DAY CAL MXC LVS ATL BRI NSH TEX PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV NSH KEN MIL NHA DAY CHI GTY IRP CGV GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM TEX PHO HOM Pts
1 Carl Edwards 3 4 4 6 4 1* 1* 3 5 10 13 3 17 1* 1 33* 8* 2 11 20 6 4 30 32 28 11 26 2 6 38 33 25 11 7 4 4805
2 David Reutimann 29 14 12 31 13 33 2 6 12 24 9 24 43 15 9 16 7 8 40 17 3 3 9 25 16 3 15 23 10 17 12 1* 18 12 15 4187
3 Jason Leffler 22 38 6 37 41 34 4 13 18 35 37 6 31 11 3 14 3 12 9 33 4 1 26 27 12 2* 14 11 30 21 19 5 12 8 14 3996
4 Kevin Harvick 1 6 7 2 8 11 9 6 4 10 12 7 1* 2 1 1 1* 3 16 7 24 13 10 1 5 16* 3993
5 David Ragan (R) 43 18 14 24 20 13 36 5 35 4 14 13 25 32 7 8 12 18 34 19 5 18 19 21 21 6 10 39 32 34 6 3 17 23 33 3739
6 Bobby Hamilton Jr. 24 29 17 14 24 18 9 14 34 12 22 20 33 10 13 36 13 20 12 29 13 13 24 22 27 12 21 16 12 20 16 38 14 24 8 3667
7 Stephen Leicht 33 20 27 18 29 20 8 20 28 28 24 26 10 34 33 1 14 25 27 10 23 24 5 17 26 20 29 21 41 19 18 12 10 19 5 3603
8 Marcos Ambrose (R) 16 25 8 10 28 28 17 31 22 25 26 19 20 6 36 11 15 30 35 37 18 32 7* 13 19 37 13 15 20 39 41 4 30 15 10 3477
9 Greg Biffle 10 5 20 38 40 7 36 6 30 6 8 21 18 28 10 7 37 39 2* 20 11 5 14 32 13 9 10 30 16 36 6 3466
10 Matt Kenseth 12 1* 40 9 2 1 2 2 37 7 5 3 2 6 2 34 28 4 3 2* 31 5 2 3 3451
11 Mike Wallace 23 24 19 13 17 29 30 15 19 33 36 23 23 33 25 25 11 28 15 18 12 20 27 26 23 35 16 31 13 41 15 13 21 17 24 3396
12 Clint Bowyer 4 41 6 5 1* 13 1 5 3 2* 6 5 4 10 8 5 33 4 8 4 3 9 3269
13 Denny Hamlin 9 8 2 12 2 4 41 1* 34 2 RL 5 7 14 1* 3 7 1* 6 5 3 28 13 3224
14 Scott Wimmer 13 30 9 7 34 10 9 3 4 3 2 11 31 2 7 QL 5 12 8 29 15 13 6 4 3072
15 Jeff Burton 7 1 1 10 3 3* 4 4 19 3 10 2 4 40 1* 8 1* 8 1 3002
16 Kyle Busch 37* 3 2* 3* 3 7* 37 39 5 8 1* 5* 4 2 1* 1 2 2 1* 2943
17 J. J. Yeley DNQ 23 37 19 22 22 12 18 24 17 12 16 26 25 18 12 36 22 11 9 16 17 39 34 19 33 37 11 33 11 40 2889
18 Kyle Krisiloff (R) 27 33 16 27 38 39 21 27 23 5 34 28 38 21 27 29 24 32 20 28 36 21 6 37 34 26 41 29 34 28 21 42 27 25 29 2798
19 Steve Wallace 30 22 18 17 35 31 14 32 29 26 32 39 30 22 12 22 27 15 39 32 28 17 32 34 37 32 25 18 22 37 35 23 37 34 2752
20 Casey Mears DNQ 2 42 5 4 7 3* 7 9 2 4 10 8 13 8 9 19 3 15 22 2633
21 Mike Bliss 10 10 15 14 33 18 39 9 16 9 25 13 17 33 9 13 5 4 31 29 2 43 32 23 2608
22 Dave Blaney 2 10 13 25 16 30 3 25 10 32 16 31 11 16 17 15 35 3 9 35 23 36 26 2491
23 Brent Sherman 21 27 15 39 26 37 20 37 26 16 31 35 35 35 21 24 32 31 24 40 25 33 22 30 40 31 22 34 43 27 21 37 2425
24 Jamie McMurray 42 15 29 14 17 17 36 19 18 20 18 23 11 9 8 12 40 5 38 7 9 19 2331
25 Brad Keselowski (R) DNQ 32 43 34 25 41 38 43 32 35 36 37 24 40 14 26 10 13 7 35 38 7 36 11 9 6 21 17 2297
26 Jason Keller 33 14 13 6 20 5 26 35 30 11 22 24 17 10 8 16 34 8 22 35 28 2206
27 Kasey Kahne 41 28 7 19 28 21 1* 12 6 12 31 1 6 9 12 17 6 25 2199
28 Bobby Labonte 18 8 42 11 22 1 34 22 29 23 16 7 18 27 17 11 14 29 43 1963
29 Aric Almirola 19 27 32 19 43 20 41 14 10 6 1 28 38 6 11 10 4 18 1959
30 Reed Sorenson 38 36 30 39 16 35 27 8 42 27 5 7 15 1* 20 33 11 5 25 1881
31 Regan Smith 26 9 26 33 26 36 5 34 8 23 15 12 5 26 5 16 29 1820
32 Kelly Bires 15 7 30 24 16 24 24 38 32 29 23 26 19 40 9 14 19 22 20 1820
33 Brad Coleman (R) 38 35 15 16 9 27 2 4 27 31 8 5 15 17 42 33 16 1795
