The 2007 Allstate 400 at The Brickyard, the 14th running of the event, was the twentieth race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the first of the season that was televised by NASCAR on ESPN. It was held on July 29, 2007, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.
Pre-race
Two Nextel Cup Series teams announced changes in their ownership just before this race: Dale Earnhardt Inc. merged with Ginn Racing, taking over the No. 01 team of Mark Martin and Aric Almirola, and closing the Nos. 13 and 14 teams after Ginn had released Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin because of sponsorship difficulties. The No. 14 and No. 15 teams switched positions in the standings, guaranteeing Paul Menard, the driver of the No. 15, a starting spot. Regan Smith, who had shared driving duties with Martin, was reassigned to the Craftsman Truck Series. Terry Labonte filled in for Michael Waltrip in the No. 55 Toyota which originally made Bill Elliott, winner of the 2002 race, and his No. 21 Wood Brothers/JTG Racing team ineligible for the past champion's provisional since Labonte's championship is more recent than Elliott's. However, with the closing of the Nos. 13 and 14 teams from Ginn, Elliott was assured of racing in this event. Originally, there were 51 cars on the initial entry list, including the No. 13 team, which was left without a driver and sponsor. The No. 14 team was entered with Smith as the driver, but because of the merger between DEI and Ginn Racing, the final entry list only included 49 cars.
Entry list (W) denotes past Brickyard 400 winner. (R) denotes rookie driver.
Driver Team Manufacturer 00 David Reutimann (R) Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 01 Mark Martin Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet 1 Martin Truex Jr. Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet 2 Kurt Busch Penske Racing South Dodge 4 Ward Burton Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 5 Kyle Busch Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6 David Ragan (R) Roush Fenway Racing Ford 07 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Ford 08 Joe Nemechek E&M Motorsports Dodge 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet 9 Kasey Kahne Evernham Motorsports Dodge 10 Scott Riggs Evernham Motorsports Dodge 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 15 Paul Menard (R) Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 18 J. J. Yeley Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 19 Elliott Sadler Evernham Motorsports Dodge 20 Tony Stewart (W) Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 21 Bill Elliott (W) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 22 Dave Blaney Bill Davis Racing Toyota 24 Jeff Gordon (W) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 25 Casey Mears Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26 Jamie McMurray Roush Fenway Racing Ford 29 Kevin Harvick (W) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 33 Scott Wimmer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 36 Jeremy Mayfield Bill Davis Racing Toyota 37 Kevin Lepage Front Row Motorsports Dodge 38 David Gilliland (R) Robert Yates Racing Ford 40 David Stremme Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 41 Reed Sorenson Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 42 Juan Pablo Montoya (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 43 Bobby Labonte (W) Petty Enterprises Dodge 44 Dale Jarrett (W) Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Toyota 48 Jimmie Johnson (W) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 55 Terry Labonte Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 66 Jeff Green Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet 70 Johnny Sauter Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet 78 Kenny Wallace Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 83 Brian Vickers Team Red Bull Toyota 84 A. J. Allmendinger (R) Team Red Bull Toyota 88 Ricky Rudd (W) Robert Yates Racing Ford 96 Tony Raines Hall of Fame Racing Chevrolet 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford
Qualifying RANKDRIVERNBRCARTIMESPEED1 Reed Sorenson41Dodge48.858 184.207 2 Juan Pablo Montoya42Dodge49.048 183.494 3 Ryan Newman12Dodge49.053 183.475 4 Dale Earnhardt Jr.8Chevrolet49.068 183.419 5 Kasey Kahne9Dodge49.080 183.374 6 Kurt Busch2Dodge49.159 183.079 7 Jeff Burton31Chevrolet49.167 183.050 8 Greg Biffle16Ford49.174 183.024 9 Casey Mears25Chevrolet49.177 183.012 10 Denny Hamlin11Chevrolet49.233 182.804 11 Tony Raines96Chevrolet49.246 182.756 12 David Stremme40Dodge49.259 182.708 13 Mark Martin01Chevrolet49.273 182.656 14 Tony Stewart20Chevrolet49.275 182.648 15 Jamie McMurray26Ford49.287 182.604 16 Scott Riggs10Dodge49.333 182.434 *17 Elliott Sadler19Dodge49.342 182.400 18 Kyle Busch5Chevrolet49.396 182.201 19 Jimmie Johnson48Chevrolet49.498 181.826 20 Kevin Harvick29Chevrolet49.519 181.748 21 Jeff Gordon24Chevrolet49.526 181.723 22 Scott Wimmer33Chevrolet49.558 181.605 *23 J.J. Yeley18Chevrolet49.559 181.602 24 Jeff Green66Chevrolet49.676 181.174 25 Brian Vickers83Toyota49.689 181.127 *26 Clint Bowyer07Chevrolet49.692 181.116 27 Dave Blaney22Toyota49.708 181.057 *28 Paul Menard15Chevrolet49.711 181.046 29 Bobby Labonte43Dodge49.753 180.894 30 David Ragan6Ford49.757 180.879 31 Matt Kenseth17Ford49.764 180.854 32 Bill Elliott21Ford49.783 180.785 33 Martin Truex Jr.1Chevrolet49.797 180.734 34 David Reutimann00Toyota49.827 180.625 *35 Carl Edwards99Ford49.829 180.618 36 Ken Schrader49Dodge49.862 180.498 *37 Ricky Rudd88Ford49.998 180.007 38 David Gilliland38Ford50.033 179.881 39 Johnny Sauter70Chevrolet50.080 179.712 40 Ward Burton4Chevrolet50.096 179.655 *41 Joe Nemechek08Dodge50.184 179.340 *42 Terry Labonte55Toyota50.189 179.322 PC43 Kyle Petty45Dodge50.227 179.186 44 A.J. Allmendinger84Toyota50.300 178.926 *45 Kevin Lepage37Dodge50.340 178.784 *46 Dale Jarrett44Toyota50.366 178.692 *47 Jeremy Mayfield36Toyota50.411 178.532 *48 Kenny Wallace78Chevrolet50.814 177.117 *49 Robby Gordon7Ford50.879 176.890 OP OP: qualified via owners points
PC: qualified as past champion
PR: provisional
QR: via qualifying race
* - had to qualify on time
Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes: Joe Nemechek (#08), A.J. Allmendinger (#84), Kevin Lepage (#37), Dale Jarrett (#44), Jeremy Mayfield (#36), Kenny Wallace (#78), Regan Smith (#14-WD), ? (#13-WD)
Race Pole sitter Reed Sorenson lead the first lap of the race. The first caution flew on lap 15 when Jeff Green crashed in turn 3. Tony Stewart won the race off of pit road and lead the field to the restart on lap 20. Dale Earnhardt Jr. would take the lead from Stewart on the restart. The second caution would fly on the same lap when Ryan Newman crashed in turn 4. Dale Jr. lead the field on the restart on lap 25. On lap 39, the third caution flew when Tony Raines and Kasey Kahne crashed and turn 1. Robby Gordon also spun trying to avoid the wreck. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race off of pit road and lead the field to the restart on lap 44. On lap 46, a big wreck would occur in turn 1 that took out 8 cars. It started when Jamie McMurray got loose in turn 1 and slid up into Jimmie Johnson which caused a mini chain reaction crash that also collected Scott Riggs, Bill Elliott, Ricky Rudd, Carl Edwards, J. J. Yeley, and Kyle Petty. The race restarted on lap 53. On lap 54, Tony Stewart took the lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr. On the same lap, a multi-car crash would occur in turn three. It started when Johnny Sauter came down and got turned by Casey Mears which sent the two spinning while collecting Elliott Sadler and Kyle Petty. The race restarted on lap 60 with Stewart as the leader. On lap 61, the 6th caution of the race would occur when Jimmie Johnson blew a left front tire and hit the wall in turn 3 which ended up causing his car to catch on fire. Juan Pablo Montoya won the race off of pit road but Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr, and Scott Riggs did not pit and Busch lead the field to the restart on lap 68. On lap 76, the 7th caution flew for debris. During pit stops, Kurt Busch's rear bumper fell off after Scott Wimmer made contact with him. Tony Stewart lead the field to the restart on lap 80. On lap 90, the 8th caution flew for debris. Greg Biffle won the race off of pit road and lead the field to the restart on lap 98.