34 Shane Huffman 36 21 21 9 19 38 6 39 42 15 18 27 24 37 19 5 10 23 1729
35 Tony Stewart 8 11 3 10 2 7 4 4 8 30 11 7* 1723
36 Juan Pablo Montoya (R) 40 39 1* 20 8 14 30 21 7 11 15 40 14 34 30 21 33 1689
37 Todd Kluever 14 11 33 12 13 33 38 15 8 23 18 17 26 11 21 20 1687
38 Eric McClure 35 40 26 37 24 26 29 30 18 DNQ 40 DNQ 28 35 32 31 37 36 41 37 29 DNQ 42 37 42 26 42 DNQ 28 40 DNQ DNQ 1639
39 David Gilliland 20 36 32 31 35 26 16 37 20 33 27 29 19 10 27 16 29 41 18 1597
40 Ward Burton 32 34 15 21 27 21 20 8 25 21 19 17 16 19 22 35 1555
41 David Stremme DNQ 12 5 11 11 19 11 30 16 14 4 25 24 15 1554
42 Stanton Barrett 40 17 33 42 29 38 27 31 20 17 19 17 24 19 38 30 1285
43 Paul Menard 17 37 36 18 9 22 6 4 7 40 7 1208
44 Richard Johns 34 34 28 19 31 15 25 30 28 26 27 23 34 31 35 1185
45 Jon Wood 15 31 10 11 36 43 16 38 25 31 21 32 13 1154
46 Robert Richardson Jr. (R) 28 31 DNQ 19 36 30 34 33 39 26 22 27 38 27 31 32 36 1146
47 Robby Gordon 11 12 32 34 18 36 9 31 7 13 20 1130
48 Danny O'Quinn Jr. 21 23 11 29 38 22 22 18 27 15 952
49 Tony Raines 34 31 23 8 21 35 9 18 7 893
50 Ryan Newman 4 36 11 43 9 28 31 3 851
51 Morgan Shepherd 41 Wth Wth 42 40 42 43 38 41 42 42 42 39 40 38 39 41 43 39 DNQ 38 DNQ 43 DNQ 39 DNQ 41 829
52 Bobby East 24 22 16 39 38 24 25 22 36 12 806
53 Brian Vickers 13 6 36 27 6 9 27 796
54 Kevin Hamlin 18 23 21 16 7 8 42 748
55 Mark Martin 5 12 2 14 2 743
56 D. J. Kennington 27 39 23 26 25 37 30 36 29 DNQ 43 DNQ 43 DNQ 719
57 Todd Bodine 6 10 8 20 14 37 707
58 Mark Green 21 32 30 19 QL 40 39 25 28 24 36 30 705
59 A. J. Allmendinger 36 14 21 25 26 13 21 678
60 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 7 6 29 14 3 668
61 Cale Gale 27 26 13 23 29 14 29 658
62 Timothy Peters (R) 17 25 32 41 13 20 17 646
63 Chase Miller 22 18 17 15 16 24 642
64 Ron Hornaday Jr. 36 8 5 13 10 615
65 Tim McCreadie 28 14 12 32 24 16 600
66 Johnny Sauter 30 23 35 23 38 36 22 32 587
67 Kertus Davis 30 31 37 32 30 QL 43 33 DNQ 43 42 DNQ 41 41 DNQ 584
68 Sam Hornish Jr. (R) 31 35 15 25 43 25 31 39 38 551
69 Kurt Busch 4 8 41 3 527
70 Brett Rowe 43 22 40 40 39 39 21 37 DNQ 524
71 Kevin Conway 26 30 31 21 20 43 35 523
72 Landon Cassill 32 30 22 18 20 34 510
73 Justin Diercks (R) DNQ 22 24 24 40 28 43 31 505
74 Scott Riggs 16 17 17 14 460
75 Boris Said 3 29 28 12 452
76 Bryan Clauson 35 23 20 18 28 443
77 John Graham 23 31 41 27 26 31 441
78 Derrike Cope 29 25 43 36 42 41 35 DNQ 37 440
79 Brian Keselowski 23 33 10 11 422
80 Casey Atwood QL 14 18 22 QL 26 412
81 Scott Pruett 5 14 18 395
82 Jimmie Johnson 6 4 32 387
83 Jay Sauter 28 21 DNQ 15 28 Wth 376
84 Martin Truex Jr. 6 41 2 370
85 Ron Fellows 32 4 24 328
86 Kevin Lepage Wth 42 39 42 DNQ DNQ 40 33 28 306
87 Jeremy Clements 23 40 42 38 27 305
88 Mike Harmon 40 41 41 38 38 DNQ 43 39 DNQ DNQ 301
89 Joe Nemechek 34 13 16 300
90 Jorge Goeters 7 31 29 297
91 Brad Teague DNQ 40 39 42 42 39 40 42 DNQ 40 295
92 David Green 28 11 26 294
93 Patrick Carpentier 2 19 42 293
94 Michael McDowell 20 14 32 291
95 Dario Franchitti 32 25 29 39 277
96 Jeff Green 19 23 36 255
97 Andy Pilgrim 15 15 236
98 Bobby Santos III (R) 30 37 33 39 235
99 Donnie Neuenberger 38 39 41 25 228
100 Frank Kreyer 34 38 28 42 226
101 Elliott Sadler 14 24 212
102 Andy Lally 29 10 210
103 Ron Young 32 29 DNQ 17 210
104 Alex García (R) 34 Wth Wth 36 23 DNQ 210
105 Max Papis 3 41 205
106 Sterling Marlin 15 26 203
107 Michel Jourdain Jr. 25 16 203
108 Brad Baker 28 34 35 198
109 Blake Bjorklund 30 35 33 195
110 Chris Horn 35 40 DNQ 30 174
111 Travis Kvapil 31 QL 21 170
112 Jerick Johnson 41 Wth 41 DNQ 41 41 42 157
113 Marc Mitchell 20 37 DNQ 155
114 Kenny Wallace 26 34 QL 146
115 Adrián Fernández 9 138
116 Johnny Benson 9 138
117 Todd Souza 23 40 137
118 Shelby Howard 27 36 137
119 Justin Ashburn 22 DNQ 42 DNQ 134
120 Trevor Boys 29 35 134
121 Niclas Jönsson 12 132
122 Danny Efland DNQ 40 43 36 132
123 Scott Lagasse Jr. 35 34 119
124 Travis Kittleson 17 DNQ 112
125 Josh Wise 19 106
126 Carl Long 33 41 DNQ 104
127 J. R. Fitzpatrick 33 43 98
128 Brian Simo 22 97
129 Carlos Contreras 35 43 97
130 Dale Jarrett 23 94
131 P. J. Jones Wth 24 91
132 Scott Gaylord 39 40 89
133 Steve Grissom 25 88
134 Kerry Earnhardt 25 88
135 Germán Quiroga 28 84
136 Rogelio López 29 76
137 Colin Braun 30 73
138 Mike MacKenzie 33 64
139 Deac McCaskill 35 63
140 Michael Valiante 34 61
141 A. J. Frank 37 52
142 Ian Henderson 37 DNQ 52
143 Brandon Miller QL QL 37 52
144 Dange Hanniford 38 49
145 Larry Foyt 38 49
146 Jeff Fuller 38 49
147 John Andretti 39 46
148 John Young 39 46
149 Matt Carter 39 46
150 Jamie Mosley 39 43
151 Joe Fox 41 38 40
152 Eddie MacDonald 41 40
153 Chase Austin 41 40
154 Caleb Holman 42 37
155 Mike Potter 42 DNQ 37
156 Johnny Borneman III 42 37
157 Randy MacDonald 43 43 34
158 Michael Waltrip 43 34
159 Jason White 26 DNQ
160 Rubén Pardo 41 43
161 Antonio Pérez 42
162 Brian Pannone DNQ DNQ
163 Bill Elliott DNQ
164 Blake Feese DNQ
165 Jennifer Jo Cobb DNQ DNQ DNQ
166 Josh Krug DNQ
167 Chris Lawson DNQ
168 Erik Darnell QL QL
169 Auggie Vidovich QL
170 Matt McCall QL
171 Chad Blount Wth
Pos Driver DAY CAL MXC LVS ATL BRI NSH TEX PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV NSH KEN MIL NHA DAY CHI GTY IRP CGV GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM TEX PHO HOM Pts

Declaring for points in one series: Rules change for 2011

[edit]

This was the fourth-to-last season where Cup Series drivers could run for points in another series. NASCAR implemented this change after Cup drivers were winning the Busch/Nationwide championships over the series regulars for 5 years straight (2006-2010). If the change had been implemented for the 2007 season, Leffler would have been the champion. The rest of the top 10 in the standings would have been Hamilton Jr. in 2nd, Leicht, Ambrose, Mike Wallace (who finished 11th in points), Scott Wimmer (14th), Kyle Krisiloff (18th), Steve Wallace (19th), Mike Bliss (21st), and Brent Sherman (23rd).

Wimmer and Bliss were only running part-time in 2007 and they still would have finished in the top 10 in points. Sherman was released from his ride (the No. 36 for McGill Motorsports) with five races to go in the season, and he too would have finished in the top 10 in points.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "NASCAR.com: Busch Series will honor two champions at banquet". Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
  2. ^ Nationwide.com: Nationwide grabs NASCAR Busch Series Sponsorship
  3. ^ "NASCAR.com: 2007 NASCAR Busch Series Schedule". Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  4. ^ NASCAR.com: Busch wins at Phoenix in final race with Hendrick