Final Laps On lap 103, Kevin Harvick took the lead. With 50 laps to go, Tony Stewart took the lead from Harvick. With 34 to go, Kyle Busch took the lead as green flag pit stops began. Stewart would get the lead back with 32 to go. With 25 to go, the 9th and final caution flew when Dale Earnhardt Jr's engine blew. Stewart led the field to the restart with 20 to go. Kevin Harvick would pass Stewart in turns 1 and 2. Harvick had built a manageable lead but Stewart closed in on him. Stewart on his radio as he was closing on Harvick said "Here kitty kitty kitty! Come get you some of this!" Stewart made a few attempts to pass Harvick but never could. Finally, with 10 to go, Stewart passed Harvick and took the lead. Harvick started to fall back after he and Stewart touched down the backstretch. Stewart would eventually take home his 2nd and last Brickyard 400 win of his career while also taking his 2nd win on the season and the 2nd in a row. Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, and Reed Sorenson rounded out the top 5 while Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick (who dropped from first to 7th), Jeff Burton, Dave Blaney, and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top 10.
Results Pos. No. Driver Car Team 1. 20 Tony Stewart (W) Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing 2. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya (R) Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 3. 24 Jeff Gordon (W) Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 4. 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 5. 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 6. 01 Mark Martin Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 7. 29 Kevin Harvick (W) Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 8. 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 9. 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Bill Davis Racing 10. 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Racing 11. 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Penske Racing South 12. 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 13. 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 14. 4 Ward Burton Chevrolet Morgan-McClure Motorsports 15. 16 Greg Biffle Ford Roush Fenway Racing 16. 6 David Ragan (R) Ford Roush Fenway Racing 17. 38 David Gilliland (R) Ford Yates/Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 18. 99 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Racing 19. 43 Bobby Labonte (W) Dodge Petty Enterprises 20. 15 Paul Menard (R) Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 21. 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Team Red Bull 22. 11 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing 23. 21 Bill Elliott (W) Ford Wood Brothers/JTG Racing 24. 88 Ricky Rudd (W) Ford Yates/Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 25. 49 Ken Schrader Dodge BAM Racing 26. 40 David Stremme Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 27. 7 Robby Gordon Ford Robby Gordon Motorsports 28. 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Evernham Motorsports 29. 10 Scott Riggs Dodge Evernham Motorsports 30. 55 Terry Labonte Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing 31. 33 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 32. 45 Kyle Petty Dodge Petty Enterprises 33. 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Roush Fenway Racing 34. 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 35. 25 Casey Mears Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 36. 18 J. J. Yeley Chevorolet Joe Gibbs Racing 37. 70 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet Haas CNC Racing 38. 00 David Reutimann (R) Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing 39. 48 Jimmie Johnson (W) Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 40. 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Evernham Motorsports 41. 96 Tony Raines Chevrolet Hall of Fame Racing 42. 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Penske Racing South 43. 66 Jeff Green Chevrolet Haas CNC Racing Failed to Quality Pos. No. Driver Car Team 08 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet EM Motorsports 84 A. J. Allmendinger (R) Toyota Team Red Bull 37 Kevin Lepage Dodge Front Row Motorsports 44 Dale Jarrett (W) Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing 36 Jeremy Mayfield Toyota Bill Davis Racing 78 Kenny Wallace Chevrolet Furniture Row Racing
Notes For the first time in history, there was not a testing session before this race